Category: Interviews
The BIG Über Rock Interview – Erja Lyytinen
Finnish blues-rock guitarist Erja Lyytinen is preparing to invite us to wake up and #SmellTheRoses with the release of her first studio album in three years. Not that she has been quiet in the interim, continuing to tour the Überverse almost incessantly. Last year was a particularly busy one, rounded off by two landmark moments – one of which was perhaps a bit surprising, as she explained…
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Über Rock Introduces… Solothurn
We ourselves were first introduced to these Northern Ireland alt-rockers when they forced us into musical #Servitude with their debut EP nigh on 18 months ago, subsequently going on to give last year’s Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses competition a fair oul rattling with a trio of highly impressive performances. Although on the outside they have been relatively quiet in the interim period, they have been beavering away behind the scenes, and this past week came crashing back over us in #Waves with a tsunami of a new single.
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The Devil Wears Prada/Kingdom Of Giants/Ocean Grove/SENNA – Manchester, Club Academy – 18 February 2025
A night of crushing riffs, chaotic energy and genre-bending supports… what more could you ask for at The Devil Wears Prada’s first ÜK headline tour in 11 years? Josh B was front and centre to find out the answer…
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THE BIG ÜBER ROCK INTERVIEW – IAN ANDERSON (JETHRO TULL)
Folk prog legends Jethro Tull are about to release their 24th album in their six decade long career, so what better time to sit down with the band’s iconoclastic and erudite founder and frontman to share some curious ruminations about the release, its origins and the state of play with both the band and the state of the live scene for so-called “heritage” bands? There’s none really, so let’s dive in and get the conversation started…
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PaRtY-CaNnOn/Pintglass/Street Soldier – Manchester, Rebellion – 22 September 2024
Due to their brutal sound and tongue-in-cheek approach to the genre, PaRtY-CaNnOn have earned a reputation as one of the most entertaining acts in the slam metal scene. Their ongoing ÜK ‘Vomitour’ is stirring up silliness like never before, with their recent show at Rebellion featuring a range of hilarious gimmicks, as well as the usual chaotic mosh pits. Supporting are Pintglass and Street Soldier, who are best known for their hard-hitting yet equally absurd takes on hardcore. Their presence on the lineup elevates the ‘Vomitour’ into an unmissable experience for fun-loving metalheads who are eager to blow off some steam while having a damn good time.
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Spanish Love Songs/Heart Attack Man/Shoreline – Utrecht, De Helling – 10 February 2024
Every now and then Jase W gets a band through the grapevine where everyone in his social circles legitimately will not stop talking about, Spanish Love Songs is one of those and tonight they’re hitting De Helling in Utrecht for the last date of the tour. It’s been a wild ride for the last month but finishing up in Utrecht and having the privilege of chatting to them as well is something our man will never take for granted… they were bloody lovely too!
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The BIG Über Rock Interview: Time Spent Driving
Widely regarded as pioneers of the late 90s/early 2000s emo scene, Bay Area indie popsters Time Spent Driving released their first album in nine years, ‘Estrangers’, this past November, giving Monk the opportunity to hook up with frontman Jon Cattivera to find out a bit more about it, some of the deeply personal songs, and generally shoot the breeze about the band’s past, present and future…
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Steelhouse Festival – Aberbeeg, Hafod-y-Dafal Farm – 30 July 2023
Well, it had to happen, didn’t it? After two days of reasonably clement weather, with only the odd dark cloud overhead and the occasional spit of rain, we awoke on Sunday morning to find it absolutely teeming it down. As we say in this part of the world, it was meeting itself coming back up again… but, that wasn’t going to dampen our spirits as we headed back up the potholed path to the top of the mountain for the third and final day of rock ‘n’ roll action.
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BST – London, Hyde Park – 30 June 2023
It was not the first time DJ Astrocreep had taken the long trip down to London, but certainly the first since Covid became a thing, yet it garnered the big lad the chance to see Guns N’ Roses live for the first time… well, needs be what needs must! Some things are worth that extra effort for and catching one of the seminal ’80s hard rock bands live would be in amongst that discussion for sure.
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Trevor’s Head – ‘A View From Below’ (APF Records)
Having found Trevor’s Head on their sophomore release, ‘Soma Holiday’, DJ Astrocreep was massively stoked to see a new album invade the ÜR inbox. Boasting a rather intriguing mix of punk, rock and stoner, they’re not any type of standard fare that you may encounter in droves, such is the volume of music produced these days, but something a lot more heady. Time to dive into the first listen, then…
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Night Demon/Mortal Backlash/Unmaker – Belfast, Voodoo – 10 May 2023
It had been more than a few hot minutes – some three-plus months in fact – since Monk and DQ had last climbed the narrow stairs to their favourite Belfast venue and watering hole for an evening of mad midweek metallic mayhem… but, then, with often competing shift patterns, the bosses have to pick and choose what gigs they’re able to attend, and this was one they definitely (and defiantly) weren’t going to miss, as Californian power trio Night Demon made a very welcome and overdue return to UR’s home city \m/
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HRH Prog XIII – Sheffield, O2 Academy – 14/15 April 2023
It was Friday night and the first night of Prog XIII, for what seemed to be the least troubled of the recent HRH promotions. Anyone who keeps even half an eye on social media will know the controversy and travails with which the franchise has been beset over the past few months months, with numerous allegations about fake bookings, false advertising and unpaid appearance fees being flung in the direction of the HRH management. It’s a debate in which we at ÜRHQ have chosen not to participate, as there are always three sides to every story and anything we print would be based on third party commentary. But, it has to be admitted that most, if not all, of these allegations have gone unanswered by the accused party, who have soldiered on defiantly, as this weekend proves. And so, we hand over to our colleague Bona to comment on what actually happened over the weekend…
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