Surferprog boys Pendragon will be releasing their 8th studio album, entitled Pure at the start of October. However, the band are holding a special Pendragon Mega Daze Weekender on Saturday and Sunday 20th/21st September at Riff's Bar near Swindon.
There's more details of this fabulous event at www.pendragon.mu but basically what it boils down to is a proper gig at Riff's on the Saturday night, where everyone will get a copy of the Special Edition version of Pure featuring a progumentary DVD (two weeks before the rest of us), a Pure t-shirt, and a Hog roast on the Sunday followed by a more intimate afternoon session with a "rareties" gig and a meet'n'greet flesh-slapping session! Tickets for the weekend cost £45 (or £80 for a "Couple") from the Pendragon store now. Riff's is a fairly small venue, so the band expect tickets to sell out quickly, so get yours today.
The backroom staff have also been busy setting up a new fan area. Called Purely Pendragon, it has just opened it's virtual doors to the grubby and unwashed public (wipe your feet on the way in...). Entrance is by invitation only, so to get an invite, you need to email your name to
and she will send you the registration details.
On there right now is some live video from The Marquee in 1989, studio diary video and a couple of snippets from demos of the new album Pure, and there is plenty more coming soon!
Satanic proggers Black Widow's 1970 live DVD Demons of The Night Gather To See is finally available via www.mysticrecords.co.uk - this release is also available worldwide now. A couple of tasters from the show (live versions of Come To The Sabbat and Seduction) are available on www.myspace.com/blackwidowisback.
Clive Jones and Geoff Griffith are working on new Black Widow material.
Clive Jones has been asked by Alfio Costa to guest on Tilion's forthcoming album (vocals & sax). This will be a very interesting challenge. The related sites are www.myspace.com/tilionmusic and www.myspace.com/alfiocosta.
Dudes of Neptune, the psychedelic space rockers from Worcester, have just released their debut album Mindsnapper. Their sound appeals to the fans of Hawkwind and Pink Floyd and they should be a huge attraction on any Stonehenge Festival.
You can take a listen on www.myspace.com/dudesofneptune and you can see the full Mindsnapper album promo video there as well.
Prog-hero Dene Wilby has saved proggers Darwin's Radio from extinction by replacing the hot youngs things tired and weary old website, with a brand new one!
So if you click along to www.darwinsradio.co.uk you can catch up with the latest from the band.
Or, if you prefer not to leave the comfort of your own armchairs, the latest update says:
"Writing sessions for the 2nd album are underway again after a somewhat lengthy hiatus over the last few months. Aside from the usual work commitments, Mark has had his hands full recently with IQ gigs, Dec has been collaborating with Jem Godfrey on the new Frost* project, Tim has been busy setting up his own mail-order business, and Sean has been shelling peas.
So far two songs have been written and arranged totalling around 26 minutes, and the foundations are now in place for four more songs which should make up the rest of the CD.
The first recordings are due to take place in May, with further sessions later in the year when time permits."
MetalMind Productions have posted some teaser clips of the new Caamora "She" DVD up on YouTube recently. We caught this clip of Confrontation and thought it worthy of the Clip of the Week title. It features Prog Babe Agnieszka Swita and Guinness swilling Xtina Magenta aurally duelling it out on stage, while Clive sleeps off a big lunch. It also featurs new Pendragon skin-botherer Scott Higham doing his stuff.
The DVD will be released on 10th March here in Europe, while you Americans will have to wait a couple of months more for it.
This years Summer's End Festival will take place on the 26, 27 & 28th September, at The Hall, in Lydney, Gloucestershire.
Three bands have been announced so far. Headlining the Friday show will be Britains premier metalliproggers Threshold. Headlining on the Saturday night are progging grandads IQ, while Frost will be filling in the Special Guest splot on the Sunday.
More details of the festival, including further bands, ticket sales, accommodation, and sponsorship packages will be released very soon.
The Pineapple Thief have signed a new four album deal with K-Scope, who are part of the Snapper Music Group and will offer the band access to a wider audience base, worldwide distribution and greater promotion. The first release will be the next studio album titled Tightly Unwound due out on May 19th 2008.
A Tightly Unwound microsite is under development at K-Scope, which will include track previews, videos, exclusive mp3's and a re-re-remix competition. Already up on the site is a teaser of the new album, in the shape of an snippet of My Debt To You
The band will be premièring tracks from the album at their gig on the 21st March at the Half Moon in Putney, London. Tickets, costing £5, are selling out quickly, so get yours from
Ticketweb.
And... not content with having a website and a MySpace page, TPT now have a fan page on Facebook
Fire In The South make their long awaited return to the Live circuit with a gig on Wednesday 5th March at the Cock Tavern, 125 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 6JH. They will be using this gig to introduce their new drummer Fabrice Gallesco of French-Sicilian origin (foremost in the band photo) to their anxious fan base. "We just had our best ever rehearsal with Fabrice," says Paul Wiffen, Fire In The South's keyboardist, "and although we all miss Patch (who is busy touring the US with various bands) we feel that Fabrice has brought a great new energy into the band in a very short time, like when Alan White replaced Bill Bruford in Yes in 1973."
They will also be doing the gig with no female backing singers for the first time in a while as both Vanessa and Honey are away working. However, Martyn, Danny and Fabrice have been working hard on backing vocals so that there will not be a big hole in the sound and Paul has fulfilled a lifetime's ambition by bringing the sound of the mighty Mellotron in behind them (courtesy of G-Media's M-Tron who also supply his trademark OSCar lead and bass sounds from the impOSCar as well). Paul is using a combination of Evolution and M-Audio keyboards to trigger everything, with drawbars for the Hammond B4, rotary knobs for the OSCar filters and buttons for the Leslie speed and phase controls.
Continuing our look at Prog Birds what drink Guinness, this week we bring you the totally gorgeous Anna Parry, from electronic progressives Fabric, downing a pint of the Black Stuff recently in Dublin. The band, formally known as Parry:Matthews have recently released their second album four two which is available from their myspace page, www.myspace.com/fabricsounds for a fiver
If you're a Prog Bird, and you drink Guinness, send a photo to
Festival food favourites Magenta have added former Ezra member Colin Edwards to their ranks. Colin will be adding guitars and additional keyboards.
Mr Magenta Rob Reed says: “Colin’s versatility and expertise on both guitar and keyboards make him the ideal addition to Magenta. With the new live band now complete we’re very excited about showing people what we can do on stage.”
Magenta have also been added to the line up of the Night of the Prog Festival at Loreley, Germany on Saturday 19th July. Also playing on the Saturday are Fish, Circa, Pain of Salvation and It Bites. Full details of the festival line up can be found at www.wiventertainment.de
Coast progging Galahad hope to put the controversy around basser Lee 'Father' Abrahams pop album behind them by playing four gigs in Poland in April.
The dates are: 17th April - Andaluzja, Piekary Śląskie
18th April - Progresja, Warsaw
19th April - 3rd Art Rock Festival, Poznań
20th April - Kuźnia, Bydgoszcz
You can find out what the controversy regarding Lee's "pop" album by sending the guy a fiver and buying a copy of it yourself. Drop lee an email at
Confirmed Edam-eater Stuart Cormie adds: "Last year's inaugural event was a real treat for prog-heads from all over Europe and beyond -- The Flower Kings, Riverside, Pendragon and more playing at the excellent 013 venue in the lovely town of Tilburg in the south of Holland. Great music, great vibes and great beer! This year's bash builds on that success with a somewhat heavier theme.
Travelling from the UK, Tilburg is just a 3-hour drive from Calais (and even less from the Hook of Holland). There are flights from the UK to Eindhoven, about 30 km away, and to Amsterdam, just 90 minutes away by train.
Chiltern proggers Bard have been unseasonably quiet recently. But fear ye not, for they are not dead, or in prison or something.
But they have been locked away, in the studio though, doing whatever it is that Prog bands do at such times.
Now, they have earned their freedom for a short while and to celebrate, they will be playing a fundraising evening at the Limelight Theatre in Aylesbury on Friday 7th March. Old stuff and new stuff is promised. Maybe there'll be some borrowed and blue stuff too..
Crimson Sky have been added to this years Somerset Prog Festval line-up. The band played there last year and are said to be delighted to be asked back again.
Chemical Steve Presents The Second Somerset Prog Festival UK
Solstice, Ezra, Crimson Sky, The Fast Camels, and Gothic Chicken will be on the bill for the Second Somerset Prog Festival on 25th May, 4pm - Midnight at the Cheese & Grain, Somerset, Frome, UK.
Tickets will be £12 advance.
www.cheeseandgrain.co.uk
Crimson Sky have another date before that, when they play at The Wunder Bar in Midsomer Norton on April 17th. Entry to the gig is free, and the band'll be on stage at 9:45
Amplifier are currently recording their third album. They recently played live in Manchester where they played for over two hours, performing new and old material. Some short but sweet clips here:
www.youtube.com and www.youtube.com
A new album, tour, world domination and all the rest will be forthcoming!
In the mean time, just for old times sake, sure many have heard before but for those who haven't - Enjoy Glory Electricity
Also,we're getting rid of old stock to make room for this seasons styles, this years look will be tramp chic! See: merchandise
tee shirts - £10
remaining hoodies - £20
Nil Recurring, the new release from Porcupine Tree is released today on Peaceville Records.
The mini-album (29 minutes of music) was written during the grammy-nominated Fear Of A Blank Planet sessions, completed over the summer of 2007, and is now presented as a cohesive, self-contained Porcupine Tree work in its own right.
The title track features Robert Fripp on lead guitar, and the album moves through the full Porcupine Tree spectrum of atmospheric ambience, melodic hooks, and crushing riffs.
Intercontinental proggers Stream of Passion have added another date to their European Tour. The dates announced so far are:
Saturday 12 April - Tournai ProgEvent Festival, Tournai, Belgium
Sunday 13 April - Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium
Friday 18 April - De Kade, Zaandam, Netherlands
Thursday 24 April - Effenaar, Eindhoven, Netherlands
Friday 25 April - Fenix, Sittard, Netherlands
The band have been working on new material and are hoping that the new CD see's the light sometime this year. These gigs will give fans to hear the new material, and also see the new band members.
Hot News
Surferprog boys Pendragon will be releasing their 8th studio album, entitled Pure at the start of October. However, the band are holding a special Pendragon Mega Daze Weekender on Saturday and Sunday 20th/21st September at Riff's Bar near Swindon.
Satanic proggers Black Widow's 1970 live DVD Demons of The Night Gather To See is finally available via 
Dudes of Neptune, the psychedelic space rockers from Worcester, have just released their debut album Mindsnapper. Their sound appeals to the fans of Hawkwind and Pink Floyd and they should be a huge attraction on any Stonehenge Festival.
Prog-hero Dene Wilby has saved proggers Darwin's Radio from extinction by replacing the hot youngs things tired and weary old website, with a brand new one!
Top new band Touchstone will be playing at the Tamworth Rugby Club, Tamworth, Staffs on Saturday 3rd May at 7.30 pm.
The Pineapple Thief have signed a new four album deal with K-Scope, who are part of the Snapper Music Group and will offer the band access to a wider audience base, worldwide distribution and greater promotion. The first release will be the next studio album titled Tightly Unwound due out on May 19th 2008.
Fire In The South make their long awaited return to the Live circuit with a gig on Wednesday 5th March at the Cock Tavern, 125 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 6JH. They will be using this gig to introduce their new drummer Fabrice Gallesco of French-Sicilian origin (foremost in the band photo) to their anxious fan base. "We just had our best ever rehearsal with Fabrice," says Paul Wiffen, Fire In The South's keyboardist, "and although we all miss Patch (who is busy touring the US with various bands) we feel that Fabrice has brought a great new energy into the band in a very short time, like when Alan White replaced Bill Bruford in Yes in 1973."
Continuing our look at Prog Birds what drink Guinness, this week we bring you the totally gorgeous Anna Parry, from electronic progressives Fabric, downing a pint of the Black Stuff recently in Dublin. The band, formally known as Parry:Matthews have recently released their second album four two which is available from their myspace page, 
Festival food favourites Magenta have added former Ezra member Colin Edwards to their ranks. Colin will be adding guitars and additional keyboards.
Coast progging Galahad hope to put the controversy around basser Lee 'Father' Abrahams pop album behind them by playing four gigs in Poland in April.
Norwegian proggers Magic Pie have been added to the bill at this years Symforce Festival, held at the 013 in Tilburg on Saturday 23rd August.
Chiltern proggers Bard have been unseasonably quiet recently. But fear ye not, for they are not dead, or in prison or something.
Crimson Sky have been added to this years Somerset Prog Festval line-up. The band played there last year and are said to be delighted to be asked back again.
Amplifier are currently recording their third album. They recently played live in Manchester where they played for over two hours, performing new and old material. Some short but sweet clips here:
Nil Recurring, the new release from Porcupine Tree is released today on Peaceville Records.
Intercontinental proggers Stream of Passion have added another date to their European Tour. The dates announced so far are:
The Reasoning have published details of the pre-order website for their forthcoming album, Dark Angel.
