CLASSIC ROCK

Editor Siân Llewellyn Now playing: Manic Street Preachers, Critical

NEWS

Art-rock duo Godley & Crème (Kevin Godley and

WELCOME

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first issue

25 THINGS WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2025

With a new year now upon us, here’s what we’re chomping at the bit for that’s coming along in the next 12 months.

RIP

Thank you… and good night.

Shel Talmy

August 11, 1937 – November 13, 2024

Pete Sinfield

December 27, 1943 – November 14, 2024

Mike Pinera

September 29, 1948 – November 20, 2024

Jeff Beck’s Guitars Up For Auction

“They needed to be shared, played and loved again.”

Lemmy Visits Stringfellows – For Good

Motörhead leader’s ashes to be stored at strip club.

NEWS

Poison seem set to reunite in 2026,

Night Flight Orchestra

On paper their mixture of genres shouldn’t work, but on record and live it’s like living in a movie.

Lions In The Street

A debut album that’s like the Stones at their peak? There’s satisfaction to be got from that.

Hagar Holds Out Olive Branch To Alex Van Halen

“I just want to be friends again,” says Sammy.

Grammys 2025 Nominees

Metallica, Judas Priest, Pearl Jam and Idles on the lists.

Benjamin Booker

He's back with a compelling, experimental new album, and enjoying pulling the strings on his own label.

Stephen Wilson Jr

Inspired by his late father, the songwriter-forhire is now telling his stories with his own voice.

Styx

Come Sail Away

Joe Satriani

The virtuoso’s virtuoso on G3 pranking, handling Yngwie Malmsteen, and the Halloween costume he’d rather forget.

A FAREWELL TO KINGS?

Maybe Not

WHEN THE MUSIC'S OVER

The death of talismanic frontman Jim Morrison in 1971 looked like it marked the end of the road for The Doors. But his bandmates had other ideas. This is the story of the band’s strange afterlife.

ON HALLOWED GROUND

What links the Queen Of Soul, the birth of the Allman Brothers Band, and the new album from retro-rock flag bearers DeWolff? The answer lies in two legendary recording studios down south in the Alabama swamp.

SWEET TALKIN'

One of the best-loved bands of the glam era, Sweet, more than most, splashed colour and fun over the 70s pop world. Guitarist Andy Scott, keeper of the flame, looks back at good times and bad, and hints that it’s not over for the Ballroom Blitzers yet.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK TREMONTI

Take care of business. Quit your comfort zone. Don’t listen to rock journalists. And never forget you could still be washing cars. Life advice from The Book Of Tremonti.

SYMPHONY FOR THE DEVIL

With Metallica’s S&M reaching the grand old age of 25, we look back at how, and why, the world’s leading metal band teamed up with – shock, horror – an orchestra. True, but not sad.

EVER MEET LEMMY?EVER MEET LEMMY?

He was a pop star in the 60s, and toured and played with Hendrix. He’s played guitar for George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Roger Waters and more and is still in demand. And yes, he did meet Lemmy. He’s these are some of his stories. Andy Fairweather Low, and these are some of his stories

The Hot List

Welcome to our first Hot List of 2025!

Manic Street Preachers

Critical Thinking COLUMBIA

Franz Ferdinand

The Human Fear DOMINO

Dirtbag Republic

Bad Decisions DIRTBAG

FaithNYC

Love Is A Wish Away GOOD DEEDS

Pure Prairie League

Back On Track PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE

Bombus

Your Blood BLACK LODGE

Lambrini Girls

Who Let The Dogs Out CITY SLANG

Rachel Fuller And Pete Townshend

The Seeker 4WORDHOUSE

ROUND-UP: SLEAZE

We three kings: rock’n’roll with nothing to lose.

DeWolff

Muscle Shoals MASCOT

Tremonti

The End Will Show Us How NAPALM

Cortez

Thieves And Charlatans RIPPLE MUSIC

Black Ends

Psychotic Spew YOUTH RIOT

Paradise Sins

Desires PARADISE SINS

DoFlame

Bent BLUE GRAPE

Steve Koch

Blues CREATE

Cosmic Room 99

Cosmic Room 99 SISTER 9 RECORDINGS

Julian Cope

Friar Tuck HEAD HERITAGE

Tak Matsumoto Group

TMG II FRONTIERS

ROUND-UP: MELODIC ROCK

The Big Deal: difficult not to enjoy. DRAGAN

Twisted Sister

Stay Hungry – 40th Anniversary Edition ATLANTIC/RHINO

T.Rex

Tanx DEMON

War

The Collection 1977-1994 RHINO

Pitchshifter

Peel Sessions 91-93 COLD SPRING

Bush

Sixteen Stone CRAFT RECORDINGS

Danananana... ykroyd

Hey Everyone! ALCOPOP!

Slaughter & The Dogs

Bite Back Live! SECRET

Sparks

Sparks: 1974 EDSEL

King Crimson

Red 50th Anniversary Edition PANEGYRIC

Rival Sons

Great Western Valkyrie EARACHE

Dolium

The Products Of Our Own Demands and Commands SISTER 9

Tygers Of Pan Tang

Animal Instinct MIGHTY MUSIC

Echo And The Bunnymen

What Are You Going To Do With Your Life? LONDON

The Futureheads

Decent Days & Nights: The Singles CHERRY RED

John Wetton

Concentus: The John Wetton Live Collection, Volume I SPIRIT OF UNICORN MUSIC

Band Of Skulls

Cold Fame DIZZY HEIGHTS

The McCartney Legacy Volume 2: 1974-80

Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair HARPER COLLINS/DEY STREET

Placebo: This Search For Meaning

Dir: Oscar Sansom

Rush 1973 To 1982: Every Album, Every Song

Richard James SONICBOND

Who Knows: The Making Of A Rock Movie

Tony Klinger GIVE GET-GO BOOKS

Mute

Dave Barbarossa ASTRAL HORIZON

Slade In Flame At 50

Ian Edmundson & Chris Selby NOIZE BOOKS

Hell On Wheels

‘Recorded by’ Greg Jacobs UNIVERSITY OF HELL PRESS

Tom Morello

He’s best known as the guitarist with Rage Against The Machine, but there’s much more of his playing to marvel at than that.

Essential Classics

Rage Against The Machine Rage Against The Machine

Superior Reputation cementing

Rage Against The Machine Evil Empire EPIC, 1996

Good Worth exploring

Audioslave Revelations EPIC/INTERSCOPE, 2006 Audioslave’s second album in

Avoid

The Nightwatchman One Man Revolution EPIC, 2007 Really,

Essential Playlist

Bombtrack Rage Against The Machine Killing In

The High-Voltage What’s On Guide

KEVIN NIXON

Brothers Osborne

The leading lights of the outlaw country movement play UK and Ireland shows in January.

Cutting Crew

The not-one-hit-wonders celebrate their 40th anniversary.

Bullet For My Valentine

Touring with Trivium, they’ll be “throwing the kitchen sink at making the show look fantastic”.

Tour Dates

SCOTT LEGATO/GETTY CLUTCH The dates are a

Deep Purple / Reef

London O2 Arena

Amyl And The Sniffers

London Roundhouse

The Zombies

Begin Here Festival, Harpenden

Marcus King

London Hammersmith Apollo

Big Country

Glasgow SWG3

Michael Monroe

London Electric Ballroom

Anthrax / Kreator / Testament

Wolverhampton Civic Hall

IDLES

London Alexandra Palace

The Wildhearts

Tunbridge Wells Forum

Suzi Quatro

London Palladium

Sepultura / Jinjer / Obituary

London Hammersmith Apollo

Tropical Fuck Storm

London Scala

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Dublin 3Arena

The Soundtrack Of My Life

The Struts frontman Luke Spiller on the records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him