Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Tuesday 29 September 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester The Sixteen bring peace and stillness to the opening concert of the Bridgewater Hall's 30th International Concert Series ★★★★ The Sixteen and conductor Harry Christophers. Credit: Johnny Millar/The Bridgewater Hall Harry Christophers and his chamber choir The Sixteen first performed at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall in February 1998, eighteen …
Continue reading "The Sixteen: Angel of Peace – Live Review"
Thursday 23 September 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ★★★★★ Celebrating 30 years of The Bridgewater Hall with the world premiere of a stunning new symphony by Sir James MacMillan Sir James MacMillan, Kahchun Wong and members of The Hallé. Credit: Alex Burns, The Hallé On Wednesday 11 September 1996, the Bridgewater Hall opened its doors for …
Continue reading "Hallé Orchestra Opening Night: Built for the Hallé – Live Review"
Saturday 19 September 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ★ ★★ ★ ★ The Orchestra opens its new season with a stunning homage to nature, and a new piece by Gabriella Smith with a strong ecological theme BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds, conductor © Chris Payne Saturday evening’s opening concert of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra's new season, …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Sibelius Symphony No. 5 – Live Review"
Thursday 17 September 2026 The Ritz, Manchester ★★★★★ Voyage 35 take us on a joyful trip to the outer reaches of the Porcupine Tree catalogue Colin Edwin and John Wesley. Image courtesy of Steve Livesley In an interview with Nick Holmes Music in August, bass player Colin Edwin explained how Voyage 35, his newly-formed band …
Cover art for Regional Theatre designed by comic book artist Mark Bellingham The band's fifth album is an eclectic and very effective mix of genres that creates a melodic and dynamic whole Genre can be problematic in music. An example: I told my older brother that my son wanted the new album Inferno by the …
Continue reading "Off The Beaten Track # 19 – Regional Theatre by The Fierce & The Dead"
'A forensic and illuminating analysis of Wilson's first five solo albums' The first review of my new book about the music of Steven Wilson is out ‘… a forensic and illuminating analysis of Wilson’s first five solo albums.’ The Beat Magazine The Beat Magazine The book is available now from Burning Shed, Amazon and other …
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Shez Raja at Ronnie Scott’s, London in February 2020 Shez Raja was born on the Wirral to an Asian father and an English mother. He began playing violin as a child, but soon switched to bass guitar. He was voted one of the ‘Hottest Bass Players in the World’ by readers of Bass Player Magazine. …
John Wesley (left) and Colin Edwin. Image © Carol Alabrese Colin Edwin was Porcupine Tree’s bass player from 1995 to 2010, playing on seven studio albums from Signify (1996) to The Incident (2009) before the band took a long hiatus. Edwin is currently a member of progressive metal band O.R.k., with American drummer Pat Mastelotto …
Friday 31 July 2026 Band on the Wall, Manchester ★★★★★ Shez Raja and friends bring joy and virtuosity to a life-affirming gig Guthrie Govan (left) and Shez Raja © Mia Scudds Shez Raja is a great communicator. Dressed in his trademark white suit and cap, he bounded on stage at last Friday's gig at Manchester’s …
Continue reading "Shez Raja feat. Guthrie Govan – Live Review"
Malcolm Galloway Malcolm Galloway is vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer of London-based progressive rock band Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate. He’s joined on bass by Mark Gatland, who also sings backing vocals, plays keyboards, and is co-producer.The band’s ninth album, Parallel Lives, is due to be released in early September 2026. Nick Holmes Music spoke to …