Where the music does the talking.

Where the music does the talking. A music blog covering live music previews/reviews and interviews.

26/04/2026

Q The Music, Vaillant Live, Derby, 22/03/26

Q The Music is a thirteen piece band who celebrates the music of the James Bond films. The group formed 22 years ago and this was their first visit to Derby.

As a lifelong Bond fan of both the books and film franchise this writer has often thought how good it would be to hear the legendary themes and songs in a live concert format and was certainly not disappointed.

The evening was hosted by Caroline Bliss who played Miss Moneypenny during the Timothy Dalton era in the films The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill. Bliss told stories of her auditioning and being casted in the role as well as some funny anecdotes about filming particular scenes,

The show lasted for just over two hours and was in two parts with an interval break.

The band leader and musical director Warren Ringham is a self-confessed and proud Bond Anorak, it was his vision and desire to put Q The Music together and perform the Bond music and what an achievement.

The show is a real spectacle and showcases the drama and power of the James Bond theme songs with three exceptional singers. A few curveballs were thrown such as the lead vocal of ‘Live and Let Die’ sung by an incredible female vocalist and the surprise inclusion of their take on the Moby remix of the Bond theme music but it worked.

Most of the Bond theme songs were played with the notable exception of ‘Die Another Day’ by Madonna, which, let’s face it is rubbish and was most definitely not missed!

Stand-out tracks for this writer were ‘Goldfinger’, the aforementioned ‘Live And Let Die’, ‘Nobody Does It Better’, ‘A View To A Kill’, ‘GoldenEye’, ‘You Know My Name’ ‘Skyfall’ and ‘We Have All The Time In The World’.

A really enjoyable night and here’s hoping that Q The Music will be back at Vaillant Live in the not too distant future.

Kev White

29/03/2026

Blackmore’s Blood, The Flowerpot, 13/02/26 Live Review

Blackmore’s Blood played the debut show at The Flowerpot replacing regular venue stalwarts Rainbow Rising who were scheduled to play.

The band formed in 2016 and have since steadily built up a solid reputation as a live band recreating the sound of Deep Purple, Rainbow and Ritchie Blackmore which is no mean feat.
With big shoes to fill Blackmore’s Blood delivered an incendiary two hour show blending together the hits and some fan favourite deep cuts which were really well received by all present.
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The musicianship and attention to detail was spot on. Singer, Jim, has an incredible voice, perfectly replicating the vocal styles and delivery of the various front men which was very impressive to witness. Guitarist and band founder Mal has clearly studied Ritchie Blackmore’s sound and approach to playing, So good, in fact, if you close your eyes and listened, you would think that you were actually listening to Blackmore himself. Total respect!

The rhythm section was absolutely on point, a really tight and clearly well-rehearsed unit.

Stand-out tracks included set opener ‘Burn’, ‘Stormbringer’, ‘I Surrender’, ‘Mistreated’, ‘Kill The King’, ‘Highway Star’, ‘Soldier Of Fortune’, ‘Stargazer’, ‘Smoke On The Water’, ‘Black Night’ and ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’.

An absolutely superb gig. A truly great night. Hopefully Blackmore’s Blood will be back.

Kev White

29/03/2026

Carol Hodge (solo), Mr Shaw’s House, Derby, 29/01/26, Live Review

Singer/songwriter Carol Hodge played her debut gig at the relatively new venue, (for this writer, at least) Mr Shaw’s House on Sadlergate. The intimate venue is a café/craft beer specialist bar and welcome addition to the local music scene.

Alt/Rock musician Carol Hodge has a great pedigree having been in Ryan Hamilton’s Harlequin Ghosts, a member of Steve Ignorant’s Slice Of Life and has also worked with Ginger Wildheart and The Wildhearts themselves.

Hodge has a rare condition called cleft type symbrachydactly which means that she only has two fingers on her left hand; she has never let this hold her back and is very passionate about music. She is a prolific songwriter having released several critically acclaimed solo albums in recent years.

Hodge is a gifted singer and keyboard player with a bubbly personality who really engaged with the sold out crowd holding us all absolutely captivated by her performance tonight. Her songs are very socially conscious with very powerful messages and views on subjects that are close to her heart.

Set highlights tonight included ‘Stop Worrying Baby’, ‘The Price’, ‘In Case Of Emergency’, ‘This’, ‘Drowning Rocks’, ‘I Don’t Care Anymore’ and ‘Queen Of Fitting In’.

The hour long set was over all too soon, the gig was stunning. Hodge certainly knows how to make an impact.

A great gig at an up and coming new venue which really help to further cement Derby’s reputation as live music destination.

Kev White

25/03/2026

Review of 2025

An apology, I have had a tough few months with personal issues and family bereavement.

2025 was another heavy year of losses including Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) Roberta Flack, Sly Stone, Mick Ralphs (Bad Company/Mott The Hoople), Ozzy Osborne, Ace Frehley (KISS), Gary 'Mani' Mounfield (Primal Scream/Stone Roses), Marianne Faithful, Roy Ackers, Connie Francis and Rick Buckler (The Jam).

Album of the year for me was Elements by Rockers Circus 66 who are also a phenomenal live band.

I always like to try new venues (for me anyway). Dubrec Studios in Derby is a fantastic intimate space with recording studios, a performance space and bar. Well worth checking out. Then there was an unusual venue for gigs that is St Peters Church in Belper. Great acoustics and well organised. I also have to mention the latest venue in Derby, the new 3,500 capacity Vaillant Live Arena in Derby city centre. Expensive beer but a well laid out venue again with a great sound and very well run.

I have seen some superb gigs this year.

Out of choice I rarely review covers bands. However, local Derby band, Reviver really stood out. Great musicians who play music from the usual suspects and the odd curve ball thrown in but their USP is choosing lesser known tracks. This is a refreshing change and the group are well worth checking out.

I have seen a few tribute bands this year including Alchemy Live (Dire Straits), Quo Connection, U2UK who all played great gigs. However, it was Ultimate Leppard (Def Leppard) who played their debut show at The Flowerpot who really blew me away playing the hits and some unexpected but well-received deeper cuts. They were on fire.

Of the original artists I saw fantastic gigs by Andro Coulton's Give Em Hell (Witchfynde), Miles Hunt, Francis Rossi, GUN (acoustic), Nine Below Zero, Brave Rival, The Levellers and Los Pacaminos featuring Paul Young.

There was the fiasco of the Summer Sessions moving from Markeaton Park in Detby to the new Vaillant Live. But every cloud....it meant that Simple Minds played a (by their usual standard) intimate gig and were exceptionally good.

I saw the Rock Orchestra at Nottingham Arena which was Rock and Metal classics given an orchestral make over. I was very impressed and would recommend them to any fans of those genres.

I finally got the chance to see Phil Campbell and The Bastard Sons earlier in the year at the Hairy Dog. I never got to see Motorhead so this was the next best thing and what a gig!

But the gig(s) of the year for me was local heroes, Rockers These Wicked Rivers, a band who has been on my radar for a few years but I have not had the chance to see. I saw them at St Peters Church, an interesting place for a Rock gig but it worked. The band played a blinder of a set, I was so impressed that I went to see them again at there Christmas show at The Hairy Dog. These Wicked Rivers are real showmen with great material. Their shows feel like an event which is something that few bands achieve.

What a year!

Kev White

11/01/2026

These Wicked Rivers Christmas show at The Hairy Dog, Derby 13/12/25, Live Review

Blues/Rockers These Wicked Rivers played their annual Christmas show at the Hairy Dog to a packed out crowd. The atmosphere was electric as it was a hometown show in a great venue.

Kicking of proceedings were local band a-tota-so who did a good job of warming up the audience, followed by The Karma Effect who really good the party started with their brand of Rock, catchy songs and a really engaging, charismatic front man.

These Wicked Rivers are very much local legends with two stunning albums under their belt and a third one which is imminent. The group has a growing reputation for their incendiary live shows and well-crafted songs.

Looking at the merchandise stand, they are well on the way to giving Metal Titans Iron Maiden a run for their money with the range of T shirts, Hoodies; sew on patches along with various other items!

These Wicked Rivers took to the stage around 9 pm kicking off with ‘Shine On’, ‘Mother Nature’ and ‘Black Gold’ followed in quick succession. For the next hour and three quarters they blew the roof off the building, playing an absolutely storming set. They really connected with the fans and occasionally engaged in playful banter.

Their songs have an real anthemic quality about them and many of which are fast becoming firm fan favourites such as the aforementioned. Other set highlights were ‘Evergreen’, ‘Lonely Road’, ‘Testify’, ‘The Family’ and set closer ‘Don’t Pray For Me’.

These Wicked Rivers a one of a very rare breed whose shows are more than just gigs, they feel like events!

This was a truly outstanding gig and a fantastic way to end the year.

These Wicked Rivers really are something else! If the band is yet to feature on your radar, you really need to check them out.

Kev White

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