CD Review: The Great Adventour – The Neal Morse Band
Mike Portnoy proclaimed “The Similitude of A Dream” as Neal Morse’s best album, only to give the same accolade to the follow-up double album “The Great Adventure”, and that together they are an epic 4-disc set. This performance of “The Great Adventour – Live in Brno 2019” (audio only in my case as reviewer) is […]
Roots in April
The Reverend Shawn Amos & The Brotherhood – Blue Sky Prior to emerging as the Reverend in 2013, folks knew Shawn Amos as producer (Solomon Burke’s Live in Nashville and Shout! Factory box set Q : The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones), and an Americana singer-songwriter who’d grown up in a dramatically dysfunctional L.A. home, […]
Album Release – Kansas – The Absence of Presence
American proggers Kansas have a new album out this summer, It’s called The Absence of Presence and is their first studio release since 2016s The Prelude Implicit. The Absence of Presence, released by Inside Out Music on 26th June 2020, features nine all new tracks written by the band, produced by Zak Rizvi, and co-produced […]
CD Review: Zopp -Zopp
Oh my, oh my……. Pure Canterbury. Proper Prog. Gorgeous. Best of 2020. So far. “Epic fuzz organ driven prog/jazz/electronic rock music with a slice of lemon” (they said that, not me) I am first listening to this just as fear is hitting the good folks of the UK, panic beginning to manifest itself in […]
CD Review: The Toundra – Das Kabinett des Dr Caligari
‘Das Cabinet des Dr.Caligari’ is the latest musical initiative of Toundra, a rather intrepid instrumental rock band from Spain who are not afraid to tackle new projects in a unique fashion and reinvent their art. An atmopheric soundtrack to the quintessential German silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene that turns exactly 100 years old in 2020, […]
CD Review – Ms Amy Birks – All That I Am & All That I Was
Amy Birks first came to the attention of the prog scene as a member of Beatrix Players, for whom she was lyricist, co-composer and lead vocalist. The band won Prog magazine’s Limelight award in 2017, Amy herself winning best female vocalist in the same magazine in 2018. Now on her own, Amy releases her first […]
Cairo Postponed
We have heard from Cairo that they have decided to postpone this Thursday’s gig at Local Authority. From Cairo: CAIRO GIGS POSTPONED “It is with sincere regret that we have decided to postpone next weeks Cairo gigs in Sheffield and Milton Keynes, due to the coronavirus epidemic concerns which have escalated exponentially in the UK […]
Roots in March 2020
Sam Lewis – Solo Sam Lewis has collaborated with the likes of Leon Russell and been dubbed “a modern Townes Van Zandt”. Following a nomadic youth throughout the south-east USA, he began calling Nashville home in 2009. To date he has released a self-titled debut (2012), Waiting On You (2015), and Loversity (2018), in the […]
Get your music heard!
Put your music onto the Spirit player at the top of the Spirit of Prog website and get your stuff heard by loads of avid Spirit of Prog followers. Email your mp3’s to kris@spirit.rocks with details of the album it is from, and the year of release and if it’s good enough it’ll make it […]
Pallas to play The Spirit of Prog
The Spirit of Progressive Rock is extremely proud to announce that we will be playing host to one of the September tour dates for Pallas. Tickets are available now.
CD Review: Orange Clocks – Metamorphic
Metamorphic is the new album from Orange Clocks and was released by Bad Elephant Music on Valentine’s Day of all days. Anybody heard of Seventies’ supergroup Klementine Uhren’s soundtrack for Tope’s Sphere? Nope, me neither. So we can’t look at this new album with any wisdom or consideration of the Clocks’s reinterpretation of said item. […]
Roots in February 2020
Catherine MacLellan – Coyote Juno Award winner (for her last album of original songs,The Raven’s Sun), Catherine MacLellan returns after a four-year break (celebrating the life and legacy of her father GeneMacLellan (writer of Anne Murray’s Snowbird) with this eagerly anticipated sixth album. They were all recorded and produced at Catherine’s home studio in Prince […]
New Gig : Cairo & White Sail
A last minute booking! You don’t have long to plan this one. Patreon sponsors of course can claim their discount by using the password shared over on the Patreon website. Award-winning prog rock band, CAIRO are excited to play The Local Authority in Sheffield for the first time for an evening of melodic progressive rock […]
A Genesis In My Bed
July 2020 sees the publication of A Genesis In My Bed – the autobiography from guitar great, former member of Genesis, and of course one of our honarypatrons, Steve Hackett. Steve has apparently written a highly detailed, entertaining and embracing book that charts his life in full, but with a firm emphasis on his years […]
Strangefish: Sun 26 January, Robin 2, Bilston, Wolverhampton.
The Robin 2 is a superb venue with a regular sound-guy who knows what he is doing, it has a well- stocked bar and there’s often catering available which includes grey peas and bacon, a local Dudley delicacy (gray-pays). This year the venue has announced some Sunday ProgRock all-day festivals of which this was the […]
CD Review: Here it comes again – Francesco Gazzara
Five years have elapsed since the release of Francesco’s first Genesis influenced album “Play Me My Song”and his recently released sequel “Here It Comes Again” continues his re-interpretation of classic Genesis tracks. He has, like on his previous album, focussed on genesis’s 1971-1980’s repertoire selecting ten tracks taken from the seven albums covering the Nursery […]
Yet another venue bites the dust.
Were sad to announce that Sheffield’s RS Bar (sometimes known as the Tune Inn or the Royal Standard) has closed. The RS Bar has hosted many different bands in it’s time including a few events from Spirit favourites Haze and my own folk band Ethryll. We hope a new landlord is found soon!
Help us thrive! Become a sponsor.
We are now taking sponsorships to help us move to the next level. Bigger gigs, bigger names – we’d love to do them all – but the money is always the issue. Our aims for 2020 are as follows. Improve the website (and sell tickets on here, rather than relying on Skiddle) – however this […]
Sons Of Apollo – Desolate July
Sons Of Apollo – former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force) – have released another video track, Desolate July. It is dedicated to the memory of one of […]
Roots in January 2020
Gwen Mairi – Mentro Brought up in Scotland in a Welsh-speaking household, Gwen’s mixed heritage and classical pedal harp training combine to blend the traditional with the contemporary. Joining her are Gwilym Bowen Rhys on guitar, mandolin and fiddle, and Jordan Price Williams on cello. Mentro is the Welsh word for to venture, or to […]
CD Review: The Pineapple Thief – Hold Our Fire
Confession: for years, I always avoided TPT in the mistaken and totally unjustified belief they were like a band with similar initials – PT. What a numpty! I had the pleasure of reviewing Dissolution back in CRS times, and have now just had the pleasure of listening to the band on its 2018 tour, playing […]
CD Review: Downes Braide Association – Live in England
Beyonce, Sia, Marc Almond. Names in a prog album review. You wouldn’t have expected that, would you? Geoff Downes is a perennial project musician, whether directly through Buggles, Yes, Asia or this one – Downes Braide Association – or supporting others such as Trevor Horn’s 2006 “The Producers” album, which is where this DBA partnership […]
CD Review: Klone – Le Grande Voyage
Kscope have added another doozy of a band to their ranks, with the addition of French art rock band Klone to the label. Known for their trademark dark guitar tones and epic brooding soundscapes, they fit the bill perfectly, and they know it. Guillaume Bernard, Klone’s guitarist, enthuses “We are honoured to join their family, […]
CD Review: Sons of the Tundra – Murmuration
Suns of the Tundra have three acclaimed albums under their belt: a self-titled debut (2004), Tunguska (2006), and the concept album Bones of Brave Ships (2015) as well as 2009 EP release, Illuminate. Murmuration is their first release for Bad Elephant Music. It is a remarkable combination of precise vocals with hard-driving instrumentation especially with […]
Sofia Talvik: Paws of a Bear
Now, I fully admit that here at Spirit we have a really eclectic bunch of writers and tastes, and don’t mind sharing our different thoughts and opinions, so I was really intrigued to be approached to review this, the latest album by Swedish singer/song-writer Sofia Talvik. This year some of the strongest albums (Rise, […]
Steve Hackett – Beyond Excellent
Live at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 26.11.19 Words: Bernard Law Photography: Steve Hammond Once in a while, an artist just gets things right. Somehow, everything just falls in to place. The music, the lights, the crowd and the moment are just in the Goldilocks zone – everything is just right! But then the gig just goes […]
Notes from a Drifting Sun
Been a while since we heard from Drifting Sun, and this year has seen them release not one, but two albums. I speak to Pat from Drifting Sun later on in the week, but first I take a look at the two recent releases, starting with their new album Planet Junkie. I’ve been aware of […]
Roots in December
Bella Hardy – Postcards and Pocketbooks From a family of singers in Edale, Derbyshire, Bella Hardy took up folk fiddle at 13 and later playing the 2003 Cambridge Folk Festival with twelve-piece band The Pack. A Music Masters student in 2007, she released debut album, Night Visiting that year, earning a Best Song nomination in […]
Steve Hackett – Seconds Out Tour For 2020
Following on from recent successful Genesis related tours, Steve Hackett has announced that his 2020/21 World Tour will feature the whole of the 1977 Genesis live album Seconds Out in full, plus More! Seconds Out was the hugely successful double album recorded on Genesis’ 1977 concert tour together with The Cinema Show, from their 1976 […]
Sons of Apollo – Goodbye Divinity
Sons of Apollo, former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Forceare) are about to release their new album ‘MMXX’ (pronounced: 20/20). Produced by The Del Fuvio Brothers (Portnoy and […]
Marillion – 4th Nov 2019 Bridgewater Hall Manchester
OK, so cards on the table: I last saw Marillion in Bradford on their Script tour, and revelled at Grendel. And I haven’t had the privilege of seeing them again – until now. And although I have all albums somewhere in my collection, I lost interest as I began to imagine them as getting a […]
Wilson & Wakeman at The Spirit
We are proud to announce that The Spirit are hosting a Wilson & Wakeman gig at West Street Live in Sheffield on Monday 6th January 2020. Tickets can be purchased on Skiddle here : http://skiddle.com/e/13685345
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