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In May 2025 Bob Daisley appeared on The Jersey Guys Podcast. It is a very long conversation, so a lot of dirt had a chance to be overturned, including him delving into his stint with Rainbow in a bit more detail than usual. Warning: turn the volume down before hitting play — the podcast intro is obnoxious and head-splittingly loud. Rainbow-related bits of the interview start at around 10’40”. Continue Reading »
About a year ago Joe Bonamassa has posted an almost two hours long video of Black Country Communion live. In the spirit of better late than never, here it is. Continue Reading »
The desk of useless facts in our trainspotting department reports that at some point in time the stretch of the central street in Montreux called Grand Rue was renamed Avenue Claude-Nobs. Such that the building known as Le Petit Palais, that was the venue of the first Machine Head session — y’know, the one that produced backing track for Smoke and was unceremoniously terminated by the police on noise complaints — now has street address of Av. Claude-Nobs 1, 1820 Montreux, Switzerland. While the very posh Montreux Palace Hotel across the street, the home of Funky Claude’s Bar is at #2.
This concludes our public service announcements for today.
Live Nation Canada will be holding a ticket sale during the week of April 29 – May 5. Tickets to selected venues and shows will be offered for $30 (that includes fess, but taxes are extra), and according to Toronto Sun, Deep Purple are among the artists that will be offered during the promo week. Mind you, those seats will probably be on the lawn / in the rafters, but there’s not much there a pair of binoculars can’t fix. Except sound. But 30 bucks are 30 bucks, and if you’re strapped for cash that’s what counts.
Starting April 29, visit LiveNation.ca/SummerofLive to see the full list of participating events and look for tickets labelled Summer of Live Promotion.
Thanks to Toronto Sun for the heads-up.
Some time earlier this year, before Deep Purple departed for Japan, Simon McBride sat down for a chat with dopeYEAH talk.
What does it take to step into one of the most legendary bands in rock history — and make it your own? 🎸🔥 In this episode, Rob Cass sits down with Simon McBride, the guitarist who took on the massive challenge of joining Deep Purple and stepping into the shoes of Steve Morse and Ritchie Blackmore.
Simon opens up about the moment that changed his life, the pressure of his first show with Deep Purple, and why the “easy” songs can actually be the hardest to play. One of the most compelling parts of the conversation is his honest take on replacing a legend — and how he approached it with respect, but also with confidence in his own voice. From picking up the guitar at just nine years old to winning Young Guitarist of the Year, his journey has been driven by pure passion for music. Along the way, he shares stories about touring with heroes like Joe Satriani and evolving across genres, from hard rock to soul and R&B 🎶
Beyond Deep Purple, Simon reflects on his early days with Sweet Savage, forming his own band Blind Friday, and building a career that blends technical mastery with feel. The episode wraps up with Simon playing his top five favorite guitar riffs, giving you a glimpse into the influences behind his sound. Honest, powerful, and full of guitar wisdom — this is a must-watch for any rock fan 🎥✨
It is a long form conversation, clocking at 70 minutes, and a very interesting one, with Simon in a quite relaxed and talkative mood.
TL;DR takeaway: the new Deep Purple album comes out in June. We speculate June 5th, right before the tour resumes on the 11th, hopefully with a revamped setlist.
Thanks to Mike Whiteley and Uwe Hornung for the heads-up.
Ritchie Blackmore continues his 2026 birthday celebration livestream at an “interesting hour in the morning”. And it may even be not the last instalment! Continue Reading »
The Chosun Daily reviews in a most positive way the Deep Purple gig in South Korea from April 18, 2026.
At 7 p.m. on the 18th, the Culture Park inside the Paradise City Resort in Incheon. The band Deep Purple opened their performance with their signature song *Highway Star*. The knuckles of the members were wrinkled, and their white hair bore the weight of time. Yet, their unrusted, seasoned performance quickly heated up the atmosphere like an 8-cylinder muscle car about to race. On the outdoor stage, the takeoff and landing of airplanes on Incheon Airport’s runway were visible. The audience erupted in a thunderous chorus, as if they had become stars on the runway themselves.
Continue reading in Chosun Daily
Back from the loo, Ritchie Blackmore continues his 2026 birthday livestream at (apparently) 4 o’clock in the morning. Continue Reading »
A philosophical question: is it still a tribute album when you have six former members of the band on it?
The album in question is Ride The Rainbow, it is a tribute to you-know-what, and features Bob Daisley, Graham Bonnet, Don Airey, Joe Lynn Turner, Doogie White and Ronnie Romero, among other people. Those other people also include Candice Night, Steve Morse, both Appice brothers, Joel Hoekstra, Derek Sherinian, Simon Wright, etc, etc.
The album is due out on June 19, 2026, and can be obtained via Bandcamp.
[Update 2026-04-23]: sample track from the album has been released, and Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll it is:
Thanks to Blabbermouth for the heads-up.
Part 2 of Ritchie Blackmore’s 2026 birthday livestream continues from his in-house bar. Continue Reading »
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing