Mark Diggins, Author at The Rockpit

Rainbreakers release new EP

10 February 2017 Mark Diggins

ON TOUR IN THE UK FROM MARCH 2017 Rainbreakers are pleased to announce the release of their highly anticipated second EP “Rise Up” on Friday 7th April. The 5-track EP was recorded at Purple Door […]

ALBUM REVIEW: L.A. Guns – A Fistful Of Guns Anthology 1985-2012

10 February 2017 Mark Diggins

Dontcha sometimes just hate some aspects of record labels, sure they put out the goodies for us when we want them but this whole re-packaging thing should surely contain a ‘this material has been previously […]

Richie Kotzen ‘Salting Earth’ 21st solo Album out April 14th

9 February 2017 Mark Diggins

WORLDWIDE TOUR STARTS IN THE U.S. APRIL 21 IN AGOURA HILLS, CA February 9, 2017 — RICHIE KOTZEN has never been an artist known for playing by the rules. And for this ever-adventurous triple-threat songwriter/guitarist/vocalist, […]

King Kobra’s classic 1st two releases ‘Ready to Strike’ and ‘Thrill of a Lifetime’ set for reissue

8 February 2017 Mark Diggins

DURING THE 1980s the music scene was exploding with an abundance of great rock bands – including multi-platinum sellers such as Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot and RATT – but there was always room for talented […]

Dan Patlansky announces April/May 2017 UK Tour

7 February 2017 Mark Diggins

Celebrated South African blues rock guitarist Dan Patlansky returns to the UK for his April / May 2017 UK Tour with special guest Ash Wilson. This will be the first tour Patlansky will undertake […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Thunder – Rip It Up

6 February 2017 Mark Diggins

In my humble opinion THUNDER is the UK’s greatest Rock band of the 80’s and I’ve been a paid up member of the ‘Thunder Channel’ ever since I saw them supporting AEROSMITH back on the PUMP tour. […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Tokyo Motor Fist – Tokyo Motor Fist

4 February 2017 Mark Diggins

Years ago when I was a kid they used to have these comics called Marvel Team-Up that threw together two of your favourite superheroes and let the games begin. Well Frontiers records seems to have […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Armored Saint – Carpe Noctum (Live)

4 February 2017 Mark Diggins

Great band Armored Saint – to me they were the one band that perfectly stood astride Metal and Hard Rock and really ‘got’ both genres. Since The Rockpit’s inception there have been two albums – […]

Rose Tattoo drops new Live Album recorded in 1982, mastered for 2017

3 February 2017 Mark Diggins

“TATTS: LIVE IN BRUNSWICK” OUT NOW Tatts: Live in Brunswick is a 14-track album recorded at Melbourne’s Bombay Bicycle Club in Brunswick in 1982 and mastered for loyal fans in 2017. Released via powerhouse indie […]

INTERVIEW: Danny Bowes – Thunder

2 February 2017 Mark Diggins

In my humble opinion THUNDER is the UK’s greatest Rock band of the 80’s and I’ve been a paid up member of the ‘Thunder Channel’ ever since I saw them supporting AEROSMITH back on the PUMP tour. […]

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry honoured with Les Paul Award at 32nd Annual NAMM TEC awards

1 February 2017 Mark Diggins

Legendary AEROSMITH guitarist JOE PERRY is pictured here after being presented with the Les Paul Award at 32nd Annual NAMM TEC Awards. Perry presented with the prestigious honour by his Hollywood Vampires bandmate Johnny Depp, […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Lesli Sanders – My Eyes are Greener on the Other Side (EP)

1 February 2017 Mark Diggins

Best known for his own band Prophets of Addiction and his stint in 80’s Glam legends Pretty Boy Floyd Lesli Sanders latest solo release may only be 5 tracks long but it packs a punch […]

Rose Tattoo drops new Live album recorded in 1982

1 February 2017 Mark Diggins

Recorded in 1982, mastered for 2017: “TATTS: LIVE IN BRUNSWICK” out now. Tatts: Live in Brunswick is a 14-track album recorded at Melbourne’s Bombay Bicycle Club in Brunswick in 1982 and mastered for loyal fans in […]

Rick Price ‘Work That Fire’ – Australian Tour

1 February 2017 Mark Diggins

Australian singer/songwriter, Rick Price has walked the journey many musicians dreams are made of. In the 90’s very few southern hemisphere radio stations would go a day without a Rick Price song on high […]

The Jerry Cans Australian Tour March 2017

1 February 2017 Mark Diggins

Fast rising northern stars, The Jerry Cans, create music inspired by their hometown of Iqaluit, Nunavut in Canada’s frozen far north. They fuse their unique mix of Inuktitut alt-country, throat singing, and reggae with a […]

Groovin The Moo 2017 Lineup Announced

31 January 2017 Mark Diggins

Groovin The Moo has announced its 2017 lineup, lined with a bunch of international and local favourites. The regional festival will trip around to six locations in Australia over April and May, and there are […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Smokey Fingers – Promised Land

29 January 2017 Mark Diggins

Every so often an album drops that you feel might just be one that will stay with you for a very long time, less frequently you hear an album that perfectly exemplifies a certain genre […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Pride of Lions – Fearless

29 January 2017 Mark Diggins

The music world is a strange place these days with bands that aren’t bands, bands that never tour, bands that create albums living in different cities and hundreds of solo and side projects that will never […]

ALBUM REVIEW: The Date – Master Date

27 January 2017 Mark Diggins

Opening with the rather odd ‘The Last Bell Ringing’ on which a sparse backing track accompanies a foreboding lyric, sung seemingly through clenched teeth by David Moran doing his best ‘Tom Waits’ and mouthing what […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Lionville – A World of Fools

27 January 2017 Mark Diggins

Three albums in Lionville has found a home with Frontiers Records and released what is probably their best album to date. Mixing Melodic Rock with AOR and a laconic take on Westcoast they draw on […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Star Riders – Heavy Fire

26 January 2017 Mark Diggins

Black Star Riders will be known to most as the band that was formed by the current day line-up of Thin Lizzy in December 2012 as a vehicle for new music. Since making that decision they have […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Apocalyptic Lovers – Redemption Vol. 1

24 January 2017 Mark Diggins

Formed in Ohio as LOVE AND WAR in 1991 and despite some minor successes, the newly reformed/reborn APOCALYPTIC LOVERS missed out on the brass ring of mega musical success the first time around. Now geographically […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Shallow Side – One (EP)

24 January 2017 Mark Diggins

A new name to some, Shallow Side already sounds like a band that many will be sitting up and taking notice of in the near future. IF, that is they can get the balance right. […]

INTERVIEW: Ricky Warwick – Black Star Riders

21 January 2017 Mark Diggins

Black Star Rider’s third album HEAVY FIRE already could be the album of 2017, building as it does on the sound they honed on their impressive debut and even more impressive follow-up. Indeed […]

INTERVIEW: Damon Johnson – Black Star Riders

19 January 2017 Mark Diggins

BLACK STAR RIDERS ‘HEAVY FIRE’ INTERVIEW ONE – with DAMON JOHNSON The Black Star Riders was born not exactly out of the ashes of Thin Lizzy but certainly out of that great band just […]