So Saxon opened for motörhead at the Glasgow gig I saw them at a couple of years ago at the Carling Academy (now the O2 Academy) in Glasgow. I had never really been into Saxon all that much, I mean I had >British Steel and a few other random bits and pieces from the Saxon back catalogue but I was never what you would call a die-hard Saxon fan. So I was really surprised when they took to the stage. they were loud, funny and managed to crank up the crowd to more than respectable levels (not an easy job in Glasgow). I have to say I thought they were pretty damned good. At Donington Park next week they’re on the Maurice Jones (main) stage on Sunday at 12:35pm. So here is shameless Youtube vid number 1 – Saxon playing Wheels of Steel live:

Next up…

Stone Temple Pilots… not to be overshadowed by the messy D.I.V.O.R.C.E. from Velvet Revolver, Scott Weiland’s once former and now current band are making a huge push for supergroup status. Relatively unknown in the UK (not completely unknown – STP fans, please don’t get too annoyed – I’ve been a fan since hearing their track on the soundtrack album to the movie The Crow- entitled Big Empty – The Crow is one of my favourite soundtrack albums of all time), Stone Temple Pilots with Weiland back at the helm are sure to be one of the highlights of Download 2010. So here’s the Youtube vid of a live performance of Big Empty:

Finally, motörhead. Now to anyone reading this who hasn’t heard of motörhead… I have one question… are you not from the around these parts? (meaning the civilised and uncivilised world). One of the downright dirtiest hard rocking, JD drinking bands out there, motörhead and particularly frontman Lemmy Kilmister are the very definition of the word “rockers”. As well as the customary motörhead live vid I’ll put in the trailer for the possibly forthcoming (or possibly not, who knows) Lemmy movie – see what Lemmy’s peers have to say about the great man. This is the same Lemmy who, after blowing away the O2 Academy in Glasgow was found asleep on a park bench in the wee-small hours of a cold November morning on the Clyde-side, having failed to make it back to his hotel, with just a bottle of JD for company. Found by a Rock Radio listener, Lemmy was gently awoken and after thanking the fan, made his way back to his hotel as though this sort of thing happened every day. Come to think about it, it probably does.

motörhead are also playing the Maurice Jones Stage on Sunday 13 June at 5:25pm.

So the vids:

If this doesn’t get you fired up for the Download Festival 2010, check your pulse.

Who should we have next?

Teaching yourself guitar but not progressing fast enough? These great value online guitar courses can help. You can take your guitar playing to the next level NOW!

Related posts:

1. Rage Against the Machine are tonight’s Countdown to Download 2010 Band
2. Countdown to Download 2010 – the Download Lineup preview continues with…
3. Further acts confirmed for Download 2010 including Slash and Cancer Bats

The forthcoming album from Velvet Revolver and former GnR guitar player Slash’s solo project is just around the corner, but you can get it first (a whole month before it’s scheduled UK release date!) by pre-ordering the special edition of Classic Rock Presents Slash. The album comes with 2 additional bonus tracks and the magazine itself is dedictaed to the life of the great man. In case you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere you might not have heard that during the current Velvet Revolver dry-patch, the VR lads have been keeping busy. Duff has been on tour with his side project Duff McKagan’s Loaded, Matt has been drumming with Motorhead and Slash has been working on a solo project involving laying down tracks with numerous singers ranging from appetising collaborations with the likes of Iggy Pop, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters and Them Crooked Vultures), Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Lemmy Kilminster (Motorhead) and Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge and now Slash’s frontman for the forthcoming Slash tour) to the rather head-scratching collaborations with Fergie and Cypress Hill (having said that here’s a vid of Fergie and Slash playing Sweet Child O’ Mine together. The guys filming this (or the folks standing close by) got rather excited by this collaboration ).

26 March2010
We’re sorry but all pre-order copies of this Classic Rock Special have now SOLD OUT. Click here for more details:

The track list is here:

1. Ghost (Ian Astbury)
2. Crucify The Dead (Ozzy Osbourne)
3. Beautiful Dangerous (Fergie)
4. Promise (Chris Cornell)
5. By The Sword (Andrew Stockdale)
6. Gotten (Adam Levine)
7. Doctor Alibi (Lemmy Kilminster)
8. Watch This Dave (Grohl/Duff McKagan)
9. I Hold On (Kid Rock)
10. Nothing To Say (M Shadows)
11. Starlight (Myles Kennedy)
12. Saint Is A Sinner Too (Rocco De Luca)
13. We’re All Gonna Die (Iggy Pop)

The Classic Rock Presents ‘Slash’ Fanpack Bonus tracks:
14. Baby Can’t Drive (Alice Cooper/Nicole Scherzinger)
15. Paradise City (Fergie/Cypress Hill)

Teaching yourself guitar but not progressing fast enough? These great value online guitar courses can help. You can take your guitar playing to the next level NOW!

Related posts:

1. Classic Rock Magazine Jimi Hendrix Special Pre Order
2. Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards 2009 on 2nd November – have your say and get voting…
3. Slash in talks to play Download 2010 and other festivals/venues