Big Country Redux announce a 15 date UK tour in November and December 2026 to celebrate the 40thAnniversary of ‘The Seer’. ‘The Seer’ was Big Country’s third album and featured the song ‘Look Away’ which was their biggest hit in the UK, whilst the title track featured a duet between Stuart Adamson and Kate Bush. ‘The Seer’ album itself hit No.2 spot in the UK.
Big Country Redux are led by Bruce Watson, one of the founding members of Big Country, alongside the late, great guitarist, singer and songwriter Stuart Adamson. All dates will feature support from Evan Peters Presents The Alarm. Between 2011 and 2013 , following the death of Stuart Adamson, Evan’s father Mike Peterswas the lead vocalist for Big Country as well as The Alarm.
NOVEMBER 2026
Thurs 19 The Crypt [Town Hall] MIDDLESBROUGH Fri 20 Picturedrome HOLMFIRTH Sat 21 Crescent YORK Sun 22 Corporation SHEFFIELD Weds 25 O2 Academy BOURNEMOUTH Fri 27 O2 Academy OXFORD Sat 28 Drill Shed MARGATE Sun 29 O2 Academy LEICESTER
DECEMBER 2026
Weds 2 O2 Islington Academy LONDON Thurs 3 O2 Academy 2 BIRMINGHAM Fri 4 O2 Academy LIVERPOOL Sat 5 The Drill LINCOLN Sun 6 Wylam Brewery NEWCASTLE Weds 9 Junction CAMBRIDGE Thurs 10 O2 Academy Bristol BRISTOL
All tickets are on sale from 10am on Friday 29th May!
September will see the release of the ‘Eastworld’ album, which will be released on CD, Vinyl and Digital on 18 September through Absolute. The album will be preceded by the first single, the title track ‘Eastworld’ on 5 June 2026.
The album consists of 10 brand new recordings of Big Country songs originally written or co-written by Stuart Adamson, which were released as demoes or sketches, but never previously properly developed or lavished with the attention they deserved.
Bruce Watson said of the ‘Eastworld’ release, “Some of these songs will be known to the diehards as they have sneaked out from the archives as unfinished demoes or ‘internet only’ releases, but these are all songs that deserved to be developed further at the time they were written. I am delighted to have now completed them; it is a true privilege to get this newly recorded material out there. All of these songs were sketched out on old reel to reel tape recorders in dingy basements or in small 8 track studios”.
Another week and we have three completely different yet awesome EPs to check out. Let’s dive right in!
Tallboy: House of Glass
The debut EP from the UK alt-metallers draws together their previous three singles and adds on two more brutal songs to create a fantastic 18 minutes of heavy goodness. There’s elements of hardcore, metalcore and even nu metal throughout, all combining together in a fantastic, heavier version of a modern metal sound that certainly feels unique! Heck, the vocals actually remind me of Robb Flynn a lot, which I love! It’s so hard to pick highlights too as every song is SO GOOD. The band are insanely talented; from the riffs to the breakdowns to the brutal screams and more cleaner (but still harsh) vocals to the drums and bass going hard throughout, it’s all amazingly put together and performed. If you are at all into the heavy side of metal, this is absolutely the release for you. The band have hit the ground running in a major way with this EP, and the sky is very much the limit! A very solid 9.5/10 from us!
Clayton Mullen: Varsity Blues
Following up on his sophomore album from last year, Varsity Blues is five tracks in a pretty similar pop-country vein to that. The opener/title track is great and has a surprising amount of rock-edge to it, even if that rock is of the Camp variety. ‘Love on the Radio’ is radio-country goodness and one hell of a stadium-filling chorus. Both are big highlights of the release, but honestly it’s all damn solid. I think the shorter form of release helped my enjoyment of Clayton’s stuff; as just five-tracks meant I couldn’t exactly get bored of the style. If you’re into the more pop/radio side of country, this is well worth checking out! It’s come out at the perfect time of the year, and I’ll certainly be spinning this a fair bit through the summer. 8/10
theholeofmark: Show Your Heart Again
I was going to say that this sort of stuff isn’t really my thing. However, we’ve covered plenty of this stylerecently and I’ve loved all of it, with this being no exception! It’s a great combination of soft rock, easy listening and jazz, and is a great 20 minutes of easy-to-digest music. There isn’t a bad song on the release, but I found myself enjoying the title track and the almost Broadway-style ‘The Anniversary’ a little more than the others. Still, as I said, the whole thing is amazing and such a fun, easy listen. Mark (I assume?) is an insanely talented vocalist and songwriter. And I only thought about his butt for most of this review, what a crazy artist name! It’s not going to be for every reader here at Overtone, but I really enjoyed it and he has a big new fan in me! An incredibly easy 9/10!
It’s somehow been a little minute since we had the chance to cover some live country here at Overtone, having to look all the way back to January for it. So, between that and being a massive Kip Moore fan for years at this point, safe to say I was very excited for this gig. Add to that that he had one of the best and fastest rising starsin the scene supporting him, and it was surely a recipe for a good night. And it was the first night of the tour, on top of all of that! Let’s see how it was, shall we?
Firstly, can we talk about how INSANE it is that this was Gareth’s first live show with a band behind him? Not only was he insanely good, but he had some natural chemistry with his band, it felt. Yes, he was a little nervous and there was some slight technical difficulties, but neither stopped him from putting on one hell of a show! The fact that he’s only started writing his only music recently with his move to Nashville and is already this good I’d honestly insane. We got all the best songs from his EP, from ‘Last Thing I Do’ to the powerful title track, and they sounded just as good live as they did on track! His vocals are amazing, and honestly gave me slight Chris Robinson vibes while there, which I loved. There is no doubt he’s going to be a massive name sooner rather than later, and the fact that he’ll have so many eyes on him because of this tour, and how good he is on it, will surely accelerate that even more!
What an F’in’ performer Kip Moore is! He has evolved from a simple country star into more of a soft rock icon at this point, not dissimilar to the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams or even Billy Joel. And he and his band perform with that level of swagger and gravitas, too. They’re a well oiled machine up on stage, something that can only come from talent and experience. They treat it like a massive stadium-rock show, and it definitely comes across that way!
All of that is amazing, but it can also be an ever so slight downer at times. He’s a fantastic frontman, but given how long he was on for, it did lack a slight bit of crowd interaction at times. He seems like a great guy, so chatting a little more with the crowd may have been nice. He did mention late in that he does get anxious still though, so that may way attribute to it. And having said all of that, he is still a fantastic frontman. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout, them clapping and singing along whenever he so much as hinted. And the few songs where he put down the guitar and bounced around the stage mic-in-hand he really got to get the crowd going and show off his stage presence.
As for the setlist, it was stacked, and amazing! Opening on the incredible build-up that is ‘High Hopes’, and playing a set heavy of the phenomenal new album, including the likes of ‘Solitary Tracks’ and new crowd-favourite ‘Live Here to Work’, that alone would have been enough for me. But we had another 20-odd tracks on top of that, too! Whether it’s his wildly popular early stuff like ‘Beer Money’ or ‘Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck’ to more recent bangers like ‘Plead the Fifth’ and ‘Heart On Fire’. We even got a little acoustic break in the middle where Kip was just throwing in songs he felt like playing or that were asked about earlier in VIP, stuff that he hadn’t played in a while. We got so many amazing songs, and it seemed like the whole band were having a blast playing them! And closing on the epic ‘Last Shot’, especially with the extended middle with everyone singing, honestly gave me goosebumps, it was SO GOOD. Everyone in the band is so damn talented, and put on a FANTASTIC show.
So yeah, what a brilliant night! Both sets were absolutely amazing, and everyone really gave it their all. Gareth was the perfect opener and is going to quickly grow into a massive star, yet put on a great show as is. And then we had one of the most professional, mind-blowingly good sets from Kip Moore and his incredible band. There are still a few dates left on this tour so if you are anywhere nearby, head down, you certainly won’t regret it. But even if you can’t, I can’t recommend checking out either artist enough, both live and on track!
A quieter week still stacked full of some awesome albums across multiple genres. Let’s check them out!
Skunk Anansie: The Painful Truth
The legendary British rockers are back with their first new studio album in nearly a decade. And I have to say, while I do consider myself a fan of the band, I am only really familiar with those first three albums; I haven’t listened to much post-reunion. So, I don’t know if I’m late to the party, but this was a bit of a shock to the system compared to what I was expecting. Firstly, my main love from those early albums was Cass’ incredible bass playing, adding so much feel and attitude to every song. So, when I heard this I honestly figured he wasn’t in the band any more; this album has really nerfed him. Don’t get me wrong, Skin’s lyrics are still great and thought-provoking, and she can certainly still sing, but the instrumentation around her was sadly kinda boring compared to what they have put out in the past. The closest thing we got to that old-school, rockier sound is the one-two-punch of ‘Cheers’ and ‘Shoulda Been You’. The rest all sounded more indie-pop leaning and electronic-heavy.
None of it is inherently bad, and this will certainly have fans. If you like stuff like Nothing But Thieves or the less quirky side of Twenty-One Pilots, you might like this. However, if you are going into this as a fan of their 90s music, just be warned it isn’t too similar, and you may be disappointed like I was. It may grow on me, but for now it sadly gets a 4/10 from us.
Hinder: Back to Life
The seventh album from the hard rock/modern glam metal band is… it’s fine. They’re another band that I loved their first two or three albums, but do also feel like they lost their edge and passion a little somewhere between then and now. Heck, opening a hard/alt rock song on a soppy ballad is a bad idea as it is. I know that’s mostly what they are known for, but even the big guitars and drums in the choruses don’t help its case as much as it needs. It does feel like the album picks up a little for me with ‘Everything is a Cult’, it giving off big Three Days Grace vibes. The follow-up, more acoustic-based ballad, ‘Bring Me Back to Life’, is also a great song. ‘Break the Cycle’ later on is okay, too! However, a lot of it came across as stale and done-before, and honestly pretty cringy for a bunch of forty-somethings. In a genre that has become kinda repetitive and not aged well, Hinder are a brilliant example as to why that is. It’s not bad, and if you’re a fan of the band you’ll probably get something out of it, but if you’re looking for creativity and passion, that feels to have long-since left the band. It’s another sad 4/10
When Rivers Meet: Addicted to You
The fifth album from the husband-and-wife fronted blues rock band has a lot of hype around it, and looks to be just as successful as 2023’s Aces are High. I remember really liking itback when I reviewed it, so hopefully I’ll feel the same with this!
Once again, their strength is in their vocals working so perfectly together, the harmonies throughout being top notch. And some of the riffing is as awesome as ever, blending that blues and country sound masterfully. And some of the songs are awesome. From the amazing duet of the opener/title track and the almost QOTSA-like ‘Break Free’ to the epic, more folk/Americana ‘Coming Up for Air’ to the beautiful ballad ‘Tree of Life’ to the awesome southern rock, slide-guitar-epic of ‘Soft White Sand’ and even us finally getting the band’s name as a song title as the closer, there is so much greatness on here. Heck, the latter may be my favourite song by the band overall, it really combines elements of all their sounds into four-and-a-half epic minutes. However, there really isn’t a bad song on this thing. There’s plenty of variety, 47-minutes going by in a flash, and it’s a must for any rock, country or blues fans out there. I’m not quite sure if it’s necessary better than their last couple of albums, but it’s up there for sure. And with a few more listens, I may have a more solid say on that. But, for now, it gets another massive 9/10 from us!
Sports Team: Boys These Days
This feels like it’s been a long time coming, being delayed at least once and being on my calendar for a while! Turns out the last one, Gulp was the same, too! Still, I remember not minding that album when it released, and this is very much more of the same. It leans even more into the alt side of things this time round, and honestly the quirkiness was a big plus for me. The instrumentation is awesome, be it horns, strings, synths or piano between the traditional rock stuff, and kept me interested throughout! Songs like the title track, ‘Condensation’, the chilled-out ‘Planned Obsolescence’ and ‘Bonnie’ are all big highlights for me, but there isn’t a bad song on it! It’s a relaxed, simply fun album to listen to. If you’re into the softer stuff, I’d highly recommend this. It’s a great, quirky, punk-infused soft rock album, and I certainly got more out of it than I did their last album! It’s a solid 7.5/10 from us, and something I’ll definitely be spinning again!
Mandy Manala: Self-Titled
I went into this album with no ideas or expectations, and ended up loving it and coming away a big fan of the Finnish five-piece. It’s awesome, heavy rock with clear stoner, doom and gothic tinges to it, reminding me of stuff like Lucifer in the best way! From the awesome opener to ‘The Machine’ to ‘Black Sheep’ to ‘The Dark Passenger’, there is so much awesome music on this release! And, for a debut album of a band that have only started releasing studio music this year, it’s absolutely mind-blowing that it’s this high quality! They’ve come out of nowhere and are already a fast rising star in the scene, and this album will go a hell of a long way putting them on the map, I’m sure! If you’re into the hard rock/stoner sound of the likes of Crobot, The Sword or Sons of Texas, I’d highly recommend checking this release out! They’re going to be a big name sooner rather than later, and have a big fan in me already. This is a damn solid 8.5/10!
Cardinal Black: Midnight at the Valencia
I clearly got the wrong memo, I thought Cardinal Black went a little harder than this. I was expecting some NWOCR stuff, not this soulful, easy-listening soft-rock awesomeness. However, the more I listened to this, the more I fell head over heels in love with it. The way the songs are arranged and build to these epic crescendos, alongside Tom’s utterly phenomenal vocals, honestly gave me goosebumps multiple occasions throughout. Honestly, some of it doesn’t sound too dissimilar to the newer War and Treaty stuff, especially when they add that slight Southern vibe. Between that and reminding me of our friend Jody Blount, which I also love. It’s incredibly difficult to pick highlights too, as they’re all so good and most of this ended up in my personal playlist. Don’t get me wrong. It is a slow album, and it is all pretty similar. I’m not sure if they have any other styles up their sleeve, but maybe a more upbeat track thrown in somewhere in the middle to break things up would have been nice. That, or maybe just strip a song or two out, so it isn’t nearly 50-minutes of the same. However, both are very much personal preference, and pretty small nitpicks really! It’s an amazing album packed full of incredible musicianship and great writing, and I would recommend absolutely anyone check this out at least once. It gets a very strong 9.5/10 from us!
The Steeldrivers: Outrun
Fun fact, I saw these live years ago back when I was in the US and had no idea who they were. I loved them then, and the band title has finally just unlocked that core memory for me.
This is an awesome bluegrass/Americana album! I hadn’t heard of the band before, but their 7th album goes damn hard. It’s not for everyone as it is so stripped-back, just strings and vocals, but I really loved it. Songs like ‘The River Knows’, ‘Prisoner’s Tears’, and ‘Rosanna’ are all awesome and big personal highlights, but this whole thing is packed full of great tracks. If you’re into either of the genres mentioned, or a more traditional, old-school country sound, I can’t recommend this enough. They are one of the best bands in this style, and this album is yet another of theirs that proves it. I’ll certainly be listening to a lot of this a lot in the coming weeks and months. It’s a damn solid 8/10 from me!
Spiralist: Violent Feathers
This is a wild ride of an album that should immediately be much bigger than it is! This third album is honestly incredible, blending together elements of industrial, metalcore, alternative and even brief blends of pop and shoegaze into something truly unique and interesting to listen to. Whether it’s 3TEETH, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Marilyn Manson or even stuff like Electric Callboy or Cane Hill, the band wear their inspirations on their sleeves heavily, in a great way! Songs like ‘Parasites’, ‘Underbelly’, the NIN-like ‘Glasseater’ and ‘Baptism by Fire’ are all big personal highlights. However, the whole album is great, and has a fantastic flow to it. Whether it’s more interlude-like tracks or the beautiful piano song ‘God Unknown’, the album is broken up perfectly and constantly interesting to listen to. It’s another album that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I absolutely loved it and cannot recommend it enough to anyone even slightly interested. They deserve to be massive, and certainly to have more than a couple of hundred monthly listeners on Spotify. They have a new fan in me, and this is a very easy 9/10 from us!
The Swedish AOR rockers are back with album number seven. Their Napalm Records debut is set to be released on Friday, but there was no way we weren’t checking this out early, given the chance. I’ve been a fan for a few years now and am excited to finally be able to review them.
After a departure-room intro track, ‘Stratus’ bursts in in prog rock brilliance, reminding me immediately of both Rush and The Who. However, it still maintains an 80s level of synth-rock awesomeness, too. It sounds MASSIVE and the main riff is awesome. It all builds to an arena-filling, hugely catchy chorus, the melodies and harmonies all sounding incredible. I absolutely love the arrangement throughout, the synth making everything sound so big and epic. The guitar solo is awesome, fitting the track perfectly and breaking up the amazing verses. It was the perfect choice to open this album; an immediate highlight and a track that easily makes the playlist!
‘Shooting Velvet’ continues the same vibe as the opener, the guitar and synth working perfectly together on an awesome riff! The vocals kick in and sound just as good, too. I’ll tell you what it reminds me of; 80s fight movie montage music. Like it’s ripped straight from Rocky or even cobra Kai. The chorus is incredible, so catchy and made to be played to huge stadium and festival crowds. And of course we get another awesome guitar solo tucked in the middle. It’s another amazing song, and the band are so far two for two for highlights!
‘Like the Beating of a Heart’ is yet another neon drenched, sunset-strip era glam rock anthem. It would fit so well if we got an updated Rock of Ages musical. The chorus is yet again soft rock awesomeness, and I can’t not gush over another great guitar solo, a bit slower and fitting the tone of the song so well!
The same sort of thing can be said about ‘Melbourne, May I?’, ‘Miraculous’ and ‘Paloma’. All three are awesome tracks, with the latter being another HUGE highlight of the album. It was also a touch different, being a bit slower and feeling like more of a ballad. However, it was at this point in the album that I was starting to feel a little like it was all getting a touch samey. I’ve loved every track, but there has been little variety aside from ‘Paloma’ (kinda) so far.
The rest of the album continued with kinda the same energy, too. Don’t get me wrong, there was some more change in tempo, which was certainly appreciated. There are certainly some more bangers in the latter half too, including the absolute funky bop that is ‘A Paris Point of View’. However, it is again still kinda samey. There certainly isn’t a bad track on the album, but for my easily-distracted brain it’s maybe a track or two too long, or it needed a little more variety in it. Heck, even just move the beautiful, prog masterpiece of a closing ballad deeper into the album to break it up a bit more. Still, as I said, it’s all fantastic soft/glam rock music!
Overall: This is awesome! Even with the few minor gripes I had with this album, it’s damn good, and solidly entertaining throughout. It’s packed full of amazing tracks and, as long and similar as it is, I couldn’t think of a single one to cut out of it. I liked that it all ran with the same theme too, and said theme fit the music and band as a whole perfectly. I’ll be listening to this is a lot more in the coming weeks and months, and this is a must for anyone into any of the genres I’ve mentioned earlier. It’ll certainly be up there in the discussion of the albums of the year list come December!
