Toby Jepson/SACRED HEART
1st April 2007
The Tumbledown Dick, Farnborough, UK
Review by Jason Ritchie
www.getreadytorock.com

Despite the venue's chucklesome name this is no April fool gig! A very decent sized hall with bar and full stage/sound system attached to the main pub next door. Not a bad turn out either considering it is a Sunday night. First up are Scared Heart, playing their first gig for over a year and plugging new songs from their upcoming album 'Shake' due in the summer.

Listening to the band's 45 minute set you wouldn't think they hadn't played live for so long as they were very tight sound wise and the new songs are a step-up from those on their debut demo CD. Highlights would be the opening track - think Dokken but with a modern sound, the title track 'Shake' and set closer 'Lost' (now with a harder edge than the version that they released previously), the hit single that never was. Good, solid well played hard rock meets metal and very catchy. Fans of Dokken, latter day FM, Nickelback and Burn will enjoy this band who really deliver both live and on CD.

Toby Jepson never seems to age and is still a bundle of energy on stage from start to finish, working the crowd with ease. A very heavy set with only a few nods to his Little Angels past including 'Kickin' Up Dust', 'Young Gods' and 'Radical Your Lover'. Of the songs performed from his new EP they do sound a bit similar but that is based on only one listen so maybe not a far assessment! Elsewhere the almost punk pop of 'Unwind' would have been a hit had it been done by say Blink 182 or Sum 41, whilst 'Refresh Yourself'. Toby has a very talented band including guitarist Dean Howard (T'Pau/Ian Gillan) who adds juts the right amount of solos without going OTT. Hopefully Toby Jepson can build his profile up further and if he carries on with gigs like these he will achieve that sooner rather than later.

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SACRED HEART/Grinder
11th February 2006
The White Room, Hull, UK
Review by Steve Shreeve
DJ & www.hullrockers.co.uk

Sacred Heart returned to The White Room last night (Feb 11th '06), & what an immensely enjoyable set they gave us. The guys have made some changes to their sound by Beefing it up even more, making it Heavier/Chunkier than before, something i wouldn't have thought possible as they were pretty meaty the last time they played The White Room. But the change was very evident. They have also rearranged some of their songs to give them a more modern feel without straying too far from the original Sacred Heart Sound.

Once again they chose Hull to debut some of their new material & best of the bunch for me was "Afraid" which stood out as another future classic (Paul Stead sure knows how to write em). This came straight after the highlight of the set..... two tracks "Lay It On The Line" & "Shake" joined together by an excellent solo piece from lead guitarist Mark Stephenson. Man that guy can play & it was a joy to behold! They then went straight into "It's Alright" which is another balls out rocker & there was no stopping them from then on as they plowed through the set list with one rocker after another. Then came my personal fave & crowd pleaser "Rock 'n' Roll Away". This has become somewhat of a Sacred Heart Anthem, a real party rocker, & before we knew it it was time for the last number "Lost" from the bands debut album "A New Dawn" & then they were gone in what seemed like no time at all! 90 minutes just flew by, they do say time flies when your having fun & that was certainly the case last night.

This was a truly mesmerising, powerhouse performance by a band that are without doubt one of the Best unsigned Rock acts in the UK today, Sacred Heart have been knocking on the door to the big time for quite a while now, it really is about time somebody opened that door & gave them the chance they so richly deserve.

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SACRED HEART/G.O.D (acoustic)/Krossfire
20th January 2006
Stripes Bar, Brentford, UK
Review by Jason Ritchie
www.getreadytorock.com

A three band bill with a covers band Kross Fire (eek!) opening the night. They played a solid, if unspectacular set, although a riff heavy version of the Buggles hit 'Video Killed the Radio Star' was a highlight. I like covers bands as much as Dogs D'Amour (at least Dogs can pen their own tunes!) so I am maybe not the best person to review them...

Growing Old disgracefully were appearing as a two piece in full acoustic mode and were damn fine. 'Cry Freedom' works well in an acoustic setting whilst 'Whisky and Westminster' had added topicality thanks to Charles Kennedy's recent alcohol admission. Sacred Heart's Paul Stead joined in on 'Searchin'. Sound wise you can hear bits of Lynyrd Skynyrd and also XTC in their quirkier moments. Be interesting to see how the band sound in electric mode as acoustically they have it just about nailed.

Sacred Heart have been getting better each time I see them live (this is the fifth time I think) and tonight's set is dominated by new material due on their new album due later this year. The new songs like 'Promise' and 'Afraid' have a much harder edge to them - latter day TNT to these ears. Even my all time fave by the band 'Lost' has been revamped with harder edged guitar parts. 'Rock 'n' Roll Away' is a stomp yer feet anthem that Slade never wrote, whilst 'N.Y.C' would put a smile on any lover of melodic hard rock. The band seem to excel at penning catchy, hard rock tunes that keep a modern air about them but still tip a nod to the classic bands like TNT, Europe and Warrant. I've said it before and will say it again this band has to be seen live to fully appreciate them.

SACRED HEART @ "Melodic Rock Xmas Bash 2005"
4th December 2005
The Ruskin Arms, London, UK

(1) Review by Steve Cummings
www.hardrockhouse.com

In reviewing Sacred Heart's demo album 'Lay It On The Line last year I had commented that the band were well worth checking out live, so I guess in seeing them for the first time I was putting my money where my mouth is.

Speaking to guitarist/vocalist Paul Stead prior to the show that the band were heavier than the CD had perhaps suggested and that I would be surprised by their set. Well Mr. Stead you were spot on mate...

The tracks showcased from the 'Lay It On The Line' album were indeed heavier than their recorded counterparts, with the title track and 'Rock N Roll Away' being the highlights. However it was with newer tunes such as '1000 Tears' and 'Perfect' that the band showed a growing maturity in the song writing department. Great stuff!

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(2) Review by Jason Ritchie
www.getreadytorock.com

Due to Tube delays I missed most of Sacred Heart's set but did catch 'Rock 'n' Roll Away', the superb 'Lost' and 'The Last Goodbye'. This band get better with each live show and are a must for any lover of well played hard rock.

Top marks to Sacred Heart's Paul Stead for putting on this gig, in what is always a thankless task and at least he had the guts to do something about the lack of live gigs for UK melodic rock bands rather that sit on his bum and moan like others do.

I was thinking that if all these bands were around in the late 80's they would have done very well indeed a la FM and Shy but sadly as most started in the mid-90's the UK melodic rock scene was small to put it mildly. Will there be another? Only time will tell!

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(3) Review by Marty Dodge
www.blogcritics.org

Definite highlight of the day was Sacred Heart; who even though they were organising the show did not headline. Having seen Sacred Heart once before I was not surprised that they delivered a tight and highly professional set of class melodic rock tunes.

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(4) Review by Sam
A music fan & myspace friend

SACRED HEART... These guys were pure fun... They had a great time... Paul has a unique singing style... So what he was pissed up! - cool! Didn't spoil a thing, infact it added an element of, well lets just say they were a hit... And brought a relaxed atmosphere to the evening... Everyone seemed to love the performance and a sober version in the future... One never knows?!!! See you again soon guys...

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SACRED HEART/Grinder
3rd September 2005
The White Room, Hull, UK
Review by Steve Shreeve
DJ & www.hullrockers.co.uk

Last night Hull (The White Room) witnessed a powerhouse performance from Sacred Heart, who really are "something special", I knew we were in for something good during the sound check when Paul was setting up his guitar he played a massive riff & said; "Yeah That's Well Metal".

Right from the word go these guys rocked (Hard) & never let up, opening up with It's Alright (Lay It On The Line) & leading straight into Fall (A New Dawn) it was one Rocker after another & the crowd were loving it, obviously the long 4 hour 240 mile drive had done nothing to diminish these guys ability to Rock.

Paul Stead has a very powerful voice somewhat reminiscent of Jani Lane (Warrant) & also has the knack of writing catchy Melodic Rock that somehow sounds familiar while being wholly original, Songs like N.Y.C, The Last Goodbye, Lost & Lay It On The Line are so dang infectious, after a few listens you can't get them out of your head, (the latter two having hit written all over them) but Live these songs really come to life, if you like your Rock, Hard & Heavy with big crunchy guitars then Sacred Heart are a MUST see band.

One of the highlights of the set for me was the Monster Stadium Rocker, Rock 'n' Roll Away, a real fist in the air headbanger & we were also treated to the first live airing of new song 1000 Tears, which is another hit waiting to happen, but here in the UK that's probably unrealistic because it's not manufactured pop drivel, it's great that we have here in the UK, bands like Sacred Heart who are all talented musicians writing & playing Original Hard Rock, with performances like this they will continue to grow their fan base & somebody will have to sit up & take notice. Some of the Hull Rockers were Sacred Heart Converts & took home cd's with them after the gig which is always a good indicator of how well received a band were, a return is already on the cards for 2006 & I for one can't wait. With a 480 mile round trip there is no doubting Sacred Heart's dedication.

Thanks for a great night guys, I'm looking forward to more.

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(1) SACRED HEART/Taras Secret
12th August 2005
Stripes Bar, Brentford, UK

Review by Jason Ritchie
www.getreadytorock.com

Tara's Secret had travelled down from south Staffordshire and played a good mix of numbers from their debut release 'Spectrum Wheel'. Sadly no 'She Wears A Rainbow' but perhaps that was to stop me saying they had hints of folk in that tune! Live they certainly pack a punch and fans of melodic hard rock would enjoy 'Wild Frontier' and the prog leanings on 'Calmer Karma'. They got a good reaction and Aussie vocalist John Trowbridge was gracious enough to keep very quiet about the cricket score. He really does put his heart and soul into his singing, perhaps a bit too much as he has a voice suited to melody rather than metal styled screams which occasionally happened in the set.

A fine set closed with my personal favourite track 'Venice Of The North' - a very Magnum styled number and even better live than on CD (not just because bass player Chris Tomlin has a groovy set of green lights flashing up and down his bass).

Sacred Heart played a blinding gig. Concentrating on the music (there were plenty of fellow musos in the crowd who always form a sterner test than fans) and winning over the crowd with ease. With songs like 'Lost' (this would be a hit single if it ever got mainstream radio airplay) and the rifftastic 'Rock 'N' Roll Away' you can't go wrong. Some new numbers as well including 'Promise' which pardon the pun showed much promise.  Vocalist/guitarist Paul Stead has an easy manner on stage and thankfully unlike some other melodic rock bands steers clear of the stage clichés.  On a side note the best ever had to be Japanese rockers Vow Wow, who to be fair struggled with their 'k's!, when I saw them back in 1987, said proudly from the stage 'We are ready to lick your ass Henley' - quite. Sacred Heart are made for the live arena and with just one lucky break as a support to a big name band could win more new fans they so richly deserve

I'd heartily recommend seeing any of these bands live. Okay you may not know the tunes before you see them but Id be surprised if you don't leave a gig with one of their CD's and a convert to their music. Good to see UK melodic hard rock is still thriving, but only just so go out there buy the CD's, attend the gigs and above all enjoy the music.

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(2) Review by Marty Dodge
www.blogcritics.org

A rather grey night greeted the two Johns and myself as we headed off to see Sacred Heart of whom we had heard so much about. When we arrived we found that there was not a very large audience and the opener failed to turn up. Jason, the organiser, joked that if we had showed up sooner we might have ended up on stage. We ended up playing a few songs between bands in any case, much to the enjoyment of some of the audience especially (at least) one young lady. (Hrm, Haithwaite just happened to bring his acoustic guitar in
with him...funny that!)

Tara's Secret delivered a set that was marred by poor sound, lackluster arrangements and weak lyrics. The band are rather good but they need a good lyricist or two. The last few songs showed some potential. Still, the band show lots of enthusiasm and quite a bit of potential. Ian Gillian doppleganger, John Trowbridge, has the presence of a top frontman. Clearly the band were having a good time and didn't let the rubbish sound diminish their enthusiasm.

Headliners Sacred Heart delivered a blistering set of quality hard rock. They were tight as monkey's bum and impressive as hell. The quality displayed by this lot rivalled Lionsheart's performance at the same venue a few months ago. Tracks like 'N.Y.C.' allow Paul Steed to really let loose. There is no denying this lot has talent so its no shock whatever that they are getting some rather good press from melodic rock mags. Their sound is familiar yet tinged with originality. It is almost an English take on the Scandi rock sound. (Often attempted...infrequently achieved). The title track from latest album, a review of which will follow in the next few days, was another highlight of the show. With the right backing Sacred Heart could rival some of the other signed hard rockers out there. Lets hope labels catch wind of this lot really soon. It was a pleasure to see them in such a small venue (although a bigger crowd would have been nice). Kudos to the lads at Stripes for putting on such cracking rock shows

Casual Affair/SACRED HEART
17th December 2004
Stripes Bar, Brentford, UK
Review by Jason Ritchie
www.getreadytorock.com

Casual Affair, the local band back after a 12-year gap, were playing their first
Christmas gig in over 12 years.

But first the rather tasty Scared Heart started the night of with a well-received set of melodic hard rock. They aired tracks of their new album including 'N.Y.C.' plus their 'hit-in-waiting' 'Lost'. Yet again the band picked up new fans and it proves that you cant do enough gigs in order to build up your fanbase and following.
Casual Affair were playing a longer set than they did at their gig a few months back and some old favourites were back including a rip roaring version of Rush's 'Spirit Of Radio'. In fact a few covers were aired tonight including Bryan Adams 'Kids Wanna Rock' (something sadly Mr Adams hasn't done since the early 90's), a Floyd-tastic medley including 'Run Like Hell' and Free's 'Wishing Well'.

But Casual Affair are not a covers band as they have some fine songs in their repertoire including 'Whisper In The Wind' and the hard rock of 'One More Time' and 'Play With Fire'. Musically it reminds of Fish-era Marillion vocally with hints of Magnum, Crowded House and Rush. Encore time saw Queen's 'Tie Your Mother Down' and Led Zep's 'Rock 'N' Roll' bring the evening to a fine close.

Two very talented bands and well worth seeing live if you enjoy quality rock music.

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Mitch Malloy/SACRED HEART (both acoustic)
13th September 2004
Stripes Bar, Brentford, UK
Review by Jason Ritchie
www.getreadytorock.com

A gig I was personally looking forward to as it features one of the best voices around in Mitch Malloy (what a year seeing both MM and Jeff Scott Soto playing live!) and Sacred Heart, a rising UK melodic hard rock band who were playing acoustic for the first time. Now acoustic is not as easy as just grabbing an acoustic guitar as songs change radically in sound and structure plus you can't hide an average vocalist behind a wall of sound. Sacred Heart - or a duo as it was - played a fine set. Yes there were a few errors but they had fun and for a first acoustic gig I thought they did very well.

Good versions of 'Crazy World', the acoustic ballad on their new album 'Forever' obviously suited the acoustic setting well and my personal favourite track 'Lost', which normally has a crunching guitar riff to accompany it, sounded good as well. If Sacred Heart play near you go see them as they are a quality, classic Brit hard rock band like Lost Weekend, FM, etc.

Now Mitch Malloy, who not only possesses a superb set of vocal chords but writes a great tunes as well. A couple of Mitch Malloy fans I know questioned acoustic gigs saying they wanted a full band but - hey - reality check as it costs too much and when you have a voice suited to acoustic numbers why hide the talent? First two songs 'You Lift Me' and 'Forever' (one of the best melodic rock songs ever IMHO) had the crowd on his side straight away.

There was a Bonnie Rait cover, 'Love Me' (I think that was the title) plus the title track form the underrated 'Ceilings & Walls' album. The better-than-Bon Jovi 'Cowboy & the Ballerina' was a set highlight and you just had to sit and marvel at this mans sheer talent. Mitch wanted us to join in but to be honest I wanted to hear him such was the clearness of the vocals and guitar chords. A Fluid Sol track got an airing 'I Am On Your Radio', an upbeat radio friendly number. Fluid Sol is out in October on Atenzia and is basically Mitch M Encore time saw a simply jaw-dropping performance of Journey's 'Open Arms' - current Journey singer Steve Augeri better watch out as Mitch nailed this to a tee and it was real heartfelt delivery. 'Love Made Me A Liar' rounded of a superb gig and one enjoyed by all there. Good to meet some fellow fans and the man himself, who stayed long after the gig to sign CD's and talk to fans - that's what it's all about in my book.

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SACRED HEART @ "X-Fest 2004"
4th September 2004
Railmens Club, Swansea, UK
Review by Clare Turner
www.aordreamzones.com

I got to the Railman's Club in Wind Street at 6.45pm which was the time the first band was supposed to be on but nothing was happening. I then discovered the PA system that had been supplied by Toon Town was not working and the engineer who was supposed to be setting it up hadn't turned up either. Also Quecia hadn't turned up but with the combined efforts of the other bands they managed to get enough of a PA system working so the bands could be heard.

After about an hour's delay Sheer Shock revival took to the stage and were brilliant. They used to be called Powder and I remember seeing the name but never saw them live. However I will look out for them and see them again next time they are in the area and if they play near you go and see them.
The next band were Sacred Heart who also played a great set although at times it was a little painful for the lead singer as every now and again he received an electric shock from the mic! But a good band and one to watch out for, especially if you like your rock very melodic and catchy, singer Paul Stead has quite heavy powerful vocals which remind me of Bruce Dickinson.

The last band were the main headliners Lost Weekend who travelled all the way from Halifax in Yorkshire to perform.  They were none too pleased to discover the PA system wasn't working so were glad once everything was sorted and thanked everyone for their work in setting it up.  They were also a good band but not really the sort I like, and the lead singer reminded me of the ring master of The Circus of Horrors which I saw back in February which was a bit distracting! But they delivered a tight set and up until tonight I had not realised that LW had been around on the melodic AOR scene for a number of years and have released three albums, their songs are highly polished and seemed to go down well so I will have to check out their albums from Nicky sometime.

It was great to see bands who write and perform their own material and are genuinely talented unlike most of the drivel we get subjected to in the charts. It's a shame reality TV was ever invented to pollute our ears with endless bad covers and cheesy pop tunes. Bring back decent rock bands any day! and lets hope the X Fest becomes an annual event here in Swansea, we need it, JJ you rock.

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Kee Marcello's K2/SACRED HEART/Tracy Hunter Band
27th May 2004
Camden Underworld, London, UK
Review by Jason Ritchie
www.getreadytorock.com

A fair turnout to see former Europe/Easy Action guitarist Kee Marcello's new band K2. But first we had the Tracie Hunter Band and Tracie's dada is none other than Ian Hunter! Tracie Hunter has a good voice and the band are competent enough but I must admit the tunes failed to move me. It's very guitar based with a slow groove and pleasant enough to listen to but I wouldn't buy an album of it.

Next up melodic rockers SACRED HEART, who judging by the crowd reaction had quite a few fans along tonight. I recently reviewed their CD which is good, solid melodic rock and thankfully the band cut it live as well. Reminded me very much of FM (less the keyboards), Ten and Lost Weekend - all top notch British rock bands and Sacred Heart could easily join their ranks on the strength of this gig. In 'Lost' they have a winner - big chorus and catchy guitar riff. Plus 'Rock 'n' Roll Away' came over well and even 'Fall' sounded better live, as that was my least favourite track on the CD. Definitely a band to go see live if you like melodic rock.

Brave move for Kee Marcello on two counts - its his first gig with K2 and the album isn't even out yet plus its nothing like Europe! In Snowy Shaw they have an imposing drummer to say the least! A massive blonde mohican and his drumming bludgeons the kit but keeps the melody & timing. Most of the audience seemed to dig the new tunes on offer including the Led Zep rumble of 'Raptor', the catchy but gloomy 'E.M.D.' and 'Pride'. I must admit that Marcello's vocals did struggle at times to rise above the drums/guitars and the set did flag midway through, as there were too many tunes of the same tempo. Kee Marcello was enjoying it too you could tell plus he had free reign on the guitar front! Encore time and the Europe fans went home happy as 'Rock The Night' got a metal edged treatment and sounded all the better for it. A sound live debut and once the album becomes more widely heard plus the band play a few more gigs, this is defiantly a band to see live.