Mouth Ulcers: Silent Pictures (LAB Records) Released 10 July 2026 CD | Vinyl | DL | Streaming Fast-rising foursome Mouth Ulcers are flying the freak flag for modern Goth. Their seven-track debut, Silent Pictures, reveals them to be masters of their heritage while looking firmly to the future. Nothing to be sore about, says Robert […]
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Jeff Wayne’s 1978 musical version of War Of The Worlds was one of the most surprising success stories of the late 70s. In 2007, the man behind it looked back on his extra-terrestrial masterpiece.
Jeff Wayne’s house is bigger and better than Ozzy Osbourne’s. As the Classic Rock Trabant trundles to the end of a sweeping gravel drive somewhere in deepest Hertfordshire, we are confronted by a sprawling mansion that makes the Double-O’s look like a bijou Barratt showhouse. Plainly, there is plenty of gold in them thar Martian hills.
When Wayne released his musical interpretation of HG Wells’s The War Of The Worlds in 1978, the lavishly packaged double vinyl album was an instant success. To date, on the back of that haunting ‘wee-ooo, wee-ooo’ theme and songs of the calibre of The Eve Of The War and Forever Autumn, it has sold 15 million copies worldwide. Wayne has since turned TWOTW into a awe-inspiring stage spectacle, complete with giant Martian fighting machine, state-of-the-art CGI (computer-generated imagery) graphics, a huge orchestra and an impressive cast of guest vocalists.
“When I first came up with idea of doing TWOTW, people said to me: ‘Are you bonkers?’” laughs the genial composer, who was born in Queens, New York, and has spent most of his adult life in Britain. “In the middle of the punk and disco revolution, I’m coming up with a 96-minute continuous work telling the story of a Martian invasion of Earth – narrated by Richard Burton and featuring artists such as Justin Hayward [Moody Blues], Phil Lynott and Julie Covington. It does sound kind of nuts, doesn’t it?”
Prior to TWOTW, Wayne had made his name as David Essex’s musical director, pioneering an über-cool glitter-rock sound (most notably on Essex’s seminal Rock On album) that is still ground-breaking today. With Essex raking in serious dosh for his label CBS, Wayne approached the company about the WOTW project. CBS agreed to fund it to the tune of £70,000. It ended up costing a quarter of a million.
“The rest was my life savings,” Wayne sighs. “My wife said: ‘What’s Plan B if this doesn’t succeed?’ There wasn’t one. CBS weren’t even obliged to release it.”
What initially attracted Wayne to Wells’s novel?
“First and foremost it’s a good yarn,” he replies. “Wells was really writing about the tentacles of the British Empire spreading, and in terms of relevance today there are still nations invading other nations.”
TWOTW has been part of Wayne’s life for 30 long years. Isn’t he bored with it by now?
“I’ve done plenty of things in between, the most notable of which was a [1992] concept album about the life of Spartacus, the Roman gladiator. I also helped launch Catherine Zeta Jones’s musical career. My next work is based on a Jack London story set in the Alaskan gold rush. It wasn’t really until 2005, when we decided to relaunch TWOTW, that it became a major part of my life again. It grew very quickly from a one-off concert rendition at London’s Royal Albert Hall to a fully fledged arena tour.”
When Wayne first took TWOTW out on the road there was a
lot of focus on ‘the Richard Burton effect’ – a giant talking head suspended above the stage. “I’d be the first to admit that the technology wasn’t perfect,” Wayne admits. “The lip-synching was less than ideal and the sculpture was rather unwieldy. For our current run of shows we’re using a proper three-dimensional hologram to represent Burton; it’s never been done before in live entertainment. People will certainly see a major improvement.”
Despite what he’s written about, Wayne has never encountered a real-life Martian. What are the odds on the possibility of extraterrestrial life? Are they still a million to one?
“Well,” he considers, “I don’t believe more than science tells us. In the past couple of years there’s been evidence that there’s some sort of life on Mars. Let’s see where that takes us. It’s presumptuous for us to believe that we’re the only ones out there, that’s true, but let’s see proof.”
Originally published in Classic Rock issue 114 (December 2007)
Swiss Portrait continues to refine its dreamy DIY aesthetic on Sleep Easy, a captivating dream pop track wrapped in shimmering guitars, hazy textures, and heartfelt songwriting. Built around warm melodies and an understated vocal performance, the song creates an intimate atmosphere that feels both comforting and emotionally resonant. The bedroom production adds authenticity without sacrificing clarity, allowing every subtle detail to shine through. Balancing melancholy with quiet optimism, Sleep Easy unfolds with effortless charm, proving that simplicity, when paired with strong songwriting and genuine emotion, can leave the deepest impression.
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Sue Cahill transforms profound personal loss into a deeply moving work on June February, an elegant blend of contemporary jazz and chamber-like intimacy. Guided by Cahill’s expressive double bass, the trio crafts a spacious, emotionally rich landscape where piano, vocals, and understated percussion interact with remarkable sensitivity. The composition unfolds with quiet grace, balancing moments of fragility with an enduring sense of hope and resilience. Every note feels intentional, allowing the emotional weight to emerge naturally rather than through excess. Thoughtful, refined, and deeply affecting, June February is a beautiful testament to music’s ability to honor grief while gently illuminating the path toward healing.
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Def Leppard show everyone present in The O2 Arena what they are among the best in the world at. Rocking an arena to the rafters. All this while sounding incredible. And those vocal harmonies.
Words: Bogdan Bele
Photography: Manuela Langotsch
Def Leppard is one of those bands that I have been listening to pretty much all my life. I grew up listening to cassettes of Adrenalize, Hysteria, Pyromania, On Through The Night and High ‘n’ Dry, courtesy of my uncle.
And I continued on that path, pretty much listening to their entire recorded output as it came out. While I did not necessarily love everything they have put out, they always had a special place for me.
![Live rock concert on stage with two performers; singer raises arm while guitarist in white plays a white guitar under purple lights, drummer in back.] , but fix grammar.](https://www.metaltalk.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Def-Leppard-The-O2-Arena-2-July-2026-Photo-Manuela-Langotsch-1.webp)
Later, I had the chance to see them live, and that happened a few times over the years. I was truly shocked to hear how, apart from being a really solid live act, they were able to reproduce those vocal harmonies to perfection. But even with that background, nothing could ever prepare me for Thursday evening in London’s The O2 Arena.
By the time Def Leppard hit the stage of an arena that is almost at capacity (and I am talking full capacity, not just the first ring), they are in full swing with their current tour. They have already played a Las Vegas residency in the USA, been to India, and played a number of festivals and headline shows in Europe.
After an energetic Extreme performance (details about that a bit later), the band starts promptly with their most recent single, Rejoice, as the stage, with a pyramid-like lighting rig, inspired by the cover of their massive opus Hysteria, lights up.
It is a perfect opener, showcasing the band’s fine voices already. They waste no time and start what will be a night of, as frontman Joe Elliott puts it, “something old, something new, something borrowed…” But mostly hits.
The first one of the night is Animal, and by this point, everyone is shouting the chorus, band and crowd, in perfect synergy. Mr Elliott is in fine voice, and so is the band. And the whole crowd.
The stage set is what one should have for an arena show of this size. The moving light rig, as well as the massive screen behind them and the two side ones, full of very well-done visuals, makes sure that one feels part of the whole thing, wherever they might be seated in the cavernous space.
And next comes something borrowed, a cover of Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus. I checked out the setlist beforehand, and I was honestly wondering what the point was, despite liking the studio version, when a band has that many hits they could play instead.
Well, the point was that it sounded great, especially with the effect on the singer’s voice and the church-like grey tone visuals.
They go into one of the things they are very good at, ballads, early on, with Bringin’ On The Heartbreak, and the twin guitars of Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell truly shine on this and instrumental Switch 625. It is hard to find a guitarist duo that fits together this well, truly allowing one another to shine.
For something new, we get Just Like ’73, and this is the point where, if you had any doubt, you realise that Def Leppard never forgot how to write very catchy and that their recent output lives up to past glories. With this nice nod to the glam rock era that they love so much, of course.
They get back into the classics and Hysteria’s Rocket, with appropriate visuals, followed by David Essex cover Rock On, preceded by a very good solo bass moment by Rick Savage. Not before the frontman talks about how he and Savage met, some 39 years ago, and they have done alright.
In the meantime, as we listen to Mr Savage’s bass, the singer pops up high in the stands, because that is where you should be singing that song from. White Lightning’s long intro is, presumably, so he can actually get back on stage.
It is followed by the title track of a record that some people only warm up to now. I am talking, of course, about Slang and it has a surprise appearance from Extreme guitarist extraordinaire Nuno Bettencourt. Joe decided, yet again, that taking a walk through the crowd would be a good idea, at the end of which he mentions that someone grabbed his arse.
And he would like to thank them for it.
We get to the last part of the show and, since I mentioned those vocal harmonies, the band plays an a cappella intro to Promises. Just in case anyone even imagined that there are any pre-recorded vocal tracks. It sounds amazing, and so does Armageddon It.
I even end up doing something I would not recommend. I take out my ear protections, “just to see what it sounds like”, as well as to feel the atmosphere. I generally would not do this in a place like The O2 Arena, as the echoey tendencies of such venues, as well as the sheer volume, make proper quality earplugs a better idea sound-wise, not to mention the little issue of protecting your hearing.
However, in tonight’s case, I am absolutely shocked at how perfect it all sounds, and also how loud that crowd is throughout. And it is, for the record, really loud, but their sound technician deserves all the plaudits. I do not think I heard a band sound this good here.
They end with Rock of Ages and Photograph, both sounding fantastic.
Some things you cannot avoid, so they come back for an encore of When Love And Hate Collide, Hysteria and, of course, a Pour Some Sugar On Me that, if you were not voiceless by this point, definitely rendered you that way.
The conclusion? If there were a university degree in playing arena shows, these guys would be tenured professors. And one more thing. Despite playing so many absolute bangers over the course of almost two hours, they have so many more of those left out that you will inevitably g: “I would have also liked X and Y songs”.
In my case, Two Steps Behind and Heaven Is. But those are for next time.
Because, as Joe Elliott puts it at the end of their shows, “there will be a next time”.
First of all, if you are reducing Extreme to “the More Than Words” band, I am happy for you. Because you will now go to whatever streaming service you use, and listen to at least all of Extreme II: Pornograffitti in full.
Come back after you have done that, although by this point you are most likely checking out everything else.
I will bow my head to Def Leppard, and no, I am not in the wrong section of the article. Having a band as good as Extreme as a special guest takes some balls. Because the Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt outfit are simply a phenomenal live act.
They have a very sparse stage set compared to tonight’s headliners, with just the huge back screen showing visuals and some stage lights and LEDs. But that does not stop them from giving an energetic performance.
Their set goes from tracks of their newest album, 2023’s SIX, to some of their classics, including Decadence Dance or Get The Funk Out. What I always loved about Extreme was their funkiness, evident on tracks like the latter.
Cherone is a livewire, going all over that stage, and Bettencourt is, without doubt, one of the best guitarists out there. He was one of the most important parts of Ozzy’s farewell concert at Villa Park, and Extreme pays tribute to the great man with a medley of I Don’t Know, Bark At The Moon, and Crazy Train.
While that great bit is what ends their set, they play More Than Words as well, sung by the whole arena.
The only less fortunate part is the fact that, not being shown on the big screens at the sides of the stage, it is slightly difficult for them to properly reach the further parts of the huge space.
Even with that, a very good performance.
Dead Horse explode out of the gates with Dynamite, a thrilling collision of noise rock, garage punk, and post-punk attitude. Jagged guitar riffs, manic saxophone bursts, and relentless rhythms fuel a track that thrives on unpredictability without ever losing its infectious momentum. The band’s sharp sense of chaos is matched by an energetic vocal performance and clever, offbeat lyricism, resulting in a sound that’s both abrasive and irresistibly fun. Wild, fearless, and packed with personality, Dynamite captures the exhilaration of controlled musical mayhem, making for a bold statement from a band confidently embracing its own wonderfully unhinged identity.
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