UFO
Formed: 1969
From:
London,
United Kingdom
Last Known Status: Active
Latest UFO News
Below is our complete UFO news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.
Displaying records 21 - 40 of 50 1 2 3 Last
Venom And UFO Added To High Voltage Festival
The organisers of Britain's High Voltage festival has announced some more bands for the festival's debut edition. Among the new confirmations are extreme metal daddys Venom, rock legends UFO, The Quireboys, Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa and The Union, which features former members of Thunder. The event will take place in Victoria Park in London on July 24th and the 25th.
The lineup is now as follows: More...
Jaded Heart Posts New Song Online
German hard rockers Jaded Heart have posted a new track online titled "Exterminated." The song, which features a guest guitar solo by Vinnie Moore of UFO, can be heard at Jaded Heart's MySpace page.
UFO Announces Summer Tour Dates
British hard rockers UFO have confirmed the following summer tour dates:
5/31 - Rock Hard Festival - Gelsenkirchen - Germany
6/1 - Pressenwerk - Bad Salzungen, Germany
6/3 - Theaterfabrik - Leipzig, Germany
6/5 - Sweden Rock Festival - Solvesborg, Sweden
6/7 - Nieuwe Pul - Uden, Holland
6/9 - Concorde 2 - Brighton, England
6/10 - The Junction - Cambridge, England
6/12 - Spring & Airbrake - Belfast, N.Ireland
6/13 - 02 Academy - Glasgow, Scotland
6/14 - 02 Academy - NewcastlevEngland
6/16 - 02 Academy - Leeds, England
6/17 - Rock City - Nottingham, England
6/19 - Wulfrun Hall - Wolverhampton, England
6/20 - Academy 2 - Manchester, England
6/21 - 02 Academy - Bristol, England
6/23 - The Brook - Southampton, England
6/24 - Shepherd's Bush Empire - London, England
6/27 - Ulmer Zelt - Ulm, Germany
6/28 - Graspop Festival - Dessel, Belgium
7/30 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
8/7 - Bulldog Bash - England
Waysted Announces New Tour Dates
WAYSTED, featuring UFO bassist Pete Way, have updated their tour schedule as follows:
9/6 - Rock of Ages Festival - Asylum - Birmingham, UK
10/31 - The Rigger Bar - Stoke, UK
11/1 - The Marlborough Club - Ilfracombe, UK
11/14 - Sawyers - Kettering, UK
11/22 - The Corporation - Sheffield, UK
11/27 - Trillions - Newcastle, UK
12/4 - Hark2Towler - Manchester, UK
12/6 - Hard Rock Hell - Prestatyn - Wales, UK
UFO Begin Work on New Album
Legendary hard rockers UFO have announced plans to begin work on their twentieth studio album, which should be out next year. While no further more information is currently available, the band has just begun writing the material and plans to return to the studio in late 2008/early 2009 to start recording the new album.
Almost exactly two years has passed since UFO released their last studio album, "The Monkey Puzzle," on September 26, 2006.
UFO Announce More U.S. Dates
UFO has scheduled the following U.S. dates:
Apr. 09 - Baltimore, MD - The Thunderdome
Apr. 10 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
Apr. 11 - Sayreville, NY - Starland Ballroom
Apr. 12 - New York, NY - B.B. King's
Apr. 13 - Akron, OH - Tangiers
Apr. 15 - Pittsburgh, PN - Rex Theater
Apr. 16 - Nashville, TN - Wildhorse Saloon
Apr. 17 - Milwaukee, WI - Potawatomi Casino
Apr. 18 - Medina, MN - Medina Entertainment Center
Apr. 19 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
Apr. 21 - Sauget, IL - Pops
Apr. 22 - Oklahoma City, OK - [to be announced]
Apr. 23 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
Apr. 24 - San Antonio, TX - Hemisfair Park
Apr. 26 - Las Vegas, NV - Boulder Station Casino
Apr. 27 - Ventura, CA - Magestic Ventura Theater
Apr. 28 - Phoenix, AZ - The Clubhouse
Apr. 30 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
May 01 - Santa Ana, CA - Coach House
May 02 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club
May 03 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
May 04 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
May 06 - Northern California - [to be announced]
May 07 - Seattle, WA - El Curazon
May 08 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
May 09 - Coeur Dàlene, ID - The Grail
UFO Update Tour Schedule
UFO have updated their forthcoming North American tour schedule as follows:
April
10 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
11 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
12 - New York, NY - B.B. King's Blues Club
13 - Akron, OH - Tangiers
15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theatre
16 - Nashville, TN - Wildhorse Saloon
17 - Milwaukee, WI - Potawatomi Bingo Casino
18 - Medina, MN - Medina Entertainment Center
19 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
23 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
24 - Lake Somerville, TX - Hawgs Of Texas Bike Rally
26 - Las Vegas, NV - Boulder Station Casino
27 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theater
30 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
May
1 - Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Theatre
2 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club
3 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
4 - San Francisco - CA - tba
UFO's live DVD Showtime has been scheduled for release on state-of-the-art HD-DVD, including, along with the extras from the regular release, additional bonus material, an “on the fly” menu which can be operated while you are viewing the film, and exciting picture-in-picture interviews. The Showtime HD-DVD will be out on February 22nd in Germany, the 25th throughout the rest of Europe and April 8th in North America via SPV.
UFO Drummer Checks In
UFO drummer Andy Parker has issued the following update:
"For those of you that don't know, we have just completed a three-week tour that took us to Russia, the Ukraine, Germany and finally the good old UK. Pretty exhausting, I can tell you, especially the Russian part. Man! That place is BIG, and that's coming from a guy who lives in Texas. We had several 20-plus-hour journeys by train with little else to do but drink, and all I can say is that I will never complain about British trains again. Believe me, when it comes to drinking, those Russians are professionals, they even make Pete [Way, bass] look like a beginner and that's hard to do." More...
UFO Announce U.S. Dates
Legendary hard rockers UFO have scheduled the following U.S. dates:
Apr. 08 - Saint Petersburg, FL @ The State Theatre
Apr. 10 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
Apr. 11 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Apr. 12 - New York, NY @ B.B. King's Blues Club
Apr. 15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theatre
Apr. 16 - Nashville, TN @ Wildhorse Saloon
Apr. 17 - Milwaukee, WI @ Potawatomi Bingo Casino
Apr. 18 - Medina, MN @ Medina Entertainment Center
Apr. 19 - Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues
Apr. 23 - Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
Apr. 24 - Lyons, TX @ Big Creek Campgrounds
Apr. 26 - Las Vegas, NV @ Boulder Station Hotel & Casino
May 01 - Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theatre
May 02 - West Hollywood, CA @ Key Club
May 03 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
First Three UFO Albums To Be Rereleased
EMI is set to reissue UFO's first three Chrysalis albums, with a provisional release date of January 28, 2008. The LPs will contain the following bonus tracks:
"Phenomenon":
* "Sixteen" (Demo produced by Dave Edmunds}
* "Oh My" (Demo produced by Dave Edmunds)
* "Give Her The Gun" (German non LP Chrysalis single A-side)
* "Sweet Little Thing" (German non LP Chrysalis single B-side)
* "Sixteen" (Previously unreleased studio track)
* "Doctor Doctor" (Recorded live 06/06/74)
"No Heavy Petting":
* "All Or Nothing" (Previously unreleased studio track)
* "French Kisses" (Previously unreleased studio track)
* "Have You Seen Me Lately Joan" (Previously unreleased studio track)
* "Property" (Previously unreleased studio track)
* "Sunset Lights" (Previously unreleased studio track)
"Force It":
* "A Million Miles" (Previously unreleased studio track produced by Leo Lyons at Morgan Studios, December 17, 1973)
* "Mother Mary" (Recorded live at the Paris Theater, London, 11/12/75)
* "Out In The Streets" (Recorded live at the Paris Theater, London, 11/12/75)
* "Shoot Shoot" (Recorded live at the Paris Theater, London, 11/12/75)
* "Let It Roll" (Recorded live at the Roundhouse, London 25/4/76)
* "This Kid's" (Recorded live at the Roundhouse, London 25/4/76)
UFO's latest album, "The Monkey Puzzle", came out in September 2006 via SPV Records. The follow-up to 2004's "You Are Here" was recorded at Area 51 Studios with producer Tommy Newton, who also worked with the band on their last CD and who recorded the material for the band's "Showtime" live album.
Michael Schenker Offering Guitar Lessons
Legendary guitarist Michael Schenker (MSG, ex-UFO, SCORPIONS) is offering guitar lessons in the North London, England area. The cost is 200 GBP or approximately $410 per hour.
You can contact Michael via his MySpace page.
Michael Schenker's UK tour this past summer was cut short due to a "multitude of events beyond the band's control, including Michael's," according to a posting on Schenker's MySpace page.
Schenker's final gig in the UK took place on August 3 in Stourbridge, U.K. when Michael ended up calling off the concert after only a handful of songs.
Cosmosquad Announce Fall Tour Dates
Southern California-based hard fusioneers COSMOSQUAD, featuring acclaimed guitarist Jeff Kollman (GLENN HUGHES, UFO) and Canadian drummer Shane Gaalaas (B'Z, DIESEL MACHINE), have annouced an exclusive Sunday, September 30 Chicago club date at The Note, 1565 N. Milwaukee Ave., located in the city's Wicker Park area. Tickets are 7 dollars in advance and 10 dollars at the door.
COSMOSQUAD will kick off their 2007 fall tour with a performance at the world-famous Baked Potato, followed by a string of performance clinics in the Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin area. The details are as follows:
Sep. 21 - Baked Potato - Studio City, CA
Sep. 26 - Guzzardo Music - Rockford IL
Sep. 27 - Henri's Music - Green Bay WI
Sep. 28 - White House of Music - West Bend WI
Sep. 29 - Cascio / Interstate Music - New Berlin WI
Sep. 30 - The Note - Chicago, IL
Oct. 18 - Musician's Institute - Hollywood, CA
COSMOSQUAD has just released its fourth album, "Acid Test". It marks the group's first studio effort since 2001's highly regarded "Squadrophenia" which firmly established the trio as one of the premier progressive instrumental acts on the scene. Co-produced by Kollman and Gaalaas at the drummer's Crumb West Studios in Simi Valley, CA, "Acid Test" is the first COSMOSQUAD effort without co-founding member, Barry Sparks, whose bass duties have been filled by a trio of capable, well credentialed players in Paul Shihadeh (SCOTT KINSEY), Kevin Chown (UNCLE CRACKER, EDWIN DARE), and the group's new full-time addition, Christopher Maloney (DWEEZIL ZAPPA, HARDLINE).
You can check out some of the band's material on their MySpace page.
Diamond Head Confirmed For Hard Rock Hell
UK NWOBHM legends DIAMOND HEAD are the latest act confirmed for Britain's Hard Rock Hell - The Winter Ball festival which is taking place from November 9th - 11th at Butlins in Minehead, UK (Somerset).
The festival billing is as follows: 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, AMENTI, BEYOND THE GRAVE, CHTHONIC, CRADLE OF FILTH, CRUCIFIED BARBARA, DIAMOND HEAD, FASTWAY, FINNTROLL, GIRLSCHOOL, GMT, GRAND MAGUS, LAUREN HARRIS, MCQUEEN, MY DYING BRIDE, RAVEN, SAXON, TESLA, THE 69 EYES, TIAMAT, TWISTED SISTER, UFO, VIXEN, WOLF, ZERO CIPHER.
Schenker Brothers Fist Fight Dismissed As False
UFO fan site www.strangers-in-the-night.com recently conducted an interview with Alan Walsh — a longtime Michael Schenker (ex-UFO guitarist) fan and close friend of Michael — regarding the cancellation of Schenker's recent U.K. dates and Michael's current state of mind. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:
Strangers in the Night: Alan, you've been speaking to Michael today. First of all, and starting with the hardest question first... how is he at the moment?
Alan Walsh: Under the circumstances, he's OK. I've spent much of the day with him at a hotel in the Midlands and he was relatively philosophical about recent events, but I sensed he felt that he'd let people down. For myself, through what I've come to know over the past few days, it's clear that this whole fiasco was not purely down to Michael, far from it. But he was fine today, if a little emotional at times.
Strangers in the Night: At Peterborough, when Michael was the only member of MSG to have arrived in England, that night's show obviously had to be postponed. But Michael took time instead to play an informal solo acoustic set and by all accounts he seemed content throughout the whole thing, happily staying to sign autographs etc. That evening, he seemed on top of his game — and not only that, he was a terrific ambassador for the band, earning maximum PR points for the tour ahead. So.... what went wrong between there and Pentrich, less than forty-eight hours afterwards?
Alan Walsh: It does seem strange doesn't it? You have to understand that over the years, Michael has been involved in major tours where various managements and promoters have ensured that itineraries were set in place and practical matters such as travel, hotels, merchandise, etc, were taken care of. When this current tour began in the USA, that was supposedly the case. MSG were "ready to rock" and I know it seemed, to the band at least, that things had been organised. Unfortunately, twelve shows into the U.S. dates, my understanding of the situation is that the management went "absent without leave." In fact, the band were literally forced to get off the tour bus, onto the sidewalk, with their belongings and gear, as the hire charge had not been paid by said management. I know the band were totally shocked and deflated by this turn of events and it was Mr. Wayne Findlay and his lovely wife Deana who hired a truck to move the band's gear into storage at some considerable cost. Moreover, the merchandise also went missing, along with a large amount of money that had been accrued from the sales at the first few shows. Absolutely crazy! Anyway, as I'm sure your readers are aware, the rest of the U.S. dates were scrapped through no fault of Michael or the band. It's well documented that in the U.S., Michael turned up at a venue alone, willing to play, so as not to disappoint his fans. Michael just wanted to play and even though he knew the U.S. dates were gone, he desperately wanted to make the U.K. dates happen. Thus, he flew (alone) to the U.K. to have meetings with people who said they could help make it happen. I can't go into personal details, but I can assure you Michael was under extreme pressure. After arriving in the U.K., with only four hours sleep in two days, Michael travelled to Peterborough. I know that what he did at Peterborough had a positive impact on those who were there, but from that night to Pentrich, Michael was in a situation that was already becoming untenable. His guitars were in Germany, the band hadn't yet arrived in the U.K. (due to aforementioned fiasco in the U.S.), there was no money, no gear, no band and no merchandise. In fact, there was nothing. Actually, I was impressed that Michael had got that far on his own resources, but I do feel the lack of sleep, lack of food, minimal finances, the fiasco in the U.S., along with other factors had impacted on him emotionally and psychologically.
Strangers in the Night: OK, now on to the day and night of Pentrich itself. You were there, backstage and onstage. What happened?
Alan Walsh: When I arrived at the Rock & Blues during Saturday afternoon, Michael was in a portacabin that was otherwise empty. No food, nothing. I couldn't believe that this man, who'd given so much to so many for over three decades, wasn't even worth a sandwich — and that's no joke. Michael was absolutely exhausted, to the point that he just wanted to sleep. He'd had little sleep in three days, had been travelling constantly, was under-nourished and didn't even have a change of clothes. Also, there was an incident that occurred in London which had left him penniless. It was a disgraceful situation, so I set about trying to sort something out for him. I asked the organisers if an inflatable mattress, blankets, food and soft drinks could be brought to Michael's cabin. A special mention should go to Dale Langham who was absolutely brilliant and couldn't do enough to help. Even so, all Michael wanted to do was sleep, but people kept entering the cabin, so I decided to stand outside and prevent people from going in. I re-entered the cabin around 7pm when the rest of MSG showed up and Michael seemed OK and relaxed. Unfortunately, even though Michael had got some sleep, the damage was done due to the events of the previous 48 hours. I know there's talk on the Internet of Michael's alcohol intake, but it's just not that simple. If only it was. There's no doubting he was drinking to excess at times, or that he desperately under-performed that day and people felt badly let down — but fatigue, emotional, psychological and physical tiredness, along with other aforementioned issues, were the main factors behind that. I suppose one could argue that Michael could have just said "Sod it!" and gone home. But what would people have said then? As usual, Schenker would have got the blame for another cancelled tour. He was in a no-win situation really.
Strangers in the Night: Regarding the recent U.S. tour dates which came to an abrupt end after twelve shows, reviews from those shows were generally very positive. And although the details hadn't been made public, other members of MSG have written that the tour was badly managed, and they've absolved Michael of blame for the cancellation. Obviously with a string of cancelled dates already behind him, Michael got a lot of flak on the message boards which followed — undeservedly on that occasion, but understandably as people were never given the facts. The message board opinions — and there are plenty! — are divided between well-wishers who believe (or want to believe) that he can get help and then bounce back again — and people who are mocking him, calling him "a drunk," "a washed-up junkie," "a tramp," etc. etc. etc., and that his career is over.
Alan Walsh: Regarding opinions on message boards (and I've read plenty this week), many of them are irrelevant. They are born out of ignorance, judgementalism and a desire to kick someone when they're down. Absolutely ridiculous and sick behaviour! Indeed, there has been a story put out by (of all people) Dave Ling of Classic Rock, that Michael and Rudolf [Schenker, SCORPIONS guitarist and Michael's brother] came to blows backstage. I can vehemently attest that this is a total fabrication. It never happened and is just plain "tabloid journalism." I've since heard that Ling heard it on "good authority" that this incident had occurred, but no one in the Schenker camp was approached or asked about any such incident, thus, he didn't have it on "good authority" at all. The same old sensationalism from those with no real stories to tell. Garbage really. The truth is, Michael never saw Rudolf at the Rock & Blues.
Metal Gets Its Due On Massive Rhino Boxed Set
Heavy metal fans will be banging their heads in delight this fall with the release of Rhinos's "Heavy Metal Box," due Oct. 2. The four-disc, 70-song set boasts classic tracks from Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead and Slayer, among dozens of others.
Arranged chronologically from 1968 to 1991, the compilation also boasts hits from bands like Deep Purple, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, Pantera, Alice Cooper, Venom, Testament, Rush and Megadeth; the project will be packaged in a box resembling a Marshall guitar amp.
The liner notes will include extensive photos, track commentary and interviews with Ronnie James Dio and Lita Ford.
Here is the track list for "The Heavy Metal Box": More...
U.F.O. Announce UK Dates
Legendary hard rock band UFO has scheduled the following dates:
Aug. 31 - Sheffield, UK - The Plug
Sep. 01 - Durham, UK - Stormin' The Castle Festival
Nov. 10 - Minehead, UK - Hard Rock Hell Festival
UFO's new album, "The Monkey Puzzle", came out in September via SPV Records. The follow-up to 2004's "You Are Here" was recorded at Area 51 Studios with producer Tommy Newton, who also worked with the band on their last CD and who recorded the material for the band's "Showtime" live album.
UFO's "Showtime" live CD/DVD was recorded at Pumpwerk in Wilhelmshaven, Germany on May 13, 2005.
Damage Control Confirm Bloodstock Appearance
Metal rock ‘n' roll outlaws Damage Control, featuring Chris Slade (drums AC/DC), Pete Way (bass UFO), Spike (vocals Quireboys), and Robin George (guitar Robert Plant, Thin Lizzy, Magnum), has been confirmed as "very special guests" to perform at Bloodstock 2007 on Thursday 16 August. Bloodstock will be the band's only UK show this year. Damage Control just released their self-titled debut album on Cargo Records.
Bloodstock Festival
The UK’s PREMIER Metal Festival
Thu 16, Fri 17 & Sat 18 August 2007
Mob Rules Announce Tour Dates For 2007
MOB RULES have announced tour dates in support of their latest album, Ethnolution A.D., set for February and March 2007. Their schedule is as follows:
February
10 - Oldenburg, Germany at Amadeus
23 - Bremen, Germany at Aladin (festival with MASTERPLAN)
26 - Hamburg, Germany at Headbangers Ballroom (with Masterplan)
March (with UFO)
1 - Hamburg, Germany at Fabrik
3 - Worpswede, Germany at Music Hall
4 - Berlin, Germany at Columbia Club
5 - Hannover, Germany at Musikzentrum
13 - Copenhagen, denmark at Pumpe Huset
14 - Malmö, Sweden at KB
16 - Götheburg, Swedend at Tradgar´n
17 - Stockholm, Sweden at The Arena
More dates are expected to be announced soon
Anthrax Guitarist Comments On Ep.3 Of "Supergroup"
ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has commented on episode three of "SuperGroup", the VH1 "reality" TV program starring Ian, Ted Nugent, former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach, ex-BIOHAZARD bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld and drummer Jason Bonham (BONHAM, UFO, FOREIGNER). Filming for the program commenced on February 22, with the premise being to lock several musicians in a house for 12 days and get them to write and record some new original music. In addition to the five musicians, star manager Doc McGhee (KISS) was in charge for the duration of filming/recording. The all-star band — dubbed DAMNOCRACY — also performed a headlining set at the Empire Ballroom in Las Vegas on March 5.
Commented Scott: "I thought episode 3 kicked ass. They just keep getting better. I love in episode 3 when Doc says that the song [that DAMNOCRACY wrote and demoed on the show] would be a great song in 1982 but not in 2006. I take that as a compliment. Rob Cavallo [producer] says it's dated. Dated? Hmmm, the guy that produces GREEN DAY who sound exactly like the BUZZCOCKS says we sound dated. Interesting. I guess the WHITE STRIPES sound dated as well. And PEARL JAM and JOSS STONE and everyone else that sounds like '70s music. Or bands like AVENGED SEVENFOLD that are straight out of '80s thrash. Are they dated? Why is dated a negative? I understand being objective, it's just that dated to me is not a negative. We're playing music that we love and organically created. What should we sound like? What is current? Should we have forced ourselves to sound like something we're not? That would've been the lamest and most transparent thing we could've done. They wanted us to cover a KELLY CLARKSON song. That was their idea. I actually went as far as to learn it, be open-minded and all, and quickly realized it would've been so fucking retarded for us to do that. Duh. Hey, I'm an open-minded kind of guy. That song works for her, not for DAMNOCRACY. Anyway, hopefully we will finish these demos and you'll get to hear what we did. Let us know if you want to hear it. Maybe that will light a fire under our asses."
Concert TV To Air Sepultura, Type O Negative
A handful of SPV's artists will have their DVDs featured on the CONCERT On-Demand channel during the months of July and August. The schedule is as follows:
July 1 to July 31
SEPULTURA 'Live In Sao Paulo'
TYPE O NEGATIVE 'Symphony For the Devil: The World of Type O Negative'
UFO 'Showtime'
SKINNY PUPPY 'The Greater Wrong of the Right Live'
THE MISSION 'Lighting the Candles'
LEGENDS OF ROCK: Uli Jon Roth, Jack Bruce, UFO Live at Castle Donnington
July 15 to August 15
ANNIHILATOR 'Ten Years In Hell'
SODOM 'Lords of Depravity'
CONCERT is available on Comcast (Music on Channel 1, then CONCERT), Adelphia (Free Choices on Channel 1, then Music, then CONCERT), Charter (More or Free Programs on Channel 999, then Music Unlimited, then CONCERT) and Cox (FreeZone, then Music, then CONCERT).
