News

1991–1995: The Power Ballad & Proto-Grunge Era The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was still very much in “honour the architects” mode here — but you could feel the generational shift coming. Let’s roll it year by year. 🎸 1991 – The Heavyweights Arrive Ike & Tina Turner Wilson Pickett The Byrds The Impressions Jimmy Reed John Lee Hooker...

The Inductees – 1986–1990: The Gods Enter The Building The mighty Rock and Roll Hall of Fame officially began inducting artists in 1986. And they did not start small. They started with the foundations of modern music. The blueprints. The DNA. The lot. Let’s run it year by year, shall we? Strap in. 🔥 1986 – The Founding Titans This...

Right then butt… let’s have a natter about the shiny gig spaceship parked on Oystermouth Road. The mighty Swansea Building Society Arena. Construction kicked off back in 2019, then the world went full dystopian box-set and Covid hit pause on everything. But in March 2022, the doors finally opened and Swansea officially levelled up. 🥁🔥 £48 million later – as...

Right then, butt… grab a pint and pull up a fold-up chair because this one’s kicked off harder than a circle pit at Download. Yungblud has announced he’s taking BludFest international. Yep. After two years in Milton Keynes, the third edition is packing its bags and heading to the Czech Republic this June. And the fanbase? Split straight down the...

Just when you think Wales has peaked… we casually host Snoop Dogg at the Swansea headquarters of Au Vodka. Read that again. Snoop.In Swansea.At Au Vodka’s HQ. And it was every bit as surreal as it sounds. FROM LONG BEACH TO SA1 🌊➡️🏢 This wasn’t some sticky warehouse knees-up. This was a polished, high-end HQ event.Lights. Production. Proper set-up.Gold everywhere....

Right then. Strap in. Because the words you’re about to read feel like they were generated by a fever dream after three Red Bulls and a half-time pie. Snoop Dogg.At a Swansea City match. Yes. In Swansea.Yes. The Swans.Yes. That Snoop. And honestly? We’re absolutely here for it. From Long Beach To SA1 🏟️ Imagine the scene. South Wales skies...

Right then you riff-hungry reprobates… gather round. Because this one’s for the proper UK thrash heads. The denim. The patches. The neck ache. 🧥🔥 Back in the late ’80s, when the UK thrash scene was absolutely spitting fire, Toranaga were leading the charge like a steel-plated juggernaut. Shoulder to shoulder with legends like Sabbat, Onslaught and Xentrix – this wasn’t...

Right then, Riff Report massive… brace yourselves. Saturday 28th March 2026 is shaping up to be a proper heavy metal riot down in Swansea, and we are absolutely here for it. Sin City is about to turn into a full-blown runway of riffs as ED FORCE ONE – The UK’s Top Tribute to Iron Maiden touch down for one night...

Alright… gather round the virtual bar for a sec. The Riff Report Blog have just nailed their colours to the mast and thrown full support behind live concerts at Blackweir Fields, promoted by DEPOT Group — and there’s a Cardiff Council consultation ticking away in the background that could decide whether these gigs keep happening. Consultation closes February 28th. That’s...

Right then you glorious inked-up riff warriors — ever heard someone mutter “UKTTA” at a tattoo show and thought, “Is that a new thrash band from Birmingham?” 😅 Not quite, butt. Let’s pull back the curtain on the mysterious acronym lurking behind the buzzing machines… 🏴 What Is The UKTTA? The UK Tattoo Trade Association — or UKTTA — is...

Principles, Politics & Proper Punk Chaos Well then… this wasn’t on the bingo card, was it? Legendary US punk icons Dead Kennedys have announced they will not be participating in any future Punk In The Park events after discovering that the owner of Brew Ha Ha Productions — the company behind the festival — made financial contributions supporting the Trump...

Up the Irons, butt – this one’s for the history books. The mighty Iron Maiden are heading to the cinema with Burning Ambition, a film that charts their absolutely ridiculous five-decade rampage across the planet 🌍🔥 Five decades. That’s not a band. That’s a civilisation with guitar solos. 🎥 So What Is Burning Ambition? This isn’t just another backstage noodle-fest...

Right then, rock family… this one’s got a bit of sting in the tail. Legendary drum powerhouse Tommy Aldridge has revealed he wasn’t invited to take part in Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert. And his response? “I’m not gonna crash someone else’s party.” Calm. Classy. Zero tantrums. But still… WHAT?! 👀🔥 🥁 THIS ISN’T JUST “A DRUMMER” Let’s not pretend this...

Richly deserved? Too right, butt. There are guitarists… and then there’s Ritchie Blackmore. The man who made Stratocasters scream.The bloke who turned classical scales into hard rock sorcery.The human embodiment of “don’t talk to me before the encore.” And now — finally — the riff wizard himself has received a Lifetime Achievement Award. About. Flaming. Time. 🤘🔥 🎶 The Man...

There are bad encores. There are broken guitar strings mid-solo. And then there’s being locked out of your own LinkedIn account for over two months while Support ghosts you harder than a dodgy promoter. Yes. Two. Months. For a platform that bangs on about “professional community” and “meaningful connections,” the current support experience feels more like screaming into a broken...