Alter Bridge performing their What Lies Within Tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Thursday 5th March 2026.

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

After a two year break which saw Myles Kennedy tour with Guns ‘n’ Roses legend, Slash, Mark Tremonti tour with his heavy metal side project, Tremonti and joined Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips on a Creed reunion tour, Alter Bridge were back together at the Motorpoint Arena on Thursday night to deliver a show that was well worth the wait.

Before a packed and enthusiastic crowd, the Arena lights dimmed, raising the atmosphere to another level as the band stepped out into the spotlight and opened with Silent Divide, the opening track of the new eponymous album as it opened with a powerful guitar riff before the bass and drums kicked in, setting the bar high for the rest of the set.

Delving into the past with Addicted To Pain and Cry Of Achilles, the sight of Kennedy and Tremonti working in tandem, seamlessly swapping guitar solos and synchronising their melodies was a sight to behold.

Delivering a crisp tight performance, new songs such as Playing Aces and the urgent Tested And Able fitted into the sixteen song set perfectly, complementing the older material so well. Part way through the set Tremonti took centre stage on the vocals for Burn It Down, the change in pace and tone being a great pivotal point in the middle of the set.

Broken Wings was still as beautifully powerful as ever, and Ghost Of Days Gone By was sublime in a live setting. Open Your Eyes, the band’s first ever single in 2004, felt as impactful as ever and brought with it a mass sing along from the crowd.

Bass player Marshall anchored the performance with precision and enabled Kennedy, whose vocals were on point throughout and Tremonti to impress with their high energy guitar playing and Phillip’s drumming which drove the band’s punchy rhythms.

Kennedy delivered a moving acoustic start to the power ballad Watch Over You as the Arena was lit up with mobile phone torches. Ending the main set with Metalingus which was euphoric, spine tingling and majestic and paved the way for the encore of Blackbird and Isolation which closed out a spellbinding performance and was a fitting finale to an incredible night of rock.

Alter Bridge, performing their Walk The Sky Tour with special guests Shinedown and The Raven Age, at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Saturday 14th December 2019

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

American band, Alter Bridge came to the Motorpoint Arena last night to head a line up of rock, and as they thrashed, bashed and thrilled they left this packed Arena wanting more.

English melodic metal core band, The Raven Age stood in for Sevendust, who had to cancel due to drummer Morgan Rose’s hospitalisation. And this five piece did themselves proud with a set list that included songs from their two albums and their latest single, Fleur De Lis, which the crowd really appreciated.

Up next were Shinedown who kicked off their set with Devil from their latest album, Attention Attention, before following up with the high voltage Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom) which set the mood perfectly.

Front man Brent Smith captivated this sold out Arena as he sent merchandise flying into the crowd and asked that everyone shake hands with their fellow concert goers. There was the fist pumping Enemies and as guitarist Zach Myers made full use of the stage, Eric Bass’ energy and talent on bass stood out on the likes of Cut The Chord and Simple Man.

Finishing with Sound Of Madness and Brilliant on which Barry Kerch’s drumming was awesome, Shinedown had kept up their end of the bargain to enthral and entertain with a set that ended too soon.

Alter Bridge are fronted by arguably one of the finest rock singers currently performing, Myles Kennedy, who had the crowd head banging from the off. Touring to promote their latest album, Walk The Sky, they kicked off with new song, the mid tempo and intense Wouldn’t You Rather which was followed by throw back hit, Isolation.

Ghosts Of Days Gone By showcased their sing along choruses as well as killer guitar solos that has seen guitarist Mark Tremonti named one of ‘The guitarists of the decade’ by the readers of Guitar World. The epic Cry Of Achilles really cranked up the head banging as the crowd were taken on a journey of musical and lyrical magnificence.

Tremonti’s riffs were instantly recognisable as were his confident vocals on Waters Rising. New songs such as Pay No Mind, Native Son and Take The Crown sat nicely alongside their signature song, Blackbird and when the distinctive and familiar drum intro signalled the always awesome Metalingus, the crowd screamed their delight.

Finishing with the thunderous Addicted To Pain, Alter Bridge had proved that high quality hard rock is still very much alive and kicking.

Mark Tremonti, lead guitarist with American rock band Alter Bridge, chats with Kevin Cooper about working with Myles Kennedy, growing up in Detroit, their latest album Walk The Sky and their forthcoming tour of the UK.

Mark Tremonti is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and author, best known for being the lead guitarist of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands, and has also collaborated with many other artists over the years.

He formed his own band, Tremonti, in 2011, releasing the album All I Was in July 2012, followed by Cauterize in June 2015, Dust in April 2016 and A Dying Machine in June 2018. The metal rock opera A Dying Machine has been adapted by Tremonti and science-fiction novelist John Shirley.

Having formed Creed with lead vocalist Scott Stapp in 1993, they were recognized by many as one of the major acts of the post-grunge movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Tremonti and Stapp have been collectively recognized as one of the most prolific song writing teams in all of rock music. Disbanding in 2004, Tremonti with two other Creed members went on to form Alter Bridge.

After asking Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four and the future vocalist for Slash’s solo project, to be their lead singer, they released their debut album, One Day Remains. To date they have released six studio albums.

Tremonti later began expressing interest in releasing a solo album in 2010. His solo band originally consisted of Friedman and Whitlock alongside Alter Bridge and Creed bassist Brian Marshall playing bass guitar as a touring member.

He is a collector of guitars, amplifiers, and pinball machines, and is known to enjoy playing table tennis.

Whilst preparing for their forthcoming tour, Mark Tremonti took some time out to have a chat with Kevin Cooper and this is what he had to say.

Mark, good morning, how are you today?

I’m good thanks Kevin, how are you today?

I’m doing very well thank you and before we move on, let me firstly thank you for taking the time to speak to me today.

Not at all, thank you for your time.

And just how is life treating you at this moment in time?

I have to say that life at the moment is good; I am just kicking back and taking it easy.

That’s great to hear. Well we have to talk about the new album, Walk The Sky, together with the promotional tour; is it okay if we talk about the album first?

Of course, that’s not a problem.

Well I have been playing the new album for the past couple of weeks now and I have to say that I love it. I personally feel that it is a great piece of work.

Thank you very much.

Are you happy with it?

Absolutely, yes, we have been living with it now for the past four months or so and we are so pleased that it is finally out there. We are all really happy with the way that the album has turned out, and we are now really happy that the fans finally have the opportunity to listen to it.

I currently have three go to tracks at the moment; they are Godspeed, Pay No Mind and Forever Falling.

Thank you for that, that is really awesome.

The opening twenty-six seconds of Forever Falling really does lure you into a false sense of security and then it grabs you around the throat.

That really is great to hear, and I have to say that those three tracks are some of my favourites as well.

Do you have one particular favourite track?

That’s easy, Godspeed is my favourite.

For the first time, you and Myles (Kennedy) have written this album separately from one another. Whose idea was that?

Yes, we have, we had a limited amount of time in the studio, so we had to do a lot of demoing beforehand. Having said that, I personally feel that in the long run it helped us to make sure that we could put out the best record possible.

Did you not find it strange not being in each other’s company?

Not really. We have both done our separate solo things so many times now, that we are actually getting better at writing independently.

Will you and Myles be writing future Alter Bridge albums in the same manner, separately?

Yes, we will, to an extent. To be honest I think that we will do a bit of both; separately and together.

Are you always writing?

Yes, I am, absolutely. I find myself writing all of the time.

I must ask you, in your opinion, just what makes Myles so special?

Myles is just a hardworking, dedicated artist and an all-round good person on top of that.

The tour opens in Nottingham at The Motorpoint Arena on Saturday 14^th December, are you looking forward to being back here in the UK?

Absolutely, the UK is a home away from home for us. We love it over there and really can’t wait to get back.

You are going to be supported by Shinedown and Sevendust throughout the entire UK tour. Are they a good fit?

Yes, they are, they both fit into what we are doing very well.

How many of the new songs do you think will make it onto the set list for the forthcoming UK tour?

To be totally honest with you, we simply don’t know about that at this moment in time. At the moment we are playing the four songs that have been released, and as we continue on the tour, I imagine that we will play more and more.

The last time that you were here in the UK I spoke to Scott (Phillips) and he told me that he has acquired a taste for our warm UK beers.

(Laughter) really, well that’s interesting to hear but being totally honest with you I like my beer cold.

In that case you will just have to have it with ice (laughter).

(Laughter) I will have to make sure that there is a refrigerator on the tour bus.

Scott also told me that you and Myles work very well together and he is so happy to be a part of that. Would you agree with that?

Absolutely. Myles and I have been doing this for a very long time now. We respect one another, we both work really hard at what we do, and we really do like doing it.

Alter Bridge has been active now for some fifteen years; have you enjoyed the ride?

What can I say; it has been quite a ride for sure. It hasn’t been an easy one, but it has been a rewarding one.

How do the UK fans differ from the US fans?

They are just mad (laughter). They really are wild, and we love that. Don’t get me wrong, we have got some crazy US crowds too but in general I think the crowds over there in the UK are just wilder.

I think that the warm beer may have something to do with that (laughter).

(Laughter) I never thought of that, it could just be because they are crazy about their warm beer.

We all know that you are heavily involved with both Alter Bridge and Tremonti, so I must ask, just how do you manage your time between the two?

That is all down to a hell of a lot of forward planning. We just make sure that whenever we release an album that it has ample time to see the light of day and to get promoted.

As we have mentioned, Alter Bridge have now been together for fifteen years. Are you currently in a position that you would liked to have foreseen some fifteen years ago now?

Yes, we are, we are all very happy with where we are at this moment in time. We are all very proud of our achievements.

I must just ask you about Creed; are they now dead and buried or are they a sleeping giant?

What can I say, you never know. With Creed at the moment it is a case of see where the day takes us sort of thing.

They always say that you shouldn’t believe your own press, but reading yours, you have been awarded a Grammy for Creed’s single With Arms Wide Open, you were named Guitarist Of The Year for three consecutive years by Guitar World, and in 2011 you were listed in Total Guitar magazine as the fourth greatest heavy metal guitarist of all time, not forgetting the Greatest Guitar Solo Ever on Blackbird. Surely, that must put a smile on your face?

Yes, it does but it is all rubbish (laughter). I’m kidding (laughter). It’s a great feeling and I have to say that all of the accolades really do mean so much to us. I think if anything, it pushes us on to be better. If people are saying those nice things, then that means that we have got to get ourselves out there and earn them.

Who or what has inspired you?

Gosh, just living life, and continuing to have this great career of being able to be creative, and to have people waiting to hear what you are coming out with is such an inspiring thing to have. I just remember when I was younger writing songs, and wishing that people would listen to them. Now I have those fans and it is such a privilege.

During the time that you have been in the music business, what has been your most extravagant purchase?

That would have to be a couple of really expensive guitar amplifier heads, which I have to say are very sought after.

On the subject of extravagant purchases, do you still collect pinball machines?

I do, I absolutely do. I absolutely love it. That is one of my obsessions for sure.

Which one do you play the most?

That all depends upon the day, but what I will tell you is that my favourite pinball machine over the years is a game called Medieval Madness.

You are quoted as having said that there are still “more battles to fight”. Just what battles are there left to fight?

(Laughter) there is always a battle or two left to fight. Like I said earlier I want to continue to chase down the best songs that you can imagine, playing to bigger crowds, performing in bigger stadiums, and trying to gather more and more folks who enjoy the music.

In your opinion, is there such a thing as a perfect album?

No, but I think that is what keeps us going because you always keep chasing that perfect album.

It is widely known that you run your own guitar and song writing clinics. How are they doing?

They are doing better than ever, thanks for asking. There has been an incredible turnout on this tour, and for me that has been really inspiring and I have had a lot of fun. When my manager said that I should do a guitar and writing clinic, by the time that I had responded to him saying “no, let’s not do that because it is so hard to teach someone to be creative as it is such a subjective subject”, by the time that I said that to him, he said “that’s too bad, it’s already on sale” (laughter). I tried my very best in order to come up with a curriculum, and more to the point, teach the unteachable. It’s not really teaching people how to write songs, it’s more like I am hopefully inspiring people and showing them that there are different ways to go about it.

What would you say has been the highlight of your career so far?

I would say that the two nights that we played at The Royal Albert Hall were my two favourite nights on stage.

We have established that Alter Bridge have been together for fifteen years. Where would you like to see yourself in the next fifteen years?

I think that it would be great if we were still able to be doing what we are currently doing in fifteen years’ time. My only complaint is that I wish that all of my family could do the entire tour with me. They do come out a lot, but I hate every second that I miss those guys growing up.

What was it like growing up in Detroit?

That was awesome; Detroit most definitely has an incredible music scene there. To be honest, I didn’t realise just how good it was until I moved to Florida. When I moved to Florida, I absolutely hated it (laughter). There was not a single kid at my school that I could form a band with, jam with, it just wasn’t a thing. So, as you can imagine, that was devastating for me. I had come from a school in Detroit that had Battle Of The Bands, talent shows with rock bands and all that kind of stuff, and the school that I had moved to had nothing of the sorts. It really was tough.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry is it simply dying on its backside?

No, not at all. There have most definitely been some bumps in the road but there is a lot of talent out there, and there are folks out there who are not prepared to let Rock and Roll go, and I am one of them so I think that it has still got a lot of life left.

Who do you currently listen to?

(Laughter) don’t laugh when I say this but I listen to absolutely anything and everything. Most of the time I find myself listening to backing tracks; I will be playing my guitar over them, practising my instrument and writing my own music. If you pushed me then I would say that I like a lot of 70s Soft Rock. If I am relaxing and feel like putting on some music in the background, it will usually be Michael McDonald, Gerry Rafferty, Rod Stewart, that kind of stuff. I find that stuff so relaxing.

Looking back, do you have any regrets?

We have made a couple of business mistakes along the way, but we have recovered, and we have learnt from them so we will keep those.

What was the first record that you bought?

The very first record that I bought was an LP by The J. Geils Band called Love Stinks.

Who did you first see performing live?

That was Iron Maiden, that was my very first concert and I was so grateful to be able to support them on their big European tour in 1987.

What was the last song or piece of music that made you cry?

(Laughter) Jeez, I can see why you ask that question last. That really is a tough question to answer. I always used to get emotional whenever I would listen to Lenny by Stevie Ray Vaughan. That was the last time that I can remember really getting emotional.

You are touring right up to 21^st December so I was wondering just how will you be celebrating Christmas?

My whole family is coming over to be with me at the end of the tour and then we will all fly home together. Then hopefully, both of my brothers and their respective families are coming over to spend Christmas in Orlando with me.

On that note Mark let me once again thank you for taking the time to speak to me today, it’s been absolutely fantastic, and I will see you here in Nottingham on Saturday 14^th December. You take care.

Thank you, Kevin, you take care and I look forward to catching up with you in Nottingham.

Alter Bridge, with special guests Like A Storm, Gojira and Volbeat, performing at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Saturday 26th November 2016

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

American band Alter Bridge has been steadily rising in the music world since their inception in 2004, having previously headlined The Nottingham Motorpoint Arena twice. They are now back in the UK in support of their latest album, The Last Hero, and last night it was Nottingham’s turn to host them.

Like A Storm, a hard rock band from Aukland, kicked off the evening, opening with Chaos, a track from their album, Awaken The Fire, released last year. With lead vocals from brother Chris Brooks (there are three siblings in the band) they nicely warmed up this near capacity crowd. Become The Enemy, the highest charting song by a New Zealand rock band in American history, was very well received as was Wish You Hell. But it was finisher, Love The Way You Hate Me that was the highlight with the wild use of a didgeridoo. You don’t see that instrument played very often at the Arena, but last night its use looked effortlessly simple, bringing something new to the table. They are definitely a group to watch out for.

Up next was French metal group, Gojira who are best known for their environmentally themed lyrics. With their precise syncopated way of delivering their set, it would have been easy for them to have just played songs from their sixth album, Magma. But instead they opened with a brilliant Toxic Garbage Island which had the audience in the palm of their hands from the off.

With their incredible sound, the cerebral L’Enfant Sauvage sounded absolutely colossal and when new tracks, Silvera and The Cell were given an outing, they did not disappoint. With Joe Duplantier’s throaty harsh vocals, his and Christian Andreu’s chugging guitars, Jean-Michel Labadie flying around with his bass and of course, the insanity that is Mario Duplantier on drums, this is a band who will be headlining very soon. With a mind blowing riff on Stranded they finished a show stealing set with Vacuity, bringing their set to a close far too soon.

With the audience nicely warmed up, it was the turn of Danish rockers Volbeat to show what they were all about. A very experienced band whose set includes a blend of thrash, metal, hillbilly and punk, they got things off to a great start with the Devil’s Bleeding Crown from their latest album released earlier this year; Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie. Without missing a beat the band went straight into their next song, Lola Montez which was a true highlight.

Playing their set with gusto, Michael Poulsen showed that he does have a commanding stage presence, whilst Roc Caggiano really shone on Sad Man’s Tongue. The crowd appreciated 16 Dollars and Evelyn from their Beyond Hell Above Heaven album, and there were some really great new songs, For Evigt, and Black Rose before they finished an exceptional performance with Still Counting.

The Arena was then handed over to headliners, Alter Bridge, who are fronted by arguably the finest rock singer currently performing, Myles Kennedy. They then proceeded to do what they do best, belting out high octane hard rock with a formidable degree of skill and passion.

Opening with new track, The Writing On The Wall, it was classic Alter Bridge at their very best. With their decent melodic hooks and infectious grooves, they are very adept at writing arena ready choruses. There was Come To Life, the thunderous Addicted To Pain and a huge sing along for Ghosts Of Days Gone By. With a fabulous bass break from Brian Marshall, Cry Of Achilles really cranked up the head banging.

With Mark Tremonti’s riffs being instantly recognisable, The Other Side from latest album, The Last Hero saw him parade across the stage doing what he does best. Crows On A Wire went down well, and Waters Rising showed confident vocals from Tremonti. There was also a tearjerker solo acoustic version of Watch Over You from Kennedy.

Their epic rendition of Blackbird was absolutely majestic as it soared around the arena, whilst a very distinctive and familiar drum intro signalled the always awesome Metalingus. Open Your Eyes closed the main set but it was an encore of Show Me A Leader and an anthemic Rise Today that stole the show.

With Myles Kennedy as front man, and the rest of the band hailing from the original line up of Creed, they were bound to impress. Headlining a show of great music, Alter Bridge thrashed, bashed and thrilled and sent home a very happy crowd.

Scott Phillips (seen here on the left), drummer with Alter Bridge chats with Kevin Cooper about how he was influenced by the late John Bonham, playing Wembley Stadium, their latest album The Last Hero and their forthcoming arena tour of the UK

Scott Phillips is an American musician and co-founder of the bands Creed and Projected. In 2004 he formed Alter Bridge with fellow Creed members, bassist Brian Marshall and lead guitarist Mark Tremonti. Also in the original line up was lead vocalist and guitarist Miles Kennedy, with Phillips playing drums. The band is now known for its acclaimed live shows and extensive touring.

Named after a bridge that once existed on Alter Road near Tremonti’s former home in Detroit, Alter Bridge released their debut album, One Day Remains, in 2004. Despite mixed reviews, and driven by the release of the single Rise Today, the band released its second album, Blackbird, to more positive reviews in 2007, embarking on a successful world tour in support. The album marked the beginning of a long-time collaboration with producer Michael Baskette, who has produced every Alter Bridge album since.

Since then they have released AB III, Fortress and their latest album, The Last Hero, which was released in October 2016.

About to embark upon a headline arena tour, Scott Phillips took the time to have a chat with Kevin Cooper and this is what he had to say.

Hi Scott how are you today?

I’m doing just fine thank you Kevin. How are you today?

I am very well thank you and let me firstly thank you for taking the time to speak to me.

Absolutely no problem, no problem at all.

And just how is life treating you?

Life at the minute is not too bad. We are gearing ourselves up for this run of concerts in Europe and the UK. However, I have to say that it has been nice for me to get to spend a few days at home with the family. It’s been really good.

On the 7^th October you released your latest album The Last Hero which was very well received. That must have made you happy?

Absolutely, we are all really excited about this album and we are glad that it is finally out there. We were fortunate enough to have one of our biggest debuts ever with the chart positions all around the globe. So we are extremely excited with just how well it has been received plus the album seems to be getting a lot of positive reviews. I personally am excited by the thought of finally being able to get out there and play some of this new material live in front of our fans.

I had a look at Amazon and the album is currently on their best sellers list.

Really, is that correct. I haven’t looked so I did not know that. That is fantastic to hear.

I have to ask you just who is The Last Hero?

It is actually a metaphor for basically anybody in your life who you would consider to be a hero. The whole album deals with heroes, whether it is the lack of heroes or you are trying to find a hero or simply people who have been regarded as being a hero during their lifetime, that kind of thing. I think that is where the album spawned from.

At least you didn’t say Donald Trump (laughter).

(Hysterical laughter) no, I didn’t but I have to tell you that if I had then that would probably be my last answer (laughter).

My favourite track on the album is My Champion. What was the rationale behind that?

I think that lyrically Myles (Kennedy) has explained this before by saying that it is all about positive words or reinforcement. When Myles was a child growing up he would tell you that he was a little bit of a late bloomer, he was made fun of at school and got poked at. These were sort of the words of encouragement that he used to receive from family and friends. They would tell him to stay positive, to find those words of inspiration and they would continually tell him that everything was going to be alright.

You have mentioned Myles who I have seen in a lot of guises especially with Slash and I personally think that he is fantastic. So let me ask you, just how good is he?

Well, I would have to agree with you, we are certainly fortunate to have him in the band and also to have him as a friend. I think that he is just one of the most talented guys who is out there be it vocally or as a guitar player, and I would simply consider Myles to be a master of his craft. Myles and Mark (Tremonti) work so well together and I am so happy to be a part of it.

Alter Bridge have been together now for twelve years. Looking back over those twelve years are you now in a place where you would have hoped to have been?

I think that we are all certainly happy with where we are now. We have learnt a lot along the way mostly from a business perspective. You kind of live and learn and you make choices which you then have to live with. When it comes to Europe and the UK in general we have certainly found our place and we really couldn’t ask for anything more. The rest of the world seems to be catching up and whilst the USA has been a good market for us it has never been as strong as Europe or the UK is. It seems like it is finally starting to get there but it has been a bit of a longer road I would say.

You have mentioned the tour, are you looking forward to being back here in the UK?

Absolutely, being over there in the UK for us is like being in a home away from home. For myself it has been a couple of years now since I was over there. In fact it was on the Fortress tour back in 2014 that was the last time that I was there. After that Myles and Mark both went off to do their respective projects so it has been a bit of a lull for me. So I am really excited about getting back there especially getting reacquainted with friends and fans. I am just looking forward to it in general.

Do the fans here in the UK appreciate what it is that you are trying to do?

The fans over there in the UK are fantastic and they are really knowledgeable. They actually treat us like family.

You are playing the Motorpoint Arena here in Nottingham on the 26^th November. What can we expect?

A big old rock and roll show (laughter). We are bring more production than we have ever bought over before. We will be playing some new material that certainly no one has had the chance to hear us perform yet so we are very excited about it. So it is going to be a really big show and everybody will certainly be happy with the results.

Have you had the chance to look around our fair city when you have played here in the past?

Yes we have. We have managed to take in some of the sites, check out a couple of pubs which I’m an expert at (laughter). Nottingham is an awesome city and this time we actually have the whole day off to enjoy ourselves before the show. We will no doubt get out and take in a few more of the sites.

The reason why I asked you is because we always get grief off the American artists thanks to a certain Kevin Costner. When they see the size of Nottingham Castle they think ‘where’s the rest of it’ (laughter).

(Hysterical laughter) right, well let me tell you I am always impressed (laughter).

Have you found your way into the Trip To Jerusalem, the pub that is built into the castle rock?

I certainly have, I certainly have. I found that on one of our first trips to Nottingham and it was one of the first places that I checked out. I always make it a point to get back there whenever we are in the city.

Where would you say has been your best gig here in the UK?

Oh man that’s a tough one. We have had some really great shows in the UK playing a lot of the big cities there. Getting the chance to play at the Wembley Stadium in London was totally amazing. The name behind it signifies such a lot to us. The crowd there were really phenomenal. This time we have been given the chance to play the O2 Arena in London and I am crossing my fingers that this will be a memorable show. I am most definitely looking forward to that. However, looking back I honestly cannot say that any one show stands out above any of the others.

You mention in your influences that you particularly liked the late John Bonham. What was it about John that drew you to him?

The thing with John was that he was always in the groove. As soon as you heard the drums, the tone of it, you knew immediately that it was John playing. I am a huge fan of Led Zeppelin, their versatility and the fact that they made so many amazing songs. They did that with all different styles of music; it wasn’t just rock and roll, it was the blues and even on a few songs it was a Latin salsa kind of thing that was going on. I loved the way that John felt the music and you knew instantly that it was him. It wasn’t always the classiest of stuff in the world, sometimes it was just the simplest groove. It just had an amazing feel to it.

All of the drummers that I have looked at and have tried to draw inspiration from were all guys who you knew that it was them playing as soon as you heard the music. They all had a certain feel and a certain sound and you could identify within one measure of hearing the first chords of a song exactly who was playing the drums. I think that was the biggest thing with John.

It’s great to see Jason following in his dads footsteps.

Absolutely, and let me tell you I get that same feel whenever I hear Jason play. Whenever I watched Jason playing at the Led Zeppelin reunion back in 2007, the more Jason sounded like his dad. He has the exact same posture, build and feel as John had and let me tell you, he is one hell of a drummer.

What was the first record that you bought?

That would have been Off The Wall by Michael Jackson.

Who did you first see playing live in concert?

My parents took me to a couple of shows when I was a youngster so it could have been Kenny Rodgers or Eddie Rabbitt or something along those lines. But the first real rock show that I went to see was The Outfield. If you want to call them rock (laughter).

What was the last song or piece of music that made you cry?

That is a great question. I honestly don’t know but what I will say is that there have been a few. I can be a bit of a weeper if you catch me at the wrong moment.

Scott, on that note let me once again thank you for taking the time to speak to me it’s been great. Good luck with the tour and I hope to see you here in Nottingham.

Thank you very much Kevin and if you do get to the show please come up and say hi. You take care and bye for now.