STATUS QUO CANCEL GERMAN DATES AND FIRST RICK PARFITT SOLO TRACK AVAILABLE HERE
Johnny Main
15th December 2017



status quo

German Dates Cancelled

British Rockers Status Quo just finished the UK leg of their Winter Tour with electrifying performances around the country (as witnessed in Glasgow here) and were planning on taking things a bit easier with a short acoustic tour of Germany to take them up to Christmas, however that's not gone to plan with the cancellation of three dates that should have taken place this week, in Berlin, Frankfurt and Baden-Baden.

The cancellations are in light of frontman Francis Rossi falling ill with a chest infection for which he received medical attention in Germany. Qou said in a statement:

"Status Quo would like to sincerely apologise to the fans planning to attend the show. The band are primarily known for their touring and live shows, and the cancellation of shows is always a last resort."

Status Quo's manager Simon Porter further added:

"We hate to have to cancel shows and hope that the fans realise that these situations are outside of our control.

The band love to perform in Germany. However, Francis could not deliver the kind of performance that the band's fans expect and deserve and that has left us with no choice."

The statement also noted that ticket holders should wait for a further announcement in due course.

The band's next scheduled performance is at the Liederhalle, BeethovenSaal in Stuttgart today (Friday 15th December) and this show is still going ahead as planned as we went to press. In the meantime, everyone at MetalTalk wishes Francis a speedy recovery.

Status Quo Acoustic German Dates:
Saturday 16th December: Georg-Friedrich-Händel, Halle
Monday 18th December: Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Dusseldorf
Tuesday 19th December: Mehr! Theater am Großmarkt, Hamburg
Thursday 21st December: Meistersingerhalle, Nürnberg

status quo

Debut Rick Parfitt Solo Track Unveiled

As we reported last week, when the awful news broke on Christmas Eve 2016 that legendary rocker Rick Parfitt had passed, fans around the world were devastated that one of rock's most iconic performers had been silenced. However, unknown to almost anyone, Rick had in fact virtually completed his first solo album.

Poignantly titled 'Over And Out', it's being released on Friday 23rd March 2018 through earMUSIC and the first track, 'Without You', has already had it's world premiere on Ken Bruce's Radio 2 show earlier this week and you can hear the track here:



‘Over And Out' features ten brand new songs, including the title track that broke hearts anew when it was played at Rick's funeral. Created by Rick Parfitt and producer Jo Webb, the record is a true labour of love and showcases the softer side of Rick as a writer, artist and performer away from the Quo maelstrom as well as the purest rock'n'roll sound of earlier Status Quo records.

Despite the fact Rick Parfitt had finished recording his guitar and vocal parts, a recording session was planned to happen in February 2017 and some tracks weren't totally completed when Rick died. The call to help ensure that his work could be completed was answered by musicians including Queen guitarist Brian May and Muse's Chris Wolstenholme, both of whom were close to Rick as well as Rick's son, Rick Parfitt Jnr. Current Status Quo bass player John 'Rhino' Edwards and Quo's original bass player Alan Lancaster also appear on the album.

‘Over And Out' will be available in its 'finished' form, but as a raw and pure version, for the fans of the rockier side of Rick's music, will be available as part of a special collectors edition. This album is the record that Rick Parfitt had been itching to write.

His forced departure from Quo's live performance circuit, whilst very hard for him to take, did at least free up the time that was needed to create ‘Over And Out'.

status quo

Official Rick Parfitt Facebook Page Launched

In other Rick Parfitt News, a brand new official Facebook page has been launched to tie in with the release of 'Over and Out'. The page (OfficialRickParfitt) will be managed and updated by Rick's record label, his Estate and family members and on the page, fans can find up to-date news about 'Over and Out' as well as information about future initiatives related to his music and his legacy.

Fans are also being invited to share your memories about Rick on this page, so log in and get involved in keeping Rick's memory alive.

status quo

Quo Bass Player John ‘Rhino' Edwards Announces Live Dates

With limited Quo shows being planned for 2018 as part of a hiatus from touring, Quo's bass player John ‘Rhino' Edwards isn't letting the grass grow under his feet as he's announced over a dozen live dates across the UK and Europe with his band Rhino's Revenge'.

The group released their second album, titled 'II', back in 2015 and reviewed here and they have already toured the UK, but with a gap in schedule, they've opted to perform a trio of dates in January supporting King King* and will head out on the road again April/May for a headline tour.

You can see Rhino's Revenge live here:

Wednesday 17th January: 02 Shepherds Bush Empire, London*
Thursday 18th January: Town Hall, Birmingham*
Saturday 20th January: Forum, Bath*
Friday 6th April: The Iron Road, Evesham
Saturday 7th April: Bluefunk Rhythm & Blues Club, Stockport
Friday 13th April: The Half Moon, Putney, London
Saturday 14th April: Vic Biker's Pub, Coalville
Sunday 15th April: The Diamond, Mansfield
Thursday 19th April: Bootleggers, Kendal
Friday 20th April: Octagon Live, Keighley
Saturday21st April: Backstage at the Green Hotel, Kinross
Sunday 22nd April: Eleven, Stoke-on-Trent
Thursday 26th April: La Boule Noire, Paris
Saturday 5th May: QuoFest 10, Kavanagh's Bar, Portlaoise

You can see the official video for Take 'Em Down', taken from the 'II' album here:



Official Video Released For Rock Remembers Rick Parfitt Charity Release

Harrogate based independent vinyl record Barrel And Squidger Records have already announced the 'Rock Remembers Rick' EP, with all proceeds going to children's cancer charity The Shona Smile Foundation.

The triple A-side EP release is available on very limited edition 3-track 7" vinyl as well as a 2-track download, with both formats are available directly from Barrel And Squidger Records at basr.tmstor.es.

The digital version will be available from today (Friday 15th December) with the vinyl version being released on the first anniversary of Parfitt's death, Sunday 24th December.

The record includes a cover of Quo's 'Rain' performed by Diss rockers Walkway and featuring ex-Quo drummer John Coghlan, as well as Lancashire noise monsters Massive Wagons own tribute to Parfitt, with the self-penned track, 'Back To The Stack', the latter being exclusive to the 7" format.

The final track is 'Christmas Eve (Nanana)' and featuring CJ Wildheart, Boss Caine, Ben Marsden and Jason Hodgson along with Sound Of Status and The Quo Choir. The track is a radical rewrite of the 1971 Status Quo album track 'Nanana', which has been adapted with permission of original songwriters Francis Rossi and Bob Young, to become a reflective and celebratory Christmas Eve ode to Parfitt.

Wildhearts guitarist CJ is accompanied by York Americana stalwart Boss Caine and The Main Grains' Ben Marsden with new lyrics by Jason Hodgson. Swedish sensations Sound Of Status lead a 1,000-strong crowd in an outro singalong which was recorded at the recent Status Quo Fan Club convention.

You can see the official video for ‘Christmas Eve (Nanana)' here:



John 'Rhino' Edwards commented:

"Good luck with it... very heartfelt and you've done an excellent job. I'll buy a copy when it's out."

CJ Wildheart told us:

"It was an absolute pleasure to work with Jason on the re-working of the 'Nanana' song. It honours the iconic Rick Parfitt and it's an annoyingly catchy song. All proceeds go to The Shona Smile Foundation so please buy a copy and help make a difference."