Articles by Dave Ling, News/Lives Editor, Classic Rock

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.

Articles by: Dave Ling

Steve Hillage posing for a photograph in the 1970s

“The conservatism of what’s called progressive rock these days appals me”: The life and times of Steve Hillage, the maverick guitarist who helped shape the sound of prog

By Dave Ling published 22 March 25

Steve Hillage was one of the architects of 70s prog

"I don't know how we did it. Well, I do actually. We snorted a lot of cocaine": Elkie Brooks looks back on wild times with Vinegar Joe and six decades of rock'n'roll

By Dave Ling published 21 March 25

Catch British singer Elkie Brooks on her farewell tour after more than half a century at the microphone

“I used to go to the Camden Palace and drink with Boy George. I loved Culture Club”: How Ian Gillan put Deep Purple behind him and launched a new chapter of his career with Gillan

By Dave Ling published 10 March 25

Ian Gillan reinvented himself as a NWOBHM-era star with Gillan

The Heavy Metal Kids posing for a photograph in 1974

“John Bonham was at the bar drinking quadruple brandies. He just turned around and whacked Gary in the stomach”: The crazed tale of the Heavy Metal Kids, the cult rock’n’roll hooligans with a tragic TV star singer

By Dave Ling published 9 March 25

The Heavy Metal Kids were the missing link between David Bowie and AC/DC

Ronnie Romero and his band posing for a photograph

“People think of Ritchie as an angry, unfriendly guy, and that’s not him. I knew him when he was in a very good place”: Ronnie Romero has sung for Ritchie Blackmore and Michael Schenker and lived to tell the tale

By Dave Ling published 6 March 25

When rock’s most ‘difficult’ guitarists need a singer, it’s Ronnie Romero they hit up

Graham Gouldman posing for a photograph in 2025

“A 10cc reunion? It’s a hard no to that, I’m afraid”: Why Graham Gouldman is one of Britain’s greatest songwriters – even if people don’t know it

By Dave Ling published 5 March 25

The former 10cc man has written for The Yardbirds, The Hollies and more – and now he’s taking his songs on the road

"If you can live through the dinosaur period, you become a legend": The albums by Nazareth you should listen to... and one to avoid

By Dave Ling published 28 February 25

Although never rock A-listers, enduring Scots Nazareth have a recorded catalogue peppered with timeless bluesy rock gems. These are their best albums

“All anyone wanted to hear was awful new wave garbage like Elvis Costello and The Police. Rock groups like ours were strangled us to death”: The rise and fall of Starz, the 70s rockers who should been the next Kiss

By Dave Ling published 23 February 25

Starz were one of 70s rock’s greatest near misses

“A fan said the teaser was 36 seconds long and already better than The Astonishing… another said they already knew they wouldn’t buy it. You’ve got to love that stuff”: When Dream Theater slimmed down for Distance Over Time

By Dave Ling published 22 February 25

The prog metal giants’ sleek, super-powerful 14th album was a conscious move away from its complex, opinion-splitting predecessor

"The lyrics were hastily written in the pub, hence the fact that it lacked a final verse": Recorded in secret, Sweet's Fox On The Run was given a second life by the Guardians Of The Galaxy

By Dave Ling published 21 February 25

Recorded while their regular songwriters were away, Fox On The Run gave Sweet a huge hit and a song that would never go away

“I don’t believe I have to forgive them. They replaced me when I was sick. They even said I had ruined the band”: Styx fired Dennis DeYoung in 1999, but he still wants a reunion for the fans

By Dave Ling published 18 February 25

Co-founding singer and keyboardist on his prog influences, hiring a shouting woman to conserve his voice, taking a rock-is-dead approach to his final solo albums – and why he doesn’t care if he isn’t remembered

“I’ve always wanted to be in a metal band… Pantera and Dream Theater are great”: Carl Palmer on his desire for a life beyond classic prog, the final ELP show, and why he wishes they’d had a guitarist

By Dave Ling published 13 February 25

After Emerson Lake & Palmer’s High Voltage concert, the drummer shared his thoughts on his former bandmates and pondered an unfulfilled ambition

“For some Journey fans, it’s their first time listening to prog rock. And they like it!” Ross Valory is pleasantly surprised at the success of his debut solo album

By Dave Ling published 10 February 25

Bassist recalls the AOR giants’ progressive early years and explains why he thinks the genre is getting stronger all the time

"The business has changed so much, and not for the better": Uriah Heep's Mick Box on why he's calling time on Uriah Heep as a touring act

By Dave Ling published 5 February 25

Veteran rockers Uriah Heep are saying farewell to the road, but it’s not the end of the band

"There was a rumour that I had a secret underground water park in my backyard": Papa Roach's Jacoby Shaddix on overnight success, the path to sobriety and the nu metal resurgence

By Dave Ling published 4 February 25

Papa Roach are about to bring their biggest-ever show to the UK and Jacoby Shaddix still has something to prove

"We all went to visit him in hospital. And he was still wearing his cowboy hat": The crazed story of The Quireboys, the band who had it all then partied it all away

By Dave Ling published 23 January 25

They've got a ballsy singer and catchy songs. Sharon Osbourne was their manager, Guns N' Roses were their mates. So why aren’t The Quireboys living in mansions?

"It's only afterwards that you realise, 'Hey, Kayak could really have been something'": the story of the Dutch proggers and their 2018 album Seventeen

By Dave Ling published 12 January 25

When Dutch prog rock legends Kayak released album number Seventeen, longstanding keyboard player Ton Scherpenzeel looked back and pondered what might have been

"That song has been my passport, my bank manager and my lover down through the years": Cutting Crew's Nick Van Eede on (I Just) Died In Your Arms, gangster rap and Tanzanian bandits

By Dave Ling published 10 January 25

Not-one-hit-wonders Cutting Crew are about to celebrate their 40th anniversary

"We've been to hell and back, and we came out the other side": Bullet For My Valentine almost broke up, but a billion streams says they're ready to celebrate

By Dave Ling published 9 January 25

Touring with Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine will be "throwing the kitchen sink at making the show look fantastic"

"We get the electric guitars going and we hit it hard": Brothers Osborne's TJ Osborne on playing out, coming out, and the fine line between country and rock'n'roll

By Dave Ling published 8 January 25

Country rockers Brothers Osborne play UK and Ireland shows in January

Download poster plus pictures of Led Zeppelin, Steven Wilson, Guns N' Roses and Larkin Poe

25 things we’re looking forward to in 2025

By Dave Ling, Polly Glass published 2 January 25

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, and we're feeling good - and here's 25 reasons why

AC/DC’s Malcolm and Angus Young posing for a photograph in the early 2000s

“We once did a gig for deaf kids. They sat at the front of the stage, put their ears to the ground and soaked up the vibration. They loved it!”: An epic interview with Angus and Malcolm Young, the heart and soul of AC/DC

By Dave Ling published 31 December 24

AC/DC played their very first gig on New Year’s Eve 1973 – 51 years ago today

"I'm not Rory; I don't want to be a tribute act": Joe Bonamassa on paying homage to Rory Gallagher in Ireland

By Dave Ling published 20 December 24

Next year, Joe Bonamassa plays the music of the late, great Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher at three special shows in Cork.

“It could have gone either way… I figured that if this was going to be my last hurrah, we should really go for it and make something that would be astonishing to listen to”: How Big Big Train broke through with The Underfall Yard

By Dave Ling published 15 December 24

Their sixth album, released in 2009, was their first with singer David Longdon and drummer Nick D'Virgilio – and it nearly broke the band

The 50 Best Rock Albums of 2024

By Classic Rock Magazine published 13 December 24

A-listers, established artists, up-and-comers, previously unknowns and more

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