Dave Ling

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

Sweet performing on Top Of The Pops

"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

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

Dennis DeYoung

“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

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

Carl Palmer

“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

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

Ross Valory

“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

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

Uriah Heep group portrait

"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

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

Papa Roach studio portrait

"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

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

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?

Kayak

"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

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

Cutting Crew holding guitars laughing

"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

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

Bullet For My Valentine studio portrait

"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

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

Brothers Osborne studio portrait

"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

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

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

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

Joe Bonamassa onstage taking a bow

"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

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

Big Big Train

“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

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 best 50 albums of 2024 montage

The 50 Best Rock Albums of 2024

By Classic Rock Magazine published

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

Danny Bowes sitting on a stool in a suit

"I told Thunder that if they wanted to replace me, I was fine with that": Danny Bowes on the long road to recovery and his return to the stage

By Dave Ling published

Back from the brink: Thunder vocalist Danny Bowes returns after major medical trauma

Greg Hart and Willie Dowling

"I had never heard of Cats In Space because I no longer listen to music": Cats In Space and Willie Dowling are on tour and cannot get enough of each other

By Dave Ling published

Pop-leaning rock band Cats In Space and multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer Willie Dowling have four dates together this month

Those Damn Crows publicity still

"We played to more than 350,000 fans in stadiums": Those Damn Crows are used to big crowds, but their next show is another step up

By Dave Ling published

Welsh rockers Those Damn Crows are going from strength to strength – we check in ahead of the biggest show of their lives

Mountain singer and guitarist Leslie West posing for a photograph with a guitar in 2009

“I’m told that I introduced Ozzy to cocaine when Black Sabbath opened for Mountain on their first American tour”: Leslie West’s wild tales of Ozzy Osbourne, Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix and Tom Hanks

By Dave Ling published

Playing with The Who, jamming with Hendrix, partying with Bowie, Jagger and Lennon - late Mountain man Leslie West did it all and more

Neal Morse & The Resonance – No Hill For A Climber

“Two huge centrepieces are guaranteed to delight prog’s stopwatch brigade”: Neal Morse breaks out more sumptuous melodies on No Hill For A Climber

By Dave Ling published

Transatlantic leader’s latest album sees him working with younger musicians and letting them work their own magic – while adding plenty of his own

Judas Priest posing for a photograph in leather and studs in 1984

“The world had gone mad. The PMRC were trying to use all these great songs for their own agenda, which in the long run counted for nothing”: The story of Judas Priest’s Defenders Of The Faith, the album that Tipper Gore couldn’t silence

By Dave Ling published

Controversy, chaos and “the heavy metal horn” – the story of Judas Priest’s 1984 album Defenders Of The Faith

Dream Theater posing for a photograph in front of a stormy sky in 2009

“It worries the hell out of me. We’ve been outcasts for our whole career. If what we do becomes some sort of trend, will we die with it?”: How Dream Theater became the kings of progressive metal – and stayed there

By Dave Ling published

In 2009, Dream Theater released Black Clouds & Silver Linings – an album the prog metal giants claimed could give Slipknot and Trivium a run for its money in heaviness

Steve Howe

"We weren’t fiddling around and wondering what to do, we were going to nail this sucker": Steve Howe names the best record he's ever made

By Dave Ling published

Yes guitarist Steve Howe picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance

Cherrie Curry onstage

"I've changed it all around. I now meet each fan privately, instead of all in a room together": Cherie Currie on meet & greets, fan camaraderie, and the global cabal behind a worldwide takeover

By Dave Ling published

Former Runaway Cherie Currie plans to play "the songs I know people love" on what will likely be her final UK tour