British hard rock pioneers UFO will be kicking off their North American West Coast tour this Thursday November 15th in Chicago, IL. The band is touring in support of their latest album, Seven Deadly, which was released earlier this year via Steamhammer/SPV. The album is the follow-up to 2009’s The Visitor, and is the landmark 20th studio LP for the band.
“It’s been quite a while since we’ve toured in the USA and I’m really looking forward to it. We have not played here since the new record came out and it’s going to be exciting to play some of the new tunes. And it is always great to see our awesome fans,” said guitarist Vinnie Moore. While fans will surely be excited to see the band play the States again, it comes with some sadness, as die-hard fans will be missing founding bassist and legendary member Pete Way.
UFO was founded in London in 1969 by vocalist Phil Mogg, drummer Andy Parker, guitarist Mick Bolton and bassist Pete Way. The band hit shot to rockstar status when German guitarist, Michael Schenker, joined the group in 1973 after leaving his band the Scorpions. Schenker was offered the gig by Phil Mogg and Pete Way, and UFO and the Scorpions mutually agreed to terms.
UFO, along with artists like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Motörhead, and Aerosmith, released three consecutive
albums that would begin to progess the genre towards the heavier rock sound that would become heavy metal. The albums – Phenomenon (1974), Force It (1975), and No Heavy Pettin’ (1976), were riffy and fast-paced, featuring classic singles like ‘Doctor Doctor’, ‘Shoot, Shoot’, and ‘Rock Bottom’. Following the arrival of keyboarder/rhythm guitarist Paul Raymond, UFO released Lights Out in 1977, and the album is still proclaimed to be their masterpiece. The band’s two crowning achievements, Phenomenon and Lights Out, served as blueprints for many hard rock/heavy metal bands to come like Van Halen, Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Airbourne, Volbeat, and The Answer, just to name a few. The band’s legendary live album, Strangers In The Night, came out in 1979 and to this day is widely regarded as one of the best live albums of all time. – by Matt Bishop (Photos Courtesy of UFO/SPV-Steamhammer/Freeman Promotions)
UFO 2012 North American Tour
11/15: Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
11/16: Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
11/17: St. Charles, IL @ Arcada Theater
11/18: St. Charles, IL @ Arcada Theater
11/20: Orangevale, CA @ Boardwalk
11/21: San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
11/23: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
11/24: Agoura Hills, CA @ Canyon Club
11/25: San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick
11/26: Tempe, AZ @ Club Red
11/28: San Juan Capistrano, CA @ The Coach House
11/29: Los Angeles, CA @ Key Club
11/30: Las Vegas, NV @ Boulder Station Casino
12/1: Corona, CA @ Marquee 15