The UK's top rock and roll radio station, Planet Rock, have released details of their latest live venture. The station is bringing an action packed night of rock and blues to two select venues this October.

Planet Rock's 'Rocktober' will take place at the Norwich OPEN on Saturday 5th October, and the Sheffield O2 Academy on Saturday 12th October. The shows will be headlined by one of modern blues/rock's mainstays, Walter Trout. He will top a bill also including the fast-rising Kris Barras Band, South African guitar virtuoso Dan Patlansky and singer/songwriter Mollie Marriott.

"I am excited to play the UK Rocktober dates with such a great line-up of artists" says Walter Trout, "This will be quite an event. I hope to see you there. Big thank you to Planet Rock for supporting this music so well for so many years."

With a career spanning five decades, Walter Trout has come through adversity to maintain his place at the forefront of modern rock/blues. Starting out in that famous proving ground for soon-to-be-legendary young guitarists, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, he went on to play for one of the 70's greatest blues bands, Canned Heat, before embarking on a storied solo career. In recent years he was stricken with liver disease, an illness which almost claimed him before a life-saving transplant. Thankfully he's now back to full health and playing better than ever.

Former MMA fighter Kris Barras leads his eponymous band who have a genre-defying Southern/Blues-Rock sound led by Barras' gritty vocals and screaming guitar solos. Barras made his first on-stage appearance before turning ten and has since played to audiences across the globe for more than twenty years. He was voted by readers of Music Radar/Total Guitar Magazine as one of the Top 15 Blues Guitarists in the world and in 2018 became the new frontman of USA-based super-group Supersonic Blues Machine. He replaced Lance Lopez and joined drummer Kenny Aronoff and producer/bass player Fabrizio Grossi in the trio who have featured artists like ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Steve Lukather of Toto and Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule on their records.

Dan Patlansky is one of the best known and well-respected South African blues artists in history, a virtuoso guitarist who writes strong, memorable songs he is one of only six Fender-endorsed guitarists in South Africa. He's been voted “Best Blues Guitarist in Southern Africa” by Reader's Choice and achieved #1 Blues Rock Album 2016 by Blues Rock Review.

Mollie Marriot - daughter of legendary Small Faces frontman Steve Marriott - has now become a sought-after artist in her own right. She's supported and backed icons like Robert Plant, Mark Knopfler and Paul Weller and is known for his charming onstage persona and warm, soulful vocals. 

With four top acts on the bill the two Planet Rock 'Rocktober' shows are certain to be hot tickets.

I am excited to play the UK Rocktober dates with such a great line-up of artists 

- Walter Trout

PLANET ROCK’S ROCKTOBER 

WITH WALTER TROUT, KRIS BARRAS BAND, DAN PATLANSKY & MOLLIE MARRIOTT 

In collaboration with The Gig Cartel

NORWICH OPEN – SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER

SHEFFIELD O2 ACADEMY – SATURDAY 12TH OCTOBER 

TICKETS - www.planetrocktickets.co.uk, www.thegigcartel.com

Author: Cameron Arndt

Cameron Arndt is a musician and freelance writer from Glasgow, Scotland. He writes for his own music review website (www.rockandrolltraffic.com) and also contributes to Music Talkers.