Metal & Prog Picks: June 2025

Apologies for the slight interruption in service. This month sees festival season in full swing, and is pretty quiet for gigs. That’s good news for veteran acts like Gun and Ugly Kid Joe, who get the field all to themselves. Be warned that July is looking even quieter.

Gun

Electric Bristol, June 14

Anyone who hasn’t seen Gun since 1989 might be forgiven for feeling slightly confused. The Glaswegian-Italian Gizzi brothers are still at the helm, but some of the rest of the current band are conspicuously younger. What’s more, Dante Gizzi has switched from bass to lead vocals to replace the long-departed Mark Rankin. Still, they enjoyed quite a renaissance with their 2024 album Hombres, which saw them back in the UK top ten for the first time in 20 years.

Ugly Kid Joe

Fleece, June 23

Ozzy-worshipping Californian Whitfield Crane and chums return on another tour. Yes, of course they’ll play Everything About You and, probably, Cats in the Cradle too. But they’ve actually released four more albums since 1992’s America’s Least Wanted, which reached number 11 in the UK chart. The latest of these nods to Judas Priest with the title Rad Wings of Destiny and also features a cover of The Kinks’ Lola. Interesting that nobody now remembers Pretty Boy Floyd – the glam metal band they named themselves in response to. Support comes from Eureka Machines, the band set up by Sisters of Mercy guitarist Chris Catalyst, whom you may recall supporting The Wildhearts.

Main pic of Gun at the O2 Academy in 2019 by Mike Evans.

COMING SOON

Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.

Pentagram, Thekla, July 1

M2TM Bristol Grand Final, Exchange, July 13

Overthrust/Obnoxious Concoction, Moor Beer, July 19

Undeath, Thekla, Aug 6

HR, Exchange, Aug 7

Kerry King, Electric Bristol, Aug 13

ArcTanGent Festival: Karnivool, Melvins, Warduna, TesseracT, etc., Fernhill Farm, Aug 13-16

FM, Fleece, Sept 11

Nekrogoblikon, Electric Bristol, Sept 18

Eivor, Electric Bristol, Sept 20

Ricky Warwick and the Flying Hearts, Exchange, Sept 25

Atreyu, Electric Bristol, Sept 27

Blood Incantation, Electric Bristol, Oct 6

Testanent/Obituary/Destruction/Gostwhore, Bristol Beacon, Oct 7

Glenn Hughes, O2 Academy, Oct 14

Paradise Lost, Electric Bristol, Oct 15

Battle Beast, O2 Academy, Oct 23

Rick Wakeman, Bristol Beacon, Oct 29

The Vintage Caravan, Exchange, Oct 29

Focus, Fleece, Nov 6

Francis Rossi, Bath Forum, Nov 7

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Fleece, Nov 12

Saxon/Dirkschneider, Bristol Beacon, Nov 13

Conan, Thekla, Nov 21

Katatonia, Electric Bristol, Dec 8

Orange Goblin, Electric Bristol, Dec 14

Clutch, Bristol Beacon, Dec 15

Evil Scarecrow, Thekla, Dec 19

Epica/Amaranthe, Bristol Beacon, Jan 20

Avatar/Alien Weapnry, O2 Academy, Feb 18

Jethro Tull, Bristol Beacon, May 10 2026