News
Update
Our remaining gigs for 2023 are:
Sat 30th September - Highway 2 Hull
Fri 10th November - HRH Prog XII, Gt Yarmouth
Sat 25th November - Danfest 12, Leicester
Let us know if you’ll be at any of the shows!
We’ve also been confirmed for Fusion 6 at Stourport-on-Severn for 2025 - more details next year!
We’re hopefully going to use the rest of this year and the first half of 2024 to finish album #2. We’re making good progress so far and can’t wait to share what we have been working on!
See you on the road!
In the meantime, if you'd like more reqular updates and general Grace and Fire chat - please feel free to join our Facebook Group - link below!
Prog For Peart
We will be playing at Prog For Peart on Saturday 8th July at 2.30 p.m. - tickets available at the link below and if you can't make it in person, there's also a livestream ticket available too! The festival starts on Friday 7th and there will be loads of ace Prog bands to see - all in the name of fundraising for brain cancer research. See you there.
Another Gig Announcement!
We are pleased to announce another show - this time we will be playing with The Paradox Twin at The 1865 Southampton on Sunday 18th June 2023 - hope to see some of you there!
Another Gig Announcement!
We are delighted to once again support our friends in This Winter Machine on Sat 1 April at Eiger Studios, Leeds!
We loved sharing the stage with these guys last year at Hull (and we’ve been invited back this year too!) and we can’t wait to get back up north to Leeds.
Tickets available from the This Winter Machine website below.
Gig Announcement!
We are delighted to announce that we will be supporting Threshold at the Islington O2 Academy on Saturday 13th May!
As some of you will know, this is a nice milestone for us as Karl Groom produced ‘Elysium’ after we met him at the London show on The Legends Of The Shires tour in 2018, so it will be a great honour for us to support them at this gig!
Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and Ticketweb! O2 Priority Pre-Sale for Wednesday 8th February @ 10:00am, with General Sale on Friday 10th February @ 10:00am
5 new prog acts you must hear in January 2023
Thanks to Prog Magazine for including us in the '5 new prog acts you must hear in January 2023' Click the link to read what they said about us!
Prog Magazine Issue 136
We are delighted to announce that we have a Limelight Feature in Prog Magazine Issue 136 (Jan 2023). We also made one of the 2022 Top 10 lists! Make sure you pick up a copy from all good magazine retailers.
Fireworks Magazine Issue 101
We are interviewed in Fireworks Rock & Metal Magazine Issue 101 (January to March 2023) by Dave Cockett. Make sure you grab a copy from WHSmith or from the link below!
Prog Magazine Issue 135
Our opening set at Summer's End Festival in November 2022 gets a nice review from Jerry Ewing - make sure to pick up a copy from the link below!
Fireworks Magazine Issue 100
'Paradise Lost' feat. Göran Edman is featured on one of the cover CD's in Fireworks Rock & Metal Magazine Issue 100! Make sure to grab a copy from WHSmiths or the link below!
New Merch Available!
Following our two May shows in Southampton and Birmingham, we now have merch available for sale on our Bandcamp page! We have t-shirts available in M, L & XL along with some cool Grace and Fire caps available on a made to order basis!
Gig Announcement
We will be supporting Tiberius at Scruffy Murphy's, Birmingham on Tuesday 31st May along with Azure and Cancel Tomorrow for an evening of Progressive Metal. Door 6.30 p.m. £6 ADV/£10 OTD
Highway To Hull - Sat 22 Oct 2022
We are extremely pleased to announce that we have been asked to take part in this fantastic event - it’ll be our first time playing with all of these guys and we can’t wait! Hopefully see some of you there! Sat 22 Oct 2022. Ticket link below!
Rock Hard Germany Review
We are extremely honoured to be reviewed in Germany's Rock Hard Magazine! The review roughly translates as:
"This British band plays progressive, melodic rock. In fact, one can say that GRACE AND FIRE combine the Neo-Prog of their homeland in the style of Arena with also island-typical melodic stuff à la Shy. The result is extremely worth listening to, provided you don't dislike keyboards, because they shape the sound of "Elysium" (OOB, 55:59) very strongly. The beautifully designed digipak CD is available at graceandfireofficial.bandcamp.com. (8)" - Stefan Glas
Make sure you check out the Rock Hard website linked below and also at their Facebook page - www.facebook.com/rockhardmegazine
Soundle Grace and Fire Poster Released
Saturday 1 October 2022
Powerplay April 2022
Elysium received a glowing 9/10 review in April's edition of Powerplay! Available at WH Smith's or at the link below!
Soundle Festival 2022
As Soundle has been rescheduled, we are now playing on Saturday 1 October alongside some amazing bands! Make sure to book tickets in advance!
Summer's End Festival 2022
Thrilled to be playing on Saturday 15th October at this wonderful festival!!
Sponsor tickets at £125 and standard weekend tickets (both covering Friday to Sunday only) at £110 are available, alongside day tickets for £48 each Saturday / Sunday tickets for £90 and Friday tickets for £24.
Available from www.summersend.co.uk/store
The full line up:
Thursday 13th October
TBC
Friday 14th October
Major Parkinson (Norway)
That Joe Payne (solo) (UK)
Saturday 15th October
Mostly Autumn (UK)
Landmarq (UK)
Leap Day (Holland)
Coma Rossi (India)
Grace and Fire (UK)
Sunday 16th October
Lazuli (France)
Cyan (UK)
The David Cross Band (UK)
Before We Fall (UK)
A Formal Horse (UK)
Contact us:
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Summers-End-Progressive-Rock-Festival-356884391002666
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/98170444873
Twitter: @sonicbondpromo
Email: Stephen@sonicbond.com
HRH Prog 2023
We are beyond thrilled to have been added to the HRH Prog 2023 lineup, playing a new stage promoting The new Wave of Classic Prog! It’s a while away but we are already looking forward to playing this fantastic event with so many wonderful bands! More info at the link below.
Sea of Tranquility Review of Elysium
Pete Pardo of Sea of Tranquility gave us a glowing review on their YouTube channel! Check it out at the link below.
Sinfomusic Announces Elysium in 2021 Top 25 albums and André in Top 3 Vocalists
Spanish-language Progressive Rock site, Sinfomusic have included Elysium in their Top 25 albums of 2021 and André as one of their Top 3 Vocalists too. Thank you so much for the support - we are so grateful that people all over the world are enjoying the album!
Spotify
Don't forget that 'Elysium' is available on all streaming platforms including Spotify Make sure you give us a follow and share with your friends! We've around 6,000 monthly listeners with Paradise Lost being the most popular at the moment. Make sure you check it out if you haven't already and remember the album can be added to your favourite playlists too!
Elysium Now Available in Japan
We are extremely pleased to announce that 'Elysium' is now available on CD in Japan, exclusively via Disk Union! Click the link below to go to the Disk Union Elysium order page.
Paradise Lost Video Premiere and Competition
12 December 2021 7 p.m. Video Premiere and Competition
Tune in to our Youtube Channel at 7 p.m. for the premiere of Paradise Lost feat. Göran Edman.
On 13 November we filmed some rehearsal footage along with the studio version of Paradise Lost, prior to our debut gig opening at Danfest 10. Filmed on multiple cameras at Drummer Graham Brown's The White Room studios in Rushden and edited by Zachariah Gidney.
Paradise Lost recounts the 1667 poem by John Milton about the war in heaven and the fall of man. For the prog nerds the song is in 5/4.
COMPETITION
To win a free copy of our debut album, 'Elysium', all you need to do is make sure you've already liked our Facebook page (or Instagram), share the post and subscribe to our Youtube channel. Competition closes at 7 p.m. on Sunday 19 December and the winner will be picked at random. The CD will be posted on Monday 20 December. Open to entries worldwide.
André Saint - Vocals
Graham Brown - Drums
Tim Ashton - Bass
Aaron Gidney - Guitars
Joshua Gidney - Keyboards
Guest studio vocals - Göran Edman
Guest keyboards - Gary Marsh
Produced by Karl Groom (Threshold)
Edited by Zachariah Gidney
Courtesy of OOB Records and Bob Prigmore
Gig Announcement
We are extremely pleased to announce that we will be supporting Cairo on Sunday 29th May 2022 at The 1865 in Southampton! Should be a great night with some fine folk and Graham Brown will be doing double duty on Drums too!
Tickets available at the link below:
Joshua Gidney Joins on Live Keyboards
We are extremely pleased to announce that joining us on live Keyboards is Joshua Gidney! He will be joining the band for our debut gig this Friday at Danfest 10 at The Musician, Leicester.
Joshua is an experienced Pianist and Saxophonist, teaching in the North-West of England. With a Jazz and Classical background and also being a big fan of Genesis, Allan Holdsworth and Pat Metheny, he has fitted right into the band. Joshua's Saxophone playthrough of legendary guitarist Allan Holdsworth's 'Downside Up" was featured by Guitar Techniques Magazine in September 2019 - quite a feat for a non-guitarist!
We have been incredibly overwhelmed by the support we've received following the release of our debut album, "Elysium" last week and would like to thank everyone who has bought an album so far or featured us on their radio shows/podcasts. We've spent most of the week packaging up CDs to send as far as Russia, Bahrain, Europe and the USA along with the UK - so thank you very much!
We're really looking forward to playing the songs live for people and our slot at Danfest will be the first of many! Live dates for 2022 are in place and we'll hopefully be coming to a Town or City near you next year.
See you at Danfest or on the road next year!
Elysium Pre-Orders from 11/11
11/11 at 11:11 for €11
Pre-order for the Grace and Fire debut album, ELYSIUM will begin tomorrow morning at 11:11 exclusively at our Bandcamp webshop.
graceandfireofficial.bandcamp.com/releases
Call us crazy, but tomorrow for 11 hours only, you can purchase this fantastic 6-panel digipak 10-track album with the beautifully illustrated 12 page booklet for only €11. (Note: At the end of the 11th hour, price reverts to €15 per purchase!)
Elysium Album Trailer 2
Here is the second video trailer for our new album, "Elysium" released on 15 November on OOB Records. Please like, share, comment and subscribe if you can!
Albums can be ordered from https://graceandfireofficial.bandcamp.com/releases
Elysium Album Review
The first review of our album, Elysium is in! Thanks so much to our friend Sue Smith for the glowing review in the Netherlands Background Magazine Online!
Elysium Album Trailer
Here is the first video trailer for our new album, "Elysium" released on 15 November on OOB Records. Please like, share, comment and subscribe if you can! Pre-orders start from next week on the OOB Records Bandcamp page. More details to follow next week!
Another André Guest Appearance
Our very own André Saint is part of the choir that performs on Paul Draper’s forthcoming album, “Cult Leader Tactics”. The album will be released on 28th January 2022 and is the follow-up to 2017’s critically-acclaimed “Spooky Action” from the Mansun Official frontman. Exciting stuff!
ALBUM RELEASE DATE
Press Release from OOB Records:
We are excited to announce that 15 November is the OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE for the Grace and Fire debut album, ELYSIUM!
Grace and Fire are a new Progressive Rock band. Although new in this formation, individually they are seasoned professionals in the Prog scene in UK.
We will begin pre-orders of ELYSIUM next week at our OOB Records webstore on Bandcamp at:
For now, have a glimpse at the album cover!
Keep up to date on release, follow Grace and Fire on Facebook:
Kiss That Prog - Radio Lanarkshire
Our new track 'Breathing Murder' was played on Eddie McFadden’s Kiss That Prog Show on Radio Lanarkshire on 21 October. Thanks for the continued support Eddie! For anyone who missed it, the Mixcloud link is here: https://www.mixcloud.com/.../kiss-that-prog-21-october-2021/
Grace and Fire Sign With OOB Records
Press Release: We are excited to announce Grace and Fire, (UK) have signed with OOB Records for release of their debut album, ELYSIUM, scheduled for release November 2021.
Formed in 2019 by, André Saint and Aaron Gidney (Shadow of Acolyte), they were soon joined by Tim Ashton (formerly of Galahad) on bass, and Graham Brown (Paradox Twin, Cairo) on drums. The result is a band that fuses Progressive Rock with Melodic Hard Rock in an anthemic, song-based, accessible format.
Grace and Fire's debut album, 'ELYSIUM’, consists of ten tracks and features guest appearances from Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater/Sons of Apollo), Göran Edman and Mark Boals (both ex-Yngwie Malmsteen), and was produced, mixed and mastered by Karl Groom of British Progressive Metal legends, Threshold.
Join us in a warm welcome to Grace and Fire!
More information can be found on our website - https://oob-records.com/artist/grace-and-fire/
Press / Contact: Bob Prigmore (A&R Representative, OOB Records)Kathy Keller (Owner, OOB Records)
Garry Foster's Prog Rock Files on WCR FM 101.8 FM - Thurs 5 August 2021
Our friend, Garry Foster played 'Sea of Dreams' from our forthcoming album on The Prog Rock Files on WCR FM (101.8 FM). Thanks for the support Garry! Hour 1 from the show can be listened back by clicking the below link.
André at Beat Route Radio with Bob Prigmore (AGAIN!)
On Weds 4 August 2021, André was invited back to the studio to appear on Bob Prigmore's The Prog and Rock Show at Beat Route Radio promoting our forthcoming new album. Bob played 'A Warrior's Tale' featuring Mark Boals. Thanks to Bob for having André on again. For those who missed the live stream, you can listen back via Mixcloud at this link - https://bit.ly/3rXpelp
New Karibow album to feature guest vocals from André Saint
Our friend, Oliver Rüsing - Karibow mastermind, kindly asked André to guest on his new album - 'Age of Amber'. The double album features a plethora of talent including Dave Bainbridge of Iona and Phil Stuckey of Stuckfish. Click on the link below to pre-order!
Kiss That Prog - Radio Lanarkshire
We were a featured artist on Eddie McFadden’s Kiss That Prog Show on Radio Lanarkshire this week. For anyone who missed it, the Mixcloud link is here: https://www.mixcloud.com/EddieMcF/kiss-that-prog-1-july-2021/
Garry Foster's Prog Rock Files on WCR FM 101.8 FM - Thurs 24 June 2021
Our track 'Paradise Lost' featuring Göran Edman was played on Garry Foster's Prog Rock Files on WCR FM (101.8 FM) - Thursday 24 June 2021. The show is also available on Spotify and the Mixcloud link to Hour 1 is here: https://bit.ly/3j8z2GzThanks for the support Garry!
André at Beat Route Radio with Bob Prigmore
On Weds 16 June, André appeared on Bob Prigmore's The Prog and Rock Show at Beat Route Radio promoting our forthcoming new album. Bob interviewed André about the band, album and played four tracks in anticipation of the release of the album. Thanks to Bob for having us and to Sue Smith for also reviewing the album! For those who missed the live stream, you can listen back via Mixcloud at this link - https://bit.ly/3wCAViD
The Prog and Rock Show
On Wednesday 16 June 6-8 p.m. we are the featured artist on Bob Prigmore’s The Prog and Rock Show hosted on Beat Route Radio. André will be appearing for an in-studio interview, along with some of the tracks from our forthcoming album. Make sure you tune in to the live stream at www.beatrouteradio.co.uk! Alternatively, if you follow us on Facebook, event details are on our page. Listeners can also comment live but you’ll need to be part of The Prog and Rock Show Private Group - let us know if you need details! We can’t wait!
Debut Album Completed!
Our debut album is now completed and has been mixed and mastered, ready for submitting to labels and promo! We'll let you know a release date soon and where the album can be pre-ordered from, along with merch! The album will be 10 tracks and is 56 minutes (and 1 second!) of original Melodic Progressive Hard Rock. Stay tuned!
Chapman Stick Discussion
Multi-instrumentalist music teacher, Dan Egan had a lengthy discussion with Aaron about the Chapman Stick, learning methods and techniques, Iona, Nick Beggs and King Crimson. Check out the Videos Page!
Check out Dan's website at www.deganmusic.co.uk
Album Update January 2021
Since our last update, the entire album has been submitted for mixing and artwork is already in the works with Gary and Andre at the helm. We've decided the album should be 10 tracks now rather than the original 9 to give it a more 'even' feel aesthetically! Our mystery producer has started to compile all the stems following completion of a few other projects he was finishing but will begin mixing this coming week. We've been considering the best format for releases and of course, vinyl may be one of them - so if this something of interest to you - let us know! Anyway, we've got an hour of new music to share with you soon - hopefully it will be worth the wait!
Album Update
So during lockdown we've been able to finish the album and the first few tracks have been sent away for mixing! It's been a long journey and hopefully we may be able to start sharing some of our work this side of Christmas. We'll also be able to reveal the album title and some of the special guests soon so keep your eyes peeled!
André's Home Studio Tour
Vocalist André gave us a sneak peak at some of his raw vocals whilst giving us a quick tour of his home studio set up in Northamptonshire. Check it out on our videos page!
Guitar Album Gear!
We’ve been working hard to finish the album and the end is almost in sight! Today, we’ve been adding some more Chapman Stick to the album and thought we’d continue to share some of our studio setups - today is Guitarist Aaron’s home studio with some of the guitars used on the album.
For any gear nerds:
10 String Chapman Stick (Classic)Jackson USA San Dimas Adrian Smith SignatureIbanez PGM3 Paul Gilbert SignatureEpiphone Annihilation-II Jeff Waters SignatureTakemine 6 String AcousticWashburn 12 String AcousticM-Audio Keystation 61es Midi Keyboard
Guitars were recorded via Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 into a Mac Pro running Logic Pro X and using the Line 6 Helix and the Helix Native Plugin. No amps thankfully!
Welcome!
Welcome to the new, updated G & F website! After a bit of a web break, we thought it was time to update in preparation for our new album. We are in the final stages of recording and we will soon be sending it off for mixing and production shortly - we won't reveal who our Producer is just yet - but can promise you its very exciting!
Vocal tracks are almost done and more Chapman Stick parts have been added to the album. We can tell you the length of the album will be about an hour - so plenty of new music is coming your way! Loads of Prog anthems and cool instrumental sections with some very special guests (soon to be revealed!).