Sunday DJs
Brian Ager
From the moment I could lift a tennis racket guitar, music has been central to my life. I was born in North London and grew up in the 60s with a large family who all loved music. My older sister and cousin really shaped my musical tastes and introduced my young ears to all the fabulous new sounds that were being created in those formative years. From the late 60s I began to develop my own tastes from influences at school and just listening to different types of music. I started attending gigs in the early 70s and can honestly say that the one good thing about getting old is that I saw all the best bands at the peak of their powers. Over the years my tastes have changed but I always go back and listen to all that wonderful music from my youth.
A chance meeting early in 2014 introduced me to a local community radio station in Essex and my first ever radio show followed in May of that year.
I have amassed a huge music collection and when people ask why I spend so much money on music my stock answer is “because I love it and it makes me happy”
NB: The tennis racket guitar is still the only instrument I can play.
Tumbleweed Country
10:00 GMT
Badass Martin
Born in the 50’s and now uncomfortably retired, Martin found out about rock and metal in the late 60’s and early 70’s when Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, ELP, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Status Quo and more assaulted his ears, through the customer headphones, at local record stall Electron Records in Nelson (Lancashire) market hall. He accumulated a collection of hundreds of vinyl albums over the years which have now been re4placed by CDs, which being ‘old school’ he still buys regularly, and now has a collection of around 5000, of which 99% are rock and metal. This is the library he visits when making up his shows, along with promoting the new music which up and coming bands submit to Hard Rock Hell Radio. He attended his first gig in the early ‘70’s but went to see so many bands while a student in Manchester, that he cannot say for certain which was the first major band he saw live, though it was probably Gentle Giant at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester on their “In a Glass House” tour in 1973. He can say for certain that he was at Knebworth in 1975 for the famous Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” gig when a couple of WW2 fighters ‘hedge-hopped the stage and buzzed the field at 50ft, in the same year he was at Earls Court, London for Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti” concert, and again at Knebworth in 1979 for their final show before the tragic loss of John Bonham. He still attends gigs and festivals as often he is able and has been known to put on the odd gig or two, most famously until this year, the Rockforce Festival.
Martin also writes reviews for Hard Rock Hell Magazine and contributes regularly to Powerplay Rock and Metal Magazine, for which he recently interviewed Deep Purple’s Roger Glover and Ian Paice, which he says was a dream come true. As for musical taste, he likes to say that ‘eclectic’ is his middle name.
Bad Ass Martin’s Rockout Show
15:00 GMT
Neil Not
Subjected to Motorhead and AC/DC at the innocent age of 7, feeding a growing need for more exhilarating music. Teen years consisting of exposure to WASP, Zodiac Mindwarp and Twisted Sister and then the discovery at age 14 of the thrashiness of Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax which just led to an insatiable appetite for all things fast, noisy and heavy! Got into radio in May 2007 with a local community FM station (winning Best Music Show award voted by listeners), eventually joining PlanetMosh Radio, then onto TBFM (picking up the Infernal Devastations Fanzine: ‘Best Internet Radio Show award in 2016) and finding a home at Hard Rock Hell Radio since 2017!
Full Metal Racket
17:00 PM GMT
Si Redtank
Originally from Shropshire, I have also lived in Germany and Ireland, as well as having the pleasure of seeing many bands in many different countries. In 1985 I discovered Iron Maiden’s Life After Death and life has never really been the same since! I pretty music love all types of rock and metal but have a big soft spot for anything extreme and complex. My favourite concert would have to be seeing a three hour set from Colour Haze in Munich. I still go to many gigs and I am loving the resurgence of the metal and rock scene within the past few years; so many great bands out there.
Redtank’s Weekender
19:00 GMT
HRH Punk Show
20:00 GMT
Mixcloud
Peter Vamos
Peter Vamos has been involved in broadcast media since arriving in Ireland from Canada in 1993. He began in Anna Livia FM as the producer of their drive time programme, Heading Home but was quickly picked up by FM104 to produce their late night call-in show with Chris Barry. He then turned to writing for television and print having a monthly article in The Irish Independent and a regular feature in Web Ireland magazine. He has also written several feature length scripts and programme pilots including the first broadcast for TV3 in 1998. After considerable effort, he broke into RTE working on The End with Sean Montcrieff writing and performing comedy sketches. Peter now lives in Sligo where he trained as a wedding celebrant, presents and produces podcasts and a weekly electronic music programme, X Minus One (#synthoaction), pursues photography and he is currently working on a novel.
X Minus One
21:00 GMT