The Telegraph — Mahler's First Symphony was inspired by the wife of a Saxon army captain - but it turns out she was a daughter of the Manchester mills, says Norman Lebrecht. more info

Guardian Music — St David's Hall, CardiffPrior to opening the big music festival in their home city this week, the Dresden Staatskapelle whirled their way round Europe, with concerts in Cardiff and Birmingham as the last leg of the tour.The orchestra's German title, ... more info

Totally Fuzzy — After years of playing nothing but speed metal we had the idea to slow everything down and take out the words, that's how this ambient/post-rock project came to be. Not the most original idea but a crucial one nonetheless. The result is a space and ... more info

ContactMusic — Veteran heavy metal rockers Saxon are raising cash for charity by charging fans to watch them soundcheck on tour. The British band is inviting 20 supporters to a pre-gig warm-up at each stop on the tour, for an admission fee of... more info

Altsounds — Having sold over 35,000 copies of their debut, "Stairway To Fairyland", FREEDOM CALL`S tour with Saxon, Angra and Edguy turned into a triumphal march. The tour culminated with memorable shows with Savatage and Skew Siskin in August 1999 as part of... more info

Guardian Music — Pioneering voice of British rapThe reggae star and rapper Smiley Culture – real name David Emmanuel – who has died aged 48 during a Metropolitan police raid on his home in Warlingham, Surrey, was one of the pioneers of British rap. Although he ha... more info

Guardian Music — The reggae star who died in a police raid paved the way for Tinie Tempah and Dizzee RascalFew people are surprised any more by a reggae artist's untimely death, not even when it is as bizarre as Smiley Culture's seems to be. My biggest fear is that t... more info

Abeano — I once managed to get Dream Mclean to read George Orwell’s 1946 essay ‘A nice cup of tea’. The wonder of Twitter perhaps, but it proves that this 19 year old hailing from Colchester, Essex, is an open minded guy. It’s also what makes sta... more info

Twangville — In honor of this week’s SXSW Music Conference, here is John Dee Graham performing “Beautifully Broken.” No trip to Austin is complete without catching a set by the Bard of Austin. If you like what you hear, Graham is offering a full live album ... more info

ContactMusic — Heavy metal band Saxon were forced to work overtime when they recorded their new album last year (10) after falling behind schedule when they became stranded by snowstorms. Remote areas of the U. K. were cut off in December when blizzards cr... more info