Blackmore to play rock in UK

Ritchie Blackmore will bring his new version of Rainbow to the UK for one show next year – but not to the Download festival.

The former Deep Purple guitarist recently confirmed he was planning a temporary return to rock music from the renaissance-themed material of Blackmore’s Night.

This week it was revealed that Rainbow will appear at two Monsters Of Rock festivals in Germany in June.

The original band appeared at the first-ever Monsters Of Rock event at Donington in 1980, leading to speculation that the 2016 lineup might perform at Download, its successor festival.

Blackmore’s agent tells Metal Shock Finland: “Rainbow will only be playing three shows in 2016 – two in Germany and one in the UK.

“The UK performance will not be at Download. The show will be announced on November 2.”

While none of the axe icon’s bandmates have been named yet, he’s suggested that none of them will be people he’s worked with before. He recently said the unknown singer he’d chosen was “a cross between Dio and Freddie Mercury.”

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.