U.K. Radio Station XFM Reaches Out To Share Their Sound With The World

XFM is a rock radio station that has been serving rock fans in London, England since 1997 and now they have expanded their reach world-wide by way of the internet.

As most regular readers know, I’m a classic rock fan, and although XFM plays a lot of contemporary rock, I did hear some AC/DC and R.E.M., which demonstrates that some of the classics are pretty well represented on XFM as well. They were taking requests when I was listening, so there was quite a variety of rock being played, including the classics I mentioned.

The sound quality of the station was excellent, as good as I have heard on any other online radio station, which is impressive since I presume this is being streamed from “across the pond,” as they say.

XFM does not sound unlike many rock stations here in the U.S. and Canada, but I confess that I think it is kind of cool to hear everyone speaking with a British accent. Kind of gives you the feel of the whole “British Invasion” thing. Kind of an interesting change from North American rock radio.

The XFM site is quite extensive and offers features like music news, podcasts and access to concert tickets.

The music news section was up-to-date with all the latest happenings, including some news from classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Kiss and Guns N Roses.

There are a number of podcasts available on the site, including one that focuses on new music called “New Music Rising” and another called “The Residency Podcasts” where some of the Britain’s most influential musicians take over broadcasting duties at XFM to talk about the music that influences and inspires them.

The site is also a good source for rock fans seeking out live entertainment and even offers tickets that are available for purchase online. The “Gigs & Tickets” section of the site also offers XFM’s top picks for gigs that would be of interest to those visiting the site.

Overall, the site is very well designed and I was easily able to navigate from section to section. The choice of colors they used in the design of the site was easy on the eyes, with a lot of subtle browns and beige that doesn’t offend the eyes like some of the glaring colors and obnoxious graphics I have seen on some other rock radio station websites.

Although XFM may cater to contemporary rock fans more so than classic rock fans, there are a few classic gems that get some airplay which makes XFM worth checking out for rock fans of both persuasions.

Tags: London, UK, XFM Radio

Def Leppard And Whitesnake Team For U.K. Tour

Classic rockers Def Leppard and Whitesnake have recently revealed their plans for a tour of the United Kingdom this summer.

After a very successful tour in the U.S. last year, Def Leppard is set to rock their fans closer to home this time and get a little assist from Whitesnake along the way.

Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale makes no secret of the fact that he is anxious to get himself back on stage in front of a live crowd. “I can’t wait to get back on stage. After being in the studio for most of 2007, I am most definitely ready to let off some steam. The front row should definitely be prepared!”, he said recently.

Both groups are planning to release a new album this year. It will be the first new album from Whitesnake in more than 10 years.

The current plans have these shows scheduled as follows:

June 17 at SECC, Glasgow
June 18 at NEC, Birmingham
June 20 at MEN Arena, Manchester
June 23 at Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
June 24 at Newcastle Arena, Newcastle
June 26 at Wembley, London

Tickets are set to go on sale January 18.

For more, head on over to ThisIsNorthScotland.

Tags: Def Leppard, New Album, Summer, tour, UK, Whitesnake