francis rossi tour

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Status Quo legend Francis Rossi is taking up his acoustic guitar to bring you a selection of well-known hits and some previously not-performed-live-before tunes.

He will be undertaking a massive 101 date tour next year that kicks off on 24 March 2023 in Wimborne and closes on 11 November 2023.

For full details and ticket sales please visit francisrossi.com

It’ll be a unique evening in which Francis will reprise fan favourites from a remarkable 50+year career. Expect original-style, acoustic versions of Quo classics, threaded together with chat in this music based evening.

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 15 April. VIP packages are available for those wishing to meet Francis before the show.

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Francis Rossi

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Francis Rossi

Lead vocalist and guitarist of Status Quo, as well as a solo performer. The iconic rockstar has shed his trademark ponytail, though his presence and more...

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Tunes & chat tour, francis rossi, francis rossi at burnley mechanics, burnley, england.

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Francis Rossi at Westlands, Yeovil, England

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• Pictures of Matchstick Men
• (April) Spring, Summer and Wednesdays
• In My Chair
• Spinning Wheel Blues
• Rock 'n' Roll
• Break the Rules
• Down the Dustpipe
• Burning Bridges (On and Off and on Again)
• What You're Proposing
• And It's Better Now

Francis Rossi at Corran Hall, Oban, Scotland

Francis rossi at tivoli theatre, aberdeen, scotland, francis rossi at town house, hamilton, scotland, francis rossi at st george's hall, bradford, england.

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• Caroline ( 45 )
• Claudie ( 33 )
• Marguerita Time ( 33 )
• Tongue Tied ( 33 )
• Rockin' All Over the World ( 26 )

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Chuck Berry Bolland & Bolland Dion John Fogerty George Jackson Steve Miller Band Status Quo

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‘Prophets Seers & Sages’ & ‘My People…’: T. Rex’s Four-Year Run To No.1

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The British boogie rock band founded by Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster have with a career spanning more than 50 years and countless hits.

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When Status Quo’s sixth studio album, Hello! , was first released nearly 40 years ago in September 1973 and jumped straight into the UK albums chart at No. 1 it was the culmination of persistence, constant gigging and a creative transformation the likes of which most groups would never attempt let alone survive. Almost unbelievably Status Quo are still going strong, still touring, still making the commercially successful, no-nonsense boogie-rock records that capture the imagination of air guitarists the world over. Many such axe was raised in tribute to the sad passing of founder member Rick Parfitt in late 2016.

If Status Quo was an American band they would be worshipped as Gods, as it is they are just good blokes, the very epitome of great British musicians who know how to put on a great show and make records that have sold many, many, millions.

Their roots can be traced as far back as 1962 when, still at school, Mike (later to become Francis) Rossi, Alan Lancaster and Alan Key (who later left the group) formed a band called Scorpions that then transformed into a five-piece called Spectres. Almost five years later, during which time they’d secured a contract with Piccadilly Records, released three unsuccessful singles and played a summer residency at Butlins in Minehead, they became Traffic Jam for a couple of months and released another single that flopped. Clearly, a change of direction and fortune was needed if they were to continue – another guitarist Rick Parfitt was recruited, the name Status Quo was adopted, flower-power outfits were donned and at the end of February 1968 they suddenly had a No. 7 hit single with the psychedelically-tinged ‘Pictures Of Matchstick Men’. Momentarily in tune with the times, they had a follow-up No.8 hit with ‘Ice In The Sun’ in October but then faded almost as quickly as they’d bloomed, two albums and five subsequent singles in the next two years making very little impression on the charts or the record-buying public.

At the beginning of 1970 though there were signs of yet another change in direction. ‘Down The Dustpipe’, with its straightforward riff and wailing harmonica, was their most successful single since ‘Ice In The Sun’ and gave an indication of where Quo might be heading, and the album released later that year, Ma Kelly’s Greasy Spoon , reinforced that suspicion. One more personnel change – long-time keyboard player Roy Lynes had had enough – reduced them to the classic quartet of Rick Parfitt (guitar/vocals), Francis Rossi (guitar/vocals), Alan Lancaster (bass/vocals) and John Coghlan (drums) that during the next 10 years or so enjoyed truly enormous success. They embarked on an astonishing and unprecedented run of 11 consecutive Top 5 UK albums and only one of the 15 singles they released in that period failed to make the Top 20. A more dramatic turnaround in fortune is hard to imagine and they basically did it by adopting the simple expedient of stripping away all pretension, muso-instrumental doodling and unnecessary elaboration from their music, honing it, in its most primitive form, down to three chords, donning t-shirts, jeans and trainers in favour of kaftans, and then working their socks off.

Their new, raw and ecstatically infectious boogie-rock appealed immediately to an audience that wanted loud, solid, uncomplicated rock to dance to – music to have a good non-cerebral time to. The crowds who saw them at the 1972 Reading and Great Western Festivals will attest to that. Another album, Dog Of Two Head , released at the end of 1971, was just too early to benefit from this new impetus and then the band went a whole year (unheard of in those days) without troubling record retailers until they made another career-changing move and signed to Vertigo, ironically a label known more for its top-heavy roster of largely obscure prog-rock bands than as a home for no-nonsense, riff-based boogie. Nevertheless, in January 1973 they released what was Status Quo’s fifth album, Piledriver . A Top 5 album containing the No. 8 hit single ‘Paper Plane’, it nailed the formula that, with some tweaking and augmentation, the band adopted from thereon, and it truly marked the emergence of a powerful and lasting presence in rock music. The beauty of their recorded music was of course that, unlike a lot of their contemporaries, they could play it live and actually add something to it – energy, power, more guitar! – rather than delivering a diminished album listening experience. And audiences worldwide lapped it up.

Quick to ride the crest of this wave, in September of 1973 they released what many Quo aficionados still regard as their tour de force. Entirely self-written, self-produced and packaged in a stark black sleeve that mirrored the new minimalist approach to their music,  Hello! entered the UK album chart at No. 1 and has been in the intervening 40 years, a constant steady seller. The press was predictably a bit sniffy and condescending about it, as they have been with a lot of Quo’s recorded output – NME said mysteriously that the band were “slaves to a musical cliché rather than masters of it” although Jon Tiven in the US Zoo World opined more generously that the album was “pure chunka-chunka music  a la  Canned Heat , taken to a much higher level”. Hello! also contained the band’s first Top 5 single – ‘Caroline’, the first of a string of 1970s Top 10 hits – ‘Break The Rules’, ‘Down Down’, ‘Rain’, ‘Wild Side of Life’, John Fogerty ‘s ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’ and ‘Whatever You Want’ – that meant that Quo were supreme on three fronts – Top 5 albums, Top 10 singles and huge concert draw. Unbeatable.

The other 1970s albums were  Quo  (No. 2 in the album chart),  On The Level  (No. 1),  Blue For You  (No. 1),  Live!  (No. 3),  Rockin’ All Over The World  (No. 5),   If You Can’t Stand The Heat  (No. 3) and  Whatever You Want  (No. 3) and by the end of the decade their sound had become perceptively more polished, as outside producers were used, but without losing any of its edge or ability to deliver the primal, unfussy music that their fans adored and demanded.

The 1980s were a time of continued all-round success if on a less stable footing. 1981 saw the departure of founding member and drummer John Coghlan to be replaced by ex-Honeybus member Pete Kircher, and this line-up lasted until the band’s appearance at Live Aid in July 1985. Around that time they also recruited two ex- Climax Blues Band members – drummer Jeff Rich and bassist John ‘Rhino’ Edwards – plus keyboard player Andy Bown who had actually been an on-off member of the group since 1974 but for contractual reasons couldn’t until now be counted as such. Original bass player Alan Lancaster had already departed in less than amicable circumstances (the tried and trusted cliché “musical differences” was quoted – they’ve recently patched up these differences apparently) and actually tried to stop the band continuing as Status Quo. It would have taken more than that to stop the Quo juggernaut though and the band went on to record their  In The Army Now  album. This line-up was actually the longest lasting (1985 to 2000) and in that period enjoyed seven Top 20 albums and eight Top 20 singles. One personnel change since has seen Matt Letley replace Jeff Rich on drums but essentially the band has retained, through the dominant Parfitt/Rossi axis, the same persona and character.

To this day Status Quo continue to tour and play large, prestigious gala concerts, arenas and festivals on a regular basis and, almost as a mark of their rock-establishment status, Rossi and Parfitt were awarded OBEs in 2010 for services to music and their work for various charities. In 2011 they released their 29th studio album, Quid Pro Quo , and, almost as regular as clockwork, reached No. 10 in the album chart. Last year they announced a new venture that promises to raise a few eyebrows – the band’s first feature film, a comedy, starring themselves and set in Fiji! And on a more prosaic note last October a two-and-a-half-hour documentary film was released in cinemas and on DVD. Titled Hello Quo! it charts the band’s history in uncompromising fashion and does much to place their commercial, achievements into some kind of perspective within the framework of rock history. The film reveals some surprising devotees such as Paul Weller , Jeff Lynne and Brian May , who appreciate the talent and expertise it takes to distil and refine a sound and to remain true to a clear, uncluttered vision.

Sadly, the death of Richard John Parfitt, on Christmas Eve 2016, in Marbella, Spain – aged just 68 – is bound to disrupt the Status Quo modus operandi. He was such an integral part of the sound, the look and the fun that a Quo sans Rick is hard to fathom. For the time being, we return to Aquostic (Stripped Bare) and Aquostic II: That’s A Fact , the last studio albums to feature this remarkable musician who gave so many such pleasure.

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Prawns in the tempura: What happened when Status Quo's Frantic Four reunited

The Status Quo reunion they said would never happen finally happened when the Frantic Four reunited in 2012. Classic Rock was there to record history being made

What a difference 32 years can make. It’s late 1981 and Status Quo are in Switzerland recording the album that will mark their 20th anniversary when John Coghlan kicks his snare drum across the studio. The hot-headed drummer (aka the Mad Turk) informs his bandmates: “That’s it, I’m leaving.” 

The reply from Francis Rossi must have stung: “Fucking good job. This time you’re out [for good].” 

And Rossi meant it. Coghlan was quickly replaced by Pete Kircher. Coghlan’s departure brought a fractious end to the ‘classic’ line-up of Quo, which is now widely referred to as the Frantic Four, thanks to a song introduction from their celebrated 1977 album Quo Live! . 

Four years later, bass player Alan Lancaster quit Quo after their appearance at Live Aid , leaving Rossi and fellow guitarist/vocalist Rick Parfitt to carry on the name. A legal battle saw the ugliness continue to fester. Back in 1992, addressing the question of a Frantic Four reunion, Rossi told Classic Rock : “That’d be like trying to get your dick up your own arse – impossible.” 

But here we are on the day of the 2012 Classic Rock Awards. Rossi and Lancaster (both 63), Parfitt (64) and Coghlan (66) are seated around a cafeteria table at London’s Roundhouse to discuss one of rock’s most unlikely reunions. 

Having recently denied having multiple sclerosis, Lancaster looks more frail than expected. And Parfitt is less hirsute than usual (“Never go to a random barber in Teddington,” he will tell The Daily Mail a few days later. “Maybe I’ll wear a syrup [on the tour] and no one will notice!”). 

Welcome to the madhouse.

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We happen to be meeting on what is the first day of the pre-sale of a tranche of tickets for the upcoming Frantic Four live shows…  

Rick Parfitt [interrupting]: They sold out in 10 minutes, apparently. 

Francis Rossi : Which is nice, obviously. 

Parfitt : We’d been told that they would either sell [raises hand to indicate mid-range success] or they’d sell [stretches up to the ceiling]. And fortunately they’ve flown out the door. That’s a fantastic start. I wasn’t sure it would happen, to be completely honest. And I know that you [gesturing to Rossi] weren’t either.

With most of the shows taking place in midsized theatres, were you a bit too cautious?  

Rossi : The business people always are very cautious, and I suppose that’s wise. If we go in there all buns glazing [sic] and nobody turns up, then we’ve got egg on our faces, haven’t we? I mean, if there hadn’t been a band for the last 30 years, then maybe we’d have been a lot more gung-ho. But there has, so we weren’t. The fact that tickets are on sale – and selling out – makes this real. 

Do you all share the astonishment of the fans that it’s finally actually happening?  

Parfitt : I’m still finding it pretty mind-boggling. I just said to Nuff [Lancaster] that walking around the streets again with these guys feels very surreal. I’m sitting here and I’m feeling like the new boy all over again. I mean, these three started it all up.

Alan and John, do you share Rick’s sense of disorientation?  

John Coghlan : I do. But I’m really enjoying it. After all these years, I’ve lost count of the fans that have asked me whether the original four members would ever get back together. I always told them I had no clue. But now… what a buzz. 

Alan Lancaster : I’m just looking forward to playing again with the boys. 

Parfitt : But there’s still a lot of work to do to bring things back up to the standard that the fans will have been used to. None of us are thinking that we’ll just plug in and play all those old songs again and – hey presto – it’s 1973 again. I’d like people to know that we’re not approaching things lightly.

Have you actually played together since the segment of the Hello Quo! documentary filmed at Shepperton?  

Parfitt: No. But we’ve got two weeks of rehearsals to put it all together. The songs aren’t a problem, though I’m sure some of them won’t work the way we hope, so there’s plenty of work to do. 

When do the rehearsals begin? 

Parfitt : Tomorrow at 10am. No [laughs]… after Christmas. Three of us will be rehearsing [for all of that time] together but the long-haired one [nodding at Lancaster] says that he doesn’t need to. 

Lancaster : John and I could play the set tomorrow. We did a lot of those songs together in Perth [with The Party Boys in 2008]. 

Rossi : Yeah, but you didn’t do them with me and him [Parfitt]. 

Lancaster [indignantly]: I tell you what, we did it in front of 25,000 people. 

Rossi [with a sense of triumph]: So what the fuck are you doing sitting here, then?

It’s a good question. For those that don’t know, why is this happening now? 

Rossi : Well, if it didn’t happen soon then it probably never would. I mean, look at us – we’re old men. 

And what changed to make it possible?  

Rossi : The fact that we’re talking to Alan again. He came to see us play in Sydney… 

Lancaster : Actually, it [the process of reconciliation] started quite a long way before that. Simon [Porter, Quo’s current manager] and I had been talking for about six months to a year. Eventually we [the Frantic Four] came to our senses. A lot of the problems we had were down to managers and the people that looked after business. We have been partners all our lives. I don’t mean like a limited company, more like it’s a marriage. And it had broken down – badly. But every problem between us had been given to an outsider to sort out, people that were being paid by us; it was ridiculous. We were being milked. So when Simon put Francis on the phone to me, everything fell back into place. 

Rossi : At the time of the split there was a lot of cocaine involved. Some of us smoked, some of us snorted, some of us drank – and of course some of us didn’t. That’s not conducive to communication, is it? 

Parfitt : It was especially difficult for John because we all got into the wonga [cocaine] and he didn’t even smoke… 

Rossi : …so we held him down and blew it up his nose. 

Lancaster : But now John’s on the heroin, he’s perfectly okay. 

Parfitt [trying to make himself heard]: Poor old John, he’d drink himself silly and the rest of us would be in hysterics over anything – a teaspoon, maybe. He just didn’t get it.

So, basically, you were sitting targets to be ripped off?  

Lancaster : We were taken advantage of, yeah. People would say, ‘Oh, I’ll sort that out for you.’ And they did sort it out, but they’d also take money out of the bank account. 

Parfitt [nodding]: We took our eye off the ball, big time. 

How much of the Frantic Four split can be attributed to drugs?  

Parfitt : A lot of it, I’d say. We were all wonga-d, we were all laughing. Often we’d go onstage a bit wonga-d. We were all over the shop, and something had to give. 

Lancaster : You must realise that the band’s decision-makers were on cocaine, the record company was on cocaine and back then so was the whole bloody industry. 

When it all went tits up, how did it make you feel? 

Parfitt : The elevation of the band through the 1970s seemed to happen so quickly, it was mind-blowing. And then for it all to fall apart… to go our separate ways… it was really, really sad. I never wanted it to happen. 

Rossi [quick as a flash]: Yeah, but if we hadn’t split up we couldn’t have got back together again, could we? And Classic Rock have a few blank pages in their magazine. 

Can you verbalise your feelings about the day you met again at Shepperton Studios and played a few numbers together for the Hello Quo! movie?

Lancaster : I felt a bit like I’d been thrown in at the deep end. I thought there’d be a little room where we could sit and talk [before anything happened]. But I walked into Shepperton and there we were on a fully lit concert stage with 14 bloody cameras in our faces. We hadn’t even discussed what we were going to play. I hadn’t tuned up my bass and my voice was about three tones too low because I’d not done any exercises. When we went into In My Chair… it could not have been any colder. 

Parfitt [nodding]: Yeah, that version of In My Chair was just fucking awful. 

Coghlan: There were no set-lists but to me it felt really exciting. We just played what came into our heads. 

Rossi: Those versions of Tie A Yellow Ribbon and Michael, Row The Boat Ashore were great, weren’t they?

So that’s the practicalities – let’s talk feelings . 

Lancaster : I was very emotional indeed. 

Coghlan : After all those years, I was too. 

Rossi : To me, and I don’t mean this in a bad way, it was like putting on an old shoe or glove. Even if you’ve not worn it for 20 years, it still fits. There were a few disagreements over tempos that we’ll have to address later on, but it surprised me how comfortable it felt. I thought it would be really weird but… [pauses for thought] it just wasn’t. 

Francis has quite rightly said: ‘There’s no way this can be the band of the 1970s.’ 

Rossi : That’s the thing that really makes my bum twitch because quite obviously it cannot be that again. 

Lancaster [laughing]: That’s right. I’ve got this big mirror in my bedroom and I was playing air guitar. I practised jumping off the bed like I used to do from the rostrum…

Rossi : They’re called drum-risers now, Nuff. 

Lancaster [ignoring him]: And I really hurt my foot. I’ve still got all the movements together. 

Rossi: We don’t want those. 

Lancaster : I can still do a bit of bum-wiggling. We’re gonna do a lot of disco moves. 

Rossi [leaning into the dictaphone]: That’s why it’s not going to be a very long tour, folks.

Several issues ago, Rick predicted to Classic Rock : “This tour will bring back the older fans that lost faith in us.” Can you elaborate on that please?  

Parfitt: I’m very optimistic that it will. There are a lot of forgotten faces – the ‘front-rowers’, as we like to call them – that have long, long since disappeared. I’m sure when we walk out there, it’ll be, ‘Oh, it’s you again.’ 

Rossi [interrupting]: ‘Ain’t you got fat and old?’ 

Parfitt : And I daresay they’ll think the same of us. 

Coghlan : For me, getting the chance to do this again proves a point. We’ve been slagged off and laughed at, but the fans still love us. Look at the way the tickets are selling.

Although you’ve stated that the set will use Quo Live!, the double album from the Glasgow Apollo released in 1977, as its blueprint, there’s been much speculation as to what will be played.  

Parfitt : The way it’s looking right now, one of us will be singing quite a lot and two of us won’t. 

Rossi : Rick and I are gonna be sitting on stools. Count them: Backwater, Just Take Me [both sung by Lancaster]… 

Lancaster [in shocked tones]: At Shepperton I thought that I used to sing Umleitung but it was him [points to Rossi]. That’s why nobody could remember the words. 

Parfitt [to Lancaster]: I’ve been singing Roadhouse Blues for the last 20 years when it was in the set. But if you [to Lancaster] can’t sing it then we’re fucked. 

Lancaster [above the laughter]: I want us to do a 45-minute version of Forty-Five Hundred Times . 

Rossi : You’ve got absolutely no fucking chance. 

Parfitt : Actually, it was only 22 minutes long. 

Rossi [slightly contemptuously]: Yeah, and that was the short version.

And what happens if Francis says he wants to play Marguerita Time ? 

Parfitt : We split up again. What would be great is to start with Marguerita Time , then halfway through it we have a punch-up and walk off. Then we re-form and come straight back on again. 

Rossi [grinning]: With Marguerita Time . [Much laughter] 

Francis, you once told Classic Rock that Live! is “the worst album that Quo ever made” . 

Rossi : I think so, yeah. I always have done. It’s a mess. 

And now you’re basing the set on it?  

Rossi : Well, that’s more from a production sense. The third night [of the three that were recorded] was by far the best, but there were problems [with the audio]. What we should’ve done was go back in and overdub. Had we done that, it would’ve been great. 

Parfitt : I know what Francis means, but it does have a certain rawness. It sounds ‘real’. 

Lancaster : Going back to it to re-learn it, I still stand by it. 

Will Jackie Lynton introduce the show, as he did so famously on the Live! album? 

Parfitt: We’ve thought about this… 

Rossi : …But he’s quite old now, isn’t he? And he’s ill. To have him go out there and say: “Do you wanna fucking rock?” again, that might be a bit… [pause]… well, he’d have to tone it down, which wouldn’t be right. 

Parfitt : For nostalgic reasons I’d like to think we might use Jackie, but whether he could raise it to the level of that original – I mean, he really fucking meant it. 

Rossi : “Are you ready to… I don’t quite remember what I’m here for.” It’s not the same, is it? So the jury’s out on that. Lancaster: We wouldn’t want it to be corny. 

Of the four of you, who has changed the most of all… and the least?  

Parfitt : Wow, that’s a really interesting question. 

Lancaster : To me, Rick’s changed the most. As a person, he’s a lot warmer than he used to be. 

Parfitt [looking perplexed]: I’d say that’s probably a lack of drugs. 

And what about Francis, Alan? 

Lancaster : Well, he’s become really cold. 

Parfitt and Rossi [simultaneously]: That’s a lack of drugs as well! [Much laughter] 

Rossi [into dictaphone]: Bring back the drugs! Now! 

Parfitt [attempting to sound serious]: I think it’s really quite weird. When we were together back then, Spud [Coghlan] and I used to love our drinking, so did Alan and Francis. Like I said earlier, most of the time we were completely out of it – wonga-d. It’s quite a shock when we get back together, all straight, and sit around a table. Perhaps after all these years we’ll finally get to know one another for the first time. 

Lancaster : What Rick’s saying is true, but we weren’t out of it all of the time… 

Parfitt [interrupting]: You speak for yourself, mate. [Roars with laughter] 

Lancaster : What I’m trying to say is that none of us are really that different as people. Maybe the personalities have been tweaked a little? Softened? 

Lancaster: That’s it exactly. One of the reasons that we got so grouchy – and this might sound stupid – is that we used to go for huge periods of time without being fed. Also, our diets were wrong. [The others nod] 

Rossi : That’s a good point. Hunger can do strange things to a man. 

Lancaster : If you’ve not eaten for 24 hours… 

Parfitt [interjecting]: Because you’ve not got any money… 

Lancaster: …You tend to behave a little differently. It can make you really angry. 

Rick, in your last Classic Rock interview, you stated that John is “still a moody bastard”, just like he used to be. 

Parfitt: I didn’t mean that to sound nasty. Until we get out on the road, I don’t know whether Spud has got better or become worse. Time will tell. 

Rossi : Oh… look out, he’s got that look in his eye. 

Parfitt : Spud, by his own admission, was a moody fucker. You’d get halfway through the set and something would upset him, and then you’d see his face change. He looked like thunder, and he played like a bastard – it was fantastic! So we’ve got to make sure we upset him somehow. [Laughs] 

Rossi : Back then Spud was much, much quieter than the rest of us, but a lot more explosive. 

Parfitt : John always looked very handsome when he was moody… till he grew a beard. 

Rossi [horrified]: Well, I didn’t want to shag him. 

Parfitt [looking around him]: All I can say is that it’s such a pleasure to be sitting here with everyone else. It’s freaking me out in a way.

That’s unusually profound, Rick.  

Parfitt [in decidedly forlorn tones]: What happened was such a shame. Although in some ways the split was inevitable, after all of that amazing success, for it all to have fallen apart… for me it was incredibly sad. So it’s very refreshing for the four of us to be sitting around a table again, it really is. 

So is this all about closure or can we realistically hope for more? 

Rossi : Like Rick just said, it’s nice to be back together again – apart from him over there [Lancaster], of course. If it goes well… who can say? That’s the crazy thing about this business. Two years ago this would have been completely impossible. The next step is to see how the tickets really sell. It’s no good us wanting to do something – the demand must be there. And if that’s proven? 

Rossi : Well, then we’re game. I certainly am. 

Parfitt : If the gigs in March are as successful as we’re hoping, then… dare I say it… 

Rossi : Dare, dare! 

Parfitt : Then there could be a world tour [from the Frantic Four] in 2013. Australia wants us. 

Rossi : The Germans are interested. But at the end of the day, it’s not about whether or not we want to do it. The business reasons have to work. 

Lancaster : We’re just the prawns in the tempura. 

Parfitt [splutters with laughter]: I like that! But yeah, if none of us dies in the meantime then that could well be on the agenda. 

Rossi : Then we’d have to have two buses – one for us and one for them. 

Parfitt : No, fuck that, we’ll have one each. If we’re gonna get big again, let’s do things properly. 

Could that extend to an album? 

Rossi : Possibly, yeah. Nuff has got a mile of tunes. 

Lancaster : The way forward might be to do an EP. 

That seems to be the new business model. 

Lancaster : Exactly. That way you have quality control and time. If your three EPs are well received then you can match them up for an album. Nobody wants to hear anything that’s 50 per cent crap. 

Rossi [amazed]: Fucking hell, Nuff just got serious. 

On behalf of Classic Rock readers everywhere, welcome back guys – we hope it lasts. 

Rossi: Well, it’s early days. 

Coghlan : We haven’t even decided who’ll go out on stage first. 

Parfitt : Oh, we have! 

Rossi : Gladly… you two [Lancaster and Coghlan] walk out our first. That’ll suit me just fine. 

Parfitt : The bottom line is that none of us know what’s gonna happen, or where this will take us. But I’m sure it’s going to be fun finding out.

The original version of this feature appeared in Classic Rock 182, in February 2013. The Frantic Four played 26 shows across Europe on their reunion tour, but didn't get to Australia. No studio recordings emerged.  

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.

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Tyumen, Russia

Tours, Attractions and Things To Do in Tyumen

Tyumen travel guide.

• 2. Attractions
• 3. Souvenirs

History of Tyumen

Prior to Russian rule, the Tatar city of Chimgi-Tura marked the site of modern Tyumen, Russia and served as the capital of the Siberian Khanate. In 1586, Tyumen was the very first city to be founded by the Russians in Siberia. Part of the Ural Region until 1944, today it is the administrative center of Tyumen Region and one of Russia’s key industrial and cultural centers.

The name of the city is still a mystery to researchers. Some suggest that it came from the Tatar word "tumen", meaning "army of ten thousand", while others speculate that the name is a combination of the words "tyu" and "myana", which together mean "my property". Today in the Tatar language, the word "tyumen" literally translates as "lowland", which is an appropriate term for a city which straddles the Tura River.

Whichever theory is accurate, one thing is for sure: today there is something in Tyumen to surprise and delight any traveler desiring to experience firsthand the mysterious romance of Siberia .

Tyumen Attractions

Most Tyumen city tours begin at Tura River Embankment, one of the area’s most scenic spots from which sweeping views of Holy Trinity Monastery and Church of the Holy Cross Exaltation open up from Lovers’ Bridge.

Historical Square marks the site of Tyumen’s earliest settlements. Not far from Historical Square is Holy Trinity Monastery, which opened in 1616 and is the oldest surviving hermitage in the city today. One of Tyumen’s most significant religious sites, it attracts many Orthodox pilgrims from Western Siberia and the Urals. The monastery is accompanied by a gorgeous green square which is particularly beautiful in spring when the apple trees are in bloom.

An equally important religious monument is Znamensky Cathedral (Cathedral of the Sign), located in Tyumen’s historical center. The original 17th- century church was wooden, but after repeatedly burning down it was replaced the following century with a stone cathedral built in the Siberian Baroque style. Major reconstruction work was completed in 1904, and the end result far exceeded expectations. Today Znamensky Cathedral continues to evoke awe with its striking iconostasis and cheerful exterior.

A walk down central Republic Street, where many 19th-century buildings can still be seen, will conjure up images of life in a bygone era. Kolokolnikovs’ Estate Museum Complex, which survived many fires, deserves special attention, as does House Averkiev with its extraordinary balconies and the former City Duma, which today houses the Regional Museum of Local Lore.

Twenty-first century Tyumen can be seen in all its glory as you wander Tsvetnoy Boulevard and Siberian Cats Park, whose name is derived from the square’s many cast-iron feline figures. Tyumen Regional Museum of Fine Arts serves as the city’s central showroom and is particularly known for its unique works of Russian cult artists such as Ivan Aivazovsky, Ilya Repin and Boris Kustodiev.

Tyumen has a good selection of restaurants offering cuisines for every taste and budget. For tourists, however, Chum Restaurant-Museum is a must. The restaurant serves unique Siberian dishes and is decked out in regional memorabilia. Guests even have the option to dine inside a semi-private cabinet designed to resemble a traditional chum (tent) .

Tyumen Souvenirs

In keeping with its Siberian roots, memorabilia with images of reindeer, red fish and bears are all popular. Fur coats and clothing items made from reindeer skins reflect the beauty of local traditional dress and are sure to keep you warm even in the dead of winter. Original figurines carved from bone make an unusual gift, while anyone with a sweet tooth will want to pay a visit to Kvartet Candy Factory, whose chocolates and other sweets decorated with Tyumen landscapes are equally decorative and delicious.

Grab your coat and come for a visit to Tyumen, Russia, the magnificent pearl of Western Siberia!