“More fun than fusion has any right to be.” – Rhythm Magazine (UK)
Over the past decade, The Aristocrats – guitarist Guthrie Govan (Steven Wilson, Hans Zimmer, Asia/GPS), bassist Bryan Beller (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Dethklok), and drummer Marco Minnemann (Steven Wilson, Joe Satriani, Steve Hackett) – have established themselves as one of the most musically original, refreshingly irreverent, and astoundingly entertaining instrumental rock-fusion acts on the planet. Anyone who’s witnessed their live musical high-wire act – employing random amounts of rock, jazz, pop, metal, country, and anything in between – feels the spirit of a true band, one whose improvisational soul allows for anything to happen onstage at any moment…including the occasional Frank Zappa-influenced wink and nod at the audience.
The buzz from their supposedly one-off debut gig at the Anaheim NAMM show in 2011 led to The Aristocrats self-titled debut album. Tracked in just eight days, The Aristocrats [2011] was hailed as an instant classic in leading music publications worldwide, appearing on many of that year’s top ten lists. Over the next decade, The Aristocrats proceeded to make three more critically acclaimed studio albums, two of which landed in the Billboard Top 10 Jazz Chart. (Jazz? Ok, sure.) Several world tours resulted in three live albums, the most recent of which – FREEZE! Live In Europe 2020 – was a poignant document of the band peaking on the You Know What…?, captured just two weeks before the COVID era began.
In the midst of breaking the lockdown seal with the worldwide DEFROST tour running through 2022 and 2023 (North America, Asia, Europe), the band gathered in southern California to record their fifth and most ambitious studio album to date. Plans are already in the works for the release and subsequent return to North American stages in 2024.
The ultra-power-trio issued a joint statement to mark the occasion: “Even though modern technology is great, we wanted to wait until we were physically together before playing any new material, because that’s just how we do it. And it was worth waiting for because we came up with a concept we didn’t see coming even amongst ourselves. So we can’t wait to share this unique material, which we’re already previewing in our live shows. In the meantime, we’re grateful to be back out and playing for our fans around the world. That’s why we’re doing this in the first place!”
Standing show. A Band on the Wall Fundraiser.
Artists on stage: 8.00pmCurfew: 11.00pm
Stage: Manchester Academy 2
More fun than fusion has any right to be.
Rhythm Magazine