In the first of two nights guesting with the Belgian Quo Band, Richie played the Alcatraz Music Festival in Belgium on 10th August.
Revisit the August 2023 event list
The first of a series of archive live releases appeared on 11th August, featuring a 2010 gig from Amsterdam. The official earMUSIC blurb for the release read as follows.
"The iconic Status Quo release the first volume of the 'Official Archive Series' on 11th of August, 2023. Recorded live at the Heineken Hall, Amsterdam, it is a carefully curated selection of hits with a little bit of something for everyone.
The show was captured on 19th October, 2010 during the 'Pictures Exposed World Tour', with the line-up of Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Andy Bown, John 'Rhino' Edwards and Matt Letley laying waste to an avalanche of 'Quo' classics.
The first offering sets the standard for subsequent releases in the series. Raw, infectious and energetic, it is a powerful and irresistible statement from a band who have been at the top of their game for decades.
The 'Official Archive Series' has been freshly mixed and mastered and offers exceptional sound quality as well as great packaging throughout, with photography by Christie Goodwin. Available on strictly limited and numbered CD/Vinyl editions, and digital formats."
Revisit the August 2023 event list
In the second of two nights guesting with the Belgian Quo Band, Richie played the LedeFeest in Belgium on 11th August.
Revisit the August 2023 event list
Francis was interviewed by Michael Ball on his Sunday morning BBC Radio 2 show on 13th August. Michael played "Rockin' All Over The World" before kicking off the good-natured interview.
The interview was a "Tunes and Chat" promo of course, so most of the interview was devoted to talking about this new format. Francis described going on stage for these shows as "delightful" and noted that there's "something about the intimacy".
Francis said that he still practices every day and that it's "frustrating how much I enjoy it", before praising the many talents of Andy Brook. He talked about how he comes up with stories for each of the shows and that he doesn't feel very nervous for these shows and (much less so than for Quo gigs).
Turning to Quo, Francis revealed that the band plan to go out between May and September in 2024, but did ask himself the question "will it be the last one?". He said that he'll likely be in Sweden for some more "Tunes and Chat" shows after the Quo tour to round out 2024. Francis very deftly handled Michael's question about what it's like post-Rick too.
A brief promo for the new "Tunes and Chat" 10" vinyl release closed out the interview, providing the perfect opportunity to close out the segment with its stunning version of "Spinning Wheel Blues".
Revisit the August 2023 event list
Richie continued his run of European guest spots with Quo tribute bands by appearing with Frantic Quo at the Rockin' Hinterland Festival in Dautphe, Germany, on 13th August. Many familiar faces from the faithful Quo fanbase turned out to support Richie and a fantastic review (with great photos) from Werner Kilian can be found here (in German first and then English).
Richie played the following songs with the band:
The first annual Rock 'Til You Drop Day was held in Irthlingborough on 26th August. Fans were treated to two different Quo tributes during the day, in the shape of newcomers, Break The Rules, and long-time favourites, Stated Quo.
Revisit the August 2023 event list
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