If there’s one thing Brits are good at, it’s hard rock, reports Simon Cosyns for The Sun. With flowing locks hanging way down past their shoulders and impossibly tight flared jeans, the pioneers of this unvarnished genre strutted the world stage and sold millions of records.

Leading the charge from UK shores in the late Sixties and early Seventies was the so-called “unholy trinity” - Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.

Why, you might ask, did good Old Blighty supply these all-conquering monsters of rock? “We were all nutters, that’s why!,” says Deep Purple’s lead singer Ian Gillan, possessor of one of the form’s most commanding hollers.

“I used to listen to American bands and think, ‘My God, they’re so well-rehearsed, everything is just so absolutely tickety-boo.’ But, with the British bands, we were just nuts. We’d go on stage and do anything.”

Speaking from his home in Portugal, Gillan, 78, a mine of useful information, returns to the Led Zep, Sabbath and Purple phenomenon. “Just like ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’, the ‘unholy trinity’ was created entirely by our good friends the music journalists,” he says.

“We knew them, drank with them and they put into words what everyone was doing - something distinctive and identifiable.”

Gillan gives a huge amount of credit to the Brummie hell raisers led by Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi. From late 1982 until early 1984, he actually experienced Sabbath first hand, replacing Ronnie James Dio as lead singer during Ozzy’s lengthy hiatus.

He says: “To a certain extent, Sabbath were the most important because without them there would have been no Seattle (grunge scene) or heavy metal. What Tony was delivering in those early days was just awesome. It was so powerful.”

Gillan continues: “The three bands did something that had never been done before. They were putting into action all the things that had been building up over the previous ten years.”

Read the full report at TheSun.co.uk.

Deep Purple's new studio album, =1, is out now. The enigmatic album title =1 encapsulates the band’s philosophy of unity amidst complexity, promising an album that resonates deeply with their five decades spanning hard rock legacy.

=1 is available via earMUSIC as Ltd. CD+DVD (Digipak), CD (Jewelcase), 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g), Ltd. Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g), Ltd. Crystal Clear 2LP (180g) and Ltd. Box Set (CD+DVD Digipak, 2LP black Gatefold, 3x exclusive 10” vinyl editions feat. live recordings from Deep Purple’s 2022 tour, exclusive Collector’s T-shirt, 2x exclusive guitar picks, 1x exclusive art print, 1x exclusive lanyard, and the chance to win a Golden Ticket giving access to all shows on the Deep Purple =1 More Time tour).

All LPs include a rich 12-page vinyl sized booklet. The bonus DVD features the approx. 60min documentary ‘Access All Areas’ joining Deep Purple backstage on tour and providing an exclusive look behind the scenes.

Further exclusive items are available via the official album store (here): Ltd. 2LP Picture Disc, Ltd. Cassette, strictly limited canvas signed by all band members - limited to 50 items only and various other merchandise items.

Tracklisting:

"Show Me"
"A Bit On The Side"
"Sharp Shooter"
"Portable Door"
"Old-Fangled Thing"
"If I Were You"
"Pictures Of You"
"I’m Saying Nothin’"
"Lazy Sod"
"Now You’re Talkin’"
"No Money To Burn"
"I’ll Catch You"
"Bleeding Obvious"

"Lazy Sod" video:

"Pictures Of You" video:

"Portable Door" video:

=1 More Time tour dates:

August
14 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live
15 - Tampa, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Event Center
17 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
18 - Durant, OK - Choctaw Casino - Grand Theater
19 - Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
21 - Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
22 - Sterling Heights, MI - Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
23 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
25 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
27 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
28 - Gilford, NH - BankNH Pavilion
30 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
31 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

September
1 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
3 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
4 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC
6 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
7 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
8 - Scranton, PA - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain

Tickets are available at deeppurple.com.