After going into what seemed like permanent retirement, UK rockers THUNDER are back for a tour with JOURNEY and WHITESNAKE. Metal Express Radio caughht up with singer Danny Bowes about the band's current activities. An excerpt from the interview is available below:

MER: Sharing a stage with singers such as David Coverdale (Whitesnake) and Arnel Pineda (Journey) must be quite a daunting proposition. Does having singers of their caliber spur you on to pull out the stops for a show?

DB: "I never think about it. I think I`m conceited and arrogant enough to think I`m the center of the universe and when I get on the stage everybody is in love with me. I`ve become a monster. It`s hard to believe that I started out as a shy kid and couldn`t make eye contact with anybody, but when I got in a band it all changed and now I`m a complete megalomaniac. Seriously, though, they are two extremely good singers and it`ll be fantastic for me to appear on the same stage as them each night."

MER: Although you don`t have a new album out at the moment, what sort of set list are you planning?

DB: "It`ll be a cross-section of the best of Thunder from over the years. We are now really a touring band only. It`s been over five years since we made an album and another one is unlikely. We`ve done a couple of Christmas shows and a festival in 2011, and that`s about it. This year will be the most activity that we`ve done in at least 5 years. So we will play a greatest hits set. We don`t have that long on stage -- only 45-50 minutes -- so we`ll play the stuff that people want to hear."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

The UK tour schedule is as follows:

May

16 - Odyssey - Belfast, UK
18 - Glasgow SECC - Glasgow, UK
20 - Motorpoint Arena - Sheffield, UK
22 - Metro Radio Arena - Newcastle, UK
23 - Manchester Arena - Manchester, UK
25 - Capital FM Arena - Nottingham, UK
26 - Motorpoint Arena - Cardiff, UK
28 - LG Arena - Birmingham, UK
29 - Wembley Arena - London, UK

As previously reported, Thunder have been confirmed for the Sweden Rock Festival which will take place June 5th - 8th in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

Confirmed acts now include: ACCEPT, AMARANTHE, AMON AMARTH, AT THE GATES, AUDREY HORNE, AVANTASIA, AXXIS, BLACK STAR RIDERS, BLOODBOUND, BULLET, CANDLEMASS, CIVIL WAR, STACIE COLLINS, CORRODED, CRAZY LIXX, DEMON, DORO, JON ENGLISH, FIREWIND, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, HEATHEN, HUNTRESS, HYPOCRISY, IHSAHN, KISS, KLOGR, KREATOR, KROKUS, THE LAST BAND, THE LEVELLERS, MORGANA LEFAY, LENINGRAD COWBOYS, LEPROUS, MANILLA ROAD, MÅRRAN, MARTIN PRAHL'S SKELTER WHEEL, MIA KLOSE, NAGLFAR, NINE BELOW ZERO, PARADISE LOST, RAUBTIER, RUSH, SAHG, SATAN, SAXON, THE SCAMS, SISTER SIN, SKID ROW, SONATA ARCTICA, SPIDERS, RICK SPRINGFIELD, STATUS QUO, SURVIVOR, SWEET, TANKARD, THRESHOLD, THUNDER, DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, UFO, VADER, VOMITORY, WITCHCRAFT.

Sweden Rock Festival is a four-day festival with a total of 80 bands performing on five outdoor stages. More info can be found at Swedenrock.com.