Last Updated:
Iona News (05th Dec 2001)
Dave Bainbridge has updated the Iona website with news about progress on the band's development of their own label which is to be callec Open Sky Records. The label will have distribution through Alliance (UK/Europe Christian outlets), Voiceprint (general market) and a few other organisations worldwide. The first release will be the box-set mentioned before on these pages, now to be titled The River Flows (Iona Anthology Volume 1) and to be released early next year. The band will soon be re-entering the studio to record and mix the tracks "Jigs", "Castlerigg and extended reels" and "Hearthquake" to be included on the bonus disc included in the box set. The band will be doing a few shows in Germany in June, though it is not yet confirmed whether this will be the full lineup or the rumoured instrumental outing.
Iona Box Set (06th Oct 2001)
In between announcing that vocalist Joanne Hogg has given birth to a baby boy named Isaac (congratulations Jo) and that their website is to be redesigned very soon, Iona have informed us that they've been dropped by Forefront records "in favour of looking to sign 'pop acts capable of wider crossover appeal'". Since Forefront had a deal which meant they helped Alliance fund Iona's recording projects, Alliance are no longer able to continue their deal with the band who as a result are now independent. The band have decided to experiment with independetly releasing future albums on their own label and are asking fans to pre-order future projects to help with financing them. At the same time Dave Bainbridge has announced that the first release on Iona's new label will be a 4 CD box set containing the band's first three albums and an additional CD of unreleased material, both live and studio. The box set will also include a 56 page booklet of archive photos. The proposed release date is Spring 2002 and the band are asking interested fans to get in touch for more information.
Breath of Heaven (20th Aug 2001)
Breath of Heaven is the title of the long-awaited new album from David Fitzgerald. The album, which includes a number of Dave's own pieces alongside songs from writers such as Graham Kendrick, Chris Eaton and Joanne Hogg (Iona), is said by Dave to have been inspired by hearing a song Chris Eaton wrote performed at the Albert Hall and picks up links between the terms "breath" and "spirit" within the bible. The album is entirely instrumental, a first for Dave whose last couple of releases have featured choirs prominently. ICC will be releasing Breath of Heaven on September 1st.
Iona Cancel US Show (23rd Jun 2001)
Iona have had to pull out ofthe stateside Cornerstone festival as a result of JoanneHogg's pregnancy. The band will still be playing atGreenbelt and will then begin work on a new album. They areconsidering the possibility of a US tour in 2003 but haverecently been dropped by their US distributors Forefront.
Greenbelt Announces Acts (26th Mar 2001)
Greenbelt has announced an initial lineup including chart act the Dum Dums, celtic favourites Iona, Sarah Masen, Switchfoot, Ben Castle, Martyn Joseph, BottleRockit, Kato, Kendall Payne, and Salvation Street. The festival's next lot of publicity is due to begin arriving on doorsteps this week and lots more names as well as big developments for the festival website are promised over the coming months
Iona News (24th Feb 2001)
Iona's Book Of Kells album has been included in the new book The 100 Greatest Albums In Christian Music compiled by US-based CCM magazine. Unfortunately the band have had to cancel their forthcoming appearance in Mexico as Joanne Hogg has fallen ill on returning from the band's tour of Japan.
Artists in the Press (12th Feb 2001)
A number of Britlinks listed artists have been getting some good mainstream press recently. Skinflowers' collaboration with The Chaos Engine at the Underworld in Camden recently got a positive review in Metal Hammer. Folk/world mag Dirty Linen have a review of Iona's Open Sky in their February/March issue, and Zuff's band Pesky Thomas got a glowing review in the Medway Standard.
Troy Donockley Hard At Work (09th Jan 2001)
Troy Donockley's solo album The Unseen Stream is due for a US release very soon, but first it's being treated to a "Digital Surround" remix. Until that's completed no release date is being set. In the meantime Troy's still hard at work on his new album The Beautiful Suit and is helping Maddy Prior finish up her new album, King Arthur, which will be released in April and accompanied with a UK tour. Troy will soon be off to Japan and Mexico with Iona.
Iona - Big In Japan? (07th Nov 2000)
Iona are set to tour Japan during February next year, immediately before they head to Mexico to play the Baja Prog Rock festival. The band, all of whom will be in attendance, will play three dates in Japan between the 16th and 18th. More information can be found at www.mplant.com.
Celtic Christmas (25th Oct 2000)
Members of Iona past and present have united with producers Nigel Palmer and Nick Fletcher to record Immanuel, the latest release in the Celtic Expressions of Worship series. The album, recorded in May and June this year features Joanne Hogg, Troy Donockley, Terl Bryant, Dave Fitzgerald and Tim Harries among others. The album will be available through Kingsway Music in the UK. Instrumental tracks from Immanuel, along with other pieces from the Celtic Expressions series may well appear on a compilation album in the USA shortly, possibly under the band name "Kildare".
Iona Travel Abroad (21st Oct 2000)
Iona are to return to North America after quite a break to play at the Baja California progressive rock festival in Mexico at the end of February/start of March. More details can be found at www.1russ.com/BAJAPROG/. The band will also be appearing in the Netherlands at the Winter Wonder Rock festival in early December, which also features Delirious?. Nick Beggs will rejoin the band for the Dutch show due to the absence of Phil Barker.
Iona Retrieves Back Catalogue (15th Jul 2000)
Iona are preparing to launch full online sales through their website very shortly, making it easier than ever for fans outside the UK to get hold of their releases. The band have recently regained ownership of their back catalogue from former label Word Music and are apparently exploring the possibility of re-releasing (and possibly reworking) some of the older material independently.
Selected Extracts (14th May 2000)
Punk band Cephas are returning to the studio to demo some new material. Their Happy Go Loser EP is about to enter its second print-run. Iona have had to cancel their Glasgow concert this week as the venue's roof isn't suitable... Love Crusade have won through to the quarter final of the Lowenbrau sponsored Battle of the Bands. Eskimo Sunbed's CD is now available by mail order. Murph got their first bit of national publicity in a recent issue of Melody Maker.
Iona Live Again (03rd May 2000)
Iona kicked off their first UK tour in around two years last night at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. The band also finally had copies of their new album Open Sky -- Alliance Music only received copies of the album that afternoon. The album is due for a US release in February 2001 but the band are hoping to have a secure server set up to sell albums through their website very soon. Look out for some clips of the album here soon, but in the meantime check out our concert review.
Snippets (29th Apr 2000)
The new Howard Jones album will feature former Iona bassist Nick Beggs. Beggs is currently preparing for a string of solo Chapman Stick concerts across the UK. dba are receiving a great deal of support from Sky TV. Sibling have just completed their first demo recording. Zozzy, designer of the original Britlinks logo has some tracks at MP3.com under the name The Love Frequency.
Troy Donockley, Workaholic? (12th Apr 2000)
No sooner had the mastering of the new Iona album been completed than news emerged that Troy Donockley is working on a follow-up to his 1998 solo album, The Unseen Stream. The new album, to be titled The Beautiful Suit is described by Donockley as featuring "lots of full on choir". Not content to stop at that, he has also been featured on Kathryn Tickell's new album Debateable Lands, taking part in what they believe to be the first ever recorded duet between Uillean and Northumbrian pipes.
Iona's Skies To Open in May (26th Mar 2000)
Open Sky, the new album from Iona is to be mastered tomorrow (Thursday 30th March) and will be released in the UK through Alliance Music on May 1st. The band kick off their UK tour the next day.
Open Skies for Iona (01st Mar 2000)
Iona are putting the finishing touches to their new album, Open Sky which should be mastered for immediate release this month. "It's a real departure from previous Iona albums," bassist Phil Barker tells us. He says that it's "very positive and the theme is the unseen spiritual realm that envelopes us." Look for some preview clips from the album soon at this site. The band have been confirmed as one of the acts for this year's Cross Rhythms festival and one of Troy Donockley's solo tracks will be used on a BBC2 North programme about Flamborough Head tomorrow.
Coastal Single (02nd Feb 2000)
Following an exciting past few months, including coverage in the Guardian and gigs across the country, Durham's premiere student band, Coastal Dune, will have a new single out on February 14th. The single, available directly from the band, is being release as part of National Marriage Week -- an MP3 of the lead track, "Till We're Old", will be available for download from http://www.nmw.org.uk
Iona Tidbits (08th Dec 1999)
Iona are continuing to work on their next studio album and initial reports are that it will be a departure from what hasgone before. Unfortunately the band will be unable to release the Woven Cord project on video due to royalty demands from the Royal Festival Hall, but they hope to release a biographical video (and possible DVD) next year which will include excerpts from a number of concerts, as well as interviews and thoughts on different songs. The CD version of the Woven Cord project will release in the USA through Forefront on Tuesday February 29th. Troy Donockley continues to tour with Maddy Prior and Iona have already started booking their next UK tour -- Derby Assembly Rooms have a show listed for the 9th March.
Woven Cord USA (27th Oct 1999)
Gold Records have announced that they have the exquisite Iona live CD, Woven Cord in stock for any of the band's US fanbase who're looking for a copy.
Iona Studio-Bound (15th Oct 1999)
Following the release this week of their live Woven Cord album through Alliance, Iona are preparing to enter The Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire to record their next studio release. A release date is scheduled for March 2000. They will once again be joined by engineer/producer Nigel Palmer.
Iona Weave their Cord (29th Sep 1999)
The next Iona album will be a recording of their Woven Cord concert from May this year and will release on October 11th. The band's next studio release is due early next year.
Deliriously Glastonbury (05th May 1999)
Delirious? have announced that they will be playing on the mainstage at this year's Glastonbury festival. The band will appear on the Sunday night and hope that this appearance will help them establish themselves within the mainstream music scene. Glastonbury has previously seen performances by Iona, Eden Burning and Why? but this slot is an unprecedented opportunity for a band who have previously been established within the "Christian music" scene.
Ravenchild Iona Members (21st Apr 1999)
The latest album from Maddy Prior, Ravenchild, features Nick Beggs,
Iona Down To Five (27th Jan 1999)
Yeah, we're late again with Iona news, but it is now official that Mike Haughton has left Iona and will not be replaced. Mike wrote a letter to the fans which can be seen at the Iona website in which he expressed his enjoyment in working with the band but said that the sabbatical year had been a time for reflection for him and he felt the time had come to leave. The space left in the sound will make room for drmmer Frank Van Essen's violin. Iona have been laying down tracks for Joanne Hogg's solo album and for their next studio album, and plans are now well under way for the Festival Hall concert in May.
FreeState Announces Strong Starting Point (13th Jan 1999)
The new FreeState festival, organised jointly by Greenbelt and Spring Harvest has announced a potential lineup which includes Sixpence None The Richer, Iona, All Star United, Fono, and Steve. Watch this space for more news.
Iona Preparing For Festival (30th Dec 1998)
Another band with a much anticipated new release on the way is Iona. The band are preparing for a concert with the All Souls Orchestra in May at the Royal Festival Hall in London, a show that will also feature appearances from past Iona members. The concert will mark the ten year anniversary of the ground breaking celtic band and may well be used by the band to debut new material for an album due towards the end of 1999.
In The Meantime... Joanne Hogg (30th Dec 1998)
Before salivating too much over the new Iona album, fans might like to hear that the band's acclaimed vocalist is indeed planning a solo album for March release, probably on Alliance Music. Rumours have been floating around since late last year that this was the case and they have finally been confirmed. More details, as ever, when we get them.
Alliance At Spring Harvest (30th Dec 1998)
Alliance Music have announced that US artists Michelle Tumes and Nichole Nordeman will be joined by World Wide Message Tribe, Joanne Hogg (Iona) and Chris Eaton at this year's Spring Harvest.
Eye of the Eagle Greeted With Surprised Reactions (15th Oct 1998)
Eye Of The Eagle the new collaboration between Iona founders Dave Bainbridge and David Fitzgerald with author David Adam received its official live debut on Monday 12th October. Performed in Norwich Cathedral with the help of a range of vocalists, including a choir, the performance was part of a mainstream music festival. Unfortunately initial reports suggest that the attempted marriage of celtic, catholic and orthodox musical styles was less than successful. An album is to be launched very soon, watch here for further news about this collaboration.
Terl Bryant Leaves Iona (30th Sep 1998)
Terl Bryant, the acclaimed drummer/percussionist with celtic-prog group Iona has announced he is to leave the group. Bryant, who also lists session time with artists such as Steve Taylor and who has released two solo projects, said in a letter to fans published at the group's website that he had spent a lot of time praying and thinking about his decision and tht he feels this is the right time to leave.
"I am immensely proud of my years with Iona and have been thoroughly blessed through the time I have spent working with the band. The Holy Spirit has touched and ministered to me countless times at concerts, during recording, and in our travels together. The members of the band have also taught me so much. Although I don't truly know what the future holds, it is with my favourite song in mind, 'Edge of the World', that I feel I must 'turn and face the sea', and leave Iona to sail off in God's plans. Thank you all out there too for your encouragement and support - I value your prayers!"
Band member Dave Bainbridge responded to say that while they were sad to lose Bryant from the band but respected his decision. Bryant and his drum ensemble, Psalm Drummers, should still join the group for their appearance at the Royal Albert Hall next May.
New Iona Drummer Is An Old Friend (30th Sep 1998)
Within a week of the departure of their previous drummer, Terl Bryant, Iona have found a replacement. Frank van Essen played with Iona during some of the very early days of the band and, playing percussion on Book Of Kells and contributed his violin skills to Book of Kells and Beyond These Shores. Van Essen had recently left a popular Dutch band feeling that God was leading him to something new, and all parties involved feel that this is more than just happy coincidence. The new lineup plan to get together next month in Ireland to work on new material.
Britlinks News is © Britlinks and should not be reproduced without permission.
Return to site index / Contact us
Britlinks designed, maintained and © James Stewart/Britlinks Design