Rhino’s Revenge, the ‘side band’ of
Status Quo’s bass player,
John ‘Rhino’ Edwards, will release a third album, ‘
Just Sayin’’, on 6 October 2023 through Molano Music, again produced by long term collaborator
Mike Paxman. The album offers some searing musicianship – and a side order of sizzled sacred cows for good measure – as he takes cheerful aim at some of this modern world’s stranger preoccupations. The album release will be supported by a UK and European tour, featuring Status Quo rhythm section colleague
Leon Cave on drums, with
Craig Joiner of Romeo’s Daughter completing the line-up on guitar.
Rhino is never afraid to ruffle feathers and some of the songs on ‘Just Sayin’’ take on subjects in areas into which others may fear to stray. You are free to disagree but he’ll want you to listen to the songs before you do. Despite tracks like ‘The PC World’, the album is by no means a polemic, he’s quite happy to segue from the topic of people being afraid to speak their mind, to the joys of life in a tin can on ‘Caravan Man’! He says of the album, “It’s a fun ride, from caravans to Evening Primrose, via a few rants, and of course songs about drinking – I am ‘Rhino The Wino’ after all. Plus amazing musicians – what’s not to like?”
Having been a member of acts including The Climax Blues Band, Space and Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Rhino was invited to join Quo in 1986 and has been there ever since. Rhino’s Revenge is a three-piece band, made up from a pool of stellar players that currently includes guitarists Craig Joiner, Jim Kirkpatrick from FM, Rhino’s son Freddie Edwards, and drummers Leon Cave and Richard Newman, and backing singer Mae Edwards.
The band will perform a hometown album launch show at the Teddington Constitutional Club on 6 October, preceded by a [free entry] store signing session from 4pm at the nearby Roan Records store. The UK live shows, which run through October into November, will offer a mix of Rhino’s Revenge songs, some Quo favourites which Rhino either wrote or co-wrote, some timeless rock classics, and an element of the spontaneous unknown.
The tour, and of course the band’s third album itself, represent a great chance for fans to connect with one of British Rock’s great talents. As a child he trained on the classical violin which, as he jokes, “Came in ’kin handy when it came to joining Quo!” These days, Rhino is an engaging and enthusiastic performer who is not quite content to let the music do all the talking. He’s got plenty of opinions of his own, y’see – ‘Just Sayin’’…
