UFO’s Phil Mogg Unveils Debut Moggs Motel Album
MOGGS MOTEL, the new band featuring UFO singer Phil Mogg, has signed with SPV/Steamhammer. MOGGS MOTEL’s self-titled album is scheduled for a September 2024 release. UFO fans, watch out! Anyone who’d feared over the past two years that Mogg, one of the most influential rock vocalists worldwide, would disappear completely from the scene after the demise of his band, in addition to his health problems, has now thankfully been proved wrong.
After a brief hiatus to catch his creative breath, the 76-year-old British musician with the distinctive voice is ready to present his latest band and release, “Moggs Motel”, which he composed together with Tony Newton (bass and keyboards) from the band VOODOO SIX, who had been touring partners with UFO previously, and long-standing associate Neil Carter (guitar, keyboards, vocals). The album was recorded at IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris’s studio in Essex, U.K. In the studio, the band was joined by Joe Lazarus (drums) and Tommy Gentry (guitar) to complete the lineup.
The album’s twelve timeless songs show that Mogg has lost none of his artistic charisma, uniquely expressive voice and love of unbridled creativity. “Moggs Motel” will be available on Steamhammer/SPV from September 6 worldwide ex North America on CD, vinyl LP and for digital download. Two singles, including video clips, will be released as appetizers ahead of the album’s arrival at the physical and digital stores: the album opener “Apple Pie” will be out on June 28, 2024, followed by “Sunny Side Of Heaven” on August 16.
In a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock to promote the 2024 remastered reissue of UFO’s 1977 album “Lights Out”, Mogg was asked if there was still “more to do” with the band. He responded: “No, no. I think it’s come to a conclusion. We did that last U.K. tour in 2019, just before COVID. So that was kind of the end of it, and the time was right.”
Mogg suffered a heart attack in August 2022. The musician was rushed to the hospital where he had two stents implanted into his coronary arteries. This is known medically as a coronary angioplasty and aims to re-open the blocked coronary artery by inserting one or more stents. This helps keep the narrowed artery open.
UFO’s farewell tour was scheduled to kick off on October 15, 2022 at the De Casino in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium and run through a final show at the Fuzz Club in Athens, Greece on October 29, 2022. In 2021, UFO announced that it would embark on its final tour featuring a series of exclusive concerts in summer 2022 to bid farewell to its fans in style. UFO was scheduled to play the very last concert of in Athens, where the band performed its first show featuring current guitarist Vinnie Moore in February 2004.
UFO guitarist/keyboard player Paul Raymond died in April 2019. He appeared on more than a dozen of UFO’s albums, including “Lights Out” and the live classic “Strangers In The Night”. UFO’s most recent lineup included original members Mogg and drummer Andy Parker, as well as Moore, who joined in 2003, and Rob De Luca (bass), a member since 2012. UFO’s latest release was the 2017 covers collection “The Salentino Cuts”.