Latest UK News

Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent has been arrested on suspicion of assault after his wife accused him of hitting her in the face, throwing her to the ground and dragging her through broken glass. Diane Cusano, 44, was bleeding and smelled of alcohol when she drove herself to a sheriff's office following a row with her 58-year-old husband at their Tennessee home, a police report claims. After interviewing Cusano, sheriffs arrested Vincent on domestic aggravated assault charges.

He was taken into custody, where he posed for a mugshot before being released on $10,000 bail. Cusano told officers that she and Vincent, whose real name is Vinnie Cusano, began arguing over a woman he was talking to on Saturday evening. She claims the guitarist became 'verbally aggressive', telling her to 'get the f*** out of the house', and then 'smacked' her in the face. She said Vincent proceeded to grab her by the hair, throw her to the ground and dragged her through a pile of glass from a broken plate that was lying on the floor. As she was trying to get away, the musician allegedly continued to throw her to the ground four times.
According to an incident report by Rutherford County Sheriff's Department, when Cusano arrived at the police department she was 'covered in blood and appeared to be intoxicated because of the strong odor of an intoxicant about her person.' She was taken to the Middle Tennessee Medical Centre to receive treatment for her injuries. The report also states that when deputies visited Vincent at his home, they found four sealed containers with dead dogs inside. When PAWS animal service asked Cusano about the dead animals she said they had been killed by one of their aggressive dogs. Vincent, who was known as Ankh Warrior during his time in KISS, would not answer any questions about the incident and was arrested.

He is due to appear in court on June 23.

Vincent famously took Ace Frehley's place in KISS in 1982. He was initially brought into the band as an uncredited studio replacement for Frehley, during the recording sessions for the Creatures of the Night album.
After playing on the record, Vincent was asked to become an official member of KISS and remained in the group for two albums. He quit in 1984, at the end of the Lick It Up tour, following a row over writer/publisher royalties. In 1997 Vincent sued KISS frontman Gene Simmons and the band's management company over royalties and other matters. The lawsuit was not settled until 2001. Simmons famously said: 'I named Vincent Cusano 'Vinnie Vincent'. That's the only gift he's allowed. It's interesting that Vinnie hasn't changed his name back to Vinnie Cusano.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1390258/Vinnie-Vincent-arrested-suspicion-assaulting-wife.html#ixzz1NJ3BqsGx

The KISS Kruise: Wet, Wild, & Rockin’
Sailing on the Carnival Destiny
October 13 – 17, 2011 from Miami to Half Moon Cay & Nassau, Bahamas

ARE YOU READY to INVADE the seas on the first ever KISS Kruise? KISS is partnering with cruise industry leaders, Sixthman for this sea-bound adventure.

On this outrageous ship, you’ll get to party with fist pounding hard rock all night, and live like a rock star all day. You’ll see a legendary show with KISS in an intimate indoor venue and an acoustic "Sail Away Concert" (no make-up!!) to keep the party going as the ship leaves port. It doesn’t stop there; we’ll have krazy on board activities, KISS-themed nights, badass costume contests and more!

KISS ARMY Fan Club members will be able to book first during the pre-sale, so if you've let your KISS Army Fan Club membership expire or you're thinking about joining for the first time, make sure to sign up by May 22nd!

The sooner you book, the better selection of cabins and seating for your main lounge show!

So, don’t wait - sign up now for the presale here: www.sixthman.net/KISS and make sure to become and ARMY member before May 22nd!

Ticket price INCLUDES:

*Roundtrip cruise from Miami to Half Moon Cay & Nassau, Bahamas
*Cabin for 4 nights
*All food (restaurants & 24-hour room service)
*All Non-Alcoholic / non-carbonated drinks
*KISS shows, including an acoustic, Sail Away show in the Lido Deck (no makeup, daytime as ship leaves port)
*Shows from all other bands onboard
*KISS Q&A on the Lido Deck
*Photo with the band (will be done in groups of 4-8)
*Other onboard activities, parties & theme nights for all 4 days & nights
*Access to exclusive KISS Kruise merchandise

Starting Costs Per Passenger: (based on double occupancy, taxes and fees are additional and explained below).

INTERIOR CABIN: Ranging from $895 per person to $1095 per person
OCEAN VIEW CABIN:Ranging from $1195 per person to $1295 per person
BALCONY CABIN: Ranging from $ 1395 per person to $1995 per person
SUITE: Ranging from $2595 per person to $2995 per person

From TMZ.com:-
Gene Simmons' 18-year-old daughter was in a NASTY four-car pile-up Thursday afternoon -- and TMZ has learned she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance to get checked out. Sources close to the family tell us -- Sophie Simmons was sitting in infamous L.A. traffic when the car behind her failed to stop and plowed into her ... causing her to smash into the car in front of her. The accident caused a chain reaction that ended in a four-car wreck ... with Sophie right in the middle. We're told Sophie was wearing her seat belt -- but the car's airbag didn't deploy -- and Sophie hit her head on the steering wheel. She was taken to the hospital just to get checked out -- where she Tweeted a fun picture of her hospital bracelet and assured her fans that she was ok. But her Dodge Charger wasn't as lucky ... we're told it's completely totaled.

A set of 84 Sonic Boom Over Europe live photos are currently being sold on Ebay with 100% of the profits going to Cancer Research. If you are interetsed they can be found by visiting ebay here  - They are being sold by a member of the KISSin' UK forum.

A new interviews DVD is being released in the UK on the 23rd May, as usual we will be running a competition shortly. Press release is below, full details can be found here.

"A must have for Kiss fans, 'Interviews' contains rare and exclusive uncut interviews, plus footage of former band members and also of crew members from the road. 

Formed in New York City in 1972, the American rock band were easily identified by their trademark face paint and stage outfits, rising to prominence in the mid 70’s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured firebreathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars and pyrotechnics."

The winners of the Vinnie Vincent competition have now been announced, thanks to everyone who entered. This was the first competition with 100% correct answers, clearly no one thought "Vinnie Vincents Lawsuit" was a real band then?!

Winners can be seen here

Many happy returns to the Spaceace himself Mr Ace Frehley - 60 years young today!

Hard Rock Hell V: "Village (Prestatyn) of the Damned"

European Festival Exclusive: "Ace Frehley"

Dates: 2nd to 4th December 2011

VIP Already Sold Out

Hard Rock Hell V, proudly sponsored by Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Rock Radio will take place back at Prestatyn Sands, on 2nd / 4th December 2011, actually, after last years sold out Thursday night, it will start on the 1st for the Die Hard HRH Loyal. Like last year, the Thursday night fancy dress debauchery will continue this year for an unforgettable rock ‘n’ roll experience.

All four of HRH’s previous events have sold out in record speed and this one sold more than 40% in the first 6 hours of going on sale. HRH has had the honour of many legends and heroes over the years which have included, Twisted Sister, Saxon, Black Label Society, Thin Lizzy, Queensryche, W.A.S.P, Monster Magnet to name a few. This year will boast some special exclusives and one off performances.

Following what can only be described as a monstrous multi million selling record career….The Original Spaceman…aka Ace Frehley is set to return to the UK for what can only be described as a unique 90 mins of Ace magic. Ace will headline Saturday night at this years Hard Rock Hell V, where his headline slot will see the rare performance of his entire 1978 solo album plus all the Kiss Classics.

On top of this, already confirmed this we have:

Ace Frehley, Festival Exclusive, Magnum, Therapy, Quireboys, Reckless Love, Wolfsbane, Tyketto, Raven, Girlschool, Tygers of Pantang, Praying Mantis, Black Spiders, Witchfynde, Little Caesar, Bonafide and Dan Baird. With 40 more bands yet to be announced…

This years HRH has been themed as “Village of the Damned”…again the peoples choice, so you can expect some wild dressing up all through the weekend. Tickets available from 08700 110034. Remember early bird prices as well as DC / vet discounts all end 1st May

www.hardrockhell.com   www.myspace.com/hardrockhell

Important ticket info

European packages / road trips, ring (0034) 971 803232 or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Group deals available, ring Fleur @ HRH on 08700 110034

KISS got a mention in The Sun yesterday, apparently they were spied on by the FBI, presumably in the 70's.

"THE FBI asked cops to report "civil unrest or attacks on police" at concerts by the notoriously flamboyant rock band.
A memo ahead of a gig in Frankfurt warned how such incidents had occurred "during previous US appearance of group, one specifically in Texas".

Full article is here: http://bit.ly/dGIWKM