COLOSSAL COMEBACK

Since 2020, British legends Colosseum – featuring founding members Clem Clempson, Chris Farlowe and Mark Clarke – have been increasingly active again both in the studio and on stage. In 2026, these seasoned musicians will hit the road once more, armed with a wealth of classics and their colossal new album XI from 2025, which once again dynamically and inspiredly spans the broad spectrum of blues, jazz rock and prog.

Fusion pioneers Colosseum were formed in 1968 and were revived for the second time in 2020 by guitarist Clem Clempson (with the band since 1969), bassist Mark Clarke (since 1970) and R&B legend Chris Farlowe (since 1970). The current line-up is completed by keyboardist Nick Steed (Van Morrison, PP Arnold), saxophonist Kim Nishikawara (Michael Bublé, Maggie Bell, Jack Bruce) and drummer Malcolm Mortimore (Tina Turner, Tom Jones, Gentle Giant). Together, they released the comeback album Restoration in 2022. In March 2025, this was followed by another longplayer. Simply titled XI, Colosseum’s eleventh studio album opens yet another exciting chapter in the band’s history, which began in 1969 with their debut Those Who Are About To Die Salute You. The nine tracks on XI showcase the current Colosseum line-up at its very best: a group of friends, longtime companions and kindred spirits who honour the legacy of founding members Jon Hiseman and Dick Heckstall-Smith without sounding dusty or dated. The album features seven original compositions, with keyboardist Nick Steed standing out as a songwriter alongside Clem Clempson. The almost nine-minute-long English Garden Suite recalls the Colosseum masterpiece The Valentyne Suite in both length and spirit. Selected cover versions of Van Morrison’s Ain’t Gonna Moan No More and Jack Bruce’s Out Into The Fields round off XI. Muskreviews.de concludes: “An album that sounds like the band’s finest days – which lay in the 1970s – yet arrives squarely in 2025 without any excessive nostalgia, once again blending jazz and progressive rock with blues and soul, and hitting the mark perfectly.”

Line Up:
Chris Farlowe (lead vocals)
Clem Clempson (guitars & vocals)
Mark Clarke (bass & vocals)
Malcolm Mortimore (drums)
Nick Steed (keyboards)
Kim Nishikawara (saxophones).