Blackmore has lined up three rock shows for next year, during which he will play hits from his career with Rainbow and Deep Purple. Keith is joined in the lineup for the shows by bassist Bob Nouveau, Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson and Lords Of Black vocalist Ronnie Romero.

Keith works with Blackmore in his folk project Blackmore's Night and he says he's thrilled to be part of his return to rock. Keith tells Deep Purple Italia: "There is a section of the Blackmore's Night live show where Ritchie puts on the Strat for a few songs, and we crank up the rock'n'roll. The energy on stage is amazing, and I often found myself thinking, 'Man, I wonder if he's considering doing some rock shows, because this is f***ing fantastic.'