TER-RIFF-IC! Rock's dinosaurs in denim, Status Quo, are on the road again, this time in support of their millionth album, Riffs.

Forty dates in total, the Riffs 2003 tour opened in deepest Guildford on October 29 and books into North Yorkshire for a couple of nights in the final week: Harrogate International Centre on December 16 and York Barbican Centre the next day.

The Quo last roamed these parts in June when rocking all over the wood in Dalby Forest. Now they swap their forest commission for nights indoors on a promotional push for Riffs, a 15-track celebration of the greatest guitar licks... ever.

Keeping pace with cover addicts UB40, Riffs is in effect the Quo's third tribute album: why, they even 'cover' Quo standards Caroline, Down The Dustpipe, Whatever You Want, Rockin' All Over The World and Juniors Wailing from the 1970 album Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon.

The reason? The old fixtures and fittings were worn, and so it was time to replace them with "bang-up-to-date" versions by the present line-up of old timers Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, bassist John Rhino Edwards, keyboard player Andrew Bown and drummer Matt Letley.

Tickets for the Riffs tour cost £26.50 on 01423 5372300 or 01904 656688.

Updated: 16:17 Thursday, December 04, 2003