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Check out this poster and prepare to sink into a pit of utter depression. It seems 2009′s Priest Feast is heading everywhere next year…apart from Newcastle.

Now it’s not the first time Tyneside has been missed off a major rock tour in recent years but things had been looking up with most of the major shows stopping off at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena. 

Sadly Cardiff and Nottingham seem to have trumped us this time around as Judas Priest, Megadeth and Testament prepare to blow the brains out of metallers across the UK. But it’s OK, we’re still getting New Kids On The Block…

By the way these dates have yet to be confirmed. But I doubt the promoters would fork out on finished posters if there was any doubt!

The big names just keep on coming and on the eve of their Kerrang! cover debut, southern showboaters You Me At Six bid to persuade rushonrock they can hack it with our hard rocking northern heroes. Check out drummer Dan’s words of wisdom (beyond his tender years) and then pester the hell out of the band’s management to get them back in the North East sometime soon…

rushonrock: Just how cool is it going to be the first time you see your cherubic faces slapped across Kerrang! this week?

Dan Flint: It’s quite crazy the buzz around us right now. We’re not what I’d call a High Street band but on our next tour we’re suddenly playing 1,000 and 2,000-capacity venues. We still think of ourselves as up and coming on the underground scene but it looks like the word’s getting out there somehow.

rushonrock: Somehow. But how?

DF: We haven’t really stopped touring – ever. We’ve had maybe four weeks off in between tours since this became serious and we just keep going. We’ve done a couple of headline tours and played with the likes of New Found Glory, Elliott Minor, Fightstar and Angels and Airwaves. Then we played Reading and Leeds this year which was cool so I suppose we’ve been working pretty hard.

rushonrock: Who’s coming to the shows these days?

DF: A lot of people coming to our own shows have been there through word of mouth. We’ve started to get some stuff in the press like Kerrang! but ultimately people have found out about us through a mate or on a message board or a text. The whole word of mouth thing is cool though because for people to take the time to recommend us means we must be doing something right.

rushonrock: And are the gigs going down well with new fans and old punters alike?

DF: The thing we find most difficult right now is not having the album [Take Off Your Colours] out. But that’s all about to change. At the moment we’re doing 50 or 55 minute shows and people only know four or five songs from our MySpace site. It will be great when the rest of the stuff is finally out there on October 13.

rushonrock: So who inspires YMA6?

DF: Our influences are really diverse. Everyone likes the classic bands like New Found Glory, Brand New and Incubus. But Max and Chris like their metal bands like Lamb Of God and Rage Against The Machine – we saw them at Reading and they were superb. We all like pop rock stuff and I’m into a bit of R&B. I go clubbing from time to time and I hear all sorts of stuff. It keeps our music fresh.

rushonrock: How easy was it to pen your debut for Slam Dunk Records?

DF: For Take Off Your Colours we went away last year and wrote a load of songs but they just weren’t good enough for the record we wanted. They were just really simple pop rock songs that weren’t anywhere near what we were capable of. We binned them all and decided to branch out a bit more. It worked and now we’ve got the album we wanted.

rushonrock: Preview copies of the album have been watermarked to prevent leaks on the web and yet YMA6 are a product of the internet age. What’s your view on music and the web?

DF: We’re a band who’s grown up with the internet so we’re very open to what you can do through that medium and we know how it can work for a new band like us. It’s fair to say You Me At Six wouldn’t be where we are today without MySpace and the internet. The whole download thing is very important – both legal and illegal stuff. It’s great to get your name and your music out there and the internet is excellent for staying in touch with fans through blogging and message boards.

rushonrock: And where do you sit on file sharing and free music?

DF: Downloading music for free is a strange one. I know that kids these days can’t afford to buy everything they’d like to buy and if a 15 or 16-year-old somehow gets hold of one of our songs and it makes him buy the album or come to a show that’s Ok with me. I don’t like the idea of kids stealing stuff off the internet but it happens. Kids always want to hear new stuff and anything on MySpace can be ripped so what’s the answer? Who knows?

It’s less than four weeks until UK guitar gods Fightstar turn Tyneside into a heaving pit of angst-ridden testosterone in support of veteran chuggers Feeder.

And as if we weren’t excited enough by the prospect of their Newcastle Academy show it turns out Charlie and the boys are ready to hit us with a brand spanking new single to usher in November!

Yes, The English Way is an early snapshot of what 2008′s been all about for the hard-working four piece as they unveil the first song taken from sessions aimed at producing another killer album. For once in their short but productive lives we’ve seen very little of Fightstar on the road in the last few months and that’s because they’ve been working their collective butts off in the studio.

But the pay-off will surely come in the shape of some incendiary autumn shows and a 2009 long player set to reaffirm their reputation as one of Britain’s best young bands.

Catch Fightstar (yes, Self Made Man, Charlie is the bloke from Busted) at the Academy on October 23 and get ready for The English Way (Search And Destroy Records) on November 3.

In the latest of our exclusive rushonrock interviews we catch up with It Bites drummer Bob Dalton ahead of the band’s Newcastle show this week. Check out the prog rock heroes at the Academy on Wednesday and if you live further afield then the Cumbrian kings move on to Nottingham, Manchester, Bilston, Brighton and Gloucestershire later this month.

rushonrock: What can we expect from It Bites in 2008?

Bob Dalton: Well first off Leeds (Rios) on Saturday night was the first time at a gig since we signed with Virgin that we didn’t play Calling All The Heroes. So the first time in more than 20 years that we haven’t included that song in our set.

rushonrock: Leaving out a top 10 hit and crowd favourite is either brave or foolhardy..

BD: We do want to move on. There’s an element of us being pig sick of that song but we just don’t think it’s really relevant anymore. We want to push the new stuff from Tall Ships and we just decided to drop Calling...One or two people came up to us after the gig and said they were disappointed but there are already songs from the new album which people are picking out at shows and singing along to. There’s one called Great Disasters which is proving really popular.

rushonrock: You’re obviously confident Tall Ships will float a few boats then?

BD: If you look at the history of the band we’ve done one pop album, one progressive album and one rock album. We’ve never been the sort of band to say that’s what we do and we’re sticking to it. U2 are the same. They’ve always moved with the times and done what’s felt right for them. If you try and buy into one thing then the odds are that you won’t be around for too long. But if you pursue what appeals to you at any particular time you’ll always be current even if you’re not always popular. We’re not people who follow trends musically.

rushonrock: Some of the ‘new’ music is a couple of years old. What’s the story?

BD: We started writing new material two years ago but then we sat back for a while to see how [new singer] John Mitchell would fit in and be accepted. Franc [original IB frontman Francis Dunnery] was such a big part of It Bites that we decided it would be best to get out on the road and see how the punters responded to John. So two songs have been around for a couple of years but the rest of the album was written in the last 18 months.

rushonrock: And how’s John Mitchell working out?

BD: The first six months was a learning curve for John Mitchell and John Beck as they got to grips with each other’s writing styles. From my point of view John M feeds John B with ideas just like Franc was John’s ideas man all those years ago. It still works the same way now – John B gets an idea and goes away to work on it. They quickly found their feet and we enjoyed a pretty prolific 12-month songwriting period when everybody was firing on all cylinders.

rushonrock: So was John the catalyst for the It Bites comeback?

BD: I put out a live DVD a couple of years back and it was suggested I put the band back together. That was never really my intention but I called Franc to discuss it and it was clear that wasn’t going to work. He’s living in the US and we’re all in the UK so, first and foremost, it just wasn’t going to be cost-effective. I’d decided to knock it on the head but then I was told about John Mitchell, who I ended up playing with in a band called Kino. He sang a couple of It Bites songs at Kino’s shows and is a huge fan of the band. He turned out to be a perfect fit.

rushonrock: It looks like you were pretty fortunate finding the right frontman…

BD: A lot of things in the music business are down to fate and I suppose, with John M, it was just a case of him being in the right place at the right time. We’re just extremely lucky we chanced upon someone like him when we did. He’s a great songwriter and plays fantastic guitar. He’s just slotted in.

rushonrock: So how has Franc taken to the It Bites revival?

BD: Originally Franc sent me an email saying he didn’t want to commit to It Bites because it was going to be too time-consuming for him with the travel and everything. That was fine and I still talked to him occasionally via email after that.

rushonrock: And you’re still on good terms now then?

BD: Not really. I told him we’d found a new guy and he sent me a few emails back that were not so nice. Now it’s fair to say I don’t speak to him. If I bumped into him in the street I’d say hello but that’s it. I think he just felt a bit pushed out in the end and I suppose he was. But Franc had this idea that we could all stay on opposite sides of the Atlantic and write songs by sending individual parts via the internet. As far as I’m concerned that’s not how you make music – even in this day and age you have to get in a room with people and write stuff.

rushonrock: Was geography the real sticking point or is there something deeper?

BD: I just don’t think It Bites is or was Franc’s main concern anymore. He has other things in his life and we needed someone with the same urge to do it as Franc did in the early days. He had a real desire to do It Bites back then and I don’t think that’s in him anymore. After the first album it was great but then Franc got an attitude. He would probably call it confidence but I’d call it a real rock star attitude. With John there’s much more of a closeness with the fans when he’s on stage. And Franc never had that.”

It’s Sunday so it’s reviews day and after last week’s melodic feast there’s a decidedly heavy feel to to this week’s hottest releases. Plus a cracking compilation from Kerrang!…

Trivium – Shogun (Roadrunner)

Slated as the saviours of thrash metal following Metallica’s demise, what does the future hold for this brutal bunch of hard-hitting heavies now their heroes have returned to form? With Death Magnetic setting fresh standards in the world of rock now might not be the best time for the pupils to challenge the masters.

Fortunately for Trivium they are four albums into a pretty impressive career and confidence is hardly lacking on Shogun. It’s a cocksure statement of Floridian bravado and sits comfortably alongside Metallica’s latest as one of 2008′s essential releases.

Frontman Matt Heafy displays a deft talent for tackling the full spectrum of rock vocals and once fist pumping opener Kirisute Gomen has left you battered and bruised you’re in the mood for a full-on onslaught. The only way is up for this autumn’s Unholy Alliance headliners.

rushonrock rated: 8/10 Shogun Fires On All Cylinders

Holy Moses – Agony Of Death (SPV)

If Trivium’s latest is heavy then this uncompromising record could crush an entire city under the sheer weight of Sabina Classen’s trademark growling and some stunning thrash riffage.

This is Teutonic rock par excellence from a band which shows no signs of slowing down 12 albums into a prolific career. And if there’s nothing radically different here then Agony Of Death still delivers enough twists and turns to keep die-hard fans and intrigued newbies alike.

Boasting a who’s who of the heavier stuff as special guests - members of Obituary, Death, Destruction and Demolition regularly pop up – there are some truly slick moments. Angels In War and the epic Dissociative Disorder are obvious highlights and if you’ve never heard Holy Moses this isn’t a bad place to start.

rushonrock rated: 6/10 From Agony To Ecstasy

Todd Rundgren – Arena (Hi-Fi Recordings)

There was a time when rushonrock wouldn’t have touched multi-talented Todd with the proverbial barge pole but this is, quite possibly, the crazy dude’s rockingest record to date.

Arena, as the title suggests, is an album capturing the flavour or arena rock in Rundgren’s eyes and as such it’s a very listenable study of a modern musical phenomenon. From hair metal riffs to Jovi-esque choruses it could almost be a piss-take if it wasn’t so good.

The brilliant Mercenary probably captures the mood of this surprisingly accessible release best – close your eyes and you could be in a state-of-the-art venue, on a numbered seat, enjoying great acoustics, a massive light show and warm beer from a plastic glass. Or in an Arena.

rushonrock rated: 9/10 Arena Deserves An Audience

Kerrang! The Album 08 (Rhino Records)

In this brave new world of cheap as chips downloads, legal and illegal file sharing and websites streaming singles 24/7 it’s impossible to know how well a metal compilation will sell. But if anyone can sell it then it’s Kerrang!.

The industry leader for all things new and noisy knows its audience inside out and there are all the bands currently keeping the kids keen on this rich and varied collection. Whether you covet Kill Hannah, go stir crazy for Scars On Broadway or feint at the mere metion of Fall Out Boy they’re all here in their fashionable glory.

In addition chart heroes Nickelback, Kid Rock and Green Day appeal to a wider audience and newbies The Gaslight Anthem and You Me At Six get the chance to peddle their wares to a wider audience. It’s unlikely you’ll own something by everyone on here and it’s worth a listen in case there’s something you’re missing.

rushonrock rated: 7/10 The Soundtrack Of Your Year

Metal Church – This Present Wasteland (SPV)

Like label mates Holy Moses there’s not much you can teach the old dogs of Metal Church after almost 30 years thrashing their way through the US, Europe and beyond.

By the mid 1980s these US noiseniks were setting standards alongside the likes of Metallica but where their one-time tour buddies took off, the Church was in decline and by 1993 and the inevitable split had happened.

Six years later the band was back and a decade down the line from that much-heralded reunion it’s safe to say these true rock survivors have rarely sounded better. Perhaps inspired by Metallica’s retrun to form, Metal Church have chosen to use The Present Wasteland as evidence that they, too, are by no means finished. Tracks like Perfect Crime and Meet Your Maker showcase ‘new’ vocalist Ronny Munroe’s best talents and next year’s world tour should be something.

rushonrock rated: 5/10 Church With Bells On

Just in case you missed it the latest blog from our very own Self Made Man has been added to his self made page – look for the link above.

Read how the cassette almost killed his love of rock and how CDs helped him see the light…

With a platiunum debut Stateside and a gold record to follow it’s not as if Floridians Shinedown are new to the metal scene. And yet a band with three top five US rock singles under their belts are still waiting to unleash their own brand of fury on a UK audience.

That’s all about to change later this year after the five-piece bagged a support slot on Disturbed’s UK tour. And while there’s no show on our doorstep there is still no excuse not to check out the Jacksonville noise merchants.

Click on the following link www.myfreedownload.co.uk/shinedown and you will find yourself able to legally download FOUR of the band’s best songs for free! Yes, you read that right. And all because Shinedown are desperate to get their UK fans on board after three years building up a massive support back home…

Even without their incredibly generous offer rushonrock confidently predicted big things for this band in 2009 when new album Sound Of Madness hits stores. But there’s no harm in throwing the odd freebie in our direction in the meantime! Enjoy.

When it became clear I was never going to be the next Nuno Bettencourt, Yngwie Malmsteen or even Phil Collen (that’s Collen – I never wanted to be a little bald drummer boy) I often wondered about becoming the ‘Merch Man’.

You know the guy.

He’s so laid back he should be shifting swag from a deckchair and he’s cooler than a Guinness Extra Cold.

The bloke looks like he could be in a band but then he’s so at home stood behind his table that maybe he was born into selling.

He has an easy manner, can unfold a boxed Tee with lightning quick speed and possesses the dexterity to display a CD, a bandana and 17 different sizes of hoodie in one hand.

He also has the deepest pockets in rock. Deeper than Mick Jagger’s, even. Once those fingers disappear into a pit of loose change and crumpled notes the picture is complete.

Merch Man is making a sale and he has never looked happier. Wouldn’t you if you’d just taken 20 quid off a kid for a mass produced piece of tat?

Anyway, it always seemed like a great job when I first went gigging. Tucked away in the foyer of the City Hall, Merch Man had almost as many mates as the band.

He knew some great stories, chatted up the hottest rock chicks for fun and I bet he had the pick of the leftovers come the end of the tour.

So that was it. Forget trying to master power chords and finger picking. I wanted the disposable income, the interested women and the free sweat band.

And eventually I lived out my dream during a stint as sometime manager for sadly missed North East bad boys Baby Rattlesnakes.

They were opening up for Tokyo Dragons (equally missed at a time when their exceptional classic rock should be ruling the airwaves) and rushonrock faves The Quireboys.

And I was fronting the merch stall. I was Merch Man.

Now it was never going to be like selling clockwork Eddies at a Maiden show. Or selling eye make-up and nooses to Alice Cooper fans.

I wasn’t expecting a rush on the black Tees with yellow logo but I did have a target. After years spent studying Merch Man’s technique I reckoned 10 sales would be well within my reach.

An hour later I’d shifted four. Or make that three if you factor in that I’m still waiting for the money from a Daily Express hack who once wrote a boxing book for Nicky Hutton.

Like power chords it wasn’t easy. And there were no women. No pockets full of loose change and not even a free Tee at the end.

I might have failed but Merch man is still going strong. And never stronger than after a Backyard Babies gig.

Anyone who witnessed the Swedes’ superb UK tour will surely know what I’m talking about. There can never have been such a rich array of merch on one band’s stall.

Forget the six different styles of G-string, the paperback books and the key fobs. This Merch Man was selling official Frisbees for God’s sake.

Anyone who can sell a Frisbee to a tanked up rocker at 10.50pm deserves the status attached to Merch Man. And you know what? They were literally flying off his table all night…

Simon Rushworth

Here at rushonrock we like to bring you all of rock’s biggest names – all of the time. And they don’t come much bigger than Justin Hawkins.

Yes, the ex-Darkness frontman is taking time out from the studio this week to talk all things hair metal and you can read the full interview here first.

And if that’s not enough to get those inner power chords pumping then we’ve also been granted an exclusive transatlantic audience with none other than Extreme. And it just so happens Hawkins’ new band, Hot Leg, will be supporting Gary, Nuno and the boys at Newcastle City Hall next month!

Last, but certainly not least, we’re also pleased to announce a forthcoming feature with our fave Scando rockers of the moment – Evergrey. If you don’t own a copy of their latest album Torn then you don’t know what you missing. But the boys will fill you in (literally, quite possibly) when they speak to rushonrock next week. 

Oh, and anyone at tonight’s Dirty Rock And Roll gig please feel free to pass on your comments – good or bad.

Looking for an excuse to avoid Wednesday night’s basement battle between Carling Cup foes Newcastle and Tottenham – look no further than a date with US hipsters Kill Hannah.

The edgy fourpiece play Newcastle’s Carling Academy on the back of their Kerrang! Awards nomination for best international newcomer and if you don’t mind the odd smear of make-up and some overused hair straighteners then this has to be better than 90 minutes or (God forbid) more of a match the crisis-hit Magpies can do without.

But if Kill Hannah can’t get you going then give Dirty Rock And Roll a try. Due on stage around 9pm tomorrow the North East’s most dangerous band are back with new songs, a new focus and, no doubt, a new take on how to ruin your rhythm section.

After bass player Lee wrapped his instrument around a chandalier and drummer Steve became swamped by a banner it remains to be seen what fresh disaster DRR have in store for us.

Check ‘em out at Newcastle’s Head Of Steam and make sure you badger the boys on a release date for their debut album….

By the way where will Mr Carling be tomorrow? Supporting his Cup, his venue or both? Decisions, decisions.