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@ Newcastle o2 Academy, November 28 2009

In the build up to this hotly anticipated gig it was a case of more questions than answers. Would a band out on the road with AC/DC for the best part of a year still have the hunger and stamina to make a success of their long awaited UK headline tour?

How would Everyday Demons come across live? And have one of 2008’s brightest prospects turned potential into star quality under the watchful eye of Brian Johnson and co.?

So many questions and only one Answer. But what a convincing Answer it was. Read the rest of this entry »

The Answer were about to conquer Britain at the start of the year – before opting to conquer the world, riding on the back of big name fans AC/DC.

But the boys are back in town across the UK during the next few weeks aiming to make up for lost time and make the most of their headline status.

Bass player Micky Waters caught up with rushonrock – five months after we caught up with the guys at Glasgow’s Hampden Park. Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t hold your breath but it’s ‘rock week’ on X Factor on Saturday.

There have been various pictures of the Lenny Kravitz-esque Jamie Afro wearing an AC/DC T-shirt splashed across the press.

And the big name guests are Bon Jovi – set to perform their new single after announcing a series of o2 Arena shows for 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

A rather intriguing rumour has reached rushonrock HQ – and initial investigations suggest it could be right.

It is understood a band of die-hard Newcastle fans are uniting to rework the club’s most famous anthem – The Blaydon Races. And we understand the song, if it sees the light of day, will be released as a tribute to former Newcastle United and England manager Sir Bobby Robson, who passed away earlier this summer.  Read the rest of this entry »

To anyone outside of London the North East must seem like a tiny little corner of an unwelcoming world, where in-breds and flat cap wearing weirdos speak like Brian Johnson and dress like Ginger on a bad day.

But we don’t really care about that. Because we’re bloody good at what we do and, most importantly, shouting about it from the rooftops. Johnno, Spike and Paul from the Quireboys and even Teesside crooners David Coverdale and Paul Rodgers never miss an opportunity to namecheck Newcastle, Blyth, Saltburn, Middlesbrough or wherever. Read the rest of this entry »

Glasgow will welcome back two of its most famous sons tonight when Angus and Malcolm Young bring Hampden Park alive (we hope!) on the final date of the Black Ice European Tour.

With a month-long break guaranteed before they crank it up again in the USA later this summer, there can be no excuses for big Brian Johnson and his pals. And with the prospect of lazy days by the pool supping Brown Ale ahead we’re expecting a full-on assault from the greatest rock and roll band on the planet. After that we reckon they’ll deserve a little time off. Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing our celebration of the greatest rock and roll band on the planet, Self Made Man takes another trip down memory lane to offer his personal perspective on AC/DC.

With just four days to go until the rushonrock team heads north to Glasgow it’s little wonder our resident blogger is working himself up into a riff fuelled frenzy as he laments Geordie Brian Johnson’s failure to bring his band home time and time again. Read the rest of this entry »

AC/DC Week continues right here on rushonrock with a look at the band’s best albums – according to us! Yes, the Aussies with a hard rocking back catalogue to die for have made some undeniably great records over the years – as well as one or two duds.

But if you’re looking to dive straight into the cream of the DC crop then don’t look any further than the five records we’ve selected for your listening pleasure. Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »

As promised rushonrock brings you the second part of our eye-opening interview with Hanoi Rocks frontman Mike Monroe and all we can say is that the return of one of rock’s true gentlemen can’t come soon enough.

rushonrock: Now that Hanoi Rocks is approaching its finale what does the future hold for you? 

Mike Monroe: What does the future hold for me? I want to take a harder rock direction. I want to record some straight ahead party rock and roll records. More defined than anything Hanoi has ever done. In Hanoi the music went from one extreme to the other but I’d like to define my style a bit more. I want to write a killer record. All killer, no filler. And I’d like to try things I haven’t done before. It just feels like the right time.

rushonrock: Are you still young enough to start all over?

MM: I’m 46 and I’m determined to look forward. I reckon I still have a good 20 years left on this planet and I want to use that time well. I think moving away from Hanoi gives me the best chance to do most with my life. I’d like to go back to the US and live there which I haven’t done for a long time now. There are a lot of people there who I’d like to see and I think there are a few people who’d like to see me!

rushonrock: But you must want to live life to the full away from rock? 

MM: Away from music I like to spend time at home with my wife and two cats. I love that kind of domestic downtime. It’s when I write down all of my best ideas. I like to take care of myself mentally and physically and I live in the old capital of Finland, Turku. I own this flat on the river in the middle of nowhere and it’s so relaxing. I lived in New York for 10 years so there couldn’t be a greater contrast. I still love cities and Turku is just right. It’s big enough and small enough at the same time.

rushonrock: How proud do you feel when you see the standing of Finnish rock on the world music scene these days?

MM: I’m happy to see the Finnish music scene doing so well. Bands like HIM and The Rasmus are blazing a trail for Finland across the world and they often refer to Hanoi as an inspiration. I don’t follow the rock scene that closely but I’m glad to have helped those bands in the past and keen to support them now.

rushonrock: Is there any time in your life for projects away from Hanoi or your solo career?

MM: I work with a couple of guys from 69 Eyes and they’re involved with a  reality TV show which starts in Finland tonight. It’s called Operation Earth and it involves a couple of different groups with different environmental tasks to carry out. The guys from 69 eyes have been tasked with raising awareness of and helping to clean up the Baltic Sea. It’s the dirtiest sea in the world and they needed a song to highlight its plight. I wrote a theme tune for them called Pirates of the Baltic Sea. It’s already been released as a single and all the proceeds have gone towards cleaning up the Baltic Sea. It’s the first solo single of my new career and although it’s only been released as a download it’s been really popular. Because it’s a charity-style record you can pay as much or as little as you like but it’s become the most downloaded song of the year on the Nokia charts in Finland in 2008.

rushonrock: Looking back what did it mean to celebrate the end of Hanoi as a UK touring band in the one-time rock hotbed of Newcastle?

MM: It was fitting to end the UK tour in Newcastle. I’ve played the city so many times with Hanoi and as a solo artist and I love the Geordie people. Geordie was one of my favourite bands growing up as a kid in Finland and Hope You Like It was one of the first albums I ever bought. It had a huge effect on me. I think Brian Johnson is sounding better than ever on the new AC/DC album – his range is a bit lower and I’m really digging his voice right now. Spike from the Quireboys is a good mate and he popped over to see us play the Birmingham show – he was gutted he couldn’t make his hometown gig. But looking back Newcastle might have been the right place to call it a day in the UK.

NWOBHM monsters Saxon team up with Lemmy’s Motorhead this week for what promises to be one of the loudest rock shows Tyneside has witnessed all year. With new single Live To Rock catching the attention and that Download festival appearance still fresh in the memory, rushonrock caught up with Saxon frontman Biff Byford. Catch the band live at Newcastle’s Carling Academy on Friday…

rushonrock: Isn’t it time you put your feet up after a summer of non-stop festival shows?

Biff Byford: No way. Live is where it’s at and where’s it’s always been for a band like Saxon. Like the new single says, we Live To Rock. It’s where it all started for us as kids and it’s where the kids of today really get into the bands they love.

rushonrock: What has happened to make Saxon cool again?

BB: The last 12 months has just been a brilliant time for Saxon. We couldn’t have imagined the success we’ve enjoyed in the last year. But people appreciate good live bands and we’ve always been that. A real live show can’t be bootlegged. It’s just you and your mates, four walls and your favourite band. There’s nothing like that feeling.

rushonrock: And even before that reality TV thing with Harvey Goldsmith your popularity was soaring…

BB: We have a huge profile again now and people are interested in Saxon again. We’re massive in Europe and suddenly people are interested in that 1980s NWOBHM period all over again. You look at the success of Maiden, Priest and Whitesnake this year and you realise the quality of the bands back then – and the fact that it’s still there today.

rushonrock: But unlike Whitesnake you’ve never been away.

BB: We’ve been releasing albums every couple of years anyway so we’ve always had something out there and something for people to measure us by. But it’s a great feeling to be back in the big time after working so hard for the past 10 years.

rushonrock: And how exciting have all the festivals been in 2008?

BB: The festival scene is great these days and we spend all summer bouncing from one big show to the next. Download was a huge highlight for us this year. We were asked to play the small tent at the last minute and thought we’d give it a go. It was brilliant. That gig and its impact made headlines all over the world. We played to 15,000 people in a tent designed for 5,000 and the atmosphere was incredible. We went back to Japan this year and played Australia for the first time in our careers. Imagine that? We’re still breaking new ground after 30 years in the business.

rushonrock: So what comes next after your UK jaunt with old buddies Motorhead?

BB: After the Motorhead dates we’re going to push the new album and then we’re out on our own headline tour in February. I think that will bring us back to the UK around spring time. We’ve been going for it all through the summer and we’re ready to go again. As a live band it’s a blessing to be able to do what we love all year round.

rushonrock: And do you have any time to enjoy the finer things in life?

BB: Away from Saxon I don’t do much! I live in a sprawling old house in France and it takes a lot of upkeep. I spend as much time as I can with the family when I’m not on the road. The years are just going by really quickly now and I’m trying to make the most of every day.

rushonrock: So how excited are you about returning to Newcastle?

BB: I can’t wait to hit the stage. I always loved the Mayfair and the City Hall. Those were the venues us and AC/DC always used to play when we made it to the Toon. I remember Brian Johnson and Malcolm Young turned up to one of our gigs at the City Hall after they’d just toured America and we partied long and hard into the night. Those were the days when we could still do that! I’ve always been an AC/DC fan and I love their new single. We’ve toured with them and I love that blues rock and roll sound.