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White Trash – Apple Pie b/w The Crawl, Lil’ Nancy & Good God

1991 Four Track Promo Album Sampler

White Trash were the best band that never was. End of.

Fusing rock and metal with a whole lot of horns their infectious sound won a degree of critical acclaim before internal differences and the changing musical landscape led to their premature demise.

But the great news is that White Trash are back and those yearning for a return to the good old days of their self-titled debut should check out 2009’s 3-D Monkeys In Space. Even better, the band is out on the road again.   Read the rest of this entry »

He boasts one of the most distinctive set of pipes in the business and he’s still going strong – his name is Ted Poley and he’s our latest Hair Metal Hero!

With Danger Danger’s brilliant new record Revolve under his belt and the promise of UK dates to come in 2010 we’re looking forward to plenty more from the frontman who brought us early 90s classic Screw It!

Read on to discover the music behind Ted’s hair metal heroism… Read the rest of this entry »

It is still a little known fact among parents-to-be, even in these times of economic gloom and deepening recession, that there is what amounts to an unwritten rule concerning unforeseen births on shop floors.

Should you or your partner happen to pop out your offspring slap bang in the middle of Boots, somewhere between the frozen fish and French Fancies in Marks & Sparks or in the John Lewis home furnishings department, then you could be in luck.

For these stores and many more have a tradition of lavishing gifts upon parents who divert from their chosen birth plan to set out their stall, so to speak, in a shop – and as a first-time father some four years ago I was only too aware of the bonuses on offer.

But not for me the lure of a year’s supply of free nappies, a basket full of cod or a nice pair of curtains. No, once I knew my original little rocker was on the way the potential birthing pool was strictly limited. Read the rest of this entry »

44: Mr Big – Just Take My Heart (Martin/Pessis/Call) b/w To Be With You (live) (Martin/Grahame) 1992

The lesser known of the two standout singles from Mr Big’s breakthrough album Lean Into It this is another slick slice of All-American FM-friendly soft rock guaranteed to find favour with the hair metal generation.

It may not have topped the charts Stateside like the classic To Be With You but the great thing about this slab of seven inch heaven is the B-side – a barnstorming live version of the band’s best-known anthem. Read the rest of this entry »

Trillians, Trillians, Trillians. Talk about missing a trick. Are you or are you not the North East’s number one rock bar and a one-stop haunt for classic crusties, nu-metallers, hair metal heroes and pierced punks alike?

I always thought so. At least until I hot-footed in from Monday night’s Extreme show at Newcastle’s City Hall to chew the fat with Self Made Man – hot footing it (albeit slower than me) from his own Airbourne gig at the Academy.

It seemed like the most natural place to meet. They play rock, it would be full of rockers and it’s nearer to the City Hall than the Academy. I have also been in there long after midnight on a week night.

But not Monday night. As I walked through the door with Plus One, a Dirty Rock and Roller and Dave the one-time Merch Man we were met by a series of stony faced punters coming the other way.

Because I’d gone and parted with 20 quid for a Hot Leg T-shirt after the Extreme encore we hadn’t hit our favourite watering hole quite as quickly as the athletic young men pushing past us on the stairs. But they wished they hadn’t bothered. And so did we.

You see these lads hadn’t raced from the City Hall, necked a couple of bottles of Brown Ale and moved on. Nope. They’d got to Trillians at the same time as time had been called – and that time was sometime before 11.

Now call me daft (and people often do) but I’d just assumed that with two huge gigs in the city on the same night the old late licence would have kicked in. And I imagined a mass of merry punters from both sides of the Toon would have converged on the city’s rock Mecca to debate the relative merits of their respective gigs.

Surely that should have been the case? I couldn’t wait. I would have spent the change left over from lining Justin’s pockets on a few beers. Self Made Man would have done the same. Even Plus One was ready to dip into his shallow cords and pull out that fiver he’d been putting towards Guitar Hero World Tour.

So Trillians would have earned a few quid they might normally have missed on a windy Monday night. It might not have been a fortune. It might not have even covered the DJ’s wages for the weekend. But at the very least Trillians would have been catering for the rock crowd on a landmark night in Newcastle – and that, after all, is why the place has always been there.

But there were some very pissed off punters on Monday night. And a lot of them ended up at the Head Of Steam where a good night was had by all – students, indie kids, chavs, rockers et al. They sell pork scratchings, they sell real ale and getting to the bar is rarely a hassle.

So where to go after Thunder next Wednesday? Gamble on the short trek to Trillians only to discover the doors are shut. Or take a longer hike to the Head Of Steam where guaranteed beer awaits. Right now it pains me to say that I’m erring towards the latter.

Simon Rushworth

@ Newcastle City Hall, November 17 2008

When Extreme last toured the UK Justin Hawkins was an impressionable kid dreaming of super stardom and developing one of the most outrageous warbles in rock. In the 13 years since Gary, Nuno and the boys pitched up on this side of The Pond the former Darkness singer has lived that dream, endured a nightmare and picked himself up to perform again. Thank God.

The world of music would be a poorer place without the happy-go-lucky Hawkins and his natural talent for coaxing something out of even the most sceptical of crowds. New band Hot Leg might be knee deep in 80s hair metal nostalgia – all tight jeans, garish basketball boots, neck scarves and head bands – but they kick ass. At one point Justin joked the quartet had to give their music away because nobody buys it. But that won’t be the case for long.

Next month’s single I Met Jesus might actually cost money but on this evidence it’s a price worth paying. In the thick of a set showcasing more contrived guitar solos than an Yngwie Malmsteen master class this was the song which, more than any other, finally convinced former Darkness fans to become Hot Leg converts.

As ever Hawkins is hugely entertaining and fair play to the lad – he wasn’t ever tempted to dip into that hit-laden back catalogue. It would be easy to give Hot Leg the cold shoulder. But you’ll be kicking yourself if you do.

And so to Extreme. Wow. rushonrock has been privileged to witness a slew of classic comeback gigs in 2008 from White Lion at The Cluny to Whitesnake in Glasgow and Def Leppard at a dingy little hole in Islington to Metallica at Leeds. But this show by Boston’s finest was, without doubt, the highlight of a landmark year for live music.

Those of us who caught Nuno with Satellite Party arrived at the City Hall safe in the knowledge that the boy could still play – albeit in checked brown slacks which wouldn’t have looked out of place on Rupert the Bear. But what about Gary Cherone? During Extreme’s chart-busting heyday he boasted some of the finest pipes in rock and the pressure was on to revive former glories.

Well Cherone did more than that. Right from the start his range was stunning and on new single Star it was easy to remember just why Eddie Van Halen hand picked him to front one of the biggest acts in the world. Decadence Dance gave Cherone the chance to blow away the cobwebs and a killer version Monster maintained the momentum.

So back to Mr Bettencourt. In a different era you could imagine the proud Portuguese tucked away in the back streets of Lisbon perfecting the art of Fado – the traditional guitar style which has become the heart and soul of his colourful home nation. Watching Nuno sat on his stool with only his semi-acoustic friend for company it was if the rock god had been transformed into a folk hero.

And of course Extreme’s biggest hit owes everything to a guitar hook straight from Bettencourt’s southern European roots. More Than Words may have morphed into Stairway To Heaven for one tantalising moment but after that delightful false dawn the band’s signature tune was delivered with tear-jerking aplomb.

Get The Funk Out preceded a mixed bag of an encore but by now nobody cared. This was a party which looked set to run and run – with Hot Leg clapping along from the balcony like kids in a sweetshop. And did we mention the lead singer of rising punk rock stars Dirty Rock And Roll sang every word to Hole Hearted with the glazed look of a 14-year-old girl? It was just one of those nights.

Ok, hang on to your leather tassles and dust down that ripped denim – it’s going to be one hell of a ride on rushonrock this week!

Tonight we are at not one, but two huge gigs in Newcastle as late 80s soft rockers Extreme go head to head with 2008 upstarts Airbourne for the city’s rock bragging rights.

Expect reviews from both before we run a rather entertaining interview with Edguy’s Tobi in the week Tinnitus Sanctus gets its long awaited UK release. Later in the week we’ll post blogs from Rock O’ The North and Self Made Man but if that’s not enough expect a fair smattering of news from the busy worlds of rock and metal.

And it’s all building up to next Monday’s release of Chinese Democracy – a rare thing indeed in an age when Guns N Roses records have become an endangered species. Enjoy the site, leave a message and contact us on the link above.

Richie Edwards is one of rock music’s true success stories after the one-time roadie rose through the ranks to play bass with The Darkness and become frontman for one of Britain’s best new bands. rushonrock caught up with the Stone Gods frontman ahead of Monday’s gig with Airbourne at Newcastle’s Carling Academy.

rushonrock: Your new song Don’t Drink The Water has been riding high in the rock charts. What’s the story behind the song?

Richie Edwards: The single came about after Ed had just come back from Gran Canaria. We were sitting around writing songs for the album when he started telling us about the horrors of British lager louts invading foreign climes. We started laughing about all of our various experiences abroad and we all painted this picture of your typical Brit abroad. Everyone’s seen the nightmare of a Brit on the piss in another country and before the end of the evening we’d got the basic song. It’s a song bemoaning that element of our society and the title is just the age old cliché you hear from any Englishman abroad.

rushonrock: It seems like the obvious first single from Silver Spoons And Broken Bones but you held it back. Why?

RE: We were very deliberate about what we released as the first single (Burn The Witch). We wanted to set our stall out. Everyone knew we used to be in The Darkness but as a group we wanted to put out a couple of things that were only ever going to stay underground but nevertheless laid down a marker. Don’t Drink The Water is the first song that we have released hoping there’d be some mainstream crossover. We’re confident about who we are now, the album’s been out a while and it’s the right time to release that song. Hopefully it will reach some people who weren’t aware of us. It made Single Of The week on Kerrang! Radio and I think that kind of reaction justified the decision to go with the song at this stage.

rushonrock: Are you pleased with the way SSABB has been received?

RE: The album’s been a slow burner but it’s been doing very well in its own way. Hopefully the fact that we’re out on the road with Airbourne now – and then with Black Stone Cherry after that – will throw the spotlight on it a bit more.

rushonrock: Talking of Airbourne, how is life on tour with those crazy Aussie kids?

RE: Airbourne are an outstanding group and I always knew the two bands would work well together. It’s a fantastic night out and the Airbourne boys like a party as much as we do. When we grabbed the support slot I was just itching to get out there.

rushonrock: Can we expect the odd Darkness ditty in the current set?

RE: We’ve done a couple of tours now and we always get asked if we’ll play a Darkness song. If we don’t then some fans will ask us why after the show. It’s a weird one. On the last tour we enjoyed doing a cover of Metallica’s Whiplash and people were saying if you cover Metallica you might as well cover a few Darkness songs. I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Although nobody in this band is shying away from our time in The Darkness this is a new band with a new direction. We don’t want to be riding on the back of past glories. We don’t want people coming to our shows and hanging around all night just to hear me sing I Believe In A Thing Called Love.

rushonrock: But the fact remains some people will turn up at your shows hoping for eactly that…

RE: Justin [Hawkins, former Darkness singer] was and still is such a unique frontman and a unique singer. There’s just no way I could sing a Darkness song and do it justice. I would cheapen the song and cheapen Justin. Justin’s fine singing Darkness songs in his set if that’s what he wants to do. He can get away with it. I’m sure it will go down really well. But if I did it? Personally I think it would cheapen the previous output by the members of Stone Gods.

rushonrock: But you are all responsible for a part of The Darkness legacy. Doesn’t that give you a divine right to tap into the back catalogue?

RE: It would be different if another band did a Darkness cover. In fact virtually any other band in the world could do a Darkness cover except Stone Gods. I’d be very surprised if we go down that road in Newcastle. In fact there’s only really one song we could play and that’s an instrumental called Bareback!

rushonrock: Newcastle on Monday is being billed as the Clash Of The Titans as Stone Gods and Airbourne go head to head with Hot Leg and Extreme in the same city at the same time. There could be power chord carnage…

RE: Yeah, I saw that we’re in Newcastle on the same night as Justin and Hot Leg. How crazy is that? So why should a punter come and watch Airbourne and Stone Gods instead of Extreme and Hot Leg? That’s a tough one because they’ll both be great gigs. I would urge fans to come and see us because it will be cheaper and the fact that we’re in a recession means that every penny counts! I think with the Extreme and Hot Leg show it’s like you’re getting cheese and wine. With Airbourne and Stoen Gods you’re getting a filthy bar room with whisky. Take your pick – but choose us.

rushonrock: So are you a Hot Leg fan?

RE: I think it’s all good that Justin doing his thing and we’re doing ours and isn’t it great that a band like The Darkness has spawned two gigging UK rock bands? I’ve heard some Hot Leg stuff and I love it. I think Justin likes the Stone Gods. But when you look at the two bands you can maybe understand why there was a bit of artistic conflict within the camp at the end. There were clearly certain band members wanting to go in different directions and now we’re doing that. We’re not swimming in the same pond but we’re both making a bit of a splash!

November looks like being the biggest month yet for your favourite new rock site with new visitors logging on by the hundreds every day. And here’s why. In the next few weeks we’ll be carrying exclusive interviews with Tesla, Stone Gods, Thunder, Edguy and Marshall Law - and later today we’ll post part two of our mighty Mike Monroe interview.  

Throw in the fact that we’re going to be reviewing blazing hot gigs by Extreme, Hot Leg, Airbourne and Thunder between now and the end of the month and you’d be mad not to make rushonrock your first stop for all things rock. With weekly blogs, album reviews and nostalgia by the bucket load we want to give you all the rock you’ve been missing for the past 20 years – and more.

Marillion fans can’t afford to miss out on our review of the band’s new official bootleg set and if you like you music heavier than 80s metal stars Mammoth then you’ll just love our look at Death Angel as they are now and as they were then. It’s all here and all new. Enjoy.

Here at rushonrock we like to remember Justin Hawkins as a fresh-faced hair metal God in his pomp rock prime, playing to a sell-out crowd at Newcastle University’s sweaty underbelly of a live venue. And it seems the old boy hasn’t really changed. With new band Hot Leg ready to give Extreme a run for their money at Newcastle City Hall next month we caught up with Mr Darkness himself.

rushonrock: When did you decide to put Hot Leg together and was there ever any doubt about the type of band it would be?

Justin Hawkins: The decision about what kind of band we were going to be was never an issue. We’ve been working on the album for a while now and it was always going to be a straight rock record. It’s always been my thing and I won’t change. Finding the right guys to do my thing with has been a challenge. I found our drummer Darby in January. He’s inhumanly good and he recommended Sam and he, in turn, recommended Pete. Everybody’s got the same sense of humour, everybody’s into the same kind of thing and it’s been really lovely.

rushonrock: Has there been obvious scepticism in the wake of your comeback?

JH: I think even if I’d stayed in The Darkness the scepticism would have been there. It’s not something that I worry about. It just becomes your duty to silence it. You show people how good you really are and do the biggest and best shows you possibly can. Hot Leg is sweatier and more fun and I’m loving it. But for a band like The Darkness to get to arena level – that was the natural conclusion. Along the way the best work we did was in the smaller venues where we could really connect with the audiences. The big stuff is a lot harder to pull off and we never really nailed the big arena shows. If you went to see Bon Jovi they would deliver the perfect arena concert. In The Darkness we couldn’t quite do that.   

rushonrock: The scepticism apart has the rock world otherwise welcomed you back with open arms?

JH: Overall it’s been really positive. I’ve been quite surprised in fact. Everybody told me I’d get a real slating when I returned with Hot Leg and that would have been totally expected. So absolutely everything positive that I see or read is a total bonus. There’s no bitterness. The new material is the strongest that I’ve ever written and everyone is excited to be playing the songs live. We can’t afford to get bogged down in what people might think of me or my past. That would really deflect from the Hot Leg experience – four men rocking as hard as possible. We’ll be doing proper rock shows. There are bands in the world who seem to be having fun to amuse themselves – we’re having fun to entertain our fans.

rushonrock: How excited are you to have the chance to tour with Extreme?

JH: Pete our guitar player is having kittens. They’re one of his favourite bands of all time. Before we nabbed the support slot we saw that they’d reformed and they were going to tour the UK. We said just imagine if we got that gig? And we did! We’re totally over the moon about it. Nuno is one of the best guitarists in the world and I’m really keen to see how he works and lives his life. He’s such a talented guy and a great role model.

rushonrock: Is there any way The Darkness could have continued?

JH: Creativity, or a lack of it, is the main reason I quit. Everyone just assumes I took lots of drugs and jacked it in. In fact I knew the second record wasn’t as creative as the first. The Darkness had run its course and I had run my course with The Darkness. Had my brother not been in the band I would have quit sooner.

rushonrock: Talking of Dan are you still close and what do you think of Stone Gods?

JH: I love my brother dearly and I think the Stone Gods’ record is an awesome album. My brother co-produced it and I’m really proud of what he’s done. He’s a very talented musician and I’m glad those talents have been acknowledged.

rushonrock: So do you see Hot Leg outlasting The Darkness?

JH: Lasting a little bit longer than The Darkness is inevitably what will happen. The problem with my old band was that a lot of people were pulling in too many different directions and the whole thing just snapped. Hot Leg won’t suffer from the same thing at all. It’s not about me and a cat suit – it’s a much more focused unit. In terms of longevity I don’t think there’s an end in sight. It’s a very exciting time for me.