RUSHONROCK.COM

When the best selling daily tabloid in Britain announced The Darkness was reforming mixed emotions doesn’t do justice to how I felt.

Having been in on the band from the start – when they drove a battered little van across the motorways of Britain and conducted interviews on mobile phones with anyone who would listen – the rushonrock staff have always retained a special place in our hearts for the band which made the music we love mainstream listening once more. Read the rest of this entry »

They’re one of the hottest new British bands around and April sees The Crave release their much anticipated debut album Breaking The Silence.

Part melodic, part sleaze and part good time rock and roll the lads will tour the UK with fellow UK trailblazers Heaven’s Basement and Dear Superstar on what promises to be a raucous triple bill this month.

And to celebrate what’s set to be a breakthrough year for the Brighton band we caught up with frontman Ryan Burnett for an exclusive chat. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the live highlights of 2010 should be fast-rising 80s-style rock crew The Crave and the band are in the studio this week putting the finishing touches to their debut album.

You might have seen the boys backing Justin Hawkins’ Hot Leg (where are they now…) and Buckcherry last year and they’ll be back on the road throughout this year.

One of those dates includes a previously unscheduled stop in Newcastle at Legends and we’ll be finding out all about it later this week. Read the rest of this entry »

And it should be a cracker as the likes of Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Lostprophets, Him, Cinderella, Airbourne and The Gaslight Anthem all prepare to unleash new rock in 2010.

We’re already looking forward to catching Kiss on their UK arena tour, AC/DC at Download and a whole load of other loud and proud rock and roll heroes strutting their stuff.

And we’ve got plenty of new ideas and features lined up for your favourite independent rock and metal website. For now we focus on the records to look out for this year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Twelve months ago red hot US rockers Tesla walked away with the 2008 rushonrock Album of The Year and this year’s race to the top has been just as compelling.

There have been some cracking releases from established acts and some surprise hits from hitherto unknown bands.

And while we haven’t always given them the credit they deserve at the time, several albums released earlier this year have really grown on the rushonrock staff.

So get ready for our list of the 20 best records we’ve heard in 2009 and feel free to respond with your own! Read the rest of this entry »

Those of us who believed Iron Maiden’s Brit Award would herald a new era of recognition for rock have been brought crashing back down to earth with an almighty bang this week.

And the blast which heralded an uncomfortable reacquaintance with reality? That complete joke of a nominations list called the Mercury Music Awards.

According to the blurb which prefaced the latest raft of nominees in the race for the 2009 prize, ‘The Barclaycard Mercury Prize for ‘Albums of the Year’ celebrates and promotes the best of British and Irish music. All genres of music are eligible for entry and all are treated equally, the music on the album is the only thing taken into account.’ All genres apart from rock and metal, apparently. Read the rest of this entry »

In less than 48 hours Brit rock heroes Stone Gods kick off their very first UK headline tour – right here on Tyneside!

Yep, the band which rose phoenix-like from the ashes of The Darkness has been off the road for three months and they’re raring to go again. Richie and the gang play Newcastle’s o2 Academy 2 on Saturday night and Monday sees the release of one of their best songs yet as Start Of Something becomes the fourth tune culled from the fantastic debut Silver Spoons & Broken Bones.

You might have caught them in support of Airbourne and Black Stone Cherry but be warned – the Gods as a headline act promise to be a very different beast altogether. And although the music may be very different there’ll be no avoiding comparisons to Hot Leg with that show-stopping set from Justin’s mob at the same Academy 2 venue still fresh in the memory. Read the rest of this entry »

Here at rushonrock we make no secret of the fact that vinyl is a big part of who we are and what we love. You can check out the seven inch hits and misses of the hair metal era at The Vinyl Countdown but here we assess the very latest slabs of heavy duty plastic causing our turntables to wilt.

Yes, with our favourite format well and truly on the comeback trail it’s been a great month for records the way we used to like them. Heavy, hissy, occasionally coloured but always colourful. This time we check out a slew of SPV reissues, Hot Leg’s debut and some vintage Metallica. Read the rest of this entry »

@ Newcastle o2 Academy, March 6 2009

Like a high pitched caterpillar cruelly constrained by the cocoon that is the UK club circuit, Hot Leg is a hair metal (behe)moth on the brink of spreading its wings far beyond such strangulating venues. Fortunately that time is not now and those of us who can catch Justin Hawkins’ eye-catching band in its embryonic stage are privy to a very special evolution indeed.

Even in the time passed since the ‘Leg supported Extreme at Newcastle’s City Hall this hilarious fourpiece have matured and morphed into a rock beast worthy of mainstream attention. The T-shirts reminded us that the Hawk’s new act are still so small their debut album charted at a lowly 81 but expect this year’s follow-up to feature far more prominently. Read the rest of this entry »

Just imagine The Answer (pictured), Metallica, Justin Hawkins and Hot Leg, Thin Lizzy, Rush and Testament all in one place, all in one week?

No, we’re not talking about the festival to end all festivals but one of the UK’s fastest-growing rock and metal websites featuring the bands you love by the bucketload. Yes, we’re confidently predicting this could be the biggest week yet for rushonrock and its army of loyal readers but if you’re new to this then welcome along for the ride. Read the rest of this entry »