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@ Newcastle o2 Academy, May 3 2010

The Give It A Name tour has always been a showcase of what the pop punk industry has to offer.

In the past it has given birth to bands that would go onto mainstream success and has seen the likes of My Chemical Romance, Paramore and Lostprophets grace its stage. However, 2010 sees the mini festival being confined to an ‘introducing’ tour promoting the bands of the future. Read the rest of this entry »

@ Newcastle o2 Academy, March 13 2010

In the late 1990s pop punk was all the rage.  Bands like Blink 182, New Found Glory and, hell, even Green Day were setting an example to bands all around the world that punk could be accessible for the mainstream as well as the underground.

Fast forward to 2010 and we’re still left with their legacy – albeit the watered down version.  You Me At Six are prime examples of a genre hitting saturation at lightning pace.  The Surrey five-piece entered the O2 Academy in the midst of a sold-out UK tour. Fans had even camped out in anticipation of catching a glimpse of the class of 2010 pop punk darlings. So was their wait worthwhile? Read the rest of this entry »

@ Newcastle o2 Academy, February 3 2010

Security at the former Carling Academy has taken on a whole new meaning since becoming the O2 Academy.

Tonight I had to squeeze past groups of teenagers having their ID scrutinised for an over 14s only performance. After missing My Passion’s performance, next up were Young Guns who launched into a generic set with bland songs where one tune was indistinguishable from the next. Read the rest of this entry »

@ Northumbria University, November 21 2009

Pop rock buzz band Elliot Minor took to the stage in Newcastle to perform the last of their English tour dates in front of a surprisingly small audience at Northumbria University’s modest student union venue.

With their self titled debut album reaching the dizzying heights of six in the UK charts in 2008, one might have expected larger numbers. However it seems the change in venue from the city’s Academy was made to suit a more intimate crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Vai might have had the good sense to delay the release of his new album for seven days (we’ll rate it right here next Sunday) but we’re still bringing you the rushonrock verdict on a whopping eight albums this week – including the debut from Wednesday 13′s (pictured) new project Gunfire 76.

There’s the story so far from Funeral For A Friend, a triumph though adversity from Paramore and a punk rock double via Bullets And Octane. Heavyweight Best Of releases by Rainbow and Mott The Hoople slug it out for the heritage vote and we’ve got Germany’s Toja and Italy’s Fab Box flying the flag for Euro rock. Read the rest of this entry »

Madcap pop punksters Bowling For Soup celebrate the release of their tenth album Sorry For Partyin in October and intend to whet the appetite with the release of their My Wena EP at the end of next month.

Needless to say you don’t need more than a couple of brain cells to appreciate the latest effort from the Texan quartet but as usual you just can’t help laughing at how silly the world of the Soup really is. And we’ve nabbed a clip of the new video for My Wena to prove the point. Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s top new releases could hardly contrast more sharply as the raw punk rock of Oregon crew Broadway Calls (pictured) goes up against the pretentious folk prog of 40-year-old Brits Strawbs.

Check out Rock Solid – rushonrock‘s must-read reviews section every Sunday – for the latest releases. Rated and occasionally slated just for you.

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