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@ Newcastle o2 Academy, February 25 2010

To so many North East rock fans Machine Head were, until last night, a damn fine support band made for whipping arena-size crowds into a frenzy prior to the main event.

They’ve already proved the perfect fit for Slipknot, Metallica and their ilk but this was their chance to own the stage – in their own right. And 350-plus shows into the never-ending Blackening tour it was never going to be anything else than a monumental night of no-holds-barred metal. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year again when our good mates at the world’s rockingest weekly deliver their perfect soundtrack to the summer.

And Kerrang! 2009 The Album is chock full of the tracks of the year with mega-sellers like Nickelback, Green Day and Slipknot sharing top billing with ambitious newbies Metro Station, Ghost Of A Thousand and In Case Of Fire. Phew!

With 42 tracks featuring the cream of rock and metal we can’t wait to get our hands on another meaty overview of a rejuventated scene. Our only gripe? There’s no classic rock.

But this time next year we’re pretty damn sure Kerrang! will be going back to its roots as more and more bands favouring that timeless sound infiltrate a mag once known as the home of everything from hair metal to thrash and all the hard and heavy stuff in between. Read the rest of this entry »

More than 70,000 expectant punters always hoped it would be something special. First came the news that the final day had a Classic Rock flavour, then the big name headliners were confirmed and finally the baking hot sun arrived right on cue. If ever Download was going to deliver a day to remember then this day would surely be it.

In fact it was better than that. Way, way better. This is what watching live rock music is all about and while I admire those who packed in all three days without barely breaking into a sweat, it’s just as well I decided to forgo Faith No More and sidestep Slipknot. Read the rest of this entry »

Announced as one of Download 2009’s two secret bands, one of the best kept secrets in rock was finally revealed today when Brit rock legends Thunder were confirmed for a Saturday slot on the third stage…behind headliners Anvil!

Now while we think there’s more than a case for Danny, Luke and the gang picking up one of the early main stage slots, maybe those modest London boys don’t want to make too much of a fuss as they count down to this summer’s career-ending headline tour. Or perhaps they don’t quite fit on a bill headlined by Slipknot and featuring Marilyn Manson and Pendulum. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you an all rounder or do you like it in your face? Do you like your gigs with a hard centre or a focal point?

Does a stage in the middle fail to hit the heights? Or is it time rock and metal bands came full circle?

Metallica’s decision to play ‘in the round’ has divided opinion on the visually stunning Death Magnetic tour but what’s not to like? Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been officially designated Metallica Day on rushonrock as the thrash beasts roll into Tyneside to play the Metro Radio Arena for the first time in many a long year.

Having witnessed James and the boys lay waste to Leeds last summer it’s safe to say we can expect something very special from one of 2008’s top selling acts. And the fact Metallica have brought young upstarts The Sword and en vogue metal kings Machine Head along for the ride really is an added bonus.  Read the rest of this entry »

When I wasn’t marveling at the ferocity of the music on offer at last week’s Slipknot show in Newcastle there was something I just couldn’t escape.

It wasn’t the blokes in boiler suits. It wasn’t the women wearing very little more than a patch of leather and a couple of studs.

It wasn’t the ridiculous wedge heels, the crazy make-up, the obviously painful piercings or the mix of teenage youths and wrinkly rockers.

It wasn’t even the merchandise, the light show, the stage props or the mosh pit mayhem.

Although all of the above were worth a glance.

No, it was the apparent appetite for biting the hand that feeds you within an arena packed full of fans paying top whack for tickets in the midst of a recession.

If you were in the seats and you were trying to take pics with your mobile phone then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

I’m referring to the heavy-handed zeal with which the Metro Radio Arena’s normally top notch security staff stopped anyone and everyone from taking souvenir snaps on their mobiles.

We all saw the notices plastered to the doors as we filtered into the venue. The powers that be weren’t that keen on amateur snappers taking illicit shots.

But since when did that extend to people taking pics on their phones?

I have been to scores of gigs and festivals in 2008 and at every one – prior to the Slipknot concert – people have been snapping away on their phones for fun.

Nobody stopped them. Nobody would. Who can possibly have a problem with the mobile phone generation making a visual record of their favourite bands?

Apart from, maybe, other fans. We’ve all been pissed off from time to time when a fellow concert goer spends more time pointing his phone at the stage than his own eyes.

But then we’ve all done it so we can hardly complain.

In fact nobody complained last Thursday before arena staff piled in time and time again to stop everyone from kids to crusties snapping Slipknot.

It could have been comical had it not been so serious. Stewards appearing from nowhere thrusting their hands in front of tiny little phones taking even tinier little pictures of tiny dots on a tiny stage.

I very much doubt this is an arena policy but I stand to be corrected. My gut feeling is that this directive came from management associated with the band.

Again I stand to be corrected. But if this is the case then it’s a very, very sad state of affairs.

Do Corey, Joey and the gang really care if a 13-year-old kid who can’t afford a programme takes a couple of poorly-pixelated shots on his mobile?

Do they really believe a few out-of-focus phone pics floating around Facebook will seriously damage their image?

And do they really feel the need to penalise the people who pay their wages by invoking such a ridiculous rule.

If the person to blame for last week’s pitiful fiasco wants to explain the reasoning behind causing so many fans so much misery then feel free to get in touch.

I doubt it’s anyone at the Metro Radio Arena and I very much doubt Corey and co. had a clue what was going on. But somebody’s big idea was a little petty. To say the least.

Simon Rushworth

@ Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, December 11 2008

Nine masks, three drum kits, one clown and a decade of noise disturbance. What’s ‘Knot to like?

This was, according to Corey Taylor, the ass-kicking that the Des Moines troupe had been waiting for 10 weeks into the latest leg of the All Hope Is Gone tour.

And for once these probably weren’t the clichéd platitudes of a frontman desperate for friends. Having watched some of rock and metal’s biggest and loudest bands play the Metro Radio Arena during the past 12 years this was an atmosphere to kill ‘em all.

Yes, even Metallica. Even Green Day. Even the Foo Fighters. And even the mighty Maiden.

But what made the sweat pour on an ice cold night was the three-band package of metal’s finest. If Children of Bodom’s set was painfully short – it sounded superb from the box office queue – then Machine Head were quite magnificent.

Slipknot have never lacked confidence but to unleash such a fearsome foursome on their fans before taking the stage themselves was a gamble of gargantuan proportions. The Head, you see, are thrash metal masters at the very top of their game after 10 years perfecting their pitch.

Name-checking Venom was a very clever touch in front of a rabid Tyneside crowd. As was guitarist Phil Demmel’s astute decision to don a black and white shirt. But then Machine Head didn’t need these weapons to win over the assembled throng because their music did the talking.

A power trio of Imperium, Beautiful Morning and Aesthetics Of Hate saw some serious circle pit action with Robb Flynn hailing a new tour record of five simultaneous human tornadoes. But Halo, from the band’s monstrous 2007 record, bagged the prize for tune of the night.

And so to Slipknot. With one hell of an act to follow they trooped onto stage shoulders slumped, masks down and attitude up. It was the calm before an acid rain storm.

Nine musicians make a lot of noise but over the years Corey and his colleagues have learned to harness their disparate parts and create a focused maelstrom of modern metal. New album All Hope Is Gone saw Slipknot’s sound taken to a new, polished level this year but Dead Memories and Psychosocial sound as vicious live as the band’s ear bleeding back catalogue.

Get This Or Die brought a blistering opening salvo to a suitably fitting conclusion but Corey’s admission that he’d just puked hardly filled the crowd with confidence. Pulling a sickie at this stage, though, was simply not an option and luckily King Slip knew it.

Moments later he was questioning why more bands don’t play Newcastle – maybe AC/DC were at the forefront of his warped mind – and later he pledged he’d bring his eight mates back at the earliest opportunity. We’ll hold him to it.

The Heretic Song was a high point in a set with very few lows and if the closing numbers failed to retain the mid-set energy then it was simply because every last ounce of energy had been sucked from thousands of heaving, bouncing bodies. Come the encore the moshing hardcore were in a metal-induced daze. ‘Knot a night for the feint hearted.

Simon Rushworth

It’s all about to get pretty heavy on rushonrock as we welcome Iowa’s finest to Tyneside this week for what promises to be one of the most spectacular arena shows of the year.

It was just a few months ago that the masked madmen of Slipknot were forced to pull out of their planned Leeds Festival appearance due to drummer Joey Jordison’s broken ankle. We were all gutted then but the wait is over and Thursday promises to be something very special.

And don’t turn up late. Supports Children Of Bodom and Machine Head are in the form of their lives – in fact the latter’s mesmeric The Blackening has rarely been off the rushonrock decks all week. We’ll bring you the fastest, most furious review first.

And talking of reviews, Saturday’s Black Stone Cherry verdict is already up and it seems opinion is divided on just how good a gig it really was. But rushonrock caught up with crazy sticksman John-Fred before the event and this is one interview you really don’t want to miss.

Joe Satriani might have found himself at the centre of a lawsuit with Brit crooners Coldplay but he’ll be getting the Now…And Then treatment this week as we check out his latest and rank it against his greatest.

And of course there’s all the latest news, views and an exclusive tour report from Newcastle’s very own Quireboys ahead of their December 22 gig at the city’s Carling Academy. Enjoy.

Canadian rock giants Nickelback will be rocking your summer in 2009 after Chad and the boys today revealed they’d be hitting the Toon next May!

With new album Dark Horse going down a storm these really are heady times for the band which first made an impact with mega-hit How You Remind Me all those years ago. 

Recent single Gotta Be Somebody proved to be the perfect follow-up to the unforgettable Rock Star and with uber producer Mutt Lange in their corner these days there really is no stopping the chord crunching quartet.

Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena will host one of the world’s biggest bands on Monday May 25 with tickets priced at £33.50. They go on sale from 9am this Friday through phone bookings and the internet and the Arena Box Office opens at 10am. Fan club pre-sales for UK dates start today.

Label mates Black Stone Cherry play Newcastle Academy on Saturday and another act from the Roadrunner stable – Slipknot – play the Arena a week tomorrow. Check out rushonrock for all the latest gig news and reviews!