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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 »

In just three days’ time we’ll discover whether one of the greatest rock anthems of all time pips one of the cheesiest covers in living memory in the race to become the Christmas number one.

Now we’ve got nothing against Geordie Joe – winner of this year’s X-Factor and favourite to top the charts on Sunday.

In fact we actually enjoyed his version of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ which proved to be one of two highlights on the damp squib of an X-Factor show billed Rock Night. Read the rest of this entry »

As one of Britain’s fastest-rising rock bands wrap up their debut headline tour of the UK we pay tribute to the the monster that is the Stone Gods by posting the second part of a cracking interview with the skin tight quartet.

Leaving behind The Darkness and ensuring rock fans finally see the light we’re expecting some awesome festival shows from the band this summer followed by another bigger and better headline tour before the year is out. And maybe a follow up to their brilliant debut album? Who knows.

One thing’s for sure – at a time when traditional British rock is enjoying a long overdue resurgence, the Stone Gods are setting the standard. And they know it. Read the rest of this entry »

They’re destined to become one of the biggest British rock bands of the modern era with infectious hooks and singalong choruses underpinning a determination to succeed.

Yep the Stone Gods have it all – a brilliant debut album, a charismatic frontman, experience of the highs and lows of the music biz and a new single out this week. You can purchase Start Of Something from the usual outlets and in the meantime enjoy the first part of rushonrock’s exclusive chat with Richie, Dan, Robin and Toby. Read the rest of this entry »

@ Newcastle o2 Academy, March 21 2009

If you are a young, upcoming British rock band then be warned. The bar has suddenly been raised. Lifted high above the standard previously set for live shows in this country and close to the ceiling of top quality, well crafted and cunningly catchy music.

They call themselves Gods and on this evidence four frenzied dudes with razor sharps hooks really do hail from rock heaven. Read the rest of this entry »

It all kicks off tonight when fast-emerging punk rock kids Dirty Rock & Roll (pictured) play Newcastle’s Hide Bar and gathers pace on Tuesday when Ill Nino and God Forbid roar into town to lay waste to the o2 Academy.

And if that’s not enough to get your live juices flowing then three quarters of The Darkness return in the guise of Stone Gods on Saturday – a gig we simply can’t miss (but probably will). As far as interview exclusives go in the next seven days we’ll be bringing you all the latest from the Hundred Reasons camp and a catch-up with Brummie rockers Templeton Pek. And there’s more. Read the rest of this entry »

Pop punk masters New Found Glory return to the fray this week with the release of their sixth studio album but it’s not the best record we’ve heard lately.

That comes courtesy of Finnish melodic rock kings Free Spirit and their sensational debut Pale Sister Of Light. If you like Europe, The Scorpions, Whitesnake and just about any other soft metal band you’ve ever heard then this is the album for you. If you like French metal then you might be better off with the latest release from Abinaya. But then who really likes French metal?

And last but not least we look at a treasure trove of song writing in the shape of Rachael Yamagata’s career defining double CD  - known for the quantity of tunes she writes this release is all about the quality. Check out what’s rocking rushonrock this week… 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 »

Still no word on whether Justin made it out of his tunnel last night but if this just happens to be his last interview for a while then it’s a belter. Fresh from The Brits and with a new record to peddle, the former Darkness hero was his usual ebullient self as he talked awards, homosexuality and the value of rock icons Def Leppard and Whitesnake. You can pick up a copy of Red Light Fever now and Hot Leg play Newcastle’s o2 Academy on Friday March 6.  Read the rest of this entry »

Band names. Don’t you just love ‘em? Or hate ‘em. Or even find them frankly ridiculous?

It’s an issue which has come to the fore in the week rushonrock rather dubiously  highlighted the latest sleaze and cheese opus by Italian hair metal (don’t ask) heroes S.E.X. Department. Read the rest of this entry »