Monsters Of Rock

Think of Donington's Monsters Of Rock and you'll probably think of the Dunlop bridge, disgusting portaloos and botulism burgers. But would you think of grown men collapsing in pools of vomit and plastic cups of urine being hurled at the stage? You probably should.
Before the rubbishly-named Download Festival, Donington Park used to host the Monsters Of Rock festival most years. It was classed as a festival despite lasting only one day and showcased some of the best rock acts going. I was lucky enough to be there twice, in 1994 and '95.

Live In A World Full Of Albums

What's the point of live albums? you may ask. The point is they allow you to hear a band you like perform live anytime you want without paying £50 for a ticket and having to stand behind thousands of drunk people who "sing" along to all the songs and step on your feet as they "dance". They are also a better alternative to rip-off greatest hits compilations that some bands churn out with alarming regularity (yes, Rolling Stones, I'm looking at you). The following are some of my favourite live recordings:

Rock Night

As 16-year olds in the hardly bustling non-metropolis of Darlington, we weren't exactly spoiled for choice when it came to concerts or great evening entertainment, so when we heard about a regular rock night at a local bar called Perry's, it was like all our Christmases had come at once.

Stage Diving

Stage diving is something we may all have seen or heard about, but how many of us have actually done it? If you were here now, you'd see me raising my hand sheepishly and desperately trying not to make eye contact with you.

My Fantastic Music Career

Just like anyone who has ever been into rock music will probably admit, I have always had a dream of being in a band and being famous. And I don't just mean a garage band or a pub band, I mean the kind of band that sells millions of records and flies round the world in private jets playing at sold-out arenas to tens of thousands of people every night. For most people this will only ever remain a dream, but for me...oh alright, it's still only a dream.

Reign Dance

It was 1992 and I was browsing through records at a Darlington market stall.

The Proud, The Few

"The first time that I saw the Descendents, they were the fastest band I'd ever heard seen," sings NOFX's Fat Mike at the beginning of their song 13 Stitches. I've never been lucky enough to see the Descendents live, but I can tell you about the first time I heard them.

Punk Rock's Not Dead

A lot of people would have you believe that punk died in the early to mid 80s. Simply not true. Thousands of bands are still giving the finger to The Man and are recording fast, melody-tinged, fun music. This genre is far too extensive to describe in massive detail in a blog, so I've attempted to compile a top ten of what I think are the best modern punk albums. Ask me tomorrow and the list might be different, but this will do for now. Oh, and if you're wondering why some of the photos are bigger than others; give me a break, I'm no computer expert.

Live Undead

When I was 17, some of us used to go into a guitar shop in Darlington to salivate over guitars we would never be able to afford or play properly. They also sold package deals to various concerts. In 1991, they had tickets to see Slayer at Newcastle City Hall, so myself and Mike Death bought our tickets and began to count down the days.

This Is Hardcore

What is hardcore? In this instance, it's not horrible techno music with some German bloke saying "let's pahhhhty" over the top of it.

Thrash Under Pressure

I'd liked rock music for a short while having bought albums by Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, but it was hearing Deep Purple's Smoke On The Water for the first time at a school disco just before Christmas 1990 that really switched me on to metal. I thought the main riff was immense and it stuck in my head for days, which led to me purchasing a greatest hits album a week or so later. I raced back from town with my new LP full of excitement to step into the world of heavy metal properly for my first time. The whole album blew me away. It was jammed full of fantastic riffs and complicated solos and I knew that metal was the only way for me from then on.

Finally taking the plunge

Well, here I am.