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.