NWOCR pacesetters Collateral and Juliet’s Not Dead teamed up for a dynamic double header in the Toon this week. Rushonrock was there.
Different drummer, same insane energy
It’s difficult to imagine Collateral without bonkers gurner Ben behind the kit. So often the life and soul of the spandex-fuelled, post-hair metal party, the do-it-all drummer has been driving Kent’s finest forward since day one. He’s left big shoes — and a series of even bigger grimaces — to fill so what does the future hold? On this evidence Ben’s pre-gig assurances that his best mates are in the best of hands rings true: new boy Charlie hardly missed a beat on his dazzling Newcastle debut and even whipped off his shirt to reveal the second best torso in the band. Collateral damage? Doesn’t look that way. Charlie could well be the right man at the right time for a band that’s still dreaming big.
Who’s been taking lessons from Winger?
No, not from ex-guitarist Todd. Rather, Kip’s US pop rock sensations famous for their on-point vocal harmonies and perfectly coiffured manes. Collateral frontman Angenlo Tristan and rhythm king Jack Bentley-Smith have never had a problem showing off their flowing locks but these days it seems it’s not all about style over substance. The boys have clearly been working double time behind the scenes to polish those vocals and with six-stringer Louis Malagodi more than capable of holding a tune it seems the hard graft’s paying off. At times Tristan and co. sounded sweeter than peak Kip and pals blasting out Seventeen… that good. No Place For Love, for example, leaves no room for error and the Think Tank faithful lapped up a note-perfect rendition of a thunderous ballad.
Big year? It won’t be their biggest.
Proud Juliet’s Not Dead frontman Stevie Stoker is right to remind fans that their commitment to the cause helped propel 2025 album of the year contender This World Is Ours to the summit of the UK download charts. In truth, it was a major achievement for a band that’s as fiercely independent as it’s outwardly ambitious. And right now it feels like the story’s just beginning for the best hard rock act to blow up out of the North East since the John Sykes-fuelled Tygers of Pan Tang. Every gig’s better than the last with the hours of rehearsals, international touring and growing confidence in that controversial name change leading to a tightness and self-belief that’s thrilling to see. Stoker might share his name with the bloke who wrote Dracula but the only count he’s interested in right now is the number of new fans flocking to JND gigs.
Thrillseekers unite
Rushonrock’s attended a few Juliet’s Not Dead shows of late. We took in more than our fair share of Twister gigs before that. And while many things have changed in camp Stoker during the last five years, there’s a reassuring consistency when it comes to both the band’s committed fan base and a serious uptick in the quality of their songwriting. Familiar faces pack JND gigs up and down the country, never tiring of the quartet’s quest for perfection. At the same time, records in the vein of This World Is Ours repay that faith in spades: Open Fire and Battle Scarred are just two of the songs that scream maturity, fearlessness and focus. A swift return to the US — for a handful of Stateside gigs — and a full tour of Spain should encourage more fans of fist-pumping hard rock into the JND fold. Thrillseekers unite.