Kerrang!

Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music, currently published by Hamburg based Bauer Media Group. It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper. Named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar, Kerrang! was initially devoted to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of hard rock acts. In the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music newspaper.

History

Kerrang! was founded in 1981. The magazine commenced publication on 6 June 1981 and was edited by Geoff Barton, initially as a one-time supplement in the Sounds newspaper, which focused on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal phenomenon and on the rise of other hard rock acts.Angus Young of AC/DC appeared on Kerrang!'s first cover. Launched as a monthly magazine, Kerrang! began to appear on a fortnightly basis later, and in 1987 it went weekly. The original owner was United Newspapers who then sold it to EMAP in 1991.

Kerrang Radio

Kerrang! Radio or Kerrang! 105.2 is a specialist rock music radio station broadcasting across London on DAB and The United Kingdom on both Freeview and various online platforms. It is owned and operated by Bauer Radio and forms part of Bauer's National portfolio of radio brands.

Until June 2013 the station was available on FM in the West Midlands, England. The station's format mixes modern & classic rock with speech programmes targeted at young people and an adult rock audience. The station is connected with the Kerrang! print magazine in name, ownership and style, although the radio station has a more mainstream adult rock output than the magazine, featuring more indie and alternative rock.

The night shows are very much fuelled by the traditional Kerrang! Magazine sound, with a wider and less mainstream style, playing a mix of punk and metal bands and forms part of the Bauer National network.

On 23 May 2013, Bauer Media announced that the output of DAB station Planet Rock would become available on FM in the West Midlands on the frequency used by Kerrang! Radio in Birmingham from 14 June 2013. All programming will come from London with the Birmingham studios closing and Kerrang! continuing in a different form on digital platforms. The station's digital footprint was not universal and omitted some areas of the UK.

Rise to Remain

Rise to Remain were a London based heavy metal band, formed in 2006. The band made appearances at Download Festival, Sonisphere Festival and extensively toured the UK and Europe. The band released three EPs, the majority of which were "viral" releases, via their MySpace. On 16 March 2011 they signed their first major recording contract with EMI records, which was accompanied by the launch of their website and a free single download entitled "The Serpent". Their debut album, City of Vultures, was released on 5 September 2011, nearly a year after they had started work on recording the album. It was produced by revered metal producer Colin Richardson and Carl Bown.

The band were praised by magazines, such as Metal Hammer and Kerrang!, with the former releasing a scaled-down version of their first nationwide-release EP, Bridges Will Burn. They received radioplay through the likes of BBC Radio One and Total Rock, as well as having their music videos regularly rotated on Scuzz and Kerrang! TV. They were voted "Best New Band" at the 2010 Metal Hammer "Golden God Awards", an award decided by 400,000 votes around the globe, and the 2010 Kerrang! Award for "Best British Newcomer".

You Me at Six

You Me at Six are an English rock band from Weybridge, Surrey. Formed in 2004, the group achieved success in 2008 with the success of their debut album, Take Off Your Colours, which included the singles "Save It for the Bedroom", "Finders Keepers" and "Kiss and Tell", with the latter two peaking at number 33 and number 42 respectively in the official UK Singles Chart. Their second album Hold Me Down (2010) debuted at number 5 in the UK, while third album Sinners Never Sleep (2011) peaked at number 3, was certified Gold, and spawned the band's fifth top 50 single "Loverboy".

"The Swarm" was released as a non-album single for the launch of the roller coaster of the same name; it peaked at number 23. Cavalier Youth was released as their fourth album to a number 1 debut in 2014 and contained the number 11 single "Lived a Lie". You Me at Six has toured extensively, with appearances on Warped Tour, Soundwave, and has toured with Thirty Seconds to Mars, Paramore, Fall Out Boy and All Time Low. You Me at Six won the award for Best British Band at the Kerrang! Awards in 2011. The band's influences include American rock bands Blink-182, Incubus and Thrice.

American Idiot

American Idiot is the seventh studio album by American rock band Green Day. Produced by Rob Cavallo, the album was released on September 20, 2004 by Reprise Records. Green Day first achieved popularity in the 1990s with a string of successful albums. Following disappointing sales of their sixth album, Warning (2000), the band took a small break. They later reconvened to record their next album, titled Cigarettes and Valentines, a process cut short when its master tapes were stolen. Rather than re-record that material, the group decided to start over.

A concept album and "punk rock opera," American Idiot follows the story of Jesus of Suburbia, an adolescent anti-hero that is divided between "rage and love." Through its plot, the album expresses the disillusionment and dissent experienced by a generation which came of age during various turmoil including the Iraq War. The album was inspired by several musicals and the work of the Who. Recording of American Idiot was split between two California studios between 2003 and 2004. Its album art—inspired by propaganda—depicts a heart-shaped hand grenade.