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.

Fresh Blood

Fresh Blood is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Steve Swindells. The album was originally released in late 1980 on the label Atco. The album was Swindells' first solo album following his departure from Hawkwind, due to an offer that had been made to him by Atco to make this album. It was produced by Swindells himself, after being unable to afford advances offered by Jim Steinman, Jimmy Iovine, and David Bowie. Bowie would later praise the album, along with Messages as sounding "pretty good"

When the album was released in late 1980, it received positive reviews but failed to chart in the UK. "Shot Down in the Night", and "Turn It On, Turn It Off" were released as singles, but they both also failed to chart. He was later dropped from the label, when it failed to make sufficient sales.

Swindells is backed on this album by guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton and drummer Simon King, both from Hawkwind, and bassist Nic Potter from Van der Graaf Generator.

Critical reception

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.

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.