Exploring Rock's Hidden Gems - The power of B-Side tracks

  GUESS THE BAND: Volume, Velocity & the Beautifully Strange August Hidden Gems Quiz Forget the album covers. Forget the obvious hits. This month, we're playing Guess the Band. You get three things: a photo, a song title, and a cryptic clue. Your mission? Put the three together and name the artist. We’re travelling from German synth-pop to black metal, punk rebellion to prog, gothic rock to novelty metal, and plenty of strange territory in between. Some should be instant. Some may make you stare at the screen for a while. 20 bands. 20 songs. One question: how deep does your musical knowledge really go? 🎲 THE QUESTIONS 1. The Race Question: Which Swiss electronic duo turned a frantic, futuristic instrumental into one of the most recognisable synth tracks of the 1980s? Clue: Their name is the German word for yellow. 2. The Highwayman Question: Which legendary country supergroup brought together four of America's most distinctive voices for this tale of reincarnation and outl...

  When Politics Went Platinum What if the world's most powerful people traded their suits for guitars? There are certain moments in history when politics and rock 'n' roll collide. Sometimes it's a protest song. Sometimes it's a concert. Sometimes it's a politician desperately trying to look like they understand the youth. But nobody—not even the most cynical music journalist—could have predicted Global RockFest: Power Chords for Peace. Five of the world's most recognisable political figures had decided to do the unthinkable. Forget diplomacy. Forget summits. Forget carefully scripted speeches. For one night, they were going to become rockstars. The venue was enormous. The stage was ridiculous. The lighting rig could probably be seen from orbit. And backstage, five dressing rooms were occupied by people who normally occupied presidential palaces, government buildings and military command centres. Tonight, however, they were arguing about guitar solos. Act I:...

  Back in Black Vol. II Deeper Into the Shadows " Every genre has a doorway. The best discoveries happen when you step through it." The first stop on our journey into black metal focused on atmosphere, melody, and accessible entry points. This time we're taking a few cautious steps further. Vol. I (In case you missed it) The scenery gets darker. The vocals become harsher. The riffs become sharper. Yet beneath the frost lies the same thing we've always celebrated here: songs that reward curiosity. These aren't necessarily the biggest songs, nor the most famous. They're tracks that reveal black metal's depth, ambition, and surprising musicality. 1. Emperor – With Strength I Burn (Norway) Who: The symphonic masters. What: An epic closer that showcases the grandeur of black metal. Why it matters: Emperor understood that black metal could be more than speed and aggression. This track feels almost orchestral, building layer upon layer before reaching its emotion...

  What in the World? – Passenger and the Dawn of the New Millennium The year was 2000. A new millennium had just begun. The world had spent months worrying that computers would fail at the stroke of midnight. Instead, the lights stayed on, the planes kept flying, and humanity stepped into the 21st century wondering what came next. The future had arrived. It was into this strange, exciting world that Deftones released White Pony, an album that would redefine heavy music. Hidden among its many standout tracks was one of alternative metal's greatest collaborations: Passenger, featuring Maynard James Keenan. Welcome to the Future The calendar now read 2000, and suddenly everything seemed possible. The Y2K bug, which many feared would cripple banks, power grids, and governments, had passed with surprisingly little disruption. Relief quickly turned into excitement as the world embraced a new technological era. People were carrying their trusty Nokia 3310s. The first camera phones were be...

  Rock in the Machine When Synthesizers Learned to Rock "The synthesizer didn't kill rock and roll. It simply plugged into the amplifier and turned everything up to eleven." For many rock fans, the story of the 1980s is often told as a battle between guitars and keyboards. On one side stood the leather-clad rock bands armed with Marshall stacks and screaming solos. On the other were sharply dressed musicians surrounded by blinking lights, sequencers and mysterious electronic boxes. According to popular opinion, one side won. The truth is far more interesting. A small group of fearless artists quietly proved that electronic music and rock music weren't enemies at all. They shared the same rebellious spirit, the same desire to break rules and the same hunger to sound like the future. They simply chose different weapons. Where traditional rock relied on pounding drums, distorted guitars and raw vocals, these innovators replaced the drummer with drum machines, layered syn...

  Once Upon a Rock Song... When Rock 'n' Roll Became a Story Once upon a time... Before rock songs became six-minute epics, concept albums and sprawling tales of heroes, villains, lovers and losers, there were storytellers. They didn't need elaborate productions. They had a voice, a guitar, maybe a fiddle, a harmonica or a little rhythm section. A cowboy rides into town. A gunfighter meets his fate. A soldier writes home. A stranger disappears into the night. A woman watches something terrible happen and refuses to explain it. Sometimes the ending makes sense. Sometimes it leaves you staring at the ceiling wondering, What the hell just happened? And sometimes... Well, sometimes somebody just needs a bigger iron. Welcome to the storytelling song. And eventually, welcome to rock 'n' roll. Before Rock, There Was a Story If you want to understand the storytelling side of rock, you have to go backwards. Way backwards. Long before arena rock and distorted guitars, folk an...

  Beer, Beef & B-Sides: The Sound of South African Rock South Africa has never struggled to produce world-class rock music. The problem is that much of it never crossed the ocean. While the rest of the world was obsessing over grunge in Seattle or Britpop in Manchester, local fans were packing clubs, buying CDs, and singing along to bands that deserved a place on the global stage. This isn't a story about chart-toppers or nostalgia. It's about the songs that still hit hard today—the ones that remind us that South African rock has its own heartbeat, its own attitude, and its own unmistakable identity. So, What Makes South African Rock Different? The easy answer would be to say that South African musicians took influences from Britain, America and elsewhere and put their own spin on them. But that's only part of the story. South African rock has always been a melting pot. Punk, new wave, alternative, pop, metal, folk, African rhythms and good old-fashioned guitar rock hav...

  Sunday Easy Listening Party Pop Stars with Rock Souls Sunday. A day for slowing down, putting your feet up, opening the windows and letting the music do the talking. For some people, Sunday easy listening means soft rock, gentle melodies and songs that don't demand too much from you. Nothing wrong with that. But what if we turned the volume up just a little? Because some of the biggest pop stars of the 1980s and early '90s had a serious rock side. Behind the polished production, the power ballads and the radio-friendly hooks were crunchy guitars, big drums, attitude and, occasionally, enough rock 'n' roll to make your Sunday afternoon considerably louder than intended. So today, we're taking it easy. Just not that easy. When Bryan Adams Turned Up the Volume Let's start with and Kids Wanna Rock. The title rather gives the game away. Adams may have become one of the biggest names in mainstream rock and pop, but this is a reminder of just how much straight-ahead...

  The Outsiders: The Women Who Refused to Play by Rock's Rules Rock music has always celebrated the rebels. But some artists didn't rebel by turning up the volume—they rebelled by refusing to fit into any category at all. These are the outsiders. The women who stood just beyond the edge of rock, borrowing from it, reshaping it, and giving it new life. Björk – The Fearless Experiment Before she became one of music's most fearless innovators, Björk fronted the alternative rock band The Sugarcubes. Even then, she sounded like nobody else. Her voice could whisper, scream, soar, or shatter expectations in the space of a single song. Industrial beats, orchestral arrangements, electronic textures, and rock guitars all became part of her musical language. She proved that rock wasn't a formula—it was an attitude. Hidden Gem: Birthday (The Sugarcubes) Mitski – The Sound of Beautiful Chaos Mitski began playing tiny basement shows with little more than a guitar, a band, and brutall...

  Denim, Leather, and Loud Guitars The Rise of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Before metal became polished. Before hair spray, pyrotechnics, and stadium-sized ballads. There was something rougher. Something built in pubs, clubs, factories, and smoke-filled venues across Britain. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal — better known as NWOBHM — exploded at the end of the 1970s and helped reshape heavy music forever. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t clean. It was loud, hungry, and made for people who needed an escape after long workdays and grey British winters. And decades later, its influence is still everywhere. What Exactly Was NWOBHM? NWOBHM was less a strict genre and more a movement. Bands mixed: the heaviness of 1970s hard rock the speed and aggression of punk the melody of classic British rock The result? Fast riffs. Twin guitars. Anthem choruses. Galloping basslines. Raw production. Pure energy. Bands weren’t waiting for permission from major labels. They pressed independen...

  Get Your Motor Running 15 Hidden Rock Songs to Supercharge Your Driving Playlist We've all got those songs. The ones that make a dull commute feel like an adventure. The ones that turn an empty highway into your own personal movie soundtrack. The songs that have you tapping the steering wheel, singing slightly off-key and wondering why they never became massive radio staples. This isn't a list of Born to Be Wild, Radar Love or Highway Star. Those are already parked in the classic garage. Instead, here are 15 underrated rock gems that deserve a place on your next road trip. One reminder before we hit the ignition: keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. Let the music lift your mood—not distract your driving. 1. The Church – Under the Milky Way A dreamy atmosphere wrapped around a steady beat. Perfect for late-night highways where the stars seem just a little brighter. 2 . Golden Earring – Twilight Zone Driving bass, sharp guitar riffs and enough energy to make ...