The Year In (Über) Rock – The Highs and Lows…
Written by Mark Ashby
Saturday, 30 December 2017 04:00
Each year, in addition to our annual lists and polls of the best gigs and albums of the year, we ask our writers to look back on what were their personal highlights – and lowlights – and also to look forward to the coming year, and give us their prediction as to who they think will be the breakthrough act of the coming 12 months…
This year, we added a slight twist, by asking the team to share their ‘Funniest Rock ‘n’ Roll Moment’, and also nominate someone for the first ever ‘Gene Simmons Dickhead Of The Year’ award…
So, here we go folks – and, don’t forget, this is (mostly) a bit of fun…
Allan Maxwell
Worst Album of 2017: Weezer- ‘Pacific Daydream’
Worst Gig of 2017: Weezer, 02 Academy Glasgow 24/10/17
Funniest Rock ‘n’ Roll Moment: Glastonbury 2017- Frank Carter doing his thing in amongst the crowd when someone tried to spray him with piss from a bottle, Frank took the bottle and emptied the lot over the guy’s head!
The Gene Simmons Dickhead of the Year Award: Josh Homme, for kicking a photographer in the face.
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: Woes
Ben Hughes
Biggest Surprise of 2017: Tyketto winning last year’s ‘Album Of The Year’!
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: Missing Kings X and Redd Kross UK gigs – again!
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: The Last Internationale
Dave Prince
Biggest Surprise of 2017: The new material to come from The Wild Family! 
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: That the new material from The Wild Family wasn’t released this year!
Worst Album: N/A as most of what I’ve heard has had something decent about it.
Worst Gig: as above – although Go West doing two 45-minute sets like a pub covers band is not on.
Funniest Rock N Roll Moment: THE Johnny Hayward interview on BRFM!
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: The Wild Family to finally get the recognition they deserve!
David O’Neill
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: DAB radio, especially PlanetRock around A472 between Pontypool and Pontypridd – I can pinpoint the lines of no reception…
The Gene Simmons Dickhead of the Year Award: Gene Simmons (for trying to copyright the devil’s horns).
DJ Astrocreep
Biggest Surprise of 2017: Chris Cornell’s passing
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: The growing issue of suicide in the music business – high profile and less so.
Worst Album of 2017: ‘Theory of a Deadman’ – ‘Wake Up Call’
Worst Gig of 2017: Gary Numan in Liverpool Exhibition Centre. Placing seats in front of standing absolute killed the atmosphere, and had even the usually unflappable Gary questioning what was going on.
Funniest Rock ‘N’ Roll Moment: Ten Foot Wizard frontman Gary swinging by one arm from a lighting rig screaming ‘Covered In Tits’ down a microphone with the other at HRH Stoner vs Doom.
The Gene Simmons Dickhead of the Year Award: Marcel Schirmer of Destruction, for his behaviour at HRH Hammerfest towards staff and other artists.
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: Puppy
Dom Daley
Biggest Surprise of 2017: Tyketto winning last year’s writers’ poll
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: Tyketto winning last year’s writers’ poll
Worst Album of 2017: Did Iron Maiden release anything this year? (They did – Ed) Probably that then.
Worst Gig of 2017: I don’t attend shit gigs.
Funniest Rock ‘n’ Roll Moment: There’s nothing funny about rock ‘n’ roll – its serious shit!
The Gene Simmons Dickhead Of The Year Award: A toss-up between Vince Neil for being Vince Neil or hipsters for the facial hair – no socks and manbags… bellends!
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: No tripe will hit my death decks in 2018… I’ll make it my life’s mission.
Gerald Stansbury
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: Ginger Wildheart’s ‘Ghost in the Tanglewood’
Biggest Surprise of 2017: Heavy Tiger’s growth from their debut to ‘Glitter’
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: In terms of bands, Starcrawler; in terms of albums, ‘Dirty Pictures Part 2’ by Low Cut Connie.
Jim Rowland
Biggest Surprise of 2017: Discovering I really like Cats In Space!
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: The death of Malcolm Young RIP (Rock In Peace).
Über Prediction/ Tip for 2018: Sharks will release a killer album entitled ‘Black Beatles/White Temptations’
Jonni D
Biggest Surprise of 2017: Seether – ‘Poison The Parish’
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: Foo Fighters – ‘Concrete and Gold’
Worst Album of 2017: Theory Of A Deadman – ‘Wake Up Call’
Worst Gig of 2017: Anathema at Belfast Limelight. Nothing to do with the band’s performance; simply because of one considerate individual flicking a cigarette at my eye, thus ensuring an eight-hour stint in A&E.
Funniest Rock N’ Roll Moment: Marilyn Manson on a stretcher post onstage injury. Nothing funny about his accident itself, but it’s a striking image.
The Gene Simmons Dickhead of the Year: Chad Kroeger – I mean, that feud with Corey Taylor really failed to achieve anything.
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: Machine Head’s ‘Catharsis’ will be their most divisive album since ‘Supercharger’…and I will love it.
Marc Leach
Biggest Surprise of 2017: The fact that I wasn’t a fan of Blaze Bayley until I saw him live in the middle of a field in Banbridge, Northern Ireland.
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: That mental illness took the likes of Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) and Dani Kansanaho (Shrouded) this year.
Worst Album of 2017: Leather Leaf – ‘Desecrated Minds’.
Worst Gig of 2017: Bad Boat – The Limelight 2, Belfast.
Funniest Rock ‘n’ Roll Moment: The fact that Gene Simmons tried to trademark the ‘horn’ sign and got slaughtered by both Ronnie James Dio’s widow and fans.
The Gene Simmons Dickhead of the Year Award: Josh Homme, for kicking a photographer in the face.
Über Tip for 2018: Remember that people are there for you, and when times are tough, reach out to those who love you.
Mark Ashby
Biggest Surprise of 2017: That we’re still here… seriously, though, I never fail to be honestly surprised by the amount of amazing new bands that continue to emerge from all the corners of the rock ‘n’ roll Überverse and consistently surprise with the sheer quality of the music they produce – and as long they keep doing that, then Über Rock will continue championing their cause…
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: That so many great rock ‘n’ roll bands continue not to get the recognition that they deserve because, contrary to popular belief, the “music industry” is still very much a deciding actor in brainwashing people into believing what they “need” and “want” to be listening to, instead of letting them decide for themselves…
Worst Album of 2017: There is a big pile of CDs at URHQ that we’re sending off to our friends at Rock N Roll Circus for next year’s charity fundraiser… you can take your pick from most of those…
Worst Set of 2017: Like Rich below, I’m not gonna pick a gig, but one set in a bigger bill – and that is Loverboy miming at Rockingham! Enough said. Either that or Dave Mustwank and Megaduff at the otherwise excellent Bloodstock.
Funniest Rock ‘n’ Roll Moment: Hanowar at Bloodstock… hysterical but brilliant – DQ referred to them as the “Village People of heavy metal”, and I think that sums them up. Loved it!
The Gene Simmons Dickhead of the Year Award: There is one internet troll who is an obvious winner, but I wouldn’t do him the pleasure of being named and shamed, so I’m going to agree with our photographers and go with Josh Homme…
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: From the amount of albums already clogging up the UR inbox, it’s going to be another great year for the music we all love, so just sit back and enjoy the ride!
Nick Russell
Biggest Surprise of 2017: The number of great new bands I discovered this year, who I’d never heard of before – i.e. Elder, Hyborian, Get The Shot, Pallbearer, Higher Power, Night Demon, Antichrist, all with great albums.
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: The pitiful number of gigs I went to this year – less than 10!
Worst Album of 2017: Venom Inc – ‘Avé’. I really have tried but a band so badly treading water and trading on their reputation.
Gene Simmons Dickhead of the Year Award: Just has to be the man himself – Gene Simmons! He just can’t help himself!!
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: The King Is Blind to accelerate their climb to the upper reaches of the (extreme) metal world. The UK has an absolute gem there!
Rich Hobson
Biggest Surprise of 2017: Paramore – ‘After Laughter’
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: Guns ‘N Roses’ London tour support
Worst Album of 2017: Weezer – ‘Pacific Daydream’
Worst Set of 2017: The Kills supporting Guns ‘N Roses
Funniest Rock ‘n’ Roll Moment: CKY replacing their vocalist, and then releasing an album with the opening track… ‘Replaceable’!
The Gene Simmons Dickhead of the Year Award: Gene Simmons, for the 68th year running.
The Dark Queen
Biggest Surprise of 2017: Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters – totally love her/their ballsy attitude and kick your ass riffs.
Biggest Disappointment of 2017: That sexism is still riff in all aspects of the music industry; be it a photographer, singer, guitarist, PR agent or anyone else working in this male-dominated environment, we have to work so much harder just to try and get recognition and be taken seriously.
Worst Album of 2017: Linkin Park – ‘One More Light’. Their music has got me through a lot over the years, but this was a sad epitaph for Chester Bennington.
Worst Set of 2017: Megadeth at Bloodstock.
Funniest Rock ‘n’ Roll Moment: I agree with Mark… Hanowar at Bloodstock were so bad and so funny they were fucking good – especially the dude dressed as a banana.
The Gene Simmons Dickhead of the Year Award: Josh Homme – how dare he pick on someone else for doing their job… or was it because she was a woman?
Über Prediction/Tip for 2018: Hopefully the egotistical male bastards who dominate this business will start to recognize the hard(er) work that us women have to do to get to halfway near their level… but I doubt it!
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