Jack Rogers

Hiya, just a quick update. I’ve taken on a full-time role at @rocksound as Senior Staff Writer. Excited to play my part in making it another special year. Over on jack.rogers@rocksound.tv for anything and everything pop-punk, metalcore and everything inbetween.

Panic! At The Disco, When We Were Young 2025 REVIEW: This was all just meant to be. Panic! At The Disco, playing their first show in three years, whilst celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album, in the heart of the very town that inspired so much of its flair. But from the get-go, it's clear that this is more than just a look back to the past. It is a recentering. A rebirth. A reminder of just why the band are, and always have been, the greatest show on Earth. Act One is, as intended, 'A Fever You Can't Sweat Out' from front to back. Backed by strings and brass, and performed against a backdrop that's a gentleman's club on one minute and a casino floor the next, it's a show fitting for the skyline that surrounds it. 'Time To Dance' and 'Camisado' are chaotically vibrant, whilst the flamboyant cheekiness of 'But It's Better If You Do' has all in attendance losing all inhibitions. Brendon himself is more free-spirited and fluid than he's been in years, goose-stepping across this circus floor, never missing a single beat and clearly completely taken aback by just how much this means to so many. Act Two then takes this to a whole other level, pulling songs from the rest of the stacked Panic! repertoire fuelled on the excess and access this town is built on and giving them their moment on the strip. 'Death Of A Bachelor' is decadent, 'Vegas Lights' is bold and brash and 'Nine In The Afternoon' is beautifully bonkers; every facet of the band's tool belt allowed to shine. Even a run-through of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' feels apt in these circumstances. And how do you round out something so fantastical? Well, you run through 'I Write Sins, Not Tragedies' for a second time, but with the addition of Spencer Smith on drums for the first time in over a decade. It's a fittingly poignant end to an audacious, wonderfully indulgent and extraordinarily affirming spectacle, the sort that you want to lose yourself in again and again, and that perfectly sums up why Panic! have stood atop the scene and beyond for so long. For one weekend only or the start of something, we are yet to see. But one thing is for sure. We will always have Vegas. ✏️ Jack Rogers 📷 Jenn Five

Rise Against, ‘Ricochet’ | The Album Story "We’ve been singing about change, about awareness, about justice and trying to find elements of those in humanity for 25 years....I feel like we, our band, our scene, our community, the young people in it, need a teachable moment like this right now." Read: rocksound.tv/features/rise-…

Stray From The Path, ‘Clockworked’ | The Album Story Tom Williams guides us through the creation and surprise release of the band’s final LP "When you roll albums out now, there just isn’t that excitement because you already know that it’s coming. That’s why we wanted to do something different. It felt like there had to be a new and fun way to release records, and this felt like it..." Read: rocksound.tv/features/stray…

NOAHFINNCE, Slam Dunk Festival REVIEW: NOAHFINNCE can’t hide the happiness that’s dominating his face right now. Standing on stage at Slam Dunk is a special moment for any band, but when you spent your formative years in these crowds, screaming these songs and sharing in this unique scene, it just means that little bit more. And for Noah, they are clearly very proud of finding their feet on this side of things and seeing it resonate with so many others. It’s made even sweeter when the catalogue of songs he has collected are this infectiously brilliant, too. ‘3 DAY HEADACHE’ is sickly sweet in all the right ways, whilst ‘LIFE’S A BIT’ continues to be as fun and freeing as when it first dropped. With every nod to their youth, every fizzy riff dealt out, and every cheeky comment launched out into the field, the crowd before him expands, and the smile on Noah’s smile grows with it. Watching someone live their dreams in real-time is one hell of a thrill, but more than anything, it’s a firm reminder that you could be up here doing this, too. Just be yourself and ensure your passion is front and centre of everything you create. That’s the NOAHFINNCE way, and that will never change. ✏️ Jack Rogers 📷 Corinne Cumming

Knuckle Puck, Slam Dunk Festival 2025 REVIEW: It feels apt that Knuckle Puck have chosen Slam Dunk to host their celebration of ‘Copacetic’, an album that has become increasingly more seminal over the ten years since its release. And though the festival and the crowds it welcomes have grown exponentially since 2015, the beautifully existential power of these songs remains steadfast, and the band are clearly revelling in having such an opportunity to roll back the years. The punishing heart of ‘Evergreen’ and the deep-set reflection of ‘Poison Pen Letter’ have bodies flying over the barrier in abundance, whilst the bare-bones earnestness of ‘In Your Crosshairs’ has more than a few tears being dabbed away. Yet it’s the closing gambit of ‘Pretense’ and ‘Untitled’, two songs that showcase the raw emotion that sits at the band's heart in the most glistening of colours, that provoke the most pandemonium, with the thousands assembled losing voices and inhibitions left, right and centre. It’s a riotous conclusion to a performance that further cements Knuckle Puck as one of pop-punk’s most visceral assets and ‘Copacetic’ as one of the genre’s modern classics. ✏️ Jack Rogers 📷 Corinne Cumming

Hot Mulligan, Slam Dunk Festival 2025 REVIEW: In every direction you glance across the Slam Dunk site, you are only a few centimetres away from spotting a piece of Hot Mulligan merch. Their incredible rise from your favourite band’s favourite band to genuine alternative superstars has been a delight to behold, and they are taking their opportunity to scream to the heavens on the biggest stage possible by the scruff of the neck and then some. From the forward-thinking genius of ‘Drink Milk And Run’ to the pop-punk perfection of ‘Featuring Mark Hoppus’, all the way through to the deafening sing-alongs that accompany ‘*Equip Sunglasses*’ and ‘BCKYRD’, they feel truly unstoppable, making these songs designed for sweaty basements feel positively arena-sized. However, it’s the clear, deep connection these emotional hymns have forged with all those in attendance, all exorcising whatever demons they need to be rid of, that sticks out the most. It’s the sort of warts-and-all outpouring that this scene is built on, and few bands deserve to be its soundtrack on this scale than Hot Mully. ✏️ Jack Rogers 📷 Corinne Cumming

The Used, Slam Dunk Festival 2025 REVIEW: The Used have been ripping and tearing for a quarter of a century now, but based on how they are bringing the heat here, they have never been more savagely locked in than right now. This is the second of a three-day celebration of their early days, where 2004’s ‘In Love And Death’ is now taking centre stage, an album that took them to a whole other stratosphere at the time of release and still feels fiercely fresh now. From the moment ‘Take It Away’ deals out the first punch through to the final harsh hit of ‘I’m A Fake’, the band are utterly captivating, clearly loving bringing such nostalgic joy and relief to so many. Also, in spreading their wings musically with their recent output has heightened these songs to an entirely new level, with ‘Cut Up Angels’ never feeling more heartwrenching and ‘Sound Effects and Overdramatics’ never more razor-sharp. Though the show's real star is the smile that doesn’t leave Robert McCracken’s lips for a second throughout this masterclass. Considering how much of his pain, adoration and existence is stitched into the lining of these songs, seeing their wondrous impact still in action all these years is worth its weight in gold. ✏️ Jack Rogers 📷 Corinne Cumming

Eurovision 2025: this year's rock lineup and Finland's entry. Watch the full episode of the Rock Sound Rundown now on our YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts. #eurovision #erikavikman #lordi #therasmus #rock youtube.com/watch?v=ymJ9Tx…

LIVE REVIEW: The Warning keep London fed at celebratory headliner rocksound.tv/features/the-w…

The new @thebandGHOST album features not just some of the best songs of their career but some of the best songs you will hear from anyone this year. Spending an hour in the company of Tobias Forge to chat about it was enchanting, fascinating and something I’ll always remember.

Sleep Token, 'Caramel', Full Reaction Video Check back next week for the full episode of the Rock Sound Rundown podcast youtube.com/watch?v=nhIHGS…

Thornhill, 'Bodies' | The Album Story Jacob and Ethan guide us through the making of their new record, set for release on April 04 via UNFD "It doesn’t matter what it is, just do whatever makes you feel happy. Our only conscious thought was that we wanted a bit of energy and pace back." Read: rocksound.tv/features/thorn…

LIVE REVIEW: Bilmuri bring their unstoppable live rodeo to London "From the moment the band step out on stage to the most rapturous of screams and kick into the southern fried hooks of ‘EMPTYHANDED’, this is as brilliant a show as you are ever likely to see. A true masterclass in balancing energy, emotion and empathy that takes years of devotion to get right." Read: rocksound.tv/features/bilmu…

I’ve taken a big leap and started posting about what I’m wearing over on the old TikTok. If that’s your bag 👉 @yourmatejackrog?_t=ZN-8ubLhPBHJ6E&_r=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">tiktok.com/@yourmatejackr…

There are few in this scene as passionate, thoughtful, driven and appreciative as @corklezlaplante and Mike Stringer are. Chatting to them once more, this time about @spiritboxband’s gorgeous new album, was a dream and a pleasure

Silverstein, 'Antibloom' | The Album Story Shane Told guides us through their first release of the year, out February 21 "Every time we work on something, whether new music or putting a show together, we work hard on it. Because it’s not like our best days are behind us and we are just trying to find a way to continue. Our best days are right now." Read: rocksound.tv/features/silve…

The Warning are one of our Stars Of 2025 as they make their Rock Sound magazine cover debut The trio look back on their path to superstardom in a new interview and photoshoot Get your magazine, poster print and world exclusive 'S!CK' t-shirt at shop.rocksound.tv/collections/la…

@emmabwilkes Saturday! Proper Xmas prep

I absolutely love being a mosher.