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Features: Birthday Show Charts | Rock War

The Friday Rock Show

The Rock War

The Rock War, renamed the Rock Challenge during the Iraq War, brought young British talent onto the airwaves. Structure Bands who wanted to take part in the competition sent in demos. On each show with a Rock War segment, Tommy played three songs, each from a different band, taken from those demos. The audience voted by phone for their favourite, during the show, and the results were announced at the end of that show. Each round had three heats with the winner of each going on to a final. The winner of the final got a guaranteed session on the Friday Rock Show, which would be broadcast twice.

Here's a table containing what details we know of the Rock War.

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

Unknown

1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993

1989
Date	Round	Heat	Track 1	Track 2	Track 3	Notes
4 Aug	1	1	U.S.I. Dark Star Stoke-on-Trent	Paris Dancer The Dark Side of You South Shields	Monterrey Paris 4am London
11 Aug	1	2	Arbitrater Fighting Back Warwick	Tranceplant Legacy of Devastation	Zeitgeist Human Zoo Liverpool
18 Aug	1	3	Circus Never Surrender Manchester	& The Generals Ran Forever All That Glitters London	Rough Neck Hypnotised West Midlands
25 Aug	1	Final	Circus Never Surrender Manchester	Zeitgeist Human Zoo Liverpool	U.S.I. Dark Star Stoke-on-Trent
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
1 Sep	2	1	The Raiders How Long the Night Birmingham	Tangent Salvation in Ash London	Ruff Cutt The Ruffest Cut Whitehaven
8 Sep	2	2	Evolution Shock of the New	Winter Close Your Eyes Belfast	Jadis This Changing Face Southampton
15 Sep	2	3	The Happenin' Rainmaking in the White House Cardiff	Crows Give Me Freedom Edinburgh	Dirty Weekend Dirty Weekend Manchester
22 Sep	2	Final	Dirty Weekend Dirty Weekend Manchester	Ruff Cutt The Ruffest Cut Whitehaven	Winter Close Your Eyes Belfast
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
29 Sep	3	1	Blinder Sun Fall Down Woodford Green	Inferior Livin' Lie Devon	Kinghigh Wasted Tewkesbury
6 Oct	3	2	N.A.D. Wolf Southend-on-Sea	Purgatory Termination of Birth Weston-Super-Mare	Desecrator The Suffering Mansfield
13 Oct	3	3	Sullen Blaze Black Carnival Norwich	Sian Loser in Love Liverpool	Acclaim Battle of Britain Cheltenham
20 Oct	3	Final	Inferior Livin' Lie Devon	Desecrator The Suffering Mansfield	Sian Loser in Love Liverpool
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
3 Nov	4	1	China White Calling Out Your Name Creich	Victim Across the Miles Nottinghamshire	No Excuse How to Be a Fool London
10 Nov	4	2	Big Heat Heaven's Waiting Nottingham	Highway She's Hot Birmingham	Gift One Way Need Manchester
17 Nov	4	3	Steven Crosby Mr. Groover's Blues Night Out	Euphoria Back to the Grind Cambridgeshire	Mario Parga Fretstalking
24 Nov	4	Final	China White Calling Out Your Name Creich	Highway She's Hot Birmingham	Euphoria Back to the Grind Cambridgeshire
1990
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
5 Jan	1	1	Fenris Wolfe Starchase Southport	Generals A Way to See	Red Snapper Shameless
12 Jan	1	2	Prime Evil Demon Seed Canterbury	Ignorance Why? Corby	Lord Crucifier Mind's Eye Halifax
19 Jan	1	3	Nasty Nasty Long Road Home Leicester	Felony Miss Demeanour Birmingham	Geneva Chase the Dream Nottingham
26 Jan	1	Final	Fenris Wolfe Starchase Southport	Ignorance Why? Corby	Geneva Chase the Dream Nottingham
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
2 Feb	2	1	Predator Afraid of the Dark Birmingham	High Treason The Night Has Its Price St. Ives	Sweet Sin Bring Back Love Manchester
9 Feb	2	2	Saviour Fantasy Darlington	Dawn Patrol Windows Glasgow	Strategy Carrie Anne Edinburgh
16 Feb	2	3	Above & Beyond Forbidden Dream Norwich	Don't Feed the Animals Doin' Time Sunshine Salisbury	Maytrix Tell Me What You Want Winchester
23 Feb	2	Final	Maytrix Tell Me What You Want Winchester	Dawn Patrol Windows Glasgow	Sweet Sin Bring Back Love Manchester
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
2 Mar	3	1	Grinder Wasteland Mullion	Vagrant That Smile Hertfordshire	Bad Luck Sister Burning Sky Grantham
9 Mar	3	2	Vice Versa What's Right	Nemesis Frozen to Ice Redditch	Nihilist Holocaustic Death
16 Mar	3	3	Detente Rip It Up Loughborough	Blynd Syde The One of Us Blackburn	Touch Restless Bristol
23 Mar	3	Final	Vagrant That Smile Hertfordshire	Nemesis Frozen to Ice Redditch	Detente Rip It Up Loughborough
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
30 Mar	4	1	Panama Sox Off London	Ole Veradi Breathe Life	Montserrat Pedal to the Metal Reading
6 Apr	4	2	First Born Living a Lie Hereford	Quit Bitch'n Don't Stop Me Toxteth	Artisan Reach Out Hull
20 Apr	4	3	Near Death Experience Commuter	Obliteration Inner Dreams Margate	Tortoise Corpse We Kill Dyfed
27 Apr	4	Final	Tortoise Corpse We Kill Dyfed	Artisan Reach Out Hull	Panama Sox Off London
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
4 Apr	5	1	Foul Play The Price of Love	Scarlette Take Me (If You Want Me)	Metal Jester No Man's Land
11 Apr	5	2	Magic Theatre Swarm	John Storey Hot Shot Surrey?	Michael Simpson Heat It Up Rotherham
18 Apr	5	3	Quest On the Edge	Mai Rouge Take It or Leave It	Frozen Heart Party Girl
25 Apr	5	Final	Foul Play The Price of Love	John Storey Hot Shot Surrey?	Frozen Heart Party Girl
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
1 Jun	6	1				Killing Faith won.
8 Jun	6	2	Ragamuffin 2nd Hand Beauty Queen	Lipstick Junkies Sleazy Suicide	Sweet FA Shakin' It
15 Jun	6	3	Brazil Why Can't This Be Love	Empire Easy If You Try	Skeleton Little Love
22 Jun	6	Final	Brazil Why Can't This Be Love	Sweet FA Shakin' It	Killing Faith Deadly Procession
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
29 Jun	7	1	St. Hellier Touch and Go Tunbridge Wells	A.X.S. Kick the Axe London	Fifth Avenue Blow Me Away
7 Jul	7	2	Master Fallen Angel	Shoot the Moon One More Day	Graffiti Victory Guns
14 Jul	7	3	Dirty Tryx Shoot 'em Down	A.N.D. Stone Birmingham	Steel House Everybody's Rockin'
21 Jul	7	Final	Graffiti Victory Guns	Dirty Tryx Shoot 'em Down	St. Hellier Touch and Go Tunbridge Wells
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
3 Aug	8	1	Knights of Passion And Heaven Too	Raw Deal Hellraiser	Rag Dolls Doll House
10 Aug	8	2	Playn Crazy Fire Alderstone	Groovin' with Lucy Killed by a Smile Leeds	Panic Metalwrath Bangor
17 Aug	8	3	If Only If Love Could Last Forever London	Enigma Passionate Strangers	Strutz I Still Love You Manchester
24 Aug	8	Final	Panic Metalwrath Bangor	If Only If Love Could Last Forever London	Rag Dolls Doll House
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
31 Aug	9	1	Attica Rage Killing for Company Ayrshire	Judgement Death Drop Gwent	Karrion Messenger of Death Huddersfield
7 Sep	9	2	She Never Surrender	Cyanide Soul is Free Worcestershire	Holy Trinity When Your Dream Comes In
14 Sep	9	3	Lix n Trix Don't Say Goodbye Salisbury	Crossfire Going Down Tonbridge	Roma High Life Lichfield
21 Sep	9	Final	Attica Rage Killing for Company Ayrshire	Cyanide Soul is Free Worcestershire	Roma High Life Lichfield
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
28 Sep	10	1	Terrorvision Pain Reliever Bradford	Slander Fighting Talk Lytham St. Annes	Sweet n Innocent Wasted Norwich
12 Oct	10	2	Force Fine Lines Newcastle	Krakatoa In Too Deep Keighley	Under Lock & Key Don't Waste Your Time Leeds
19 Oct	10	3	Red Sky Smiles Like an Angel Manchester	A.X.S. Chain Reaction London	Fahrenheit Just Like Strangers Grimsby
26 Oct	10	Final	Fahrenheit Just Like Strangers Grimsby	Under Lock & Key Don't Waste Your Time Leeds	Sweet n Innocent Wasted Norwich	Results as recalled by Andy Brown of Under Lock & Key.
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
9 Nov	11	1	Hit 'n' Run Sheer Heart Attack	Rich Rags Youth Hull?	All Points West What She Don't Know
23 Nov	11	2	Taliesin Taliesin Cheltenham	Hatred Eternity	Blazon Last Reflection London
7 Dec	11	3	Alibi Breakout	Innocent Cold Freedom	Triple X Survivor
14 Dec	11	Final	Hit n Run Sheer Heart Attack	Taliesin Taliesin Cheltenham	Alibi Breakout
1991
4 Jan	1	1	Smash Alley Dead Men Don't Cry	Damascus Can't Take No More West Midlands	Mr. Meana No Pain No Gain
11 Jan	1	2	White Lies Brave New Heart	Slytlee Sleezee Too Weak to Fight	Gypsy Rose Gypsy Rose
25 Jan	1	3	Intruder Hear Me Out	SixMyth Paupers	Abandon Who are You
1 Feb	1	Final	Mr. Meana No Pain No Gain	Gypsy Rose Gypsy Rose	SixMyth Paupers
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
8 Feb	2	1	Kick Take It or Leave It	Framed Nothing Ever Changes	Cheyenne What is My Crime
15 Feb	2	2	Red Let the World Go Crazy	A.O.K. Two Souls	Matrix Keep the Dream Alive
22 Feb	2	3	Snake Drive Bad Blood	Cardinal Sin Prisoner of Desire	Galahad The Automaton Christchurch
1 Mar	2	Final	Kick Take It or Leave It	Matrix Keep the Dream Alive	Galahad The Automaton Christchurch
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
8 Mar	3	1	Burlesque The Man in Me	Wicked Rich The Fear	Medicine Train Honky Tonk Bay
15 Mar	3	2	Who Cares Anyway At the End of the Night	Slow Burner Sister Sister	Dead Men's Suits Killin' Shake
22 Mar	3	3	Melodye Broken Dreams	Cruise 101 Tonight	Masque of Dementia The Thief of Time
29 Mar	3	Final	Burlesque The Man in Me	Melodye Broken Dreams	Slow Burner Sister Sister
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
5 Apr	4	1	GMT The Aerialist Fife	Power House No Path Home Liverpool	Madlove Look into My Mind London
12 Apr	4	2	Lloyd Hartley Untitled	Henry Brook Untitled	Nathan Doyle Free
19 Apr	4	3	Greedsville Praise Be	Dynamitte Inc Walking on Water London	Warning D.O.A.
26 Apr	4	Final	Power House No Path Home Liverpool	Lloyd Hartley Untitled	Warning D.O.A.
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
3 May	5	1	Lemon Squeezer Flying High	Big Machine Field on Fire	Revenge Midnight in Paris
10 May	5	2	Silent Cry Mandrake	Bytchin' Heat Dirty Money	Terrorvision My House Bradford
17 May	5	3	Innerstate Rebirth	King Katwalk Emotional Rescue	State of Shock Buy Us the Truth Newcastle upon Tyne
24 May	5	Final	Revenge Midnight in Paris	Bytchin' Heat Dirty Money	State of Shock Buy Us the Truth Newcastle upon Tyne
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
31 May	6	1	Dangerous Liaison No More Lonely Nights	Firechild Vampire	Ark Cover Me with Rain Birmingham
7 Jun	6	2	General Dynamix You Got It Made	Tor Wish	Hitt Hollywood
14 Jun	6	3	Mutant The Awakening Conscience Newcastle upon Tyne	The Mourning After Assault & Battery Woking	Love & War My Kind of Party
23 Jun	6	Final	Ark Cover Me with Rain Birmingham	Tor Wish	Love & War My Kind of Party
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
1 Nov	7	1	God's Acre V.M.E. Norfolk	Grace in Danger Boom Town Andover	King's Calling Liar Walsall	Return of the Rock War after the summer off.
8 Nov	7	2	Filthy Rich Saturday K'Nights	Soldier Blue Leader of the Bad Boys	Kid Wicked Non Stop Primitive
15 Nov	7	3	Quikken Heartbreak Portsmouth	Rox 4 Play Watching the Wildlife Rochdale	Paramour You Go Your Way (I'll Go Mine) Somerset
22 Nov	7	Final	Grace in Danger Boom Town Andover	Kid Wicked Non Stop Primitive	Paramour You Go Your Way (I'll Go Mine) Somerset
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
29 Nov	8	1	Psycho Candy Wasted Youth	Big Chill Run to Survive	Seven Deadly Sings Mama Don't Know
6 Dec	8	2	Atomic Blue Just You Orpington	Phantom Looking for Love	Transmit This The Deeper the Cut
13 Dec	8	3	Incubus Succubus Beltaine Cheltenham	Blyndsyde Lightning Dances	Badbreed First Time
20 Dec	8	Final	Big Chill Run to Survive	Transmit This The Deeper the Cut	Incubus Succubus Beltaine Cheltenham
1992
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
3 Jan	1	1	Vital Escape The Real Me	Gone Savage Ram Me Down	Tomcat This is Not Love Surrey
10 Jan	1	2	Hidden Elegant	Israfel Strength of Heart Newton-le-Willows	Sweet FA Lonely Nights
17 Jan	1	3	Love Lost Soul In the Real World	Pridenjoys Tracks in the Snow	Bad to the Bone Ripper Accrington
24 Jan	1	Final	Tomcat This is Not Love Surrey	Israfel Strength of Heart Newton-le-Willows	Bad to the Bone Ripper Accrington
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
31 Jan	2	1	Kambium Changing of the Years	Loermel Buried	Patriot Show the Way
7 Feb	2	2	Citizen All I Ever Needed	Next of Kin Shake 'em on Down	Widow Rose Rags to Riches
14 Feb	2	3	Lucrece Alone Glasgow	Sevenchurch Circus Divine Oxford	Frenzy You'd Better Believe Me Glasgow
21 Feb	2	Final	Loermel Buried	Next of Kin Shake 'em on Down	Lucrece Alone Glasgow
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
28 Feb	3	1	Xercentrix Kick Me Peterborough	Karrallon Sun, Sea and Sand Plymouth	Wasteland Walk Alone Bridgend
6 Mar	3	2	Max Output Meet Me in the Summertime	Rich Bitch As the World Falls Down Cardiff	Vanishing Point Does It Have to Be Like This
13 Mar	3	3	Betrayer Suffer in Silence Swansea	Igniter Falter from Existence	Strange Frontier Walk with Me
20 Mar	3	Final	Karrallon Sun, Sea and Sand Plymouth	Rich Bitch As the World Falls Down Swansea	Strange Frontier Walk with Me	Results as recalled by Adam Newlyn of Strange Frontier.
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
27 Mar	4	1	Insanity Beach In the Night	Soul Rebellion Way Above the World	Mr. Meaner Trouble
3 Apr	4	2	Original Sinners Heartbreak Road	Krakatoa Each Time (You Walk Away)	Anyone Baby Blue
10 Apr	4	3	Kage Wild Cat	Excellerator Deliver Me Newcastle upon Tyne	Wicked Ways Evil Man
	4	Final	Mr. Meaner Trouble	Original Sinners Heartbreak Road	Excellerator Deliver Me Newcastle upon Tyne
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
1 May	5	1	Splatterpunk Satisfaction Manchester	Damage Aftermath	Damn Nation You Want It Leeds?
8 May	5	2	Far East Warrior	Moribund Halo of Fire	Little Boy Blue Don't Say You Love Me South Shields
15 May	5	3	Sacrasanct Prejudice Day (Kerry's Song) Manchester	Fury Good Times	Night Stalker Playing with the Fire Cardiff
22 May	5	Final	Splatterpunk Satisfaction Manchester	Far East Warrior	Night Stalker Playing with the Fire Cardiff
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
6 Jun	6	1	The Ire Whirlpools Great Yarmouth	Tapan Zee In Search of America	Sad Fashion Grabbing
13 Jun	6	2	Crazy Little Sister Feelings of Sin	Boethius Saul Christ's Children	City Kidds Generation Love
20 Jun	6	3	Shake Appeal I'm a Man	Revelation The Company	Stanway I'm Waiting for My Heart to Break
27 Jun	6	Final	Tapan Zee In Search of America	Boethius Saul Christ's Children	Revelation The Company
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
10 Jul	7	1	M.Z.R. Majick Co. Durham	Rich Rags Kill Suburbia Hull	Crisis Son Dunbartonshire
17 Jul	7	2	Sons of Eden Out of the Dark Sussex	Rachel's Breakdown All the Glory Stoke-on-Trent	Chase Burning Down Southampton
24 Jul	7	3	Wasted Frame Hurt You	Big Silence Run Away from Reality	Reign A Darker World Newcastle upon Tyne
31 Jul	7	Final	Crisis Son Dunbartonshire	Chase Burning Down Southampton	Reign A Darker World Newcastle upon Tyne
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
7 Aug	8	1	Type Tragedy Plymouth	Dive The Calm Harrogate	Electric Circus Road to Ruin Bridgeport
14 Aug	8	2	Human Crisis Mists of Time Nottingham	Wake Up Screamin' No Time Stirling	Aurora If You Don't Like It Bradford
28 Aug	8	3	Empyr Look Who's Looking West Sussex	Mad Hatter Had Enough Torquay	Chain Absence of Angels London
4 Sep	8	Final	Type Tragedy Plymouth	Aurora If You Don't Like It Bradford	Chain Absence of Angels London
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
11 Sep	9	1	Afflicted Storms Rage	Zyster Nemesis London	Sly Dog Back Door Man Manchester
18 Sep	9	2	Wild Rose In the Moonlight West Midlands	Torment Must Be Love Leigh-on-Sea	Mentor Silver Snakes London
9 Oct	9	3	Lung Pain or Pleasure Bristol	Gutter Snipe Parasite Weston-super-Mare	Dance of Kings Dance of Kings Peterborough
16 Oct	9	Final	Sly Dog Back Door Man Manchester	Torment Must Be Love Leigh-on-Sea	Gutter Snipe Parasite Weston-super-Mare
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
23 Oct	10	1	Shocker Tragic Truth Ipswich	Mad Love Given It All Away London	Atomic Blue Pure White Kent
30 Oct	10	2	High n' Mighty Down to Your Knees	Crazy Crazy Girls Like You	Device Diff'rent Games
6 Nov	10	3	Lizard I Believe Essex	Ouch Cut the Cord Gwent	Jubal Kane Free to Shine Leicestershire
13 Nov	10	Final	Shocker Tragic Truth Ipswich	Device Babble	Ouch Cut the Cord Gwent
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
20 Nov	11	1	Crazy White God Shooting Star	Sole Asylum Feelin' Good	Trumpetworm She Touches Me
27 Nov	11	2	Fluid Groove Pure	Big Trouble Sweet Temptation	Misha Calvin Reaper London
4 Dec	11	3	Digitalis Walking with Ghosts Meldreth	Godsend Slow Silver Nottingham	Rack 'n' Ruin Why Me
11 Dec	11	Final	Trumpetworm She Touches Me	Misha Calvin Reaper London	Rack 'n' Ruin Why Me
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
18 Dec	12	1				Dragonsi won with D.O.A.
1 Jan	12	2	Ocean Midnite Heaven Glasgow	Wanted Somebody Like You Glasgow	Siam The Search Birmingham
8 Jan	12	3	P.A.F. It's Only Love	Pack Lazy Days	Voodoo Sioux Jesus Christ Walsall/Shifnal
15 Jan	1	Final	Dragonsi D.O.A.	Ocean Midnite Heaven Glasgow	Voodoo Sioux Jesus Christ Walsall/Shifnal
1993
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
29 Jan	1	1	Filthy Rich Demons Cambridgeshire	Minotaur Be a Man Norwich	Hardbody Bad Movie Coventry
5 Feb	1	2	Tarrasque Madman's Secret Hampshire	King Chryst Serpent Kiss	Dollface Drive Blind
12 Feb	1	3	Voodoo Stay Young	Empire State Stay with Me	XLR8R Am I Real Newcastle upon Tyne
19 Feb	1	Final	Hardbody Bad Movie Coventry	Tarrasque Madman's Secret Hampshire	XLRXR Am I Real Newcastle upon Tyne
Date	Round	Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	Notes
26 Feb	2	1	Crows Don't Get Close	Shaketown Somebody Killed Me Tonight	Wildfire Fast Road to Hell
5 Mar	2	2	Blast Comin' Home	Airtite Funkohol	Toxic Jade The Unreal Newcastle upon Tyne
19 Mar	2	3	Trojan Horse Suicide Dungeon Watford	Shock Tactics Rough Diamond	Five Alarm Panic Frenzy Banbury
26 Mar	2	Final	Wildfire Fast Road to Hell	Toxic Jade The Unreal Newcastle upon Tyne	Five Alarm Panic Frenzy Banbury	Pete Deeley of Five Alarm Panic remembers that they lost.

Last update: 11th October, 2025