I will freely tell anyone who will listen that Firevolt has, within a very short space of time, become my favourite festival in the UK. The festival is in beautiful surroundings, on a farm at the end of a delightful country park with woods and a waterfall, yet also accessible enough for hotel dwellers like me to get back to Stockport by bus afterwards.

The two stages, a western style saloon (the Trooper stage) and a tent (the Big Top stage) are a minute’s walk from each other and the camping experience has grown with more bands and entertainment laid on. It is the most laid back of atmospheres and a perfect chance to switch off from our busy lives- indeed the poor mobile reception there makes that a necessity!

Then there are the line ups, heavily reflecting the favourites from the thriving New Wave of Classic Rock, but this year in particular including some slightly more left field choices, albeit still within the hard rock field, that you would not normally associate with similar festival line ups.

Day 1- VANDENBERG, STONE BROKEN, DARREN WHARTON’S RENEGADE, THE TREATMENT, SOUTH OF SALEM, TRUCKER DIABLO, THE KARMA EFFECT, RANSOM, WE THREE KINGS

The third edition was the most successful yet crowd wise without losing any intimacy, with minimal tweaks to last year’s format. That meant nine bands a day with no stage clashes, and two spots for battle of the band winners, beginning at the main Trooper Stage with We Three Kings. The name was slightly ironic as there were only two of them in the mode of the Virginmarys or Picturebooks, though the mic stand where a bassist might be was occupied by a skeleton nicknamed Bonesy!

Guitarist and singer Rich and drummer Pete made quite a noise and after some metalised earlier numbers in ‘Edge Of Death’ and ‘Buried Alive’, as the set wore on the songs became catchier, notably ‘Give It To Me Go’ and ‘Get Back’. They already seemed to have quite a few fans in attendance and the chat was they had made several other new ones.

First up in the Big Top were Ransom, though they were already familiar to many having played a covers set to early arriving campers the night before. That is their bread and butter on the pub circuit not that far from me in the home counties, but apparently during the pandemic they decided to make original material inspired by eighties rock and metal.

Opening with ‘Strap Yourself In’, songs like the Van Halen-esque ‘Even Nuns Watch Porn’(!), ‘Lil Green Eyed Monster’, the heavier ‘Enter the Dragon’ and ‘Locked Down in London’ were decent and addressing some fresh lyrical themes, if hardly musically original. Singer Matt Fielder was an engaging old school frontman and mentioned how huge an influence Bon Scott was before a sole cover in a fine version of ‘Riff Raff’, though their roots rather showed as ‘Back To The Boozer’ ended an enjoyable set.

The growing strength of the festival and indeed the current state of British rock was epitomised by the fact that The Karma Effect, who had a top 20 album earlier this year, were down in seventh on the bill, meaning a 430am start for them. Unlike the black t-shirt and jeans sported by too many of their NWOCR contemporaries, they go for more dandyish clobber – guitarist Robbie Blake even sporting a cravat!

Opening with one of those new songs in ‘All Night Long’, ‘Wrong Again’ had a beefy groove and a soaring chorus, and ‘Doubt She’s Coming Back’ even more of an early Aerosmith groove. After the bigger riffs of the title track from said album, ‘Promised Land’ and ‘Wild Honey’ a keyboard intro led into ‘Living It Up’, and both that and ‘Steal Your Heart’ reminded me a little of Skin, particularly in the powerful throatiness of charismatic singer Henry Gottelier. An impressive set ended as it usually does with ‘Testify’ with solos from both Henry and Robbie, and when the former reminded us they were touring in the autumn with Austin Gold, my first reaction was ‘count me in’.

Something a bit heavier was going on in the tent on the Big Top with Northern Irishmen Trucker Diablo. I’ve been aware of their name for several years, though this was the first time I had seen them. As they opened with ‘The Rebel’, in his baseball cap gruff singer and guitarist Tom Harte reminded me of Black Stone Cherry’s Chris Robertson, and indeed my overall impression was of BSC with added Metallica and Lizzy influences. The latter were particularly present on ‘Lets Just Ride’ with its harmony guitars and even a ‘dancing in the moonlight’ lyric.

Stand out songs included ‘Rock Kids Of The Eighties’ off their last album and recent single ‘Kill the Lights’, one of a number of new songs played including ‘Stop the Bleeding’ and a brutal sounding ‘Dig’. They ended with a heavied up cover of ‘Rosalie’- not the first of the day as it turned out. It was a decent enough set from this hard working band with a good sense of humour, only suffering by comparison with what was going on elsewhere on the day.

Two years after their appearance at the inaugural Firestorm as it was then, South of Salem made a return having built a growing following. Indeed you could argue they deserved to be higher up the bill as the Trooper stage was unusually heaving with fans of all ages, many showing their devotion by painting (I assume, rather than tattooing) crosses on their faces. Their heroes did not let them down with a trademark set of high on stage energy and guitar hero poses (and the occasional twin guitar routine), a debauched image and a raw sound yet still with enough earworm hooks to draw in those of us of a more melodic persuasion.

Openers ‘Let Us Prey’ and ‘Jet Black Eyes’ with its catchy ‘monsters under the bed’ refrain were good songs, only let down by a bass heavy sound, then ‘Made To Be Mine’ had singer Joey Draper leading crowd participation. Unlike two years ago several songs were taken from the current album ‘Death of the Party’ including ’Static’, with its positive message to seize the day, which saw Cody lead a massive chorus of arm waving. A lively ‘Death Of the Party’, heavy yet hooky ‘Left For Dead’ and ‘Cold Day in Hell’, still their best song, ended a superb set which had flown by, and they must be candidates for future headliners.

Another band returning two years on were The Treatment. They have finally found the stable line up that eluded them for so long so the changes were only superficial, Tagore Grey’s hair somewhat shorter and singer Tom Rampton in a natty jacket and hat borrowing from the style of the Answer’s Cormac Neeson. They also opened with a couple of songs from new album new in ‘Lets Wake Up This Town’ and ‘Back To The 1970s’, which would have been impressive but suffered particularly badly from sound issues that were to affect many bands in the tent, especially on the first day, with Tom’s vocal far too quiet.

Most of the rest of the set was now established favourites- ‘ Let It Begin’, the lolloping groove of ‘Eyes On You’, ‘Vampress’, and ‘On the Money’ (with a looser bluesier 12 bar rhythm). Newie ‘When Thunder and Lightning Strikes’, with its catchy ‘who oahs’, was excellent.

They have a lean sound with brothers Tao and Tagore Grey reeling off one solo after another and pulling some great poses, yet never getting in each other’s way. Among some more melodic songs like ‘Wrong Way’, AC/DC influences are never too far away with ‘Bite Back’ s particularly DC-ish. After another impressive newer song in ‘This Fire Still Burns’, ‘Get Your Party On’ was extended substantially by crowd participation before the set ended with the great riffery of oldie ‘Shake the Mountain’. The Treatment are fast becoming a guarantee of reliable excellence.

There was then a repeat visitor of sorts, as Mancunian Darren Wharton returned with his Dare bandmates, but in a different guise as Renegade, doing a Thin Lizzy set to recognise the band he served his apprenticeship with back in the day, hardly surprising given the affectionate remarks he makes about Phil Lynott at every Dare show.

I’m a huge fan both of Dare and of Lizzy so will not mind admitting it was my most eagerly anticipated set of the weekend. It had an unusual start, Darren fiddling in rather fussy manner with a keytar to play the opening synth line to ‘Angel of Death’, an appropriate opener being the first song he ever co wrote for the band.

However the bulk of the set was then standard Lizzy hits with ‘Jailbreak’, ‘Are You Ready’ and ‘Don’t Believe a Word’ following in quick succession and ‘Emerald’ and ‘Chinatown’ seeing a trading of solos between Dare guitarists past and present in Vinny Burns and Andy Moore.

But while the former stuck closely to a classic Lizzy sound, the latter had a less melodic but flashier style closer to John Sykes, making him ideally suited for the solos on ‘Cold Sweat’. That took the number of Lizzy songs from Darren’s time in the band to three, but after that point it was all classic seventies numbers with those great twin guitars in ‘Waiting For An Alibi’, ‘Massacre’ and ‘Suicide’.

Considering his uniquely breathy, almost whispered vocal style with Dare his voice was remarkably powerful without needing to resort to any Lynott like affectations. The difference from Dare was he now had three colleagues out front, not just two to put his arms around! A greatest hits set ended with the 1-2 punch of ‘Cowboy Song’ and ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ (lyric cheekily changed to ‘down at Firevolt baby grill’) and an encore of, yes again, ‘Rosalie’. I enjoyed every single second of it.

Back at the Big Top, given the size of their ‘Broken Army’ I was surprised they were not there more in force for Stone Broken. Once again the sound did not do them any favours but the ever personable West Midlanders songwriting quality shone through with ‘Revelation’, albeit with rather too many taped effects, ‘Stay All Night’, ‘Heartbeat Away’ which I was surprised did not generate a livelier response and the grunge lite of ‘Doesn’t Matter’.

‘Black Sunrise’ was excellent and followed by ‘Let Me Go’ with some Metallica like riffing from Chris Davis (looking a tad uninterested) .So far the set had been very similar to their 2022 headline here, so shock horror they previewed a new song in ‘Remedy’, a little heavier and grungier than previous but with a good chorus. I liked it on first hearing.

‘Let Me See It All’ was preceded by an amusing anecdote from Rich Moss how this most wholesome of bands ended up no 1 in the US strip club chart then after one ballad with some modern pop overtones in ‘Over the Line’, when Rich switched to acoustic guitar it could only be ‘Wait For You’, delivered mainly solo. The sentiments are simple but have struck a chord with their many fans who were waving their arms or, in the case of a lady at the front, crutches.

‘Stronger’ was all the more impactful for Rich admitting it was about his mental health struggles before they returned to more rocking fare on ‘Worth Fighting For’, ‘The Devil You Know’ and ‘Not Your Enemy’, though there didn’t seem to be as many people jumping to the latter as at previous shows.

They are a band I love and have perfected the radio friendly post-grunge sound associated with the likes of Nickelback, Theory, Daughtry, and 3 Doors Down. However I feel a little anxious that they have reached a plateau with nowhere further to go with that sound and a somewhat flat atmosphere seems to suggest others felt the same.

Finally back in the barn at the Trooper stage, a big name to headline but a gamble. Adrian Vandenberg is known less for his own material than his many years as one of David Coverdale’s most loyal collaborators in the ever changing Whitesnake line ups, albeit with a slim body of recorded work. The other warning sign was their most recent festival experience at Stonedead in 2022 was universally seen as a disappointment.

A new song in ‘Hit the Ground Running’ from last album ‘Sin’ was mediocre but surprisingly only two songs in, ‘Fool For Your Lovin’ provided the crowd with the familiarity they craved even if Adrian’s solo didn’t bear that much resemblance to the original

A Vandenberg oldie in ‘Your Love Is In Vain’ was a bit average till a keyboard solo, yet I found myself warming to curly haired Swedish veteran singer Mats Leven. He was very personable filling in some technical delays with details of how he discovered Vandenberg and acts like Wrathchild and Mama’s Boys through copies of Kerrang! being sent over.

When they played ‘Give Me All Your Love Tonight’ it was clear that this would be a Whitesnake heavy set, though the more recent ‘Freight Train’ showed that Adrian can still wrote a killer riff. At 70 he has aged well too with those strong cheekbones regularly breaking into a reserved smile.

There was a double of the two best songs he co- wrote but didn’t get to record on ‘Slip Of the Tongue’ in ‘Sailing Ships’, Mats sitting at the foot of the drum kit hitting the killer notes that eluded him at Stonedead and the Zep-ish ‘Judgement Day’. ‘Wait’ from Vandenberg’s debut (with its most un-Dutch ‘shit hits the fan’ lyric) trotted along at a sedate and bluesy pace before morphing into a solo slot from Adrian which shows that he is both a technical guitarist and an original one who defies any obvious comparisons.

After ‘Shadows Of the Night’. I thought their version of ‘Crying In the Rain’ superior to that of the latter day Whitesnake incarnations. It helps that Mats did a fine vocal approximation of late eighties Coverdale throughout.

There was a final Vandenberg song in the magnificent ‘Burning Heart’ (hard to believe this now obscure song was actually a US top 40 hit) with Adrian shining with a beautiful acoustic intro and a sweet solo; and to end the two best known Whitesnake classics on a pretty authentic ‘Still of the Night’ and ‘Here I Go Again’ with the expected audience singalong. Such familiar songs were perfect for a rowdy Friday night crowd and I had to admit my initial scepticism was wrong as Vandenberg proved a perfect first night headliner.

DAY 2 – PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS, CRASHDIET, FLORENCE BLACK, VINTAGE CARAVAN, XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES, DEAD MAN’S WHISKEY, THE HOT ONE-TWO, WHITE TYGER, JAYLER

The second day was opened by Jayler, the impossibly young band who have already impressed many including on tour earlier in the summer with Kira Mac. ‘When You Go’ was quite some opening statement including curly haired singer James Bartholomew playing the harmonica and tasty slide work from Tyler Arrowsmith. The latter is a guitar hero in the among and on ‘Getaway’ delivered a great solo standing on a raised podium.

My biggest problem with this otherwise promising band is quite how influenced by Led Zeppelin’s first two albums they are and ‘Love Maker’ and to an extent ‘The Mountain’ overdid the copying. Though to be fair given their age a more personable and approachable version of Greta Van Fleet might be nearer the mark. James as well as being a talented singer is also a more than decent guitarist in his own right and during the six minute ‘The Rinsk’- about a Viking warrior no less- played guitar behind his back.

First up in the tent on the Big Top stage were White Tyger (not to be confused with a covers band Tyger who were part of the Friday after show). The Midlanders covered similar ground to Ransom albeit rather younger, and songs like ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Midnight Lovers’ and most recent single ‘Runaway Bride’ were inspired by the glam metal scene of the late eighties.

Their approach was varied though with ‘We All Die Young’ boasting quiet/loud dynamics and a slight alternative feel, and ‘Speed Demon’ fast paced with twin leads. ‘This Is The Life’- announced a song too soon- featured a singalong before the Skid Row-like ‘No f***s Given’ ended an enjoyable if hardly ground breaking set.

Last year the Firevolt powers were so impressed when they saw a show by The Hot One Two that they created a one off ‘ones to watch party’ to add them after the bill had been finalised. They were good talent spotters as they returned this time as a band building a substantial name for themselves.

Their sound is heavier and more uncompromising than many of their contemporaries though not without melody, especially in Simon West’s vocals and there is plenty of movement in their stage show. This includes a distinctive figure in rhythm guitarist Kev Baker pulling a series of gurning facial expressions, some of them quite scary. An entertaining diversion to give us all a laugh or a clownish distraction from an otherwise heavyweight band? I felt a bit ambivalent.

The set was mainly taken from their debut album Superbia with songs such as opener ‘Playing with Fire’ and ‘The Fray’. There was a big crowd to watch them, enthusiastically joining in on the singalong to ‘Rolling Stone’. ‘Demon Daze’ was excellent while ‘You’ve Got It’ and ‘Feeling Good’ were both more commercial. ‘Is It Hot?’, and ‘Tie Me Down’, with a forest of fists punching, ended an impressive set.

This year the Hot One Two won the fan vote to open Stonedead festival. Back in 2021 that prestigious accolade had gone to Dead Man’s Whiskey. With a few personal challenges and ill-fortune they have gone rather quiet since so it was good to re-establish contact with them. After a bit of a slow start their show really first caught fire with ‘This Fight’, about being bullied for being a metaller. It was an example of how singer Nico Rogers is not afraid to address personal themes and indeed he was proudly promoting neuro diversity initiatives.

‘War Machine’ and ‘Last Train’ impressed though ‘Fighting to Survive’ was not as good. They ended with the two songs I most remembered from before, Nico’s tribute to his mother in the ballad ‘Make You Proud’ and in contrast ‘Racing Bullet’ with a bit of a jam and crowd participation session. Hopefully a set that will help them regain lost ground.

On probably the heaviest of the three days, after four acts playing no holds barred rock, it was time for something a little mellower in the afternoon sun at the Trooper Stage. I only vaguely remembered seeing Xander and the Peace Pirates, fronted by the eponymous Keith, at Ramblin’ Man many years ago.

However I was impressed with a more laid back sound inspired by country rock and blues, with his brother Stu adding an extra dimension on acoustic guitar and the cowboy hats of two of the band members a giveaway, including Mike Gay who played some mean slide. Keith’s prosthetic claw was not only a tribute to the good science can do, but helped make his own languid guitar work very distinctive, and the two worked in tandem very pleasingly.

‘Fire’ opened the set and ‘Rain’ epitomised their gentle sounds, not a million miles from Crosby Stills and Nash. ‘Dance With The Devil’ was particularly impressive, as was ‘Let Go’, but the absolute highlight was ‘Searching For the Light’, a typically soulful ballad with Keith’s Glenn Hughes or Stevie Wonder style falsetto. ‘Dancing In The Light’ ended the set, though the length of the band intros almost meant they could have slipped in another song.

He also came over as a lovely man, albeit overdoing the ‘peace’ message and though a slightly left field choice, the band were one of my revelations of the festival. I made a note to pay more attention to future live dates than I have done hitherto.

Those same hippy-ish sentiments were also expressed in more musical form by Vintage Caravan who were one of the few international acts on the festival, all the way from Iceland! Again they have been on the scene some years, but this was my first sighting. They were a power trio led by guitarist and vocalist Óskar Logi Ágústsson whose long hair, drooping moustache and bat winged sleeves were a visual complement to an unashamedly retro late sixties/early seventies style, though I would fall short of describing them as full on stoner rock as some people mentioned.

The only issue with much of the set as most of the set which included ‘Reflections’ and ‘Crystallized’ was a lack of variety or hummable hooks. However, ‘Innerverse’ was a welcome change of pace with a slow and dreamy intro before rocking out, and ‘Can’t Get You Off My Mind’ and ‘On The Run’ had more commercial hooks. They were great musicians and frequently the rhythm section of Alexander Örn Númason and Stefán Ari Stefánsson would jam impressively and encourage Oskar to play ever faster. An impressive set was good enough to get an encore, a Stevie Ray Vaughan instrumental.

Since appearing here further down the bill two years ago Florence Black have built a major following, definitely winning an unofficial poll of the most number of band T-shirts. So, a bit like South of Salem, they could easily have been higher up the bill and I don’t think I saw the Trooper stage as packed all weekend. There is an elephant in the room to address which is that I found myself in a small minority, as coming from a more melodic standpoint they are a band I have struggled to warm to, and I find them a little bit of a dull watch.

But their many fans were lapping up the gruff vocals of guitarist and singer Tristan Thomas and occasionally drummer Perry Davies – and their uncompromising power, which it is hard to imagine can come from just three men, on the likes of opener ‘Bed of Nails’, ‘Start Again’, ‘Solid Nine’ and ‘Taxman’.

There were a couple of slower ones mid-set – ‘Warning Sign’ and ‘Back To The End’ with an alternative rock feel- while they progressively ended with their best known songs, in particular ‘Bird On A Chain’, ‘Zulu’ and ‘Sun And Moon’: whatever my own reservations the reception they received fully deserved an encore of one of their other signatures, their cover of Budgie’s ‘Breadfan’. Definitely future headline material.

Unfortunately many of their fans needed a break or didn’t fancy something different, as the crowd in the Big Top (though reflecting that attendances have even lower there ever since Firestorm started) was pitifully low for headliners Crashdiet, a particular shame as again they were one of the more original selections and had come over from Sweden.

After opening with ‘Knokk Em Down’ it was an ominous sign that just two songs in, one of their best known songs ‘Riot in Everyone’ received a lukewarm response. Their image was less debauched than I remembered them from many years ago and the music closer to mainstream Swedish melodic rock acts like H.E.A.T. or the Poodles (RIP) while recent new singer John Eliot (sic) could have been from Scandi rock central casting and looked and sounded the part.

There was the occasional trace of their edgier past on songs like ‘Cocaine Cowboys’, but generally the material was more melodic on ‘Together Whatever’ off latest album ‘Automaton’, ‘Rust’, ‘Native Nature’ and ‘Its a Miracle’.

‘Breakin The Chainz’ and ‘Falling Rain’ were impressive, and ‘Queen Obscene’ one of the more hard driving numbers. ‘We Die Hard’ led into the closing moment and one I’d been waiting for ever since I last saw them play it at HEAT festival on Germany just before the pandemic, as I punched the air to easily their best song, ‘Generation Wild’, ranking alongside Crazy Lixx’s ‘21 Till I Die’ as one of the anthems of the newer wave of glam rockers.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with their performance, yet even a strong set of songs seemed to fall flat. Maybe they were more suited to a genre specific glam festival like HRH sleaze and a bit too niche for the Firevolt audience.

Such accusations could not be made of the Trooper Stage headliner in Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons. They are a proven and popular live act who played the original Firestorm, plus Phil provides virtually the only surviving link to the distinguished history of Motorhead. Their own material is perfectly respectable but was put aside for this one evening in favour of a Motorhead-only set- after a fashion.

Once again, as with the Whitesnake- heavy Vandenberg set, it was an inspired decision to give people something familiarly vintage among all the newer acts. I was never even a Motorhead fan in the day, quite the opposite, but grew up on all those songs in the early eighties and memories flooded back as I punched the air and shouted along to ‘Iron Fist’.

Singer Joel Peters is a brilliant frontman who looks nothing like Lemmy and doesn’t sound like an identikit but – just as Darren Wharton had done the previous day – made the songs his own while staying true to their original spirit.

Highlights included the souped up rock and roll of ‘Going to Brazil’ with Phil asking the women to shake it about, ‘Born To Raise Hell’ with left versus right audience participation and ‘We Are the Road Crew’.

But there were also deeper cuts- ‘Orgasmatron’ reminded me of the days when a Motorhead obsessed university housemate (from the Stockport area ironically) would play that album to death and ‘Lost Woman Blues’ was something totally different, and showing off the immaculate and classic guitar tone of both Phil and Todd, one of the three sons, as they traded some longer solos. Including the Pistols’ ‘God Save the Queen’ seemed unnecessary (though I understand Motorhead covered it).

The gruff and gum chewing band leader even permitted himself a few smiles and dryly witty remarks. The best moment of all though was when he invited a chant of ‘f– you Tyla Campbell’ before another son played the unmistakable thudding bass intro to ‘Ace Of Spades’- the atmosphere as people shouted out one of rock’s most universally loved songs was one of the moments of the weekend.

Joel seemed to prematurely announce the set was over but it couldn’t be, not at least until they played ‘Killed By Death’ which all those years ago marked Phil’s introduction to the band. Indeed there was time for a trio of encores and two more timeless headbangers in ‘Bomber’ and ‘Overkill’, either side of a more unlikely cover version in David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’. Again it was exactly the right set to close a second memorable day.

DAY 3 – GUN, THE LAST INTERNATIONALE, KIRA MAC,LAURENCE JONES, DOOMSDAY OUTLAW, LOZ CAMPBELL, UNKNOWN REFUGE, THIEVES OF LIBERTY, REVENANT

The final day boasted the best weather and was opened by Revenant, one of the battle of the bands winners. Singer Sugarman Sam (Lay) and guitarist Matthew Hudson looked like twins in their matching plaid shirts and Les Paul guitars. As they opened with ‘Public Service Announcement’, ‘Best Medicine’ and ‘Rolling On My Back’ I was highly impressed as they married the passion of Scarlet Rebels with a real southern feel in their melodic guitar solos.

However mid set they went into a series of mash ups- of ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Whole Lotta Love’, ‘Back in Black’ and ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Sad But True’ and ‘Superstitious’, and ‘Billie Jean and ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’! The crowd were entertained but I thought that was better suited to a night in the pub and their own material which concluded with ‘The Masquerade’ and ‘Coming Back To Life’ should have been left to stand on their own considerable merits.

This time last year it was Thieves of Liberty in that slot as battle of the bands winners. Firevolt is providing a clear progression path for rising bands so they moved up the bill this time, in the Big Top where the sound had finally improved. Their dapper besuited dress sense stands out from their contemporaries and their stage movement is also becoming more polished. They are also up for a laugh including referring to alice band wearing on stage announcer Paul Cash as ‘Jack Grealish’s dad’!

With the gritty vocals of James Boak and a hint of blues their sound is also a little different to the norm, though at times reminding me of the late Temperance Movement. The title track of upcoming album ‘Shangri La’ with its strong ‘show me the way home’ chorus hit home with me, as did ‘Rabbit Hole’ and ‘Smoke in the Air’. The lack of big choruses and James’ thick Geordie accent while introducing them made it hard to correctly pick out song titles correctly- suffice to say I was impressed with the way a sweet ballad was followed by a closing number of high intensity.

Back in 2022 Boltonians Unknown Refuge had won the Battle of the Bands and they too had progressed up the bill for a return visit. Theirs was a heavier and more modern take on metal and one of the few on this bill that would be equally suited to Download.

A continued impression was the rapid yet effortless shredding style of bare chested Jack Tracey on a headless guitar, which made him one of the guitarists of the weekend. Songs I remembered from last time like ‘Battle Hymn’ and ‘Drop a Gear’ sat alongside a brand new song ‘Shell Shock’ which featured more shredding and ’Bewitched’ which singer Alex Mancini dedicated to his girlfriend. ‘The Journey’ and ‘To The Light’ both had something of that (galloping) rhythm patented by Iron Maiden, either side of a bass intro to the Pantera-ish ‘Shadows’. They wouldn’t normally be my scene but I actually found myself enjoying them.

Wars of the Roses style we went from a Lancashire act to a Yorkshire one in the petite Loz Campbell, handpicked apparently after promoter Stret watched one of her live performances. For some reason (use of her own name rather than a band perhaps) I had wrongly assumed she was a blues rock guitarist in the mould of Chantel MacGregor.

Instead she was primarily a rhythm guitarist in a four piece band playing some fairly basic pop punk. I didn’t think the songs were particularly memorable – best of them being opener ‘Evil’ and ‘Beautiful Liar’ – and neither did her voice have a distinctive character. A cover of AC/DC’s ‘Shot Down In Flames’ was equally ordinary (Ransom did theirs better).

But she certainly had a gutsy attitude shown on songs like the punky ‘My Motivation’ and ‘World Was Made To Destroy You’, and late in the show she took a trip into the crowd, then quite thrillingly clambered astride her bandmates to form a Scorpions-like human pyramid. Music wise though I’m afraid I thought she was one of the least impressive acts of the weekend.

At the Trooper stage I looked forward to Doomsday Outlaw after an impressive rediscovery of them supporting the Dust Coda last autumn. They’ve been around a long time – a friend raved about them and gifted me their ‘Suffer More’ debut some six or seven years ago- but line up changes and sheer bad fortune have made for halting progress.

The majority of the set was from last year’s ‘Damaged Goods’ comeback including ‘In Too Deep’ and ‘Turn Me Loose’ which got a few people going. Phil Poole was an engaging frontman looking more at ease with himself than when I recall first seeing the band, and excelled on ballad ‘If This Is The End’, that also featured a great solo from lead guitarist Alez De Elia, who in both style and appearance had the air of Cinderella’s Tom Keifer about him. On ‘Blues For A Phantom Limb’ his slide work was breathtaking.

‘One More Sip’- with a jokey remark from Phil it had to be retitled from ‘drink myself to death’- also featured him prominently and was very Quireboys- esque. After ‘Runaway’, ‘Bring You Pain’ hinted at their heavier past with both guitarist taking a solo each. An excellent set whose 45 minutes flew by very quickly.

There was relatively little blues rock across the weekend compared to some other festivals but one of the finest was here in Laurence Jones. Over the last couple of years the one time young blues prodigy has subtly distanced himself from the movement and is now as likely to be seen at hard rock as blues festivals with a stripped back power trio, also featuring Jack Alexander Timmis and Alan Taylor.

On songs like ‘Bad Luck And The Blues’ his playing was immaculate and vocals more than decent but the material a bit one paced while the trio seemed rather lost on a big stage. Things looked up with the slower blues of ‘Don’t You Leave Me This Way’, Laurence winning friends by coming to the front of stage to mouth the lyrics while ‘In Too Deep’ was somewhat more commercial.

Oddly, given how overplayed it is, it was his cover of ‘Voodoo Chile’ that lifted the gig with improvised middle section and playing the guitar with his teeth. ‘Woman’ and ‘Stuck In The Night’ showed the heaviness that demonstrated he belongs on rock bills, and a well received encore of ‘What’s It Gonna Be’ ended an ultimate triumph after a slow start.

I joined a healthy crowd back at the barn for Kira Mac on the Trooper stage, unsurprisingly as within a short space of time they have built quite a following. Singer Rhiannon Kira Hill certainly stood out from anyone else in a bright lime green top, while a changed line up that was just bedding in when I saw her on tour in May is certainly more heavy and contemporary than before, which was apparent from opener ‘Dead Man Walking, indeed Kira was rather drowned out before the sound was sorted. As usual ‘Chaos Is Calling’ featured a singalong and the set flew by rapidly with ‘Playing The Game’, ‘No Way Out’ and ‘Scorned’, now much heavier these days.

A cover of ‘You Oughta Know’ went down well. and was another built for participation, before a lively ‘Hit Me Again’. Prior to ‘Mississippi Swinging’, Kira reminded us of her past and that she and guitarist Joe Worrall had actually played the ‘Buckles And Boots’ country festival here. Actually the song didn’t sound particularly country but she does have a clear and honeyed voice that complements a straight ahead modern rock sound in a way that makes the band quite unique.

Its slightly odd to hear Kira talk about new songs as most of them described thus have been in the set ever since I first saw them 15 months ago including a couple of supposedly heavier, yet still hooky, songs in ‘Farewell’ and ‘Climbing’. However ‘Monster’ was a genuinely new song and on first listening very impressive after a halting start, with a greater sense of space in the arrangement.

I thought ‘Downfall’ with its catchy hooks and ‘One Way Ticket’ would normally be the end but they were called back for an improvised encore- a rather ragged if enjoyable cover of ‘Tush’, even with Alex playing an excerpt from the solo to ‘Freebird’. So a couple of curveballs among the usual set from one of my favourite bands on the circuit right now who will be touring with Gun this winter.

Headlining the Big Top was another interesting choice, outside the Firevolt comfort zone in The Last Internationale who again came personally handpicked by Stret. I was certainly familiar with the name from coverage in ‘Classic Rock’ magazine but little more, though at least I recognised the opener in a cover of ‘Kick Out The Jams’. The New Yorkers had a slightly different dynamic, with the flamboyant performance art of a band like Scissor Sisters. They are also a very ‘political’ band but wisely read the room with the lyrics deemed not to need any further preaching.

In a stylish jumpsuit, Singer Delila Paz was a striking figure who reminded me a little of Grace Slick while curly haired right hand man Edgey Pires unleashed some concise solos and looked like a missing member of the Strokes.

The songs like ‘1984’ and ‘Hero’ were not immediately obvious though. However the gig then took a different dimension when a piano was wheeled on for Delila to sing some songs, including ‘Running For A Dream’, in a passionate and very personal style which a photographer next to me rightly likened to Beth Hart. Even a brief power outage could not stop her.

Proving there was no end to her talent she switched on ‘Wanted Man’ to bass, Andres Malta moving to keyboards, and sang in falsetto. ‘Hard Times’ was rockier in a psychedelic way but the best was yet to come when she came into the crowd and got us to all sit down before her campfire style, then not only invited various fans onstage but encouraged them to stay during an encore and I thought a health and safety incident was waiting to happen. It was a spectacular end to a unique set and unlike Crashdiet the night before, it could be safely said that the gamble to book them had been an inspired one.

While Firevolt tends to focus on the newer generation of classic rock bands, older faces like FM and Dare have gone down a storm on the past so no one could complain that Gun were the headline band to close the festival. In fact they represented both new and old having released their most critically acclaimed album in years in ‘Hombres’ and opened with one from it in ‘Lucky Guy’, followed by ‘Here’s Who I Am’.

Giuliano, one of the Gizzi brothers in their matching caps, launched some clinical riffing to ‘Don’t Say Its Over’, matched by many of us at the front jumping up and down. Sandwiched by the first single from new album, ‘All Fired Up’, and the U2-ish ‘Falling’, ‘Welcome To the Real World’ was perhaps the nearest to an unexpected cut and saw the first solo from new guitarist the long haired Ru MacFarlane.

Dante Gizzi is an engaging and laddish frontman with a casual nonchalance who you suspect cannot believe his luck both that the band is still thriving and that he has in recent years assumed the lead singer role with ease. There was a glint in his eye as he asked the crowd to ‘wave your hands in the air’ before breaking into ‘Word Up’, to a storming reaction yet a final new song in the instant ‘Take Me Back Home’ did not lose much by comparison.

However it was those classic early hit singles we wanted to hear for some singalongs and the band obliged with ‘Better Days’ and ‘Inside Out’ as Dante said they would go back to 1989. Sadly there was no time in the set for other greats like ‘Money’ and ‘Taking On the World’, but it reached its usual climax with the crowd increasingly rowdy to ‘Steal Your Fire’ with some sharp lead guitar work from Ru and ‘Shame On You’.

The band did seem a little more raw and ragged around the edges than usual- and the sound at the front was rather loud but few were complaining. Indeed, normally I despair when they encore with a cover of ‘Fight For Your Right To Party’, preferring to hear their own material, but on this occasion, as Dante went right to the edge of the crowd and punched the air, it was exactly the right choice for the right atmosphere.

After 27 bands Gun closed Firevolt in style, leaving the husband and wife promoting team of John ‘Stret’ and Bev Stretford to give speeches of thanks and invite the volunteer crew to take the applause on stage, confirming this is a festival with the most personal and family of feels. After another successful Firevolt, they can look forward to further growth, as once you attend, you are hooked for good.

Review and Photos by Andy Nathan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)