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Whitebottom Farm – Etherow Park
Greater Manchester
Review and Photos – Rob and Danni Wilkins
Thursday Pre-Party review HERE
The weather on Friday is pretty much perfect. Dry but not as hot as the endless summer has been.
Before the music begins, one of us returns to parking the remaining vans whilst the other heads to the barn for a session of Rockfit (another innovation for this year).
Soon though, we reunite for the opening set on the Bludsucker stage from Shape of Water.
Another new development is immediately apparent as the front of the stage and photo pit is full of pyro! Not for the headliner, but for any band on that stage to incorporate into their set. Shape of Water previously played on the Grand Central stage in 2025, but opening the main stage gave them a much bigger audience, and they took the opportunity brilliantly with intelligent use of the available fire and fantastic musicianship.
Slightly inhibited by guitarist Luca De Falco playing in a surgical boot after a road accident, they still filled the stage, and the complete change of pace when vocalist/bassist Rossano Capriotti took to the piano for the intro to “Mars-X” was sublime. Set closer “The Silence of the Lambs” was the icing on a great start to the festival.
Sets run back-to-back on two stages with a fifteen-minute break between (so zero clashes), but the walk between is literally a hundred yards thanks to the more recent layout, so we are soon over at the barn Trooper stage for Takeaway Thieves.
A new band to me, but a genuinely enjoyable Choirboys/ Michael Monroe vibe set of Rock and Roll definitely appealed. The honour of the first circle pit of the weekend was bestowed on the band by one of the happiest mosh pits ever as the crowd responded. Slowing the set down a little for a ballad, “Find My Way Home” allowed those watching to draw breath, and dedicating “Crazy Horse” to the late and much-missed Ozzy Osbourne got an appreciative cheer. A fun and energetic set for sure!
Next up, Doomsday Outlaw back by the hill on The Bludsucker Stage. The start of the set was a little restricted by some tech issues with a guitar but, commendably, they refused to let that get in the way and, once firing on all cylinders, were able to keep the energy levels high. “Turn Me Loose” wins the guitar hook award up to this point and “Bring You Pain” delivers another dose of bluesy grit. A cover of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” works surprisingly well and, like all well-chosen covers, gets the crowd moving and singing.
Now, I had heard Fireheart on the festival playlist and looked forward to seeing them live, but nothing, remotely, prepared me for just how much their set blew me away!
I look for some elements in a new (to me) band.
Do they have stage presence?
Do they have memorable material?
Can they play?
What are they trying to get over? Do they have a reason to be there?
Are they memorable, with that “X” factor?
Well, Fireheart took to the stage and the world went a bit crazy. A blur of bodies as the most energetic start to a set I have seen since Mother Vulture exploded in front of me. They lined up – guitarist Kev Baker (one of the most charismatic and yet vulnerable musicians I have seen) to my right, vocalist Russ Grimmett centrally, Neil Hackett and Brett Barnes to my left, and drummer Chris Horton behind them. It was as if the green room rider contained nothing but blue Smarties! As soon as I focused on one spot, it was empty, and for a while I put the camera down and just lapped it up.
I loved Kev’s T-shirt (“I’m not my worst day”), Russ’s (“Good is good enough”), the stage risers, each with a word such as “Passion” and “Strive”, and the whole message the band put over lyrically, visually, and emotionally. By the time the set finished, I was grinning, singing, dancing, and felt as if I had found a family that would embrace my imperfection as they do their own. Totally and utterly blown away!
Back on Bludsucker for Ward XVI.
Having seen these guys recently in a tiny pub in Plymouth, I was looking forward to seeing their full stage show, and they exceeded every expectation. In the best tradition of horror movies, there is a gentle humour running through the gore and use of props, but coupled with some memorable material and a runaway-train pace through the set, it all works gloriously.
From the opening of the set with Psychoberrie and new inmate Marshall Kadavers grinning manically from behind the bars, through chainsaw slaughter, coffin opening, witch burning, many costume changes, and perfectly included pyro, the many members of Ward XVI win many friends amongst those that have not had the pleasure of seeing their show. It isn’t just all visuals, though, as the songs more than hold their own with “Macabaret”, “What’s in the Box?” And “Cry of the Sirens” amongst some great earworms.
A return to Firevolt follows with Darren Wharton’s Thin Lizzy vehicle, Renegade.
Wharton is an engaging performer. Full of smiles and banter with the audience, and his band handle the well-known Lizzy material with ease. There can be few better things to do on a sunny afternoon than grab a beer – the craft beer bar on site at that first festival started with six! They brought 19 this year, plus cider, and still sold out by close on Saturday (and at £6-£8 a pint it wasn’t surprising) – and sit in the sun to listen to the back catalogue of one of the greats of the rock genre.
The highlight of the set was Darren bringing Ricky Warwick on stage for a spirited version of “The Boys are Back in Town” that brought together two of those working hard to keep the Thin Lizzy legacy alive.
The New Roses were next, from Germany (or maybe Austria, if you are a compère at Firevolt, the two are kind of interchangeable (in joke)) but sounding very transatlantic indeed. It is an enjoyable and well put together set. Full of energy and well received by the crowd, who can take advantage of the proximity of the food vendors to replenish energy and rock at the same time.
A cracking cover of “Rocking in the Free World” and original material such as “It’s a Long Way” and “Down By the River” stand out and leave a great impression.
Headlining the Trooper Stage is the aforementioned Ricky Warwick. Tonight the vehicle is “Ricky Warwick and The Fighting Hearts”, and he brings his usual hard-rocking gun-slinger style to the party.
There is a delicious moment during “When the Night Comes In” where Ricky stands on the front speaker, inches from the crowd and stands with arms crossed, mutely challenging the audience to raise the game. They do, and he crashes back into the song in response.
There is a moment when the crowd holds its breath as he talks about the collaboration with Lita Ford on “Don’t Leave Me in the Dark”, as it seems he is about to bring her on stage, but then he enjoys the tease as he reveals her part will be an impersonation by his bass player that sound quite good if you close your eyes.
You know that Warwick will provide a classy and raw experience, and he certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Back at the Bludsucker stage, there is a glorious moment as co-organiser Stret recounts a story that during a date he asked fellow co-organiser Bev what dreams she had and she replied that she wanted to crowdsurf on a yellow inflatable duck. Cue Bev being brought on stage and the appearance of said yellow duck for the crowd to carry her away on.
It was gloriously silly, and as Bev said to me afterwards, she both wanted to kill him and also thought it the most romantic gesture ever, which sounds like a perfect relationship to me!
So to the headliner, Mason Hill.
It is quite an emotional appearance as, the last time they played the festival, ex-singer Scott discovered his health problems, which led to yet another hiatus for the band as they sourced the right replacement.
So, as the intro of “DNA” played, it was hard to know who was most nervous, crowd or band, as everyone waited to see how this incarnation would perform. To add to the tension, the first two songs were beset with technical problems with the vocal sound that led to the front rows beseeching the photographers in the pit to tell someone they couldn’t hear new vocalist Tom Ward’s voice. That resulted in frantic work by the sound team to find a solution, and soon the set was able to progress properly.
Good job too, as Ward brings a totally different presence to the band, full of stalking nervous energy and showing a powerful and distinct vocal style that has both grit and range. If I were to see one area to work on, it would be his relationship with the crowd, as often opportunities to bond went unexplored and he remained something of an enigma as a human.
It’s a superb set, though, that really contrasts the older material with the newer direction, never better highlighted than by “Tainted Wings” and “Resonate” off the new album and a very first play for “Without You”, which is HEAVY!
Quietly taking a back seat on stage is one of the most impressive guitarists on the scene in James Bird, and his solo is simply stunning.
Of course, the set has to be closed with “Against the Wall”, and again, with the new vocal style, it takes on a new life for a song so known and loved by the band’s fans.
All in all, a superb day of music, and it is still only day one.
My band of the day? I thought Mason Hill were worthy headliners and loved every moment of Ward XVI’s darkness and theatre, but at the end of the day, the band that blew me away were Fireheart and the way they wore their hearts on their sleeves, along with the insane energy of their performance!
