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After the party atmosphere of Thursday, and the pure out-and-out rockfest of Friday, Saturday (particularly on the main stage) had the feeling of a much more serious affair, as exemplified by the openers, WITCHRIDER. Fans of QOTSA would do well to check these guys out. They make a fine noise.
By contrast, over on Stage 2, BLACK STATE HIGHWAY were pleasing the crowd with their brand of accessible blues-infused rock. Vocalist, Liva Steinberga not only has a great voice, but also some very slinky moves. I wasn’t distracted… honest.
One of the bands on my ‘must see’ list were BLUES PILLS. There’s a staggering maturity for a band so young. They’re not the sort of band to have you rockin’ in the aisle, but more head down, swaying, soaking up the emotion of it all. Elin Larsson’s voice had that Joplin-esque heartbreak to it one minute, and then poured honey in your ears the next. Again, not ‘fun’, but hugely enjoyable.
TRUCKFIGHTERS have a large following and some great testimonials from some great people, but I found them difficult to enjoy. It’s not that they were bad, far from it… if you like long songs full of fuzz! Guitarist, Niklas ‘Dango’ Källgren was a tireless dervish, twisting, swirling and jumping all over the large stage. However, this was difficult to enjoy too, as the stage was almost in total darkness, bar a few red spotlights for most of their set.
Hard Rock Hell has a tradition of mixing ‘legends’ with the ‘new guard’, which it does very well. HRH also has the knack of throwing in a few surprises. A band that has slipped under your radar up until that moment, so you get that feeling of discovery. This year, that ‘where-have-you-been-all-my-life?’ band, for me, was Canadian BEND SINISTER.
Bursting on stage to a crescendo of organ and guitar, a lá Deep Purple, through the twists and turns of Prog, we were next embracing the whimsical electric piano sound straight off a Supertramp record (Daniel Moxon’s vocals have an uncanny similarity to Rick Davies)! It was an eclectic affair, that’s for sure… but a thoroughly enjoyable one.
Something a lot more straightforward was going on next door. The recently reformed VARDIS were tearing it up in fine style, and the swollen ranks in the arena were lapping it up. They played their punk-tinged rock ‘n’ roll set with a tightness unbecoming of a band that have had a 27 year hiatus, and with the ability and vigour that also belies that time lapse. No new material was showcased, but with not one, but two albums slated for release in the next 12 months, it’ll be interesting to see if the energy they displayed tonight translates into a batch of great new songs. I hope so. The signs are good.
GRIFTER are another of the bands I had to see… again. I was keen to hear the new material, from their second album ‘The Return Of The Bearded Brethren’, live. I was not disappointed, with the set being, understandably, biased towards showcasing the new album. Nice to see Sabbath’s ‘Fairies Wear Boots’ was still present and correct, though. The Westcountry trio had pulled a fair sized crowd away from Vardis, which surprised and pleased me no end. Their dirty, groovy, bluesy, heavy rock going down a storm.
From a band I knew, and wanted to see, to a band I didn’t know, but good God, I’m glad I did! THEIA are three young lads from Burton on a mission. Despite the youth of the band, and I mean the age of the band as well as its members, they played an absolutely blinding set of really strong hard rock songs. Hooks, riffs, and catchy choruses abound, all delivered with a self-assuredness and confidence, but never slipping into cockiness. These guys are a real find. They’ve hit the festival circuit now. Surely, a decent tour support slot beckons?
DIAMOND HEAD. A name inexorably linked to a certain Bay area thrash band, thanks to a certain song. It does mean though, that the casual listener may think of them as a one-song band (a bit like another band on tonight’s bill!). This is a real shame (as Diamond Head proved tonight), because they have a catalogue of great songs to call upon, which is exactly what they did tonight. Brian Tatler is no slouch on guitar, and Rasmus Anderson looked (and sounded) like he’d been fronting the band for years, not weeks!
Of course, it came down to ‘that’ song in the end. “Am I evil?”, asked Anderson. “Yes I am!”, came the exultant reply. Hair, fists, horns and beer flew everywhere!
MICHAEL SCHENKER, on the other hand, could never be accused of being a one-song man! With stints in Scorpions and UFO, as well as his own GROUP and TEMPLE OF ROCK, he’s never going to have trouble filling a set, is he?
Like his Scorpions cohort Uli John Roth, his face may be looking a bit more ‘rugged’ these days, but his fingers are as fresh as ever.
Tonight’s opener was UFO classic ‘Doctor, Doctor’. What a choice! A massive chugger, that everyone knows. The crammed arena was 100% onside from the first note. We were treated to a mostly ‘classics’ set, but not exclusively. A couple of tracks from the last album got an airing, but it’s fair to say that when you’ve got songs like ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’ in your back pocket, you’d be a fool not to use them. Doogie White did a great job handling the vocals of all these legendary songs, and had a good repartee with the crowd. An hour and a quarter flew by, and all too soon ‘Rock Bottom’, with an extended solo, was bringing MSG’s time to an end.
BLUE OYSTER CULT, like Diamond Head earlier, are blessed/cursed by one particular song, however, judging by the chants from the crowd, there was another song they want to hear even more…
In the event, far from being a one-song-wonder, BOC’s 100 minute set is full of truly wonderful moments. A personal highlight for me was ‘(Then Came)The Last Of May’. It just sounded other-worldly. Majestic. Sublime. With two extended solos, it was all I could do to stand up… in fact, I didn’t. I slumped against a rail, closed my eyes, and grinned.
The crowd’s chanted wishes were finally granted, as ‘Godzilla’ got an extended airing, but predictably, the largest cheer was reserved for final song, ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’ and, to be fair, it sounded amazing! The band seemed to be having a genuinely good time throughout, and indeed after ‘Reaper’ looked reluctant to say goodnight. Blue Oyster Cult were an unexpected highlight of the weekend for me.
Now is a good time to congratulate the sound guys, who did a fantastic job all weekend, on both stages. I mention it here, because BOC sounded fantastic., a genuine feat, especially for a festival crew, as at times there were 4-part harmonies and three guitars (as well as crystal-clear drums and rumbling bass) being pumped through the PA at some serious volume.
GIRLSCHOOL, who have the dubious honour of being the longest running all-female rock band in the world, finished the evening off for me, with a surprisingly good set, crossing between glam and punk, in equal measures.
So. Apart from the obvious attraction of the music, what else could tempt you to visit a North Welsh coastal holiday camp in November?
You’ve got the atmosphere, for starters. The festival is big enough to get the bands, but not too big to become impersonal. It’s almost like a secret club… a really big secret club!
The two stages are indoors, seconds away from each other, with an outdoors bar area linking them, and merch areas all around.
You’ve got Spar, Starbucks, Burger King, Papa John’s a chippy, and real toilets!
You’ve got hardened accommodation (caravan or chalet) with heating, hot water and kitchen (beer fridge!).
Hard Rock Hell has built up a fantastic reputation over the years, and will sell out before a single band announcement is made. If you’re quick, you may just get a ticket now for next year!
https://www.hardrockhell.com/tickets/
Review and Pics: Rob Nankivell
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What a great review of a fantastic day!! Thanks for your very kind comments about my boys in THEIA. And you were spot on about the sound (and lighting) guys who did an absolutely brilliant job.
Thank you, Keith. THEIA really bowled me over. One of the true highlights, and a discovery for me, at a fantastic weekend.
All the best to the guys. They deserve great success.
m/