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Firevolt Festival 2024
Whitebottom Farm,
August 2024
Review and photos – Rob Wilkins
Two years ago I took a chance on a new festival that appeared on the scene. When it was first advertised the general consensus was that there was no way on earth that a lineup that good could be genuine, reading like a who’s who of the NWoCR scene at a very sensible price, but it turned out to be a gem of a find and became a “must do” on my summer calendar.
This year I made the journey up from Plymouth earlier in the week, arriving on Wednesday to be part of the volunteer crew setting up the event. That feeling of being part of the family that organisers Stret and Bev have created grows each year.
Helping set up a festival is actually really cathartic. I spent most of my time helping build the Barn stage and associated fencing and lighting, and taking a break from a very mentally challenging job to do something more physical, and taking instructions rather than being responsible for issuing them felt quite relaxing!
The festival itself opened at lunchtime on Thursday and very soon the site was alive with anticipation. The camper van section in particular filled up early as tickets had sold out in an hour and a half, Glastonbury eat your heart out!
Thursday at Firevolt is the most laid-back of evenings. In the past, I have likened it to being at someone’s wedding and that feeling persists as a chilled evening of catching up with old friends, a rock quiz, a hot supper and a cover band (the superb Ransom who would be playing a set of their own material the next day) gently eases you into the festival spirit. The growth of the festival is clear though as the number of people in the Barn is far higher than in previous years.
Friday morning is a chance to fine-tune any outstanding setup issues before the crowd makes its way to the Barn stage for the opening act We Three Kings.
I know bass players aren’t renowned for their personality on stage, but the skeleton standing at the mic stand actually has more than some I have seen! The remaining two band members (Rich on vocals and guitar, and Pete on drums) make up for their emaciated friend as they deliver a set of powerful, guitar-based, rock and roll much in the style that Royal Blood, and The Virginmarys are making so popular. Check out the latest single “Gold Digger” for some rip-roaring, energetic sounds.
The festival setup is a two-stage affair, both under cover to allow for the vagueries of the weather, but both viewable from the open air should the sun shine, so there is a ten-minute gap to move to the Big Top stage (where a small amount of my blood has been forever added to the festival DNA after my efforts earlier) and catch the set of originals from Ransom. Calling themselves “Just a pub band” they are fun to watch and clearly have a sense of humour when a song can be called “Even Nuns Watch Porn”. Towards the end of the set their influences become clear with a song written about Bon Scott called “Predator” followed by a raucous cover of “Riff Raff” to get the crowd animated and they close with “Back to the Boozer”. Great fun and just what was needed early in the day.
I have to say the next band, back at the Barn Stage, raised the bar from a mid-level high jump to a championship-level pole vault as The Karma Effect showed just why they are getting so many mentions and plaudits. Very much my kind of music, delivered with a swagger and sass, with elements of Aerosmith and a touch of Black Crowes they gathered a much-increased crowd. Henry Gottelier stands out as a frontman par excellence. Personality, charisma, and style grab your attention and then vocal quality refuses to let it go. Every member of the band appears to be having a great time and THAT is the thing that always makes me want more. A band can be musically brilliant but if I don’t think they want to be there I feel it shows. From set opener “All Night Long” through to the dying notes of “Testify” I love every second and cannot wait to catch the tour starting in September.
A few weeks before Firevolt I had attended Steelhouse Festival in Wales and thoroughly enjoyed the set from Trucker Diablo and seeing them on the more intimate Big Top stage I enjoyed them even more. They bring a gentle humour to the stage, taking the mick out of each other regularly, and again, seem to just be enjoying the chance to play. There are elements of their Irish background in their sound which has echoes at times of Thin Lizzy but combined with a raw Black Stone Cherry edge. A cover of “Proud Mary” brings no little energy and the heaviness in the set builds right through to “Dig” which is absolutely crushing.
Towards the end of Trucker Diablo’s set people begin to drift away. Not from any disappointment, but from the anticipation of the next band onstage in the Barn: South of Salem. I would say that at this point, any statements that the Bournemouth band will be the next band from the scene to “make it” have missed the point…they already did! The crowd was HUGE and many had face paint and t-shirts to show their fandom. Not only that, but the age of those at the front clearly showed the appeal to the younger segment of the audience.
South of Salem simply do things ridiculously well. First, the energy. From the first note, every single band member gives it their all in a blur of movement and action. Then the image. You can choose your favourite based on personality and appearance in an almost boy band popularity contest. Finally, the way in which the overall image, which would at first glance lead you to imagine a set of dark and brooding metal, actually turns out to package some insanely memorable tunes that bounce around your head for days afterward. When I first saw the lineup for Friday it felt that it would be a hard day to beat and so far so correct!
Normally, The Treatment, with their AC/DC-ish raw rock and roll and polished performance would be the band to bring the energy. Instead, today, their challenge was to maintain it and that was a challenge that they absolutely aced. It is hard not to enjoy every second, with vocalist Tom Rampton the perfect frontman for Tao and Tagore Grey to surround with riffs, whilst the rhythm section of Dhani Mansworth and Andy Milburn is unstoppable. Their set flies by and as always I find myself taking FAR too many photos as the poses follow on in quick succession session. There aren’t many bands that can deliver a set of such simple, uncomplicated but incredibly enjoyable rock with as much energy and rawness and once again I love every second.
A change of pace back at the barn for a return visit to Firevolt for Darren Wharton’s Renegade, this time bringing a set of Thin Lizzy classics (this became a feature of this year’s festival with four bands showcasing classic sets from their member’s past triumphs). Opening with a keytar and the soaring, swirling keys of “Angel of Death”, the band are as tight as might be expected for a well-seasoned unit. The setlist is an utter joy with so many singalong/smilealong blasts from the past with “Jailbreak”, “Don’t Believe a Word”, “Emerald”, “Cold Sweat”, “The Boys Are Back In Town”, “Rosalie”, and many others. Wharton has a charm as a frontman very different to the much-missed rock God he is paying tribute to, but he delivers the material beautifully and it is a set that stands out for sheer pleasure and memories.
Headlining the tent are Stone Broken, a band that I feel have lost something in terms of direction recently. Two years previously they headlined in the Barn and I remember reviewing it as one of the sets of the weekend. Today though there is a flatness about them after the energy and joy of the previous few bands. Many of their peers have moved upwards but Stone Broken appear to need a break to match that progress (which they fully deserve).
Within the first three songs, we get “Revelation” and “Heartbeat Away”, both of which are cracking songs but struggle to win over the crowd, not helped by a muddy sound mix. “Remedy”, a song only played live three times previously certainly offers hope that the future output will be back on track. “Let Me See It All” sees vocalist/guitarist Rich Moss gleefully announce that the band made it to number one in the US charts, and the stripper charts, and “Wait for You” finally lifts the show to the levels it deserves to be as the solo performance from Rich brings a tear to the eye of genuine emotion. I like Stone Broken and hope that some breaks come their way and they find that trajectory again as the talent and ability are all there, but tonight wasn’t their night for me.
Stret makes a habit of finding headliners that are somewhat left field to the other festivals and after Royal Republic last year, this year’s ace is Vandenberg. The years have simply not aged the Guitar God Adrian Vandenberg one iota and he comes with a VERY strong band (Mats Leven, Joey Marin deBoer, Sem Christoffel, Len Vandelaak) that delivers the second of the glorious look-back sets of the weekend.
Featuring highlights from his time with David Coverdale (my second Whitesnake set in two weeks after the Steelhouse Bernie Marsden tribute) I sing along lustily to ”Fool for Your Loving”, “Give Me All Your Love”, “Sailing Ships”, “Crying in the Rain”, “Still of the Night” and “Here I Go Again” interspersed with his own output that dates right back to when I first started to enjoy heavy music.
Mr. V still knows his way around a guitar and the solos are jaw-dropping, especially when delivered with the poses and expressions he pretty much invented. It is a glorious way to end day 1 – a day which on paper looked the strongest day, and certainly lays down the challenge to days 2 and 3 to follow!
Before that though there is a rock disco and then another cover band, Tyger to enjoy before finally heading the (very) short distance back to my motorhome to sleep.
