Review: Firevolt Festival – Friday

Last year a new festival called Firestorm started to appear on social media. The lineup was a “who’s who” of the current rock scene and the immediate reaction was that “it will never happen”.

It did! And it was utterly superb!

So, with this year’s lineup looking just as spectacular and knowing how much I enjoyed the first event, there was no way I was not going to be there for the second (now renamed Firevolt).

The event actually starts on Thursday with what was, last year, a small gathering in the barn. This year however I drove past the stunning waterfall marking the entrance to the site and couldn’t believe my eyes. Last year when I arrived I was one of the first. This year, the campervan field was absolutely rammed! A wonderfully helpful steward, who had seen a stressful incident unfold before I actually reached the festival, patiently guided me to the top of a VERY slippery hill despite my little motorhome having negligible grip at the front wheels. Unfortunately, gentle accelerator use just resulted in wheel spin, so we reversed all the way back and hit the hill as if competing in a hill climb with much more success. A few minutes later and finally time to chill with a cold beer and prepare for the evening’s entertainment.

Thursday evening is the perfect illustration of why I love this little festival so much. Whilst there are many more people present, it still feels as if you have been invited to a private party or wedding reception. There is a music quiz, a Q & A with an ex-Motörhead tour manager, a hot meal and pudding, a very good covers band, and then a rock disco – to be honest a pretty decent standalone event. It feels as if you are back with friends and Stret and Bev, the organisers (and recently married in the very same venue) circulate freely dishing out hugs and “welcome back”s. With a big weekend ahead I allow myself a relatively early night and wake to a lovely, sunny day.

There is time for a walk around the beautiful country park that surrounds the venue before the very short walk from the campervan field to the hub of the venue. Basically, Firevolt is a two-stage festival, with minimal waiting between bands as one stage is set up as the other is “live”. Stage 1 – The Trooper Stage – is in the barn. A large wooden structure with an open central area. At one end is the large stage and at the other a massive bar. Outside this stage is the main gathering area with food stalls, bars, stalls, toilets (proper porcelain loos and immaculately clean at all times), and even large shower blocks. Beer is £5 to £6 a pint (including some great craft beers), the range of food covers every taste and the stalls sell a great range of products.

A very short walk away is stage 2. A “Big Top” tent with another huge stage and another bar or two, surrounded by a field and seating areas. It’s a fantastic setup, intimate but also extremely professional.

The honour of opening the festival proper goes to a local band, and winners of a Battle of the Bands competition for the privilege; Luna Marble. Classic Rock but freshened up for the age, they impressed mightily. Fronted by the effervescent Maria Rico – a bit of a starlet – they took just minutes to win over a good-sized crowd. There is a bit of a throwback to their sound, a 70s vibe, but it isn’t overplayed and their songs such as “The Ride” and “Redemption” kept my attention throughout their thirty-minute opportunity. Very much a band to watch out for and hopefully the exposure will see them given support opportunities in the near future.

A quick walk down to the tent for a band I have seen a number of times: White Raven Down. Essex-based but seemingly in the SW much of their time (which is how I have come to see them so often) they are growing in stature each time they take to a stage. They are also clearly building a following as they pulled one of the bigger crowds of the weekend to the tent! The highlight for me is watching how Stu Bailey is morphing into such a good frontman now the band are a three-piece. His voice adds another layer to their complex and technical sound and he is developing the confidence to step away from the mic and work the crowd. Check out tracks such as “Demons at Your Door”, and “Roll of the Dice” if you like your rock intelligent and thought-provoking.

Returning to The Trooper Stage, the energy levels are taken to eleven by Hell’s Addiction. A new band to me but one I almost instantly connected with. Lively, raw, fun, and heavy, their set flew by and my camera was getting hot with constant use. I love bands that seem to have as much fun on stage as I am having in the audience, and I got the feeling even rehearsals for these guys would be a riot. Highlights? “On the Road Again”, “Scream Your Name” (from a soon-to-be-released new album which sounds immense), and “Running Away”. Another excellent example of the way this festival brings me bands I haven’t come across and they blow me away! Friday was, for me, the strongest of the days over the weekend and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

Next up were Sons of Liberty back in the tent. The last time I saw them – with their previous vocalist – they were fun, but I wasn’t hooked and it felt a bit derivative. Now, with new vocalist Russ Grimmett, they are a completely different proposition. Whilst it is still a set of Southern Rock, it has become fresh and the band are clearly having the time of their lives up there. Nobody is there to simply play. Everyone on stage poses and postures and the photo opportunities are constant. The material sounds fresher. “Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief” swaggers and struts, “Beef Jerky Boogie” challenges the crowd not to get moving, and “Up Shit Creek” is just big assed fun.

Hollowstar. What do I say about them? Do they really know just how good they are? I have seen them now numerous times and they seem to disappear for a while then reappear again. Put two seriously good guitarists, a raw vocal, powerful drumming, and great songwriting together, brew in a little vulnerability and honesty about mental health issues and life in general, and add a dash of approachability (I always think sharing a pint with these guys would be a great use of time) and top it off with superb stage visuals and they never disappoint. Two highlights for me. The cover of “Simple Man”, which is almost as at home on a Hollowstar stage now as it is a Shinedown one, and the utterly immense “Good Man Gone”. This one track for me is everything that is good about Hollowstar. Many times the intro has had me shed a tear with its raw honesty. Then the song itself is simply massive. As always “All I Gotta Say” is the singalong end of the set and they leave to a much-deserved ovation.

If you look up the definition of “Sheer Class” in any rock dictionary it says: “See Cardinal Black”. And once again they showcase why in the tent. The combination of guitarist Chris Buck and vocalist Tom Hollister is simply sublime. Mix raw, emotional, powerful vocal delivery with one of the most expressive guitarists around and the concoction is entrancing. It is music to wash over you as it cascades through the air. At times I forget to lift the camera and find myself simply watching, mouth open, as Chris Buck effortlessly rips out another extraordinary solo or Tom Hollister passionately delivers a vocal. “Tell Me How It Feels” is the absolute highlight of the set for me. It stands alone as a simply beautiful piece of music in any genre or style. I could have sat in the sun all day and enjoyed their music for however long they wanted to play.

Festival logistics make that impossible though, so it is that brief walk back to The Trooper Stage for my second experience of When Rivers Meet in two weeks. Happy to say they impress me just as much at this smaller festival as they did at Steelhouse. In fact, I found myself appreciating some of the smaller aspects of their set even more. The multi-instrumentalism stood out more and maybe it was a sound mix thing but the delicious cigar box sound was far more apparent. Grace and Aaron Bond between them, leave nothing behind on the stage. “Did I Break The Law” is immense, “Take Me To The River” keeps the attention and doesn’t let go, and “Innocence of Youth” is when that dirty slide really rings out. Seeing a band in several different sized venues really showcases strengths and weaknesses, and from intimate venue to mountain top these guys have blown me away every time. Coming after Cardinal Black was a masterpiece of planning, a bluesy interlude to the rock, but now it was time to PARTY!

Massive Wagons had bought a stage set that took up most of the second stage, with risers, platforms, and pyro that meant we were held from the pit for a while as they hit the stage one by one before vocalist Baz Mills sprinted on stage for “Gone Are The Days” accompanied by fireworks, manic energy and a crowd going bonkers. The slightly negative effect was that the conditions in the tent, allied to the smoke from the pyro, had the effect of filling the venue with a fog that meant the actual band were sometimes hard to see clearly! The positive was that the last time I saw the band on their headline tour they focussed almost entirely on new material, which left me disappointed as the back catalog is so strong. This time the setlist was almost perfect, mixing new with old and ramping up the energy towards the end. To see why Wagons are so popular, align this lot with your music system of choice- “Bangin’ on your Stereo”, “Billy Balloon Head”, “China Plates”, “Nails”, “Back to the Stack”, “In It Together”. That, my friends, is quite the party and for me, that is where Massive Wagons fit in my life. A bloody good time getting hot and sweaty to songs that make me smile.

Weirdly, the headliners for the day seemed to be a mystery band to far more of the crowd than seemed right, having personally been a fan for many years. Entering the pit, someone had clearly been prepared as many in the crowd, men, women, children, and dogs, were wearing stick-on moustaches in tribute to Royal Republic’s lead singer (I think he said his name was Adam?), I think it is fair to say that the audience had no idea just how stunning a performance they were about to witness.

Royal Republic are unique. There is an element of The Hives, but, as Adam [Grahn] said, their music is “eclectic”. They are four superb musicians, dressed unlike any other band you will see (leather and pearls) and playing high-energy songs that vaguely classify as rock. Or is it punk? Or barbershop? (yep) Or country and western? Or another bucket of genres? Mid-set they disappear off stage, then reappear for a two-song acoustic interlude in the middle of the audience, then, to the “Benny Hill” theme, run back to the stage again. Their set is full of humour, dance-along songs, and occasionally glimpses of their undoubted musical talent (a two-person drum solo, heavy metal guitar demo, superb harmonies, and many more). By the end, I cannot imagine a single person that didn’t walk away saying they had just found a new favourite band. I on the other hand simply kept smugly saying “Told you so” to anyone whose ear I had bent about how good they were.

Review and images Rob Wilkins/Celtography

Saturday review, here