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The Dust Coda, who started their set to a few fans and a crammed bar about 50 yards away. Starting a day at a festival is a tough ask at the best of times, and starting one after bad news and worse weather could have been a killer, but the guys impressed mightily with an edgy set. Following them were local favourites Those Damn Crows, and it was clear that many present knew of them and their catalogue as the crowd deepened considerably. One of the great things about Steelhouse is the fact that you get to see young bands given an opportunity to play to pretty big crowds on bigger stages and the Crows made the most of that opportunity along with a longer set time. Destined for much bigger things if they can build material and use social media a la Stone Broken. Time for the Scots next with Mason Hill. Most commenters on social media felt they played a blinder. Freely admitting their admiration of and influence by Chris Cornell one of the highlights is a storming version of Audioslave’s “Cochise”. Constantly referencing how overwhelmed they are to be here and to be so high up the bill with a longer set, we get tracks they don’t often get to bring out as well as their usual material. We also get a wonderful version of “Where I Belong” where the true quality of Scott Taylor’s vocals are gloriously apparent in a sing along with the crowd. Talking to one of the stall holders, Massive Wagons were a band she intended to shut up shop and watch, so we anticipated something worth seeing. They didn’t disappoint. Leaping onto the stage, Barry Mills launched them into “Back To The Stack” and we were off. Nothing fancy, just good rock played well and with a bit of humour and energy, but on a wet and windy field it is perfect. It isn’t easy getting the crowds energy levels up. The weather draining and exhausting many, but of the young bands taking the stage this afternoon, they shine out as worth watching again in a smaller, more intimate setting. In the weeks before the festival, several of the social media platforms had been commenting on Ginger Wildheart’s mental health (his Twitter feed was harrowing), and there were even concerns that it may cause The Wildhearts to cancel, so it was ironic that the two bands below him on the bill failed to take the stage but Ginger came out and provided the set of the weekend. Whether it was by accident or design, once he knew the actions of other bands, he threw a total “Best of” set at us with an intensity that was almost anger (but still with a Geordie twinkle). Here is a man who lives to perform on stage, and being so close to him that you could feel the energy radiating off him was an utter pleasure. When you can open a set with “Sick Of Drugs” you are immediately on a winner. Follow it up with “TV Tan” and “My Baby Is A Headfuck” and you have some of the best rock and roll songs on the planet. Ginger isn’t impressed with other bands not appearing. In fact, he roasts one of them mercilessly. Lamenting how tough it must be to be so rich, he makes it a battle between rich American mega musicians and a Geordie with a guitar and a head full of songs, and wins by a knockout. His comment that bass player Danny McCormack got up there, and he only has one leg, left the crowd cheering and laughing. Some of his other comments are simply unprintable! I hope that the fact that the musician who had been through the darkest time recently was on stage when the sun burst through, and the crowd turned to bask in it like lemurs, lifted him as much as it lifted us. It was simply non stop. Leaping, thrashing at his guitar, snarling out vocals and delivering clever, witty and tuneful song after another. “Geordie In Wonderland” is almost Pogue like, which in terms of song writing is the biggest compliment I can pay. They finish with “I Wanna Go Where The People Go” to leave the crowd breathless and me smiling like a loon. To close the weekend we welcome Black Star Riders to the stage. After all the wind, rain, thunder and other challenges, somehow the sky stays clear, and it all seems to have built to this. Every time I see this band they are more their own men and less the past. Their songs echo Lizzy, but are crafted in their own image and stand in their own right. As always, the set opens with Ricky Warwick, fist clenched and raised to the sky leading his men. Scott Gorham, clad in black and effortlessly cool to his right, Damon Johnson and Robbie Crane poised to his left, and Chad Szeliga (who managed the impossible, a brief and interesting drum solo) raised behind them between two walkways. Their stagecraft is immaculate. Almost imperceptible signals bringing them to the front or crossing behind to play to each other’s crowds. Pairs, trios, and even foursomes forming and dissolving fluidly and they look like they are having great fun doing it. Musically, they are en pointe. Gorham is a master of the riff, and the songs have that traditional Irish backbone. Solos are shared and brief, but classy. We get a few of the Lizzy classics; “Jailbreak” was a monster, “Boys Are Back In Town”, and of course “Whiskey In The Jar”, but most of the set is their own material with “Bound For Glory” best demonstrating the way they take the Lizzy heritage, yet write fresh and contemporary music. “Kingdom Of The Lost” as Irish a tune as they come. The evening finishes with a firework display and it is almost impossible to remember just how physically tough some of the last three days have been due to the weather. As Black Star Riders are cheered from the stage, we slowly head back to pack and leave the mountain until next year. There is something about Steelhouse that gets into your blood. It is far from perfect, but it’s not meant to be. It’s a festival on top of a mountain in Wales that is friendly, accessible, sensibly priced, and introduces you to great bands on a single stage with minimal down time. I only hope the battle with the elements and bands not turning up doesn’t cause any financial hardship and next year can be even bigger and better. The phrase “If you build, they will come” has never been so apt. Photos: Rob Wilkins Review: Rob and Danielle Wilkins Day one can be found here. Day two here. 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