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Death by Shotgun from Bournemouth – a very pleasant and relaxed start to the day indeed as their summery, guitar led tunes drew early drinkers from the bar. Swiftly followed by some power pop from sharp suited Southsea quartet The Stayawakes that left my toes tapping and head bobbing as the early morning mist drifted away from both the site and my sleep deprived brain. The early morning drifted into lunch with Wolf Culture from Bournemouth and their more punk sound raised the energy levels and attracted a decent passing crowd to the second stage. Main stage was finally open and after a discussion with the lighting and pyro crew about the amount of fire, confetti, CO2 and fireworks they planned to send into the Dorset air, we agreed that we would simply go in and out of the pit as they advised, rather than the usual first three songs. Our first band to grace the biggest stage was Christchurch’s Saints of Sin. What a great way to open the festival proper! Hair flying, guitar poses executed perfectly, catchy hooks and sing along choruses I loved every second. Vocalist Rui Brito, constantly playing to the crowd is a perfect rock frontman in the California metal tradition and the string trio of Sophie Burrell, Marcus Jenkins and Ashley Jenkins swap seamlessly around the stage drawing a bigger audience to the expanse of green in front of the stage as the set progressed. I had no idea what to expect from Raiders as we moved to stage two as I had found precious little information on them, but what I encountered when I got there was utterly sensational. Walking on stage to a fairly empty tent clearly wasn’t what vocalist Sean Smith wanted so after the first song he vaulted the barrier and went walkabout. First he wrapped the microphone cable around a punter’s throat and sang literally into his face and then flung himself to the ground as he gave the song everything he had (to such an extent that he later vomited on stage through sheer exhaustion). In an age where a lot of music is packaged and sterile it was an intoxicating display of edginess and raw power that stood proud. Power trio Black Orchid Empire were next up on main stage with some huge riffs and soaring vocals from Paul Visser complemented by immensely power rhythm courtesy of Dave Ferguson on bass and Billy Freedom’s effortless cool on drums. Back on stage 2 Youth Killed It delivered a set of brash indie punk with a smile that certainly caught the crowd’s attention before Wolf Jaw, previously known as “The Bad Flowers” took their opportunity in the spotlight with a set of crushing Rock and Roll. I have seen these guys play under their previous moniker and loved them and they have lost nothing in the transition. Tom Leighton plays a mean lead along with his vocal duties and takes very opportunity to wow with solos whilst bassist Dale Tonks pounds out huge rhythms. Behind them sticks twirl constantly in the hands of Karl Selickis. Press to MECO take over on the main stage and the trio supply an all too brief sample of their cultured and alternative sound. Clearly very intelligent song writers and more than skilled musicians their songs got a very appreciative reaction from the sun soaked crowd. The rest of the day was what I had looked forward to since I saw the line up. Firstly, The Virginmarys. My introduction to the band came just a few months ago when they played an incendiary set at a small pub in Plymouth and today, with a bigger audience and stage they excelled. Ally Dickaty on guitar and vocals, peroxide blond hair snarls out the lyrics to their punky anthems. Relatively new bassist Ross Massey prowls his side of the stage with an air of menace and behind them Danny Dolan, surely one of the best drummers on the circuit, batters seven shades out of his kit. It is a set full of energy and excitement and shows the continued upward trajectory of the band to great effect. Exhilarating stuff! The Dirty Youth provide the next entertainment on main stage as we shuttle back and forth. Having burst onto the scene in 2011 with a plethora of awards the Welsh quintet have been oddly off radar for a while, but this set showed they are back and looking to reignite. Danni Monroe is an absolute rock babe, totally in charge of the stage, controlling the crowd with ease and all backed by a sensational voice. Matt Bond and Luke Padfield lay down deliciously dirty guitar lines and Leon Watkins and Jacob Moseley never let the intensity drop for a moment. In terms of energy, the next band up on stage 2 won hands down. In one set I think I captured ten different jump shots! The Bottom Line from London ripped on stage to treat the crowd to 40 minutes of Pop-Punk of the finest order. Tom Newton seemed to spend more time in the air than on the stage. Max Ellis posed and stood atop the ego risers and vocalist Cal Amies delivered the sort of songs you want to sing along to with impressive power. Behind them Matt Bicker didn’t let up for a second as he carried the set along. By now it was early evening and time for rock royalty as Mr Phil Campbell and his Bastard Sons took to the main stage. The epitome of effortless cool in his shades and low slung guitar, the ex Motorhead guitarists band now consists of three sons, Todd (guitar), Dane (drums) and Tyla (bass) alongside vocalist Neil Starr. What they bring to the party is simple rock and roll but delivered with a swagger and confidence that spending the whole of your life touring gives you. Amongst the PCaTBS songs we get a sneak treat of a new number from Phil’s new solo album, “Straight Up” which whets the appetite. The set closes out with a fast and furious version of “Silver machine” before Phil dedicates the next song to “all the members of Motorhead no longer with us” and gets Tyla to pound out the unmistakeable intro to “Ace of Spades” complete with confetti barrage. Headlining Stage 2 were a band I have seen a great many times before, Stone Broken. I confess that the last time I saw them, near the end of a UK tour that followed a long time on the road, some of the freshness and joie de vivre of previous shows was missing. Even Robyn’s permanent grin wasn’t quite as wide as it had been in the past. Tonight though they were a band refreshed and had more energy than pretty much anytime I have seen them! Stone Broken have a well crafted set now full of anthems and sing along hits. Rich Moss, gravelly voice and low slung guitar has a twinkle in his eye whilst Chris Davis knows every pose in the rock guitar god handbook and has invented a few of his own. Bassist Kieron Conroy swaps from side to side ensuring we all get a chance to watch his skill and behind them all, that grin shining like a Cheshire Cat, Robyn Haycock and her spirit Animal pound out some immense beats. The reaction from the crowd is easily the best on second stage and the tent is at capacity, showing both the bands following but also their ability to pull in and keep those who haven’t heard them before, adding to “The Broken Army”. Finally on to the headliners, The Darkness. Unfortunately due to the amount of pyro planned, we are only allowed into the pit during the first song of the set, the majority of which an unsuspecting Justin Hawkins spends in front of the lights so we only get to enjoy him in shadow until some kind soul advises him. (If I have one request to the organisers it would be to find room in the budget for a follow spot or two for the headliners next year). Opening with “Givin’ Up” it is a “Best of” set that goes down wonderfully with the family crowd. Hawkins is engaging in the extreme onstage. Many of his off the cuff monologues are almost as if he is chatting to you personally in a pub. They range from how cold it is (at the point he strips to the waist) to the branding and colour of on stage supplies and even a request, quickly answered, for some “snot rags”. In amongst the fire, confetti and fireworks we get a stream of hits. “Love is Only a Feeling”, “Black Shuck”, “Live Till I Die” (last played in 2001!), “Friday Night”, “Stuck in a Rut”, “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” and of course “I Believe in a Thing called Love” all make an appearance and with the wonderful sound quality and superb lighting rig the sold out crowd love every second. By the time we get to the encore “Love on the Rocks With No Ice” the cold has temporarily been banished and the air is full of drifting pyro smoke. The festival continues each evening until the early hours with acoustic sets and jams, but for me it is time to head back to my extremely chilly tent, charge my batteries (both physical and mental) and return afresh for the final day. Review and Photos – Rob Wilkins Image gallery from day two here Review from day one here, and day three here. More about Teddy Rocks here.]]>
