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You want 20 bands over 3 days at Station 18 Festival which takes place at Hangar 18 Music Venue in Swansea, South Wales? £35 for the entire weekend? At £1.75 per band, that is an absolute bargain. Throw in a well-stocked bar in an air-conditioned venue, and the only thing that is missing, my friend, is you. Here is our preview of closing day – Sunday, May 1st where the action gets underway at 3 pm.
Sunday at Station 18 Festival gets underway with what will be the most poignant and emotional set of the weekend. Welsh melodic-rock trio Mad Haven will play a set dedicated to the memory of band members Alex and Tom’s mother Michele who sadly recently passed away. The organisers of Station 18 Festival have stated that they “…will be honouring Michele all weekend by setting up a collection bucket at Hangar 18 Music Venue in which everyone can donate whatever they can afford with all proceeds going to a cause that Michele supported and also worked hard to help… Ty Hapus Community Resource Centre & Foodbank in Llandudno… if you are in a position to give please show your support this weekend…”. Our thoughts are with Alex and Tom, and everyone that knew Michele at this incredibly sad time.
Up next are Hereford-based noise-merchants KinStrife. Having recently released their rather tasty debut album ‘Fools and Monsters’, the quartet will be itching to make their Swansea debut at Hanger 18 and get the crowd moving with their energetic and powerful hard rock. By all accounts, ‘Make Me’ is the one to look out for when KinStrife are onstage, and if you check out the official KinStrife Facebook page then you can get a taste of what to expect Sunday afternoon. The amount of talent in Wales at the minute shows no sign of letting up and Black Lakes are just one of many, many young acts from the valleys who are beginning to make people sit up and pay attention. Debut album ‘For All We’ve Left Behind’ (produced by the ever-reliable Romesh Dodangoda) was released to great critical acclaim earlier this year and fans of melodic hard rock melded with alternative metal had found a new band to worship from the off. ‘Avarice’ is a bit of alright, as is the grunge-alt-emo leanings of ‘Dissident’ which fans of Placebo might just dig. Special mention needs to go to the twin guitar attack of Scott Brashaw and James Rowlands, magic stuff, and we are not just talking about their impressive beards.
The name Kreek might be unfamiliar to some, but the impressive set of pipes on vocalist Antony Ellis will no doubt spark some recognition with anyone who might have crossed paths with the much-missed Bigfoot. Kreek serves up no-frills, hard rock, influenced by the golden era of rock when the guitar was king. Rumour has it that when Danny Vaughn decides to hang up his microphone he will hand it over to Antony Ellis in a ritual that sees the Tyketto classic ‘Forever Young’ merge into Kreek’s ‘Million Dollar Man’. The similarity between Ellis and the throat-charming vocals of Danny Vaughn is uncanny. Once the fish and chips have settled, it is time for the post-dinner madness to kick off with the arrival of the face-melting SKAM. Arguably one of the best-loved acts on the New Wave Of Classic Rock scene, the Leicestershire trio have been plying their trade up and down the UK motorway networks for some years now and built up a loyal fanbase who are with them every step of the way. A trio that makes a lot of noise, SKAM creates a big sound thanks to the hammer-like playing from Neal Hill behind the kit, some big-ass bass rumbles from UK gurning champion (ten years in a row now) Matt Gilmore, and the most-excellent riffage from guitarist/vocalist Steve Hill. Prepare to be dazzled.
The last three acts at the first-ever Station 18 Festival are well known to each other as they are currently on the road together in one hell of a three-band line-up. First up is Bournemouth-based South Of Salem, a band who garnered more than a few column inches with the release of their long-awaited debut album ”The Sinner Takes It All’. Imagine H.I.M. without the atmospheric keyboards and you have the SOS single ‘Pretty Little Nightmare’, highly recommended. Penultimate act Piston opened for The Cult on the latter’s UK tour before Covid hit and the world stopped spinning. There on merit, the Midlands rockers looked at home on stage in Academy-sized venues and more importantly, held their own in front of audiences who were there for one thing only, and that was to marvel at how fucking cool Cult guitarist Billy Duffy still is. With the cooler-than-ice-cold Jack Edwards on lead guitar and Machete’s distant cousin Rob Angelico on vocals, Piston is a live act not to be missed, and your average band would not fancy following on from them, but then again, Station 18 closing band The Treatment are anything but average. Having been around since 2008, The Treatment are seasoned veterans and without a shadow of a doubt, one of THE most explosive live bands that you can have the pleasure of catching on stage. There is no hiding place at a gig by The Treatment, vocalist Tom Rampton will spot your feeble attempt at trying to hide at the back and cajole you until you make your way forward, or at least until you start shaking your arse. Swansea will be gig number seventeen in a run of eighteen gigs in a row. Not many bands would even contemplate that, but not many bands are like The Treatment. The perfect band to send punters home happy after an incredible weekend of top choons. The Treatment guitarist Tagore Grey recently turned the big 3-0, if he passes you in Swansea, buy him a drink as he will have earned it seventeen times over during these last few weeks.
