Livewire, Saltash
Saturday October 24th, 2026

Review and photos – Rob Wilkins

Born of a nearly cancelled gig in 2018, when Bad Touch and Aaron Buchanan and the Cult Classics were booked into the Livewire Youth Club in Saltash and the promoter wished to back out, only for the bands and organisation to promote the gig instead, the annual Rockin By the River lineup seems to come around quicker and quicker!

This year’s rather awesome lineup featured Livewire alumni (a tradition of the event is to feature a band that has developed at the youth club as opener), Velora, followed by Fugitive, Circus 66, Fireheart, and headliner Fury. Proceeds from the event go to support the much lauded youth project at the venue and alongside the bands donating their time, a large raffle takes place with a table spread with prizes.

Unfortunately, work meant I missed Velora, but I have it on very good authority that they played an assured set that showed just how good the charity is at giving young people the opportunity to develop musical skills while also helping with the many mental health challenges they face.

I managed to arrive just as Liverpool’s Fugitive took to the stage. Firstly a big shout out to them for making that long journey in pretty horrific weather conditions yet still taking to the stage with smiles all around and enjoying every second of their time on stage.

For me, few things help warm up an audience better than a band having a good time themselves, and Mikee, David (playing with a broken leg), Ranko and Clarkey clearly love what they do. Their longevity on the scene (36 years!) couldn’t be better illustrated than the fact they can play a song written by Russ Ballard himself in their set! As might be expected, the Liverpool sense of humour is on display, especially during “Liar” where those under 16 are told to chant “Thank You” rather than the rather more appropriate lyric sung by the band and older crowd. Musically, their set is really enjoyable. Clearly classic rock-influenced, with twin guitar harmonies and big choruses that stay in your head.

Following on is a return to Saltash for Circus 66 and the irrepressible Annabelle Zaychenko. I had great memories of their set last time around, and from the first note they brought the same energy and showmanship. Visually, the stage belongs to that effervescent frontwoman as she prowls the stage and gets right in the face of the front row. Her voice covers an impressive range and can switch from mellow and tuneful to growl and scream instantly.

Around her though the other band members more than hold their own musically with Matt Pearce’s deliciously dirty riffing, Luke Ward’s powerful bass and Leigh Holley’s control of the beat to allow them all to shine coming together into a cracking set. Standouts of their set? The vocal on the last song “Save the Damn World”, which is seriously impressive, and new song “Get Outside Your Head” with a riff from Pearce that drifts to the Middle East to open before heading to a crushing vibe and a vocal of light and shade from Zaychenko.

Introduced by compère Mike Snook as a “band that we simply had to get as they align so perfectly with what this place is about”, Fireheart were one of the main reasons I wanted to come out on such a wet and stormy night. They utterly blew me away at Firevolt festival, and I couldn’t wait for more.

So, here is a challenge. I cover a LOT of gigs and invite anyone to suggest a more explosive intro to a band as they take to the stage than “Wild Hearts’ Wild Nights”. No matter how ready you are the utter energy as Russ, Kev, Lee, Bret and Chris cover every inch of the stage blows you away. I must shoot a hundred photos in that one song. Everywhere you look there are poses, gurns, hair, riffs, solos, choruses that somehow were in your head even though you have never heard the song before and a group of guys giving everything they have.

The message is there on the T-shirts. “Good Is Good Enough” is a song, a message, a belief, and a merch that I would have bought in an instant. That is, if it wasn’t for the combination of vulnerability and hyperactivity that is Kev Baker and the T-shirt I had to get, proudly stating “ I Am Not My Worst Day”. That lyric stands proud in latest single “Back to the Truth” which is a mental health anthem of the highest order as well as being an utterly cracking song to sing along with in a pub or an arena. I could write so much more. I utterly love this band, their music and their message and i have only seem them twice!

You might think that after that the headliner would have a bit of a job to do and might struggle to keep that energy in the room?

Not. A. Chance!

Fury rip into “Interceptor” and, if anything, takes it up another notch.

Julian Jenkins makes his guitar look like a toy as he rips off riffs and growls out the vocals. To his right, Nyah fills out the sound with sublime harmonies and occasionally swaps to the main vocal role. Matt Fletcher provides lead melodies that add so much to the heavy riffage. To his left, the quite extraordinarily talented bassist Becky Baldwin mesmerises me as I watch her fingers dance effortlessly up and down the fretboard, and behind them all drummer Tom Fenn lays down rhythms that can almost certainly be felt on the trains crossing the Tamar on the nearby bridge.

The thing that impresses me most about Fury is the way in which the sound evolves over the set and even over a song. From heavy and fast to slower and more melodic. Each member gets ample opportunity to show their skills with solo opportunities. Becky’s bass solo being an utter highlight during “It’s Rock n Roll” and a showcase opportunity for each individual during “Dragon’s Song”.

The vocal complexities are also a delight, “Burnout” in particular featuring some delicious a capella singing. Julian plays a little with the audience, introducing “If You Get To Hell First” as a “slow song” before ripping into possibly the fastest song of the set, then actually slowing things down for the almost Celtic ballad “Upon the Lonesome Tide”, which allows another side of his vocal range to shine. “Road Warrior” closes a wonderfully enjoyable evening in style, and as the lights come up, the audience is a little dazed after such a high-energy night of music.

The weather, along with the financial climate, may have kept the crowd a little lower than hoped for, but every band gave their all on stage and raised a bloody good sum of money for such a great cause.

Look out for announcements of bands booked for next year and come join a wonderful evening for a great cause.

RBTR26

129 photos