Review & Photography by Lindsay Smith for MPM
I’m at a festival! Yes a real in person festival! Live music, smoke, lights, crowd – real and in person and it feels surreal and fabulous!
The bikes, the organisers, stage crew, backstage guys, faces at the barrier, I honestly felt like I had never been away from all this like everyone else for almost a year and a half.

Everywhere I looked, people laughing, revelling in the first social event for many for so long and where better place to be, the Derbyshire countryside, the rain, mud, it doesn’t actually matter about the weather (well, ok may be a little), it is all about the people, the music, the bikes and feeling part of life again.

A wonderful location for this well established festival, the site is well thought out with camping close to the action, food vans along the side and many stalls who were happy to be back too.
But how would the bands fare? The first gig back for many this weekend after dusting off their guitars, drums and mic stands, well I am about to find out.

KILLGLASS ripped apart the main stage, opening the weekend with hard and fast rock and roll. The guys played the outdoor stage in 2019 and the step up to play the main stage did not phase them at all.

It has been way too long since we all heard live music and having such an energetic band opening up our ears had the crowd with them from the off playing their own songs, encouraging those watching to join in and then throwing in ‘Ace of Spades’ and ‘Paranoid’ which are obvious crowd pleasers ,ensuring everyone was singing along and making a lasting impression before their exit from the stage .

https://www.facebook.com/officalkillglass/
Bringing a set of female lead songs ranging from Tina Turner through to Blondie, Bonnie Tyler and Pat Benatar, complete with choreographed moves to was may be taking a risk at a festival but what WOMEN IN ROCK do is put on a show and a fabulous one at that.

Powerhouse vocals from Jennifer, Rosie and Tanya accompanied by a band of accomplished musicians had everyone singing along. Opening with ‘Baby I Don’t Care’ and ‘Call Me’ the songs kept on coming including ‘Black Velvet’ which sounded smooth, “Love is a Battlefield’ had the 80’s firmly covered but it was a time hop with ‘Devil Gate Drive’ and ‘Nutbush City Limits’.

So many fabulous other classics kept the mood high. This is a theatre stage show brought to the festival main stage and it worked, excellent decision from the organisers as it held everyone in party mode.A very tight band with a sound that reached out far across the rolling Derbyshire countryside.

The most respected of the AC/DC cover bands were next to hit the stage. LIVE WIRE are renowned for pulling out all the stops playing some of the biggest and most familiar songs in rock history and so even playing a note wrong would be noticeable. No need to worry with the guys, perfection throughout their complete with canons and those iconic riffs, the lookalikes are also soundalikes to an epic degree.

The setlist really did encompass the best of AC/DC, and a total goosebump moment for me with the opening riff of Thunderstruck! The crowd didn’t want it to end insisting on an encore and honestly nor did I.

But it had too and I’m sure the bookers will be signing Live Wire up for another appearance very soon, they completely nailed it. ‘Let There Be Rock’ and there certainly was.

https://www.facebook.com/LivewireACDCshow/
What a first night!
Rock & Blues Custom Show – Photography by Lindsay Smith for MPM – Full Gallery Below.