Back on the mountain for day two and once more there is sunshine! It’s clear even at this early hour that there are more people here today. Those who got to the stage at midday were treated to a gem as Jayler got the ball rolling.
These young guys had in previous years visited Steelhouse as fans and had entertained campsite dwellers with their music and now here they were up on the main stage.
Led Zeppelin comparisons run deep here as their deep, blues-based brand of rock is reminiscent of the 70s legends and lead singer, James Bartholomew with his medallioned, bare chest and jeans could so easily have been a young Robert Plant.
For a band who have only been going for three years, they have already gained popularity and had brought a large contingent of their fan club with them today.
Running through `No Woman’, `Lovemaker’, the epic `River Boat Queen’, and the set closer which was the cherry on top – The Rinsk’. A song about a Viking warrior which midway by a stroke of genius they morphed into the Sabbath classic ‘War Pigs’. Cue the whole of Steelhouse singing their hearts out at this point and then a return back to the main track and a very contented band leaving the crowd wanting more.
The Derby based Grunge Rock trio, Muddibrooke hit the limelight next. War paint equipped, Brooke with her gritty vocal tone and punchy, stabbing guitar style demanded attention as `ADHD’ pounds out.
The ebb and flow of the heavy rhythmed `Float’ showed a refined side to Brooke’s voice whilst `You Don’t Own Me’ is a future anthem in the making. They end their set with the deep bass infused `Fake It’.
Festival favourites, Scarlet Rebels brought our ears back to a more middle of the road form of rock as Llanelli’s finest launched into `Secret Drug’.
The faster paced `Take Me Home’ got the crowd bouncing as did `These Days’ but it was `Grace’ that Wayne Doyle managed to get the audience fully participating in. `It’s Beautiful’ and `Declining’ followed with the massive `Let Me In’ ending their set.
Southern rednecks, Hillbilly Vegas gave the crowd a better time than any moonshine could ever do. Musically proficient but also out for a good time, these boys soaked up the British sunshine and blew the crowd off its feet.
Songs included ‘High Time For A Good Time’, the honky-tonk piano fuelled, `Something Crazy’, ‘Feels Good’ with a Billy Ray Cyrus vibe and the redneck anthem `Shake It Like A Hillbilly’. These boys are new to these shores but going on the reaction they got here today I’m sure they will be back!
Guitarslinger for Machinegun Kelly and solo internet sensation, Sophie Lloyd did not disappoint. Kicking off with the `Top Gun’ instrumental, Lloyd proved she could shred with the best of them. Lloyd’s stunning looks and an equally stunning purple signature Diesel guitar added to the spectacle.
Vocal duties for songs that needed them on this occasion, were courtesy of Marisa Rodriguez who we saw on Friday fronting Marisa And The Moths.
So, after Marisa sung ‘Runaway’, an instrumental `Crazy Train’ followed that got a big roar from the crowd, as did Metallica’s `Enter Sandman’. Back to Lloyd’s solo album and the title track, `Imposter Syndrome’ allows more fretboard wizardry before she takes the band back to a cover of Bon Jovi’s `You Give Love A Bad Name’. Marisa returns for ‘Do Or Die’.
This packed set showed that Lloyd can give many of the male “guitar gods” a run for their money whilst adding a bit extra to her setup with guest vocalists too. She is an entertainer through and through but with a seemingly shy side to her.
Devon’s own powerhouse, both physically and in a music context, Kris Barras was up next. Frazer Kerslake slammed out huge bass lines whilst zooming about the stage as Barras wrung the neck of his guitar to within an inch of its life, pulling sweet bluesy bends and riffs. Josiah Manning’s rhythmic guitar locked everything together.
The band are no strangers to the Steelhouse stage and always get a great welcome and today is no exception. `Dead Horses’, ‘Savages’, the modern sounding punch of `Devil You Know, and ‘Light It Up’s blues all made an appearance.
Barras venturing out onto the stage runway got audience singing `Hail Mary’ as the sun blazed down. Barras has many projects on the go, but his own band is clearly very dear to his heart and every track here today was performed with passion and grit.
We reach the first big name milestone of the night. The legend that is Lita Ford isn’t a regular visitor to the UK despite being born in London, so it’s always great to see her over here. On this visit she had already played two shows previously in Wolverhampton and London, so she was on a roll when she hit the Steelhouse stage.
Decked out in red leather and looking and sounding fantastic, Ford aided by her right-hand man on guitar, Patrick Kennison, thunderous drummer, Bobby Rock and Swedish bassist Marten Andersson set things moving with chunky distorted guitar riff of `Gotta Let Go’. The angular points of Ford’s black and red Neal Moser custom guitar captured the suns rays as `Larger Than Life’, `Relentless’ and `Hungry’ powered out across the site.
Favourites like `Back To The Cave’ and the punky `Can’t Catch Me’ also got an airing as did the Runaway’s classic `Cherrybomb’. The whole band seemed to be having a blast and were sounding fantastic. A guitar change to the white twin neck BC Rich heralded `Only Women Bleed’ and another trip out on the runway into the sun, this time with Kennison joining her for a while.
The next song was no surprise and saw Ford feeling particularly emotional as she announced `Close My Eyes Forever’ which she originally dueted with Ozzy on. Kennison took on Ozzy’s part but the whole site was singing those words right back.
What a moment! After a brief hiatus the band blasted out Ford’s Eighties hit `Kiss Me Deadly’ before taking a bow.
On to milestone number two. You just know from the outset that this show from Blackie Lawless and W.A.S.P. is going to be massive as his chromed, bike/skeleton mike stand dominates the centre of the stage.
The band hit the stage and the imposing figure of Lawless in his trademark leathers, spandex and fur boots straddles his mike stand and we’re off. We hear the 1984’s self-titled debut album in its entirety, – `I Wanna Be Somebody’ kicking things off with `Bad’ and the epic `School Daze’ following.
They were all here, ‘The Flame’, ‘L.O.V.E. Machine’ as well as their “hits” like `I Don’t Need No Doctor’, `Scream Until You Like It’, the genuinely beautiful ‘Forever Free’ and ‘Wild Child’ but we end with `Blind In Texas’.
The huge screens all around the stage display video from the band back in their heyday and it has to be said, these days its perhaps visually dated and the subject matter if released today would likely be frowned upon as it’s all very masculine and women are portrayed as sex objects.
Putting that aside, however, let’s remember this is a show, and what a show it is. Lights, smoke, little theatrics and most importantly, songs that defined rock in the eighties.
Review by Heather Coleman for MPM
Review by Paul Sabin for MPM
