At the start of your journey down the winding single track lane through the picturesque Etherow Country Park towards Whitebottom Farm, you’d be forgiven for forgetting you are on the outskirts of Stockport in Manchester. The lane opens up to a working farm with fields and ponds in front of you, and you know already you’re going to have a great time.
Stret and Bev are our hosts for the weekend at Firevolt 2023 and we can’t wait.
Unfortunately thanks to traffic on the way we didn’t arrive until 3pm on Friday with the last couple
of songs from Hell’s Addiction helping us set up and boy did they sound great. Useful tip: try and get
there on Thursday when the festival site opens, it’ll ease the stress.
Our first band of the day was Sons Of Liberty, a band I hadn’t seen for a while. We were greeted by Fred Hale (Guitar) back stage, just before they went on and you could see the excitement in his eyes, he was ready for this. These seasoned campaigners rocket onto stage in a bundle of southern rock energy, fuelled up from their support slot to the legendary Molly Hatchett’s recent UK tour. Crowd pleaser Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief got the crowd going and they continued the sing along into Up Shit Creek, both standout songs from their first album, which new singer Russ Grimmett wrapped his fine voice around with ease. With the crowd warmed up nicely we had another three great tracks from 2021 album Aces & Eights before ending with the excellent Ruby Starr. A brilliant performance which surely must cement these guys as top dogs on the UK Southern Rock scene and with their songs ringing in Molly Hatchett’s ears, they’ll soon be making waves over in Dixie Land itself.
Another band I hadn’t seen for too long was the fantastic Hollowstar, up next on the excellent Trooper stage in the barn, to these ears having the best sound of the two stages, last year and this. Now when their debut album dropped way back in 2019 it was up there in my top three best debut NWOCR albums of the year and I still think for a debut album, it’s very hard to beat. Without a follow up as yet and four years down the line you could wonder how these guys can still play a fresh set.
Well worry not, this performance was as electrifying as the one I saw on album launch day, just amazing!! I’ve seen other reviews say, they never fail to deliver, and they really don’t. The first four songs are belters and are indeed belted out to a large and very receptive crowd before things are brought down a bit with the classic Lynyrnd Skynyrd cover Simple Man now a live staple for the band. And what a song!! Both Joe on vocals and Phil on lead showcasing their incredible talent. Closing the show are my two favourite tracks Good Man Gone and All I Gotta Say and indeed what can you say? Someone somewhere please give these guys the break they need, because there’s talent aplenty here and they sound magnificent.
Cardinal Black were a band I’d been waiting anxiously to see for far too long and finally here I had my chance. I do love a bit of soulful blues wrapped round great guitar work and Like King King last year, they didn’t let me down. It’s music that is immersive, it somehow pulls you in. You can hear every note of every instrument together with the smooth layer of vocal over the top. This is top drawer stuff and easily accessible. Chris Buck is highly regarded as an award winning guitarist and paired with Tom Hollister’s warm vocal tones and the tunes they write they provide quite a mesmerising performance. Tell Me How It Feels, a quite outstanding track. Despite being one of the less ‘face melting’ bands here this weekend, they pack the big top and were very well received.
When Rivers Meet were the next band up on the Trooper stage with an hour long set of blues. Husband and wife team Grace and Aaron bond together with their rhythm section deliver a powerful performance to another packed crowd. They have very quickly built up an excellent reputation, collecting many awards and indeed fans along the way. Packing in thirteen songs from their so far, two albums as well others, the set showcased wonderfully what they can do. From opener Play My Game, through Did I break the Law and Innocence Of Youth, where Aaron manages to play a cigar box guitar to great effect, there was nothing that stopped the crowd singing and clapping along.
Every song was a crowd pleaser with this couple knowing exactly how to work an audience. A great
band, going from strength to strength with clearly no end in sight.
Massive Wagons were Friday nights headliners in the Big Top. What can I say about this band that hasn’t already been said? Everyone knows the ‘Wagons’, they were one of the first bands on the NWOCR scene and they’ve been up there ever since. Building on their energetic party feel, everyone was bouncing even before they came on stage and when Baz emerged the Big Top exploded. With barnstormers like Tokyo, A.S.S.H.O.L.E., Fuck The Haters, Bangin In Your Stereo, Billy Balloon Head and Back to The Stack sending the packed tent wild, it was no surprise that the tent didn’t stop bouncing for all sixteen tracks in the set. A stellar performance by the kings of party anthems.
I’d never heard much from Sweden’s Royal Republic before seeing they were headliners on Friday’s Trooper stage so I gave them a spin before I arrived. Proper groove laden pop rock in the vein of Electric Six, I thought. Clearly, on the night, far more people knew exactly who they were and you couldn’t find a space in the packed crowd. Front man Adam Grahn is a born leader with great comedic banter as well as a great singing voice. There was definitely a party atmosphere in the barn tonight. It didn’t matter that you didn’t know every song, you could still sing the choruses as they were so catchy. And to throw us all off, later in the set for a brief moment the band disappeared, only to pop up on a tiny stage set up right behind us to sing a couple of acapella tracks which just brought the house down. Whilst not my usual band of choice, I have to say they were a brilliant closer to an already fantastic first day and I for one would go and see them again. A really great show.
Opening the Big Top stage at 11.45am on Saturday, might not be the best time to showcase a relatively new band to the NWOCR scene and being a late entry to the line up (nice one Bev!), but this was The Hot One Two after all and with the addition of announcing it as “The ones to watch party” and free shots for the first 50 people into the tent, the house was full and it wasn’t long into the set before everyone was bouncing. With charismatic front man Simon West leading the charge, this was an electrifying set. New single Tie Me Down was clearly a favourite, but songs Bleed On Me, The Fray, Move and Shake and Playing With Fire were all as crazy good. Absolutely no doubt these guys have a meteoric rise ahead of them. And they will smash it!!
First on the Trooper stage on Saturday were Firevolt Battle Of The Bands winners Thieves Of Liberty, a band I’d heard a lot about (thanks Guy B) but not yet seen. Wow and Wow again, this band are great. Mixing the best of classic rock, Zeppelin, Skid Row, AC/DC with a more modern sound of The Answer and Doomsday Outlaw they were clearly revelling in the atmosphere of a very healthy early Saturday crowd. Guitarists Liam Lindsley and Kieran Wilson were both fighting for the spotlight on every song which gave a terrifically rich layer of sound for The rhythm section to bounce off. James’s vocals were rich and gravelly, adding the real blues feel to songs like Ain’t Goin’ Home, Smoke in The Air and Family Man. Worthy of the many awards already to their name, expect to see this band headlining bigger venues and festivals any time soon.
A’priori were the first of the three in a row returnees from last year. Back by popular demand and again the Big Top was full for the show. For a three piece without a bass player, they make an impressively big sound. That’s because Mark Wilson plays keyboards instead of a bass, bringing a far more textured sound to back up Tony’s guitar riffs and Mousey’s powerful drums. With two excellent albums under their belt, they had a rich vein of work to choose from. Here Comes The Reign, Making Love To The Devil, Shotgun Blues and Nah Nah Nah Nah were met with rousing applause.
Unfortunately I had to give Valhalla Awaits a miss to get some food and a comfort break, but the great thing about this festival is that wherever you are you can hear the band. They were on fire and so were the crowd by the sounds of it too. Clearly a favourite returnee this year. I’m looking forward to seeing them soon.
Uh Ho, it’s Scruffy Bear next at the Big Top. Again back by popular demand and drawing a large crowd. Georgy has an amazing blues/soul voice, very powerful and complimentary to the heavy blues riffs being delivered by Jack, Sass and Ryan. The groove within this band is undeniable and you just can’t help finding yourself dancing to songs like Stories Of Strange Women and Blackmoss even giving up a Black Sabbath undertone as well. A hard working band no doubt and one I would thoroughly recommend you go and see live.
Local outfit Absolva have been on the rock/metal circuit both in the UK, Europe and South America for a few years now, with a number of albums to their credit. And it shows here at Firevolt as they take the Trooper stage by storm with a heavy and melodic set of tunes, many from latest album Fire In The Sky with a good smattering from all six albums. A band confident in their past achievements and still making great music.
Vega have been around since 2009 with seven albums to their name and a new one due soon. These AOR superstars would be up there with Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Whitesnake if we were in the 80’s but sadly the music industry fell off a cliff sometime in the 90’s and much was lost. These guys are flying the flag though and like FM at Firestorm last year bring in nearly all the Firevolt ticket holders.
Their music is infectious and to my ears, timeless. They play fan favourites Worth Dying For, Every Little Monster, Kiss Of Life and Sooner or Later like it was the first time, they sound so energetic and anthemic. I love this band and I’ve seen them many times and I suggest you do too.
Another band I’ve seen several times, but couldn’t be further removed from the slick and polish of Vega is the excellent The Virginmarys, next on the Trooper stage. These guys do not stop at blasting out their punk/grunge/blues/rock anthems full of social commentaries on mental health and political dissatisfaction. Danny Dolan standing over his drum kit for most of the twelve songs and Ally’s guitar at knee height they make a formidable sound for a duo. The first three songs are taken from 2013 album King Of Conflict, first song Bang Bang Bang dating as far back as 2010. These set the mood for the rest of the night, with Meds and NYC ringing in our ears as they close the show. If you get a chance to see The Virginmarys again, don’t expect the same set every time, these guys like to mix it up!!
Another returnee and one of the first names to be announced for this year’s festival closed Saturday’s proceedings at the Big Top and in style. Mason Hill. The band recorded their debut album way back in 2019 and Covid aside are still pumping out these great anthemic tracks on tour now.
They still sound fresh and still the Mason Hill army grows, new fans joining the flock with every show they perform. Tonight’s show was a masterclass in modern arena style rock, sing along tracks and crunching guitar solos for every fan. This was a polished performance from a band on a rapid rise to the top.
Final band of the night, The Answer needed no introduction. Returning after a seven year hiatus keen to perform songs from new album Sundowners whilst giving much respect to past classics such as Under The Sky, Nowhere Freeway, Spectacular and the closer Preachin’, these guys are the pioneers of the now NWOCR. It was like they’d never been away except they have turned it up a notch. Their confidence and swagger really elevated them to headliner act and Cormac Neeson looked every bit the part of frontman, even climbing from the stage into the audience as if giving a sermon to the anointed. It was masterful stuff and the crowd lapped it up.
Sunday morning and day three of this homage to the NWOCR saw us invited to see a band, hand picked by Stret to play at Firevolt after seeing them play live in Norway a few years ago. This was a solid performance of good quality rock drawing influence from bands like Led Zeppelin and Rival Sons, which went down well with the Sunday morning crowd, eager to hear someone new. Watch out for Golden Leaves second album, coming soon.
First band in the Big Top on Sunday were metalheads Ashen Reach who have been promoting their debut album Homecoming for the past couple of years to a huge and enthusiastic crowd. But the big event this time was the live debut of new track Neophobia, very much in the Ashen Reach mould but even bigger than ever. It was no surprise that this went down very well with the fans here today.
This band has really carved out a deep path for themselves which will only elevate them to even great highs as their career develops.
Atack were up next on the Trooper stage, a band formed by session guitarist Keith Atack who in 2022 returned to his classic rock roots, putting a band together with some of the best names in the genre from Thunder and AC/DC. Their debut album on Frontiers is soon to be released and we are in for a treat here to see them live. With everyone’s favourite NWOCR vocalist Dan Byrne, deputising for the usual Lee Small, the faithful gathered. Showcasing eight songs here in their set, they set the standard with first track Nine Lives and carried on with Dead Man’s Boots, Poison Water, Stone Cold and final song Twister really making their mark. This is a highly polished outfit, with Dan fitting in so well and a highly recommended go see when they start touring very soon.
I’ve seen Jack J Hutchinson a few times now, but with gaps in between and he never ceases to impress me with how much he has developed and brought so many new fans along for the journey.
He’s great on socials and his output is consisted so there is never a down time with Jack. The music just gets better and boy is he a great hat wearer?! He’s straight out of the deep south of the USA via St Albans and with tracks like Call of the Wild, Gunslinger, Hip Slickin’ and Deal With the Devil you know how smokin’ the blues are gonna be. A brilliant set to a once again, packed Big Top and with a nod to Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well the show was a huge success. Well done Jack, brilliant.
Someone had been waiting all weekend for the next band to showcase their talents, and after Stret’s band choice it was now Bev’s turn. She wanted Gin Annie and she got Gin Annie and so did we. With 2023 singles Perfect Nightmare and Rain consolidating their classic rock with a modern twist along with favourites from 2019 album 100% Proof and the popular Spotify track Devil In Me we were treated to a great show. A hard hitting band who will see their fan base grow even further when we see new album Undivided soon.
Sadly I missed Black Spiders but from what I heard it was one helluva rock n’ roll show and packing in an impressive thirteen tracks in to their hour slot the ‘Firevolt Massif’ got their moneys worth for sure. Playing tracks Stick it to the Man, Kiss Tried To Kill Me, Alright Alright Alright and closer Fly In The Soup, you can’t go wrong with the party vibe.
Fan favourites Collateral were eagerly awaited and didn’t disappoint. Their brand of hook laden stadium rock in the vein of Bon Jovi is always going to attract a sizeable crowd and I’m glad they were on the Trooper stage where the sound is very slightly better because it gives us a chance to hear the real stadium sound possibilities for this band. Established tracks like Mr Big Shot, Midnight Queen, About This Boy and Lullaby go down very well once again. The energy coming from the band gave us all dancing feet and good voices and the hour long slot went all too quickly.
The Big Top was ready to welcome Darren Wharton’s Dare as the sun started it’s decent to the horizon. I’d seen the band earlier in the year on a warm up tour and they struggled with the sound at this particular venue, but there were no such problems this time round. In fact this was a first class set, Darren’s voice was in fine form; the whole band were. I loved tracks like Born In the Storm and Road To Eden but being of an age, it was classics like We Don’t Need a Reason, Abandon and Into The Fire that really stood out for me. They could have played any track from 1988’s Out Of The Silence and I’d have been happy. The whole crowd of near 1200 were either in the tent or sitting outside for this one and Dare delivered in spades, a very impressive set indeed.
Final act of the weekend and with the honour of carrying the rock flame into the night was the Kris Barras Band. Can you believe the band are on their fourth album already? So with plenty of material to go at they packed their hour fifteen minutes well. Having already been seen at Steelhouse and Maid of Stone festival this year Kris pulled another classic out of the bag. Top songs like the brilliant Hail Mary, Dead Horses, Heart On Your Sleeve and Devil You Know set the scene and with many tracks coming from 2022 album Death Valley Paradise we can see how the Kris Barras sound has developed from a more bluesy tone into the stadium sound his band have now.
The perfect band to close what was again, a magnificent festival across two great stages. Firevolt 2023 was a natural successor to the hugely popular Firestorm Festival of last year. Stret and Bev collect together a magnificent team who throughout the whole three day weekend work tirelessly to make sure, the fans, the bands, the caterers, the bars and the retail stalls have a great time. When a lot of us were waking up with hang overs, they’d already been busy behind and in front of the scene making sure each day was as good as the last. It’s a terrific rural venue in the middle of suburbia, an excellent layout with plenty of clean facilities and no shortage of bars and food.
There is no doubt that next years event will continue this growth trajectory and I would thoroughly recommend anyone who hasn’t experienced this event to book it for next year. In fact at the time of writing this, early bird tickets are selling very quickly. See you next year.
