Whitebottom Farm, Manchester 12/08/22 – 14/08/22
Anticipation and expectation were on my mind before the start of Firestorm because the lineup of the biggest names in NWOCR could not have been better. Nobody really knew what to expect from this inaugural event.
Fortunately we were in a motorhome for the weekend and it was quickly evident that everything was set for a pleasant stay. The site, just outside Stockport is a well known wedding venue and clearly geared for large numbers of people. One stage was housed in a large open barn and the other in a big marquee. Plenty of food outlets, a double decker bus bar and a huge bar in the opposite barn to the stage.
Heatwave number two had arrived and with the beautiful surroundings, expectations had already been exceeded.
We arrived a bit late on Friday to see Unknown Refuge and The Hot Damn, but I’m told both delivered storming sets that set a great mood for what was to come. As we walked in, the sound of guitars and powerful vocals soared across the festival site. The walk from the campsite to the stages was mere minutes!
Trading time slots between the two stages so there was no overlap, Florence Black were up next on the Barn Stage. Boy does this power trio deliver? They are really moving up the ladder quickly now since I first saw them a few years ago with some nice support slots and European outings. Bread Fan and Sun and Moon, a chart hit undoubtedly in another era, going down a storm. A few sound issues were present initially; the sound was lacking bass but the sound guy quickly rectified this and the sound was perfect for the rest of the weekend.
I hadn’t seen Bad Touch, up next on the Big Top stage, for a while and I was very pleasantly surprised at how much they had developed as a band. Great songs, great banter and a really great show, they will and are going far. An early highlight for me.
Last time I saw The Treatment was in Detroit supporting Kiss and Motley Crue. They were brilliant then and they were brilliant at Firestorm. This is a band with some fantastically commercial radio hit songs, stadium ready no doubt but they seem to struggle to make the big time, I guess because of their constant lineup changes. Shame, great band.
Dusk saw the business end of the evening in the Big Top, and who better to kick it off than Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons. Plenty of hard rock here from the veteran Motorhead lead guitarist. He’s put together a band that I’m sure Lemmy would be proud of, especially as we got fantastic renditions of Bomber, Ace of Spades and even Hawkwind’s Silver Machine, which left us with great memories as we wandered up to the Barn Stage for the final band of the night.
Wayward Sons have to be one of the hardest working bands in the industry and it was clearly paying off. The Barn Stage crowd was huge, the entire festival was here to see them.
They just never let up, from opener Any Other Way, Even The Score to Sign Of The Times to Joke’s On You and a further three encore’s, they just never let up. Toby Jepson is the front man every band needs and a full seventeen songs in, they smashed it.
Everyone went home with a smile on their face. Saturday dawned but most were a little slower, what a brilliant first day we all had to digest. Black Roze were first out of the starting blocks and yep, they woke us up alright. Some amazing guitar work on show here underpinned by a solid back line but, Victoria, the vocalist stole the show with such a powerful voice. Not a band I know well but certainly on my list of must see again.
Valhalla Awaits were up next and we couldn’t miss this energetic band after they’d done an excellent job the day before of making sure everyone was there to see them. Andrew Hunt, vocalist, ex Buffalo Summer, was on fire and the melodic riffs had you pinned to the wall. This band will surely be higher up the bill next year.
Bastette followed on the Barn Stage and gave us another entertaining show. Female vocals were certainly making a pleasant appearance after Friday’s male dominated day.
These Wicked Rivers were a band I hadn’t seen for a while and this was long overdue for me. There was a very healthy crowd here for these guys. Wow, they really delivered too. Shine On was a cracking way to start with Floyd and closer Don’t Pray For Me just as good. I love the lounge feel of the stage design, complete with lamps, drapes and rugs! Very cosy and another festival favourite here.
I missed South Of Salem sadly as I really needed food and drink. I could hear them though and will be seeing them for the first time very soon.
With Revival Black’s second album nearly upon us and Dan Byrne attracting the attention of the stars Stateside, you knew their set would wake the neighbours. Bloody hell it did!!
Another day at the office for them is a masterclass in hard rock from start to finish. Tracks from the first album have almost become classics whilst the new stuff just keeps pushing the boundaries. Here’s another band I’m sure will be higher up the list next year. Awesome. I have to mention that at the time Revival Black we’re treading the boards, the temperature in the big top and on stage was well over 35 degrees, this insane temperature certainly didn’t slow Revival Black down, or any of the bands for that matter!
Much respect to the organisers who have been able to give each and every band a healthy time slot and 45 minutes was a great way to spend time with Gorilla Riot. We’ve enjoyed a couple of albums from this band and they’re still mixing both of them up well in their set. I really enjoy the laid back bluesy feel they bring together with some great rock riffs.
Buck & Evans were always going to be in demand. A great audience gathered for their set in the Big Top. Cardinal Black, Chris Buck’s other band have been right at the top of people’s ‘listen to’ list for a long time, so it was no surprise to hear a similar sound from these guys. Such great soulful tunes with that signature Chris Buck guitar. Brilliant.
I’ve been following Empyre for a while now and I am so impressed with the musicianship on display here. This is a quality band who are doing something a little different. Soulful deep vocals from Henrik, beautiful guitar from Did and the back line bringing so much detail into the songs. Each song is so powerful and emotional with Homegrown and Only Way Out being highlights and new song Cry Wolf highlighting what is to come for this quite superb band. (Keep your eyes and ears peeled for our interview with Empyre that will air on Radio TFSC in a few weeks, that will also include an Empyre acoustic session!)
No festival is complete without Inglorious. How can one man’s lungs fill a Big Top? Quite the showman and rightly so, Nathan steers a rollercoaster path through a dozen tracks from across their already prolific portfolio. Holy Water, Barracuda, I Don’t Need You Loving and We Will Ride, all superb. Who could tire of this band?
The Dust Coda are clearly enjoying time with new label Earache who have given them huge support for album Mojo Skyline as did the crowd in the Barn on Saturday night. Jimmy 2 Times breaks the ice easily and everyone is behind them from the off. Twelve tracks with Demon, Breakdown and superb closer Limbo Man with nearly two million hits on Spotify doing them every credit. A great set from a band going places.
I’m a bit of a sucker for the polished AOR style of FM, I grew up with them after all and followed them since the beginning. They have been touring relentlessly for the last couple of years since lockdown but every time you see them it feels like they’ve come to play especially for you. A great set that covered most of their thirteen studio releases to date. No mean feat. But listening to That Girl and Tough It Out really brings home how talented these guys have been right from the start.
You knew straight away that this was not going to be a mellow finish to an outstanding day of rock music. Those Damn Crows had everyone eating out of their hands. A full on set that did not stop from start to finish and opener Send The Reaper kicking it all off. Sick Of Me, Don’t Give a Damn and Who Did It sending the crowd into a frenzy. Did I feel the earth shake? Yep, Blink Of An Eye was that song. If you didn’t keep your eye on singer Shane you could be forgiven for thinking you saw him scaling the double decker bus bar close to the barn stage.
What an incredible second day at Firestorm – Rock N Roll Ain’t Dead.
Sunday, and the final day at Firestorm, with the sun still blazing we only had another ten bands to see!! A’Priori had the honour of starting the day and what a fantastic job they did. With their heavy, grungy melodic style we knew things were kicking off in style. With a very healthy crowd for first these guys delivered. Halo, Black Church and Better Man were standouts for me. Another band I expect might be higher up the list next year. Check their FB post from 14th August to see just how humble these guys are.
Firekind brought the musical style down a level for the slightly delicate Sunday Morning few still recovering from Saturday. A really strong crowd were out to see this excellent band and they didn’t disappoint.
Attic Theory and King Herd were two bands I’d not really spent much time with before but I was impressed with both of them. Attic Theory presented a massive sound with three guitars out front. Special shout-out has to go to Lucy Ellen who covered bass duties at Firestorm, the regular bassist was at Bloodstock! Boo!! I particularly enjoyed Attic Theory’s take on Time After Time – vocalist Lewis Wright had a Lemmy like growl to his voice, I loved them. What a band.
After a mid afternoon cup of tea, yeah right, we were all ready for Scarlet Rebels another recent signing for Earache Records. There’s not a lot left to say about this superb band that hasn’t already been said, they have grown in stature enormously since the VoiD days and the music is classic rock old school. And they’ve been busy, having just completed a run of shows in Germany further cementing their popularity across Europe. They delivered what I thought was the best set I’ve seen them play. No One Else To Blame, Take My Breath Away, new single Mask And the quite superb Heal really resonating. A truly sensational show from the Rebels!
Next up, a set everyone was curious about; The Quireboys took to the stage, with Guy Griffin front centre on lead vocals! What an excellent job they did too. A completely different dynamic on stage now and the band were absolutely solid, they were so tight. I don’t think I’ve seen them play this well before and with such a polished set. There are a few nice additions to the set list, but fans won’t be disappointed, the majority of the fan favourites are still in the set, Roses and Rings, Mona Lisa Smiled and of course, 7 o clock!
A quick break for food and some shade and I just managed to catch the end of Mason Hill’s set! The crowd were absolutely loving it. Mason Hill are another band who are cementing themselves in as ones to watch, these guys are destined for great things! Then it was back down to the big top for the festival highlight, King King blew everyone else out the water.
Walking on to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell, I didn’t quite realise what was in store for me throughout the next hour and a half. What I witnessed was a masterclass in guitar playing and almost the presence of god on that stage in the form of Alan Nimmo! This was my first time seeing the band and that set will stay with me for a long time. Easily in my top five live gigs list of all time, rubbing shoulders with the likes of AC/DC, the Foos and the Stones.
Alan’s voice was so powerful, at times he was a few feet from the mic and it was still booming, the songs blew me away and his guitar work was sublime, David Gilmore meets story Gallagher and then some. Really that good. The songs took you on a journey and the whole thing was an emotional roller coaster! I found myself overjoyed and yet crying my eyes out, his music was so moving! Whatever it Takes to Survive will stay with me for years to come.
Bringing this fantastic weekend to a close is Stonebroken, not an easy task following King King, but Stonebroken took everything in their stride and played a cracking set. They played an incredible set of blisteringly hot rock and roll and it was the perfect end to a perfect festival.
Talking to the organisers they recounted the tale that many people thought the festival was a scam! How could they possibly pull this off, with a lineup like they had. It just wasn’t possible. Well let me tell you, it wasn’t a scam and in fact Firestorm wasn’t just a great weekend, it was my all time favourite festival! Fantastic people, amazing music and I can’t wait to get back there for 2023,
Reviewed by Russ Taylor
