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Features, Interviews & Features

Everette: ‘I do my best to try and mix storytime and the rock and roll ecstasy of a show!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to an artist we are BIG fans of here, Everette! Not only was his set at The Long Road awesome, but check out as we chat about him being a solo artist now, his writing and touring in the UK!

It’s been a few years since you’ve been out here, right?

Yeah, I think it was three years ago. I can’t keep up with time any more.

Tell me about it! Everything since Covid has been a blur.

Yes! I have a child now, since Covid, and one on the way in the middle of September.

I absolutely fell in love with your sound the last time you were here so it’s so cool to be able to chat!

Last time you were here you were a duo, how’s it been since the change?

Well, me and Anthony played music together for 17 years. Not just as Everette but in different bands, and I was a solo artist before and he played guitar with me then. So it was tough at first, but Anthony’s kids were getting older so he wanted to stay off the road and spend more time with them. I respect that totally and we’re still brothers and write music and hang all the time. But I will say I really enjoy carrying it on. We had already committed to the Larry Fleet tour in the States, Larry asked if I wanted to come out here and I said any opportunity I have to come to the UK, put a checker on that! I love it so much over here, I love the people and the audiences. It feels like we’ve done pretty well over here, there’s a homey vibe!

Has the setlist needed to change at all?

No. I recorded a new EP that released earlier this year, Simple as that. So I’m playing some of those songs, definitely two of them. Then the rest of the stuff, I’m actually using Larry’s guitar player to play with me tonight. He’s killing it, doing great! No one can replace Anthony, he’s one of the best, but I’ve been having a great time.

Is it just you two tonight, then?

Yeah, but we might have a special guest or two!

How’s the tour been? About midway through the European leg, right?

Yeah! We did Glasgow, London, now we’re here. Then we have Dublin and Belfast after. I’ve never been to Ireland so I’m looking forward to that!

But the crowds have been… I always remembered them being amazing and attentive and a really kind response. Being a support act just acoustically is sometimes, a little nerve-wracking, but I’ve grown to kinda like the feeling. And the UK crowds are always arms wide open from the beginning.

I imagine it’s a nice change of pace playing an acoustic set before a big band show?

Yeah, I love it man! There’s more freedom, doing it acoustically. It becomes more of a singer-songwritery set. I do my best to try and mix storytime… it’s so dad of me to say that… storytime and the rock and roll ecstasy of a show! I try to mix that as well as I can!

Is there any comparison between the scene here compared to back home?

I mean there’s definitely some similarities but the classic thing everyone says is very true. I always tell people who haven’t played here before; most UK crowds treat the artist with respect. It’s kinda like a tennis match, they’re very quiet while you’re in play, and as soon as you’re done they erupt in cheers. I love that! Especially acoustically, you want people to hear these songs you worked hard for, and if you don’t have the sparkle of bass drums and all the stuff, to have peoples ears is what you want. They do it in the US too, but it’s a little less. This is kinda a guarantee. Then again, I’m doing the afterparty so maybe they’ll be a little more sauced up! But I like that too!

You did the afterparty last time too, right?

Yeah we did two last time, we played Front Porch and then the afterparty. Honestly that afterparty is one of my favourite shows I’ve ever played. People were just ready, man!

We’ve chatted to a few artists from Bowling Green over the last couple of years, it seems to be a real hotbed of music these days!

Yeah, well Bowling Green’s changed since me and Kyle were growing up there. But yes, there was a time when Bowling Green, and maybe it’s still that way, I don’t know, that the music scene was just great to be a part of. And we were all so close. We would play our shows and then get together at someone’s house. There was no competition, everyone was kinda like family. My friend Josh Mitchum was here, he knows Kyle as well, he was in a band called Floored who were super inspiring to me and Anthony. We were all so close and I learned a lot from those guys back when I was in my early twenties. Bowling Green was a hot spot for music for a hot minute there!

You’ve been pretty steady with your musical output. Are we taking some time to rest now with the baby on the way?

Yeah man, I think I’m gonna be off the road the rest of the year after this. I’ve been touring my entire life and I think what I haven’t done is take a break, really see the direction I want to go without people breathing down my neck when it comes to the commerce part of it. I’ve cut ties with some of those things on purpose. I just want to be an artist this season. Not that we haven’t before, but just taking a minute to point my arrow somewhere and really go 100% on it. I’m really excited about it! I’m writing for another record, I just don’t know when I’ll put it out. It’ll be next year, I’m sure. I’m always writing and I’m always working on a record! New music will come, for sure.

Has the writing changed since becoming more of a solo project?

Yeah, me and Anthony still write but yeah, it is changing. I heard someone in Glasgow say they’re enjoying the new music and the more introspective side of me. I didn’t see it that way but now that I think about it I guess it is. There’s songs like ‘Simple as That’ which is just the dream that I’ve always wanted, the basic things in life. Then there’s songs like ‘Space Between the Stars’ where I was going through a dark period out there for a minute, and my wife was right there with me, riding with me through the dark times. So maybe it is a little more introspective, maybe that’s just where I’m at in my life. That’s the kinda music I love to listen to, so hopefully more of that to come. Always a rowdy side to it too, though!

Is there anything we can expect from the set tonight?

It’s gonna be full of rock n roll ecstasy, some acoustic ecstasy and, hopefully if the crowd is willing to listen, some storytime! I’m really looking forward to it, man! Larry’s guitar player has been killing it so far and we’re just having so much fun jamming together. There’ll be a lot of jamming and singalongs!

Features, Reviews

Hella Rock 2025: The Big Bad Review!

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The second edition of Hella Rock festival took over the HMV Empire in Coventry last weekend, bringing seven incredible bands with it! We had the pleasure of heading down to check it all out, and knew we had to shout about how great it was!

Mystiek opened things up in style. They tore the Empire a new one with their insane energy right from the gate. Being pretty heavy but still having some catchiness and melody to them, they were the perfect way to kick off the day! It was somehow the first time I’d really heard them, but they almost immediately made a new fan in me. They’re all clearly talented musicians, and put their all into their performance here!

After some brief technical issues. Eddie & The Wolves took to the stage. It’s no secret at this point that I am in this band, so of course I’d praise the set. However, I had a blast on stage, and the rest of the band seemed to, too! Thank you so much to James and the rest of the Hella Rock team for having us on and being so accommodating, and for every single person that showed up early to check us out! I thought we sounded pretty good, and it was fun to play a shorter set full of energy throughout after a summer of slightly longer sets. Of course, let us know what you thought in our comments though, especially if you disagree!

Outlaw Orchestra followed swiftly suite and blew the roof off the place! Any longtime readers know we love these guys, and it’s been too long since we’ve seen them live! They were on top form again here, and it was so great to hear some of their new songs make it into their set! The band have grown into some of the best performers on the circuit in recent years, with multi-instrumentalist Pete Briley bouncing all over the stage while his brothers-in-arms were stuck behind the kit and at the mic. And, to top it off, they are all such incredibly talented musicians. From the regular rock fair to box guitars, banjos and plenty of percussion, there was never a dull moment! Their Southern rock stylings made them a unique addition to the bill, and they certainly stood out in the best way!

Not long after, another excellent trio took to the stage in Apriori. The fact that these bands can pack so much of a punch and huge sound into their arrangements is incredible, and it would be a rather running theme throughout the night. The keys packed out the songs fantastically, and brought an air of AOR to the heavy blues sound that set them apart in a big way. They look the part and play it just as well, putting on one of my favourite sets of the day!

Electric Black were fan favourites heading in, and on the day! They were the closest thing to straight-up hard rock on the day, and put on a show to match that. It was like stepping back into the 80s in the best way, putting on a performance reminiscent of the likes of GnR or Electric Boys, or modern counterparts like The LA Maybe. The band very much came, saw, and kicked ass! They showed off their talent for both playing and songwriting perfectly, and had plenty of stage presence to go alongside it. They have been around a little while now and their live shows are like a well-oiled machine, being polished in a way only a rough hard rock band can be!

Tattoo Molly took the stage like they had something to prove, and they did just that! Only their second show under their new lineup, you wouldn’t have thought that they’d had minimal prep time as they smashed it out of the park to the hometown crowd. While it took the new frontman Tim a little to warm up, everyone else put on an immediately electric show, and he soon warmed up to join them! It was a great setlist full of their biggest and best hits, performed masterfully to an adoring crowd. Even with the bands leader also being the organiser for the festival, Tattoo Molly have owned the festival for two straight years now, making the most of their slot!

Fury have returned with a vengeance this year, it feels, and their live shows match up to that. On the verge of dropping their massive new album, the band are firing on all cylinders currently, in a major way! The powerful pairing of Julian and Nyah’s vocals soar perfectly over the heavy, NOWBHM-inspired riffs, making for a fantastic mix of old and new. Speaking of old and new, the band played a great spread of their fantastic back catalogue, thrilling with every track. They have been gathering a wealth of momentum over the last few years and it’s insane that they aren’t one of the biggest bands in the UK currently, especially when they put on shows like this. Still, seeing them in a smallish venue like this is incredible, and the sound for them made it even better!

Finally, the mighty Virginmarys took to the stage. Veterans of the scene by this point, they are no strangers to packed out clubs, and played their asses off accordingly. The fact that they have been so warmly accepted into the NWOCR scene is amazing, and it was clear a large swath of the crowd have been eagerly anticipating the bands set. The fact that it is just two of them making this much noise is mind-blowing, and a true testament to their talent! I love this band yet it was somehow the first time I had seen them live, and I was hugely impressed! Opening on crowd and personal favourite ‘Just a Ride’ was a masterful choice, and playing a lot off The House Beyond the Fires made it even better. They’re headliners and a respected band in the scene for good reason, and they put on one hell of a set to close things out!

And there we have it folks, an excellent day of live rock music! Eight incredible bands that I cannot recommend checking out enough, both live and on track. Tickets are already on sale for next year’s edition of the festival, get them while they’re hot and while you still can. If this year is anything to go off, it’ll be another stellar lineup and will most likely sell out fast!

Features, Reviews

The Long Road 2025: The Big Bad Review – Day 3!

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The final day of the festival opened as equally chilled as the others with The Wranglers and Steady Habits. The former was somehow about our only trip over to the Showground of the weekend, but were a fantastic acoustic duo that could easily make it onto the Front Porch or beyond in a year or two. The latter was on said Front Porch stage, and gave similar vibes to Ferrari in that kinda acoustic indie-Americana thang. However, they brought a full band, which was great for so early on in the day on a smaller stage. They made some great music, whether it was more stripped-back, slower acoustics numbers or full-band rock tracks. Arguably, they’d have done even better with a better slot! Another band that I’d checked out a bit of beforehand but have come away loving and can’t wait for the new album!

Evan Bartels absolutely blew me away on the Interstate stage. I loved his EP when I checked it out so knew I had to head to one of his sets on the Sunday, but wasn’t expecting it to be quite that good! For one man and one guitar, the sheer sound and emotion he portrayed was insane. The man sings like he’s had 200 years of hard life experiences, and is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever seen live. Even as he just spoke between songs, and during our interview (stay tuned soon), I got lost in his words; he’s a captivating man. His set went by in a flash and he played to a pretty packed out tent, everyone being locked onto him throughout. He’s another one that got a tear or two out of me, just like the other Evan. From his incredible vocals to insane lyrics and the guitar that fits it perfectly, it was honestly phenomenal. If anyone reading this is at all into old-school, true country music, you have to check him out immediately. Another massive weekend highlight.

Our good friends These Wicked Rivers tore the roof off of Buddy’s, next. Heavy for the festival, for sure, but playing to a pretty packed out crowd non the less, Rivers owned their time on the stage. Whether it was heavier numbers like ‘Testify’ or ‘Shine On’ or more ballad-tracks like ‘When the War is Won’, the crowd ate up everything the band lay down. I’ve loved them for years, so seeing them on a bit more of an out-of-the-box stage like this and killing it is really amazing to see. The band played their asses off for the whole set, with John’s vocals sounding as great as ever and the rest of the band putting on a fantastic show. Hopefully this is the start of something awesome for the band in the country sphere, as it will help two worlds that we cover quite a lot get closer!

Alyssa Bonagura was on Buddy’s after, continuing on the Snakefarm takeover of the stage. It was another slightly heavier British artist, but slightly more on the country-pop end of things. She was another excellent set, somehow sounding exactly like she does on track live, which is an incredible feat in this sort of music. She’s another artist that could have done with a bigger platform, but also perfectly fit for the smaller, packed out crowd at Buddy’s. We’ve spent a lot of time there this year and it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite stages; from the setting to the sound to the general setup, it’s all awesome. Alyssa will surely follow Kezia in becoming a massive name in the UK country scene sooner rather than later!

Erin Kinsey blew the metaphorical roof off the place on the joint at the Rhinstone stage. Flying in pretty last minute by the sounds of things, you wouldn’t have told she was in Germany earlier that day, as she sounded fantastic and had all the energy in the world. And plus, she was HEAVY, dude. And even if this wasn’t coming from a guy who’s big into rock and metal, I’d say in a good way! It helped that the stage was perfectly loud on the Sunday, but yeah, the guitars were distorted, the bass thumping and her drummer was smacking the shit out of his skins. It really set her apart from the other women around her in the scene who she could be compared to. She goes rockier on her latest album, but I wasn’t expecting it to translate this well live! ‘Matchmaker’ was a personal highlight of mine, but the set was jam packed full of awesome tracks that the crowd ate up! Hopefully she’s over here more regularly as I’d love to see her again, hopefully at her own show, soon!

I went into The White Buffalo not quite knowing what to expect, outside of a more slower, Americana-style thing similar to Uncle Lucius. What I got was not that, but was even better! There were certainly tracks like that, but there band also got dark and heavy in the best ways. It almost boarded on the heavier end of grunge, which was sick! And, on top of that, the band were full of energy, and put on one hell of a show considering it was just them and their instruments. I love how heavy the Sunday ended up, almost feeling more like a Southern rock festival than anything else, and Buffalo were definitely a highlight in amongst that. They’re another band that I would LOVE to see again, and need to ASAP.

Kim Churchill rocked the hell out of his solo performance on the Front Porch stage. Up against some steep competition on other stages, the Aussie native still drew a pretty great crowd for what again felt like a closer, more intimate gig. His voice was amazing, and the sheer amount of other stuff he had going on at the same time really filled out the sound (I’m a sucker for a harmonica). I’d be curious to see if he plays with a full band back home, and how that would sound, but for now the acoustic solo stuff was awesome, and a fitting change of pace for us on a pretty high energy day!

It was at this point that, as we got a drink, we quickly headed to check out a bit of the dog show. Watching them all getting distracted by toys instead of running to their owners was very cute!

The UK country legend Kezia Gill played to a packed out Buddy’s, completing her mission to play every stage at the festival (well, aside from the Hitching Post now). The stage was, of course, packed out, as she was definitely ‘too big’ for the setting. However, it made it even more rowdy, and almost everyone knew so much of what she was playing, and loving every minute. We were no different. Somehow this is the first time we’ve had the chance to see Kezia and it’s very easy to see why she has such a fantastic reputation: she was really great live! Rattling through some of her biggest and best songs to an adoring crowd that have watched her grow alongside the scene over the last few years. She’s a fantastic front woman and her voice more than hold up live. If I had any complaint at all, and it’s a super minor one, is that she’s very straight-forward in terms of her sound, and on a day where everything is a little out there and different, it felt almost safe. Still, that’s hardly Kezia’s fault, and she still put on a blinder of a set.

The controversial James Bay closed out the main show on the Sunday. The amount of arguments I’ve seen that he doesn’t fit the festival, that he isn’t country so he shouldn’t be there… I think he proved a lot of the haters wrong on Sunday night. Despite being sick, he still put on an utterly fantastic show, rattling through so many of his incredible hits and doing so in style. Despite not playing my favourite song of his (‘Give me the Reason’), he still hit so many amazing songs, from his hits ‘Let It Go’ and ‘Hold Back the River’ to deeper cuts like ‘Scars’ and ‘Wanderlust’. And we got an absolutely incredible extended version of ‘Best Fake Smile’, complete with an amazing extended blues solo that really blew me away, and clearly James and the band were having a blast playing it. He’s such a professional, putting on a flawless show and coming across as such a genuine, likeable guy in the process. It was an incredible headline set fitting of the festival, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Drake was also present, he would have been headliner of the year. Anyone who’s still on the fence, I cannot recommend enough seeing him live, he puts on a fantastic show and you’d definitely be won over!

Alana Springsteen was the aftershow party artist of the Sunday, and closed out the whole weekend pretty fantastically. We caught her a couple of years ago and, much like FTF, it feels like she’s grown even more as a performer in the time since she’s been away. She put on a great, all too short set of some of her best hits, and performed them all perfectly, also sounding so close to her track stuff! I hated that I missed her full set earlier on, but at least I managed to check her out here. She brought just enough energy to the proceedings this late on, getting everyone who was exhausted still dancing and partying and singing along and having fun to close out a truly fantastic evening. That’s how it’s done!

And there we have it folks, three excellent days of country, roots, blues and Americana music. It really is one of the best festivals around currently, is family friendly and still has plenty of energy and room to grow. Again, a huge thanks and congrats to Baylen the whole team for putting on such an excellent weekend. Until next year!

<- Day 2

Features, Reviews

The Long Road 2025: The Big Bad Review – Day 2!

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Our second day started off with us stumbling vaguely hungoverly over to the Front Porch to catch rising star Halle Kearns. For just one woman and her guitar she sounded awesome, bringing a fantastic 2000s country-pop vibe to a festival that had clearly craved that sound until now. She had a pretty packed out crowd for so early in the day, and they definitely got more and more into it throughout. Her music is fantastic, as is her lyric-writing, and the duet she sung with her husband was beautiful! Sadly we missed her the day after living it up on the main stage, but it was nice to see her in this more stripped-back, chilled-out setting, and it fit her rather perfectly. I was a fan of a couple of her songs heading in, and she’s definitely made me want to dive into her catalogue more now I’m home!

P.S. I also got a ‘media comped’ Moonshine cocktail from the wonderful O’Donnell. Massive shoutout, they make some amazing drinks and I cannot praise them enough! May have played a little hackysack too with our drinks…

WE ARE WELLS FERRARI. Now that the formalities are out of the way, we got an ‘electric’ set from the pair on the Porch following Halle. And by that, they meant one of them would have an electric guitar, instead of both being on acoustics. A minor change but one that did shift their sound somewhat, making for an interesting second listen. And they were just as good as they were the night before; a pretty big compliment I’d say give that I enjoyed them both sober and not! A pretty similar set but still a lot of fun, and another duo I’d love bring a whole band back over here if they get the chance next time.

Griffin Brothers were up next on the Interstate. They were pretty good, and we went in almost completely blind. The set was fairly heavy on covers, which were great, but I loved their original stuff just as much! It was sadly a bit of a flying visit around interviews, so I’d love to check them out again at some point when I can pay more attention, but I’ll certainly be checking them out on track coming out of this!

Our first trip to Rhinestone of the day came curtesy of the overnight Irish sensation Gareth. We’d already had the pleasure of seeing him earlier this year, supporting Kip Moore, so were eager to see him again! He was great yet again, though I do feel he was maybe a touch nervous. Heck, how couldn’t you be, especially as a newer artist! He still sounded excellent, but I do think his set in Birmingham was just a smidge better. Still, his songs are amazing, they were performed great and it all really packed a punch on a stage that really nailed the sound for a lot of the weekend. He’s going to be a massive name in business sooner rather than later, that’s clear to see and hear, and it’s awesome to get to see him right at the start of that journey.

I wanted to quickly take some time out to once again praise some incredible artists we saw a song or two of in passing on the Front Porch. David Unlayao was one of the artists I was gutted to miss a full set of, & Rissi Palmer is someone I’m so shocked I’ve somehow never seen before in all my years heading to TLR. Both were great and far better live than I expected them to be! Rissi is a legend in the festival world at this point, and her ‘Southern Soul’ styling was amazing and something I am already desperate to see more of! Meanwhile, David’s pop-country vibe translated surprisingly well to the smaller stage, though the full All-Stars band backing him may have helped there! Both are awesome artists that are well worth checking out, and I have to see them both properly soon!

Next up was maybe my most anticipated set of the weekend, Evan Honer. To say he knocked it out of the park may be an understatement. He had me laughing, crying and covered in goosebumps for a good majority of the set! Right from the bittersweet opener of ‘Nowhere Fast’ I knew I was in for something special, and then he just kept going with incredible song after incredible song! ‘Mr Myers’ would have made me cry anyway, but inviting the powerful voice of Charles Wesley Godwin on to help out for the first time live utterly destroyed me. Following that up with ‘Take me as I Come’ was a one-two gut punch in the best way. Then to close out on ‘Foolin’ Ourselves’ and ‘idk shit about cars’ whipped the crowd into a deserved frenzy. I wasn’t entirely sure how he would end up going down at this sort of festival, but the tent was packed and they hung on every single word he sung. Oh, I almost forgot about him two stepping with We Are Wells Ferrari, another fun stand-out moment on a set packed full of them. A good time but also an emotional one, and easily one of the best sets of the weekend for me. I NEED to see Evan again immediately!

Larry Fleet was up next on the Rhinestone, his chilled-out, good-guy energy making for a perfect relaxed atmosphere. I have to say he’s not something I’d listen to massively often on track, but live he was amazing to sit back and listen to and enjoy with a drink! His voice is absolutely amazing and translates perfectly into a live setting. And oh my god, how have I gotten this far without talking about Crazy Legs?! What a guy, best live performer I’ve ever seen, I’mma have to take lessons and stretch before gigs now! Another awesome set arguably at the best time for it!

Charles Wesley Godwin played to an absolutely packed out Interstate tent that hung on his every note. He arguably could have been put on the main stage, but something about the darker, roofed setting just worked perfectly for him! It was another set that I just got lost in; stood in the middle of a packed out crowd just swaying and singing along to the music. Honestly, it was all awesome too, it’s hard to pick out any specific song that was between than the rest. He’s back out here soon I believe with Evan Bartels (more overleaf) and I may have to get a ticket! He’s amazing live and I’d recommend anyone even slightly curious to go!

Midland closed out the main show in typically old-school style. Bringing the smoky vegas vibes as much as the dive bar saloon ones, it was a pretty perfect way to round out the Saturday with a little bit of everything. The harmonies once again were spot on, as expected. The playing throughout was exception, from the main three to the others. From recent stuff like ‘Barely Blue’ to classics like ‘Drinking Problem’ and even their awesome cover of classic ‘Boot Scooting Boogie’, it was all SO GOOD. The band are consummate professionals, putting on a fantastic show that highlighted every member of the band perfectly, and was a lot of fun to watch. Heck, when a crowd member took a fall towards the end of the set, they even paused the show until the paramedics got them out, a fantastic, admirable move, and they all seemed genuinely concerned. That’s what the festival is all about, care and humanity, and the band encapsulated that perfectly. Yet another awesome set, and the perfect way to headline this festival!

An artist that we fell in love with our very first year there, Everette finally returned, this time as a solo(ish) artist. Closing out the day with an hour-long afterparty full of awesome songs and good times, he was another that finished things off perfectly. He and his new guitarist (on loan from Larry Fleet) sounded awesome together. Weather it was old favourites like ‘Dang the Whiskey’, ‘Woo Hoo Hoo’ and even ‘Kings of the Dairy Queen Parking Lot’(!) or newer stuff like ‘High and Lonesome’ and ‘Fright Train’, there was so much to love! Then there were the moments he brung touring partner Larry Fleet on himself, first to do a song they’d written together and then later as the whole band to sing ‘Free Fallin’’ with the crowd. The whole thing was just awesome! Brent’s voice is like butter and he’s an amazing frontman and songwriter, so this was the perfect way to close things for the Saturday!

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Day 3 ->

Features, Reviews

The Long Road 2025: The Big Bad Review!

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Our fourth year at our favourite festival, and what a fantastic year it was yet again! While a touch controversial on the lineup side of things, the growing country-Americana-roots festival provides so much entertainment in one of the nicest environments around, and we had a blast from start to end. Join us in checking out everything that went down!

First, a very big thank you to every single member of not just the Long Road staffing, but also the wonderful Lime Tree Music. I was looked after all weekend and the staff all did a cracking job. The place was clean and full of smiles throughout, and the vibe of the festival is incredibly hard to top!

Our first foray into the festival came in two parts, really. First we headed up to the brand new Hitching Post stage. It’s an amazing addition to the festival, giving it the perfect space for things like the conversations with artists, the line dancing classes and plenty more. It fit the vibe and aesthetic of the festival perfectly, and it seems to be a very popular introduction. We caught our new friends Two Ways Home presenting their Round-Up. Sadly we didn’t manage to catch all of it, but saw a couple of their songs and loved it! We then headed over to the ever-awesome Buddy’s Good Time Bar to catch Madalitso Band. Sadly they were running late, so I could only stick around for a couple of their songs, too. However, they were also pretty damn enjoyable, and I wish I’d managed to stick around longer. Their talent and creativity is off the charts, and I know a few people pegged them as one of their favourites of the weekend.

After a quick interview we caught the first half of the first set on the Rhinestone stage, Liam St. John. I knew very little of his music heading into this, but came away as a huge fan! I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so heavy-blues which, as any sort of length reader of this site knows, is a big influence to me as a musician and a firm genre favourite. The guitar work was amazing, bringing a great/surprising amount of riffs on an early Friday, but his powerful, emotion-filled vocals were as much of a firm highlight. And the performance he put on matched it perfectly. Yeah, everything about this is awesome, and I immediately added his albums release date to our calendar as I definitely don’t want to miss diving deep into it! Hopefully it isn’t the last we see of him over here soon, as I’d LOVE to hear a full set, especially after the album’s release. Definitely a very nice surprise, and an early highlight!

After Liam we cut across to the Interstate stage for our good friends First Time Flyers. We’ve loved them since the last time they played a full set, and even had the chance to chat with them then. However, we sadly haven’t had the chance to see them since. Somehow, they have gotten even better! The harmonies have somehow gotten even tighter, and the band’s chemistry on stage is now undeniable. Their last outing at the festival was just their sixth live show together, and they have clearly grown and experienced a lot since then. And the new additions to the set were just as awesome as their old stuff, too! ‘Jump’ and ‘Stay’ were both amazing, while it’s incredibly easy to tell why ‘Primadonna’ is such a firm crowd favourite, it’s still stuck in my head days later! The band are getting one hell of a great reputation in the UK country scene, and with performances like this there is no wonder why! And this was set one of three over the weekend, so the fact that they put in so much energy and passion to this first set shows just how hard-working the quartet are. I said two years ago they are going to be a big band, and given the reception they got this last weekend, I think they are almost about there!

Back over to Buddy’s next, we saw the wonderful Janet Devlin. A far cry from nervous young girl from X Factor all those years back, Janet has battled through her demons and come out the other side a new woman. However, she has still maintained her amazing voice, and is one hell of a performer to boot. And the fact that she brought a lot of energy still to a more stripped-back, acoustic performance is great proof of that! Bringing her unique blend of traditional folk and modern country, the set was packed full of awesome songs, and some equally great stories told by the woman herself. I’d love to see her in a bigger setup with a full band, but I did also enjoy the more intimate setting here, and the crowd were loving it, too!

A brief trip out to the Front Porch stage and another couple of great tracks from Two Ways Home. Then, it was back into Buddy’s for a band that I was very excited for, Crowe Boys. Though it was just the titular brothers over without the full band backing them, with the sheer sound and emotion they produced you’d think they’d never need one! The sheer power of Ocie’s vocals, paired with Wes’ incredible harmonies, packs a phenomenal punch and packs out the sound around the guitar and banjo. And as I said, the emotion on display… ‘Brother Song’ honestly had me in tears and I’m so glad they played it! The band’s blend of Americana and indie music isn’t necessarily brand new, but the pair do it to perfection and it’s really awesome to see that as a genre it’s really gathering momentum. The small tent was packed and honestly hung on every word and note, it being a truly special experience. This band are gonna go hugely far, and it was an honour getting to see them in such an intimate setting. Another massive highlight of the weekend.

Now from one highlight to another, for two wildly different reasons! What more can I say about Drake Milligan that I haven’t already. He was maybe my favourite set of last year from any artist, and honestly he could very easily be the same again this year. I’ve never seen such a naturally charismatic performer before, so effortlessly holding a crowd in the palm of his hand. It’s one thing to do it to 1.5k people inside Manchester’s Ritz, it’s a whole other ballgame to do it to 10,000+ at an outdoor venue. And yet, here the 27-year old prodigy was, putting on a show the likes of which could rival the very best to ever do it. From opening on his hit ‘Sounds Like Something I’d Do’ (to the shock of most of the crowd) to riding through most of his album and EP, to some incredible covers of both Merle Haggard and of course Elvis, it was an hour and a half of incredible music. But everyone up on that stage worked their asses off, playing like their lives depended on it and looking like they genuinely had a blast doing so. The soloing was impeccable, and the ‘big band show’ element was very present. We even got some yet-unreleased ones, like already fan favourite ‘Slow Dancin’ to a Fast Song’ and the brand new (and set highlight) ‘Tumbleweed’. Everything about it was just incredible yet again, and I cannot recommend Drake more if I tried. Everyone should see him play live at least once in their lives, and he’s just going to keep getting bigger and bigger with the performance he puts on.

To close our night off in chilled-out style, we got an acoustic set from California’s own Wells Ferrari on the Front Porch. Or should that be ‘We Are Wells Ferrari’? I feel like I’ve been indoctrinated into some sort of cult, and I for one am fine with it! The duo sounded great, playing and singing their hearts out and hitting some incredible harmonies. That really seems to be the theme of this year’s edition of the festival; fantastic vocal harmonies. The pair were great fun to watch as they had a great laugh and joke with the crowd throughout, definitely closing out the night in style! And, it helped that they plated some amazing songs, too!

Day 2 ->

Features, Interviews & Features

The Nocturnal Affair: ‘You give them a sense of familiarity and make them comfortable and they open their mind to your music, and you make new friends!’

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We had the chance to sit down with the wonderful Brendan Shane of The Nocturnal Affair ahead of their UK tour supporting Wednesday 13. Check out as we chatted about their sound, touring plans and the UK scene!

How would you describe your sound?

I like to call it dark rock. Mostly because I always lean towards the harmonic minor scale. It’s always the darker melodic scale. Not all the time, but most of the time!

And you put out a couple of singles fairly recently, right?

We had a radio single serviced in America called ‘Cross me Out’, and then while it was charting we dropped a heavier single called ‘Benefit of Doubt’.

Is your plan to stick with the single structure or build to more of an EP or follow-up album?

I think we’re kinda doing it all! We’ve got a lot of time on our hands when we’re off tour so we may drop a few singles here and there, we may have an EP in the works. I don’t know what exactly I can and can’t talk about!

I find the industry is so hard to read these days, it’s pretty hard to decide what to actually drop!

Oh yeah. It’s interesting because as soon as you drop something someone wants more. So if you drop a full record, 12 songs that you’ve worked years on, by the end of the week people are like ‘okay, when’s the next record’. We haven’t even left for tour yet!

You’ve got quite a big touring schedule for the summer, right? You’ve been out here quite a lot recently, right?

Yep, Europe and the UK!

We’ve been to the UK twice, both times with Kris Barras. We absolutely love him and his band; phenomenal musicians and phenomenal people. And then we also toured with Alien Ant Farm.

Obviously that was the tour with CKY on originally, are you able to talk about that whole situation at all?

Yeah, I can talk about it; it didn’t affect us at all! We had nothing to do with it.

It happened really fast. We have nothing against CKY’s music; I grew up playing video games with them in it! Viva La Bam and all that other stuff. We were really excited to tour with those guys alongside Alien Ant Farm. They were the soundtrack to my childhood.

The way we did it was we started our tour with Kris Barras, Kris took a break and we filled it in with AAF, and then we ended the tour with Kris. It puts a lot into perspective as far as the size of venues you play and the amount of people you play in front of and the different productions. It really makes you navigate every aspect of touring no matter what stage you’re playing on. We were on the last of the first-half with Kris Barras. We’d just finished playing and I go back into our dressing room and my phone’s just blowing up. Like ‘dude did you see what happened?!’. And it’s all over every news source.

I don’t really know personally what happened between them. But I will say that after touring with AAF; those are the nicest dudes ever! The singer, so nice. The team were always like ‘hey, are you guys okay, do you need food, do you have enough money, it’s a different country and it’s cool to have fellow Americans with us’. They were super cool!

Have you managed to play with CKY at all since?

Nope, still haven’t met CKY!

So they were booted off that tour and then there was The Fear that jumped on. Those guys, super amazing people! And we played with another band called InMe; a really awesome metal band.

Are there any comparisons you can draw between playing out here to back home?

So I’m originally from Boston, Massachusetts; New England. I grew up in Vegas but I spent a lot of summers and family holidays back East. You never really think twice as to why they call it New England. Then, we landed in England for the first time, and it felt like Boston everywhere! Aside for the driving thing! I felt like I went home. I was like ‘I’ve never been here but I feel like I’m at home’. It was such a great impression of the entire country. It was so beautiful. Each city has its own little charm. London reminds me a lot of LA meets New York. Then you go to Birmingham and it’s a little rougher around the edges, a little more red brick everywhere and it kinda reminded me of Seattle. And there’s some parts of it, when we’re going to restaurants and clubs under bridges and stuff and it felt like Detroit! It was so cool, man!

I guess you find familiarity everywhere you go; maybe that’s what you do to feel more comfortable in new places. But it was love at first sight in the UK. Coming back in a couple of weeks, I feel like I’m about to go home and visit family. That’s how excited I am!

You’re here with Wednesday 13, right? And then Europe with Drowning Pool?

Yep! I grew up listening to Drowning Pool. I don’t think I’ve accepted that it’s happening yet. I’m so in denial. It’s something that’s happening but I haven’t associated myself with it. I think once we see them on stage after we’ve played, I’m gonna lose it!

You mentioned that you’re based out of Vegas. I imagine there’s a bit of a difference between the reality of it and what people might think, given the amount of venues and party atmosphere of the place?

Vegas is an interesting monster. It’s exactly what you make of it. There are people out here who say the music scene is dead. Then there’s other people out here getting great shows, building crowds and coming up in the scene by cutting their teeth and putting in the work. I’m not trying to toot my own horn here but we’ve rose up in this town while everyone else has gone ‘the scene is dead, what’s the point in playing shows’. Truthfully, if you wanna be a successful band in Vegas, you need to make friends with the kings of Vegas: cover bands. Cover is king in Vegas, always has been. When the Brat Pack came to town what did they do? Covers. Elvis? Covers. You need to play with someone who lets people feel comfortable in their own atmosphere, so once you play the go ‘wait a minute, who the fuck is this?!’.

Our team has taken that idea and applied it to our live performances. When we play in the UK or various other places where people are gonna go ‘I’ve never heard the name Nocturnal Affair before in my life’. We’ve played more covers in our set than most. Our first UK tour we played our single ‘It’s No Good’, which is a Depeche Mode cover, covered ‘N.I.B.’ by Black Sabbath, we did ‘What is Love’, and we played ‘Hash Pipe’. So four out of nine songs were covers. But, for being a band that maybe 800 people were watching for the first time, most of those people were singing with us for most of our set. Because of that, when we came back in November and played less covers, those people were there singing our songs to us. You give them a sense of familiarity and make them comfortable and they open their mind to your music, and you make new friends!

Yeah, it’s the same here, so many great cover and tribute artists and it really helps an emerging band hopping on a bill with them sometimes!

Yeah because at the end of the day, so many people are flocking to these bands, I’m sure they care if it’s the original artist or not, but they’re paying money to watch a show, to get away from all the other bullshit in life. They wanna party and have a drink and see some rock, kinda just let go!

Do you have a pretty busy rest of the year planned once you get back from Europe?

I plead the fifth…

We’re working on something in Vegas for our local fanbase. Maybe there’s a record coming up, but that’s about as much as I can say, it’s all very secret right now. What we’re building is gonna be really cool!

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? You mentioned you’ve supported a few bands from your childhood but I imagine there are more you want to join?

Yes! And I don’t care how old they are. We just saw Black Sabbath play and how old are they? It’s definitely Rammstein and Nine Inch Nails. We have to do it. I don’t know how or when or why but that’s the goal, man. Just two of the best live performances I’ve ever seen!

Features, Reviews

The Heavy Souls, Eddie & The Wolves and Penumbra Rock Real Time Live!

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It has been a while since we were last at this awesome Chesterfield venue! So, the fact that we were able to return to see three incredible young rock bands is honestly awesome! And the gig was nearly sold out too, which is impressive for originals bands in a more cover/tribute-based venue. Let’s see how it all was, shall we?

First up were the local lads, Penumbra. The band were a little more indie than the rest on the lineup, but they are a fantastic live band and brought plenty of their friends and fans along for the show! And the band are born showmen too, performing fantastically even though they don’t seem to have been going too long! Plus, it’s pretty heavy for indie rock, a side of the genre that I have always loved! They tore the place down for a solid half an hour set and definitely gained some new fans in the process, including myself! I can’t wait to hear more studio stuff from the band and see where they go from here, as they are already gathering a great following!

Next up were, of course, the best band in the world. You know the spiel by now. Yes, I’m in the band, but there was no way I wasn’t reviewing this awesome gig. And, I’d like to think that we did a good job! People were enjoying it; the crowd still being pretty packed out, and it sounded great from up on stage! A massive thank you to Ben and the rest of the Souls lot for having us on the show, it was a great night and we all had a blast, even though we were melting in the heat! Thank you to everyone who came out early to check us out, and who came up to us to compliment the show afterwards, it was a good night!

After a brief, only somewhat stressful changeover, the headliners took to the stage. The band are consummate professionals, having their full back line and a big banner and coming on to ‘Country Roads’, making them feel like a big deal right from the offset. Then, they came on and played a stormer of a set for a full 90-minutes, and that feeling continued throughout! Playing so much awesome stuff for their incredible debut album, as well as a couple of fantastic covers, it was certainly a set to remember! Everyone sounded incredible throughout and had such a suave stage presence about them that was magnetic to watch. Heck, we even got a MEGA drum solo from Charlie, easily a highlight of a set packed full of them! It’s very easy to see why the band have been quickly on the up and up over the last couple of years; from shows like this to their studio stuff, it’s all awesome. They are gonna be a massive name in the scene sooner rather than later, mark my words!

And there we have it folks, an awesome night in a great venue in a city that is rather underrated when it comes to live music. All three bands were awesome and put on one hell of a show to the packed, nearly sold-out crowd at Real Time Live. If you ever get the chance to see any of the three bands live, I cannot recommend them enough, and you should definitely check them out on track too! All the bands have plenty of shows and festivals over the summer, so get down to at least one of them, you won’t be disappointed!

Features, Reviews

Trowsholm, LN and Reliquia Rock Scruffy Murphys!

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A day after our trip to Download (not reviewing it, it feels weird to review one day of a three day festival) we headed up to Birmingham for a night of folky, dark metal goodness. Three awesome bands packing out a small, hot venue that’s been recently refurbished and reopened; it was set to be a good night! Let’s dive into all three and let y’all know just how awesome they were!

Kicking off the night were the gothic metallers Reliquia. They were the only band I hadn’t checked out beforehand, but they came away with a big new fan in me! They’re a sort of style I love; the epic, dark, gothy-doom sound, and reminded me a lot of bands like My Dying Bride. It had all the best elements of doom and black metal, but also sounded pretty unique. And for a venue as small as it was to get a sound as massive as the band produced was amazing, so big props to the sound guy as well as the band for producing a great show. The band are all hugely talented, playing perfectly along with their organ-and-bass backing track as well as writing some awesome songs. And they really grew into their performance, too. They seemed a touch nervous at first, but as the packed room got more into it so did the band, with Gregg in particular being a great frontman by the end. He also had some of the best live vocals I’ve heard in a while; from low singing to awesome screams they were all great. As I said, they won me round pretty quickly into a new fan, and I’d recommend checking them out if you haven’t already!

Next up were the reason we were there, the incredible LN. After seeing them at Winters End back in February and falling in love, we knew we had to see them again ASAP. To the shock of I’m sure no one, we once again were blow away by the band! They’re one of the most interesting bands in the UK underground scene today, as well as being one of the best live bands around. Their studio work is phenomenal and translates perfectly live, especially in such an intimate setting. There was no denying the crowd were there for them, and they played off it perfectly. Heck, they even got a pit going, which I was not expecting at all! LN is such an engaging and magnetic frontwoman, having the crowd in the palm of her hand throughout. Everyone else also put on a great show though, as well! From their popular older stuff to new preview songs and latest single ‘Hellfire’, it was a fantastic set, too. They band are clearly going to go far fast, and it’s so cool seeing them in these small venues before they blow up! 

Headlining the night were Scotlands own Trowsholm. Right off the bat it was an interesting collection of people; a viking, a wizard, someone in a matching short, shirt and bucket-hat combo and a thrasher… seems like the start of a bad joke! However, it made for one hell of a party mood right from the offset, and the band kept said mood high through the whole set. They were potentially the heaviest band of the night, and at very least the highest energy and paced, and it made for an awesome headline set! It felt almost like a heavier Alestorm, so impossible not to love! They travelled far to be at the gig and made sure it was worth it as they put on a show from beginning to end. They were the least ‘my thing’ of the night but I still had a blast, as did the still-packed-out crowd around me! They were polished and professional while still feeling fun and more light-hearted, and I can’t recommend them enough!

Overall, it’s was an absolutely amazing night of live music! All three bands knocked it out of the park and fit so well on the same bill together. I cannot recommend seeing all three of them enough if they come close to where you are, and I already want to see all of them live again already! And plus, shoutout to the venue, which was awesome, and is helping keep rock and metal alive in one of the most important cities for it!

Features, Reviews

Slam Dunk 2025: The Big Bad Review

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Somehow I have made it to the ripe old age of 28 before heading to my first Slam Dunk. It’s wild to me, given how good the lineups always are. But this one was especially stellar, so I finally popped my SD cherry. Find out how good it was below!

After seeing the crazy issues with parking a couple of years back, we decided to get in nice and early, having time to have a look round merch and get a drink before the first band started. For us, it was Lake Malice on the Kerrang! stage. I was familiar with the name, at least knowing the style and sound they brought to the table, but live they really blew me away! Firstly, shoutout to the sound guys too, as it was windy as shit all day and, for the most part, everything sounded awesome still. This hit hard, and not just because they were one of the heavier bands for us that day. They’re modern metal awesomeness, combining screams and cleans perfectly around the heavy riffing and catchy melodic sections. They’re essentially everything I WANT Spiritbox to be, but never get from them. And, on top of that, they put on a great show, too. From the backing dancers to Alice Guala’s magnetic stage presence, it all came together perfectly. They’re were the perfect way to open the day, and I can’t recommend them enough to any fans of heavier music out there!

Speaking of magnetic stage presence, next up were Save Ferris. I’ve seen a few videos of the legendary ska punkers over the years and, while Monique always seemed like a powerhouse of a stage presence, I was slightly worried they weren’t going to sound great. All said worries went out the door immediately, as Monique sounded just as good as she did back in the day, and the rest of the band nailed it throughout the set! The sheer energy from a bunch of forty-somethings was incredible, and certainly infectious as they got the crowd dancing and bouncing and joining in early on. Plus, they have so many bangers in their back catalogue that it was hard not to have a good time watching them! From ‘The World is New’ to ‘I Know’ to covers of everything from Dead Kennedys to Operation Ivy to, of course, closing on their incredible ‘Come on Eileen’ cover, it was a really fantastic setlist. The whole band had the crowd in the palm of their hands throughout, and I had an absolute blast listening to them!

We stuck around the Monster tent after that for Home Grown. I have to say they were one of the few bands heading into the day that I wasn’t too familiar with and didn’t have that nostalgia for like others. I do honestly think that hurt their set a little, for me. They weren’t awful, but they weren’t great live, and when I didn’t know the songs all I could really hear was the bad mix and questionable vocals. I think the fact that they had two kinda lead vocals didn’t work for their set, as both were cranked so when one was just doing backing, it kinda drowned out the other. Still, the band are undoubtably talented and I have come away being a fan of a few of their songs on track. Maybe they just had an off day!

Sadly, we didn’t catch too much of The Ataris, due to having to wait a solid 40+ minutes at the bar. For a cashless system and pre-poured drinks, I have no earthly idea how it was taking that long! However, they sounded good from the bar, and even better when we finally got in to see the last half of their set! Sadly, as with a few bands from this sort of era on the bill, everyone was waiting around for their big cover song. ‘Boys of Summer’ was indeed phenomenal, and both live and on track is better than the original. However, their own stuff was just as good! The band were tight and professional as anything, and what they somewhat lacked in putting on a show, they more than made up for in how excellent they sounded. I wouldn’t rush to see them again, but enjoyed their set (or what I saw of it) and if they were on at another festival I’d definitely check them out!

Next up were my band of the day (spoilers), Stray from the Path. We had the pleasure of seeing them at Graspop a couple of years ago, yet somehow they have gotten even better since then! Their anger and energy is off the charts, with Andrew’s stage presence being magnetic, certainly mirroring supposed influences like Zack De La Roacha and Jason Aalon Butler. Whether it’s mammoth tracks off their last album like ‘Guillotine’ and ‘III’ or brand new stuff like ‘Shot Caller’, they played a blinder of a set. They had the crowd in the palm of their hands throughout too, the place going nuts and there being crowd surfers everywhere. It’s insane to me that this band aren’t absolutely massive as they are great on track and live, and have a fantastic message to back it up. Still, with the packed out crowd loving it here, they should have surely gained some new fans!

We snuck over to the Key Club to catch the one and only Delilah Bon. Not too dissimilar to Stray from the Path, it’s no secret here that I love Delilah’s solo stuff. And it all translates so well to a live setting, too! Her rapping is amazing, even though the backing could have been boosted slightly so we could hear the odd line she dropped out for. And her screams… *chef’s kiss*… we need more of them on the next record for sure! The band did a great job backing her up too, but she was very much the star of the show, putting on one hell of a performance and bouncing around every bit of the stage. She certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved it and am going to have to get tickets for her tour in November!

Streetlight Manifesto were an odd one for me. On the one hand, they were absolutely phenomenal live, as they always are. Their heavy ska sound and truly masterful musicianship and songwriting comes across excellently, and I had a blast. I guess my issue was that after 50-whole-minutes, it felt like they were just getting started, and my god did I want more. Heck, they’re the only band, outside of the headliners, that I heard the ‘we want more’ chant at all day, and I very much agree. I felt myself waiting for more off Everything Goes Numb that we just didn’t get, which was a shame. However, as I said, what they did play was amazing and I cannot recommend seeing them live enough. It had been six long years since I had seen them last before this and hopefully this will scratch just enough of an itch until we get an actual UK tour… (🤞)

We managed to catch the first two or three songs from the legendary Less than Jake before we had to leave. Somehow I’d only seen them once before now, back in the day at Ynot, so it was great to finally get to see them again, if fleetingly. They sound just as fantastic now as they did a decade ago, and just as good as they do on track from even longer ago! It was a fun set to a packed tent, and once again the band brought so much energy. I wish I could have stayed longer, but there was no way I was missing the next band…

Electric Callboy. One of my favourite bands and a big reason as to why we went to the festival. We saw them last year at Graspop and they blew us away, so of course we were excited to see them again. And, once again, they didn’t disappoint! The band are on top form as one of the best live acts in the world right now, and this set proved that yet again. They are incredibly fun from beginning to end, Kevin and Nico being the perfect frontmen and playing off-of each other perfectly. The band don’t take themselves too seriously, hence the silly songs and costume changes, but are absolutely incredible musicians and songwriters, having some of the best big, melodic choruses and ch0nky breakdowns out there. And we even got them stripping it back here, playing acoustic campfire covers of Linkin Park and Backstreet Boys, much to the love of the crowd. And speaking of the crowd, it was absolutely packed. They were arguably too big for the size of the festival, which is saying a lot. But they deserve everything they’re getting, as they are one of the most hard-working and truly interesting bands around today, and they show up every single time they take the stage. Throw in a cheeky Sum 41 cover thanks to Frank Zummo filling in on drums, and you had the recipe for another fantastic set from the German metalcorers!

It was always going to be hard following up Electric Callboy, but Hot Milk did their damnedest to do so. Han and Jim are excellent fronting the band, and sound just as good live as they do on track, both together and separate. They also had plenty of energy, and both interacted with the crowd well between and during songs. I wasn’t as familiar with the band as some of the others on this review, but I loved the stuff that I did know, like ‘HORROR SHOW’ and the ever-epic ‘BREATHING UNDERWATER’. It was a little odd seeing a band on a smaller stage with less production after the massive beast that is Electric Callboy these days, but it was still a lot of fun and made me a bigger fan of the band for sure. I’ll definitely be going to see them again soon, especially with their new album coming out!

And there we have it, my Skam Dunk Cherry well and truly popped. It was an amazing day full of excellent bands and I had a blast throughout. Even the bi-polar weather didn’t bother me that much! I would happily go back to the festival again, especially if they sort out their bars, and would love to see just about every band I saw on the day again live as soon as possible! I would recommend any of it to anyone reading this, as it was a really great day-festival. Until next time, I’m sure!

Features, Reviews

Planet Rock Winter’s End 2025: The Big Bad Review – Day 3!

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HOLY CRAP, THAT IS HOW YOU DO A FESTIVAL SLOT. Geordie pagan metal band LN blew the absolute roof off the place, and were a lot of peoples band of the weekend. It was clear the crowd had reservations when the band came on stage; they certainly aren’t the sort of style the festival usually books! However, the sheer talent, stage-presence and work ethic of the band won everyone over in no time! Frontwoman Ellen in particular was phenomenal, embodying her character and stage persona perfectly and really had the crowd loving it and interacting plenty. I’d never heard of the band before that day, and honestly was a little bummed that I wasn’t getting to see Any Given Sin, but I’ve come away as a HUGE fan of the band, and already have plans to see them again in June. Easily one of the highlights of the weekend.

Having a very tough act to follow, Devere were completely different and did a good job winning fans back over to the more glam/AOR style of the festival. The band’s sound and style feel ripped right from the 80s, in a good way, but did also get surprisingly heavy at times. They were a lot of fun to watch and put on a great show in their own right. As I said, they were a little more the crowd’s speed, and definitely held everyone’s attention. Think Motley Crue meets Guns’n’Roses, but with a more modern edge to it. It was great stuff, and it’s certainly made me check them out on track!

Serpentyne sadly had it a little rough. Between another curse of the backing tracksand them having a lot of moving parts anyway, their sound wasn’t great and they ended up going on late. I think because of this, it did discourage the band just a tad. Because of that, the set felt a little low energy. It’s a shame too as I really quite enjoyed the band on track. They’ve been going for years at this point so clearly have a proven track record, but I didn’t quite get it here, sadly!

After a short break, our good friends Muddibrooke took to the stage. You wouldn’t have thought they’d drafted in a stand-in drummer last minute with minimal prep time, as they sounded as fantastic as ever. Ripping through an awesome set of punk and grunge-tinged rock music, they had the crowd on their side from start to end. The band are really going from strength to strength at the minute, and that really feels thanks in large part to their incredible live shows. Their high energy and genuine likability is infectious, and both Harriet and Anna are incredible performers. I have a great time every time I see them, and this was no exception!

We’d sadly missed most of Beaux Gris Gris and the Apocalypse at The Long Road a couple of years back, only catching a couple of songs, so to finally get to see them live fully was awesome! The fact that they were THIS GOOD too was even better! They are the very definition of a good time, and have come so far since I last saw them, it feels! Whether it was slower, ballady-er stuff or more up-tempo stompers, it was all performed amazingly and sounded fantastic. Plus, their cover of QOTSA’s ‘Make it Wit Chu’ is arguably better than the original! She’s a hugely charismatic front-woman who held the crowd’s attention throughout, and really performed her ass off. But that’s not to take away from the rest of the band either, who sounded great and fit the parts well. They were another band that I wasn’t sure how well they’d go down on the bill, but the crowd turned up for them and loved every second, just like I did! Another strong highlight of the weekend!

I love Laurence Jones. I’m a big blues guy, so of course I do! He’s an exceptional guitarist and showed that off in spades throughout the set. He’s also a damn good vocalist and songwriter. However, I do think this was the wrong spot for him on the bill. Having a slower, lower, stomping blues guy on the last night, sandwiched between a high energy Louisiana rock band and a power glam band felt a little like mood-whiplash. Laurence has more than earned his spot, but putting him a little earlier on in the day and kept the party vibes going through the evening may have helped. However, that certainly shouldn’t take away from the set itself. All three of these guys performed amazingly and I loved every second!

I’d been waiting to see HEAT for years, and they certainly didn’t disappoint! I absolutely adore this side of rock music, and HEAT are easily one of the best to do it in modern times. From the moment they took to the stage to the very last note, they were amazing. The crowd loved every second too, singing along and going nuts throughout. Whether it was brand new songs like ‘Disaster’ or ‘Bad Time for Love’ to crowd favourite hits ‘Living On the Run’ and ‘Dangerous Ground’, it was an awesome set through and through! They even brought out their incredible tour support Chez Kane to duet ‘In and Out of Trouble’; a huge high point in the set as both vocals worked so perfectly together and they looked like they were having a blast. The sound was incredible, the power of the band in general was awesome, and you could tell they were all enjoying themselves being up there, only adding to the set. It was, if anything, the perfect set to close out one hell of a weekend!

And there we have it, folks, another edition of Winter’s End in the bag. It was a fantastic weekend packed full of awesome bands and music from bands that we already love, or love a lot since! I’d recommend absolutely every band we checked out, be it live and on track, as I feel everyone would love all of them! Strangely, they haven’t mentioned a 2026 edition yet, but we’ll certainly keep our eyes peeled as we loved this one!

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