At the top of a Welsh mountain, there lies a festival for any discerning rock fan. Hosting the cream of the crop of both classic and modern rock, Steelhouse Festival has gone from strength to strength over the past dozen years. And with just over a week to go, they’ve sold the damn thing out (again) to make the biggest Steelhouse to date. Frankly when you look at the line-up against the price they charge for a weekend or day ticket, it’s unsurprising, really. Boasting some of the best views any festival in this country can lay claim to as the highest in the country, it adds to the friendliness and camaraderie of the punters and those working and volunteering over the weekend.
Given it’s been five years since I went for my first and only time, and four years since my last full-on festival, it’s an understatement to say that I’m looking forward to this. Boasting another spectacular line-up, it’s one festival on the calendar that will never let you down. With the Friday “warm-up” day expanded even further and scheduled to kick off at 15:30, it’s fair to say that Friday is now a full-blooded day in its own right.
Speaking of the line-up, there’s a number of great bands that I know will deliver and another heap I’ll be getting to check out for the first time. Blues Pills into Those Damn Crows into Airbourne is going to make for one hell of a Saturday night, each of whom I’ve seen countless times and have their own unique brand of energy. And it’s very likely Joel O’Keefe will be attempting to climb the stage for some antics during Airbourne’s slot. Likewise, the Sunday has Black Stone Cherry, a band I haven’t seen since 2016 when they played an intimate show in Glasgow’s Cathouse and with some more albums and a line-up change, it’ll be good to see how the years have treated them. Having caught The Answer earlier this year as part of their comeback campaign, I’m sure they’ll be going all out for this one and it’s been so long since I last caught The Vintage Caravan, I’ve forgotten what year it was.
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I’ve heard some great things about Kira Mac, Elegant Weapons intrigue me, I’ll finally get a change to catch Kris Barras and of course, Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners. That last one is a bit special considering 2018’s Wildhearts performance converted me to the church of Ginger and I’ve yet to see The Sinners. And like any festival with bad weather (Steelhouse 2018 and Bloodstock 2019), I’m certain he’ll repeat the feat and bring the sunshine with him.
Thankfully, Steelhouse, despite its size still feels intimate. An ace up their sleeve that the bigger festivals simply don’t have and with a great layout – your stage is at one end and bars, merch/food/trinket stalls arranged in a horseshoe around it, it’s big enough that you can disappear if the current band on stage isn’t your cup of tea. And if you need to grab something from your tent/campervan etc, you can head back to the campsite, find your tent and be back and still have time to spare if you say you’ll be back in 10 minutes. Plus there’s no clashes so there’s no strategic planning required to get around and see your favourite bands, here, it’s simply a case of figuring out when to refuel on food and drink.
And if it’s food and drink you’re after, for festival prices, they’re damn good. A pint will set you back £5.50 (better than most city centres these days) and from memory, food, coffee and soft drinks were all sensibly priced, too, which is echoed in various comments about the last couple of years. So, if you’re over at the new sun shelter (though you might be keeping dry from the rain, too!), that’s where you can grab your Motörhead beer who make their return for another year. And as for food, expect all your usual festival fare but with an extra wrinkle – anyone who’s been to a festival in the past several years has likely seen Bunnyman’s Chow doing the rounds and anyone who’s partaken knows of its glory. So I’ll be living on that for the weekend.
All that’s left to do is pack all the usual bits you need for a festival so account for wet and warm weather, bring some bottled water, something to charge your phone to keep in contact with your companions (or the odd snap of a band performing or with them at the signing tent). There’s also an extensive list of do’s and don’t’s and FAQs on Steelhouse website – it’s fairly standard but it’s always handy to refresh your memory and remind yourself of their individual policies.
Kids are also more than welcome and is one of the most family friendly festivals the UK has and there’s now even a “Mini Moshers Play Pit”. And for us grown-ups, the fun doesn’t end when Kris Barras, Airbourne and Black Stone Cherry play their final chords – you can continue partying at the bar with the Planet Rock DJs.
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Both myself and Paul will bet there to report back the week after as well as showing you what you saw (or missed) with Paul’s great photos and my own reviews of the bands as well as some interviews on-site with the bands. So with just over a week to go, we’ll see you up the mountain!
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