Kicking off the third and final day, Square Wild are in front of a respectably-sized crowd given it’s a Sunday. It shows the love and loyalty in the DIY scene as well as the festival given we’re on its fourteenth iteration. Blending indie and punk with hints of ska and filtered through vocals which sound like Gwen Stefani in her prime, the band make the most of their time onstage. Having come from another festival, they’re all grimy but raring to go and makes for a performance running on adrenaline. Slick and well-put together, there’s a touch of flamboyance to them which blends well with the sound they’re making.
Then came the publicised announcement. But about 5 minutes before that, there was the obligatory, announcement of the announcement. Namely consisting of thanking and introducing the stage crew as well as thanking everyone else involved like venue staff, sponsors and the organisers themselves. A couple of birthday mentions make it through as well before the news – SOS Festival is back next year for another three days in July! And with such a great experience this year, it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s heaving like this year was.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Mosh will run you through the rest of the bands properly [I will, my words coming soon! – Mosh] but there wasn’t a single bad band to be found. Thieves of Liberty brought the muscular bluesy classic rock, Dakesis gave a lesson in prog, MuddiBrooke were their usual fantastic selves – full of energy and plying their grungy wares. As the band that appealed to me most and the reason I bought my ticket, it’s great to see them go from strength to strength. Unfortunately I missed Loz Campbell due to jumping on the merch desk for MuddiBrooke but I heard great things and saw a number of their shirts over the course of the day.
King Kraken brought the fire and the fury (and the loudness) much like they did at Bradstock a couple of months ago, Black Lakes brought a more modern alternative slant to proceedings and She Burns Red have come of age since the last time I caught them (almost five years ago!) with their own modern rock sound. It was great to see Scott Hanlon (former Anchor Lane) back on the drums as it’s been quite some time and he’s only gotten better.
South of Salem close the night and the festival and rightly so. Immensely popular on the unsigned scene, after their performance, it’s easy to see why their ascendancy continues. Ploughing through their debut album, a tease of a new song and a cover of “Rebel Yell”, the quintet know how to work the audience with a polished performance. As rock and metal blends together with a punk sneer, it’s a riveting performance from a band that is, quite rightly, never off the road. And as a closer for the day and festival, the organisers couldn’t have done better.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Photos by Charlotte Emily Photography
wpDiscuz