The beauty of a festival like Maid of Stone is that you could talk to a hundred people and they would all give you a completely different account of the bands they saw, which ones ‘should have been headliners’ and their various other experiences. So, here is mine.
Whilst this is still a very new event (don’t believe some reports though, the inaugural event was actually last year), it has effectively replaced Ramblin’ Man Fair as a showcase for classic hard rock, blues, metal and country rock, among other styles. The two main stages (the Phoenix Stage and the Inferno Stage) alternate sets from the more established bands, while the Firestarter Stage (not in a marquee this year) promotes newer, up-and-coming acts. Unfortunately, the Firestarter stage times do clash with the other stages, which is inevitable really. The sound bleed between them wasn’t too bad though, unless you stood right to the left hand side of the Firestarter area. Anyway, this is just a minor gripe.
I wasn’t camping this year (for last minute changes and logistical reasons), so cannot comment on those facilities, although I gathered from talking to others that things were improved this year and the organisers must have listened to people’s comments from last year, which is always good to hear. Beer prices were reasonable (if a little limited, choice-wise) and the bar was appropriately staffed by a friendly, smiling bunch. The food stalls were pretty good and not too expensive either ‘for a festival’. There were some interesting craft stalls, jewellery stalls and a tattoo tent to keep you interested if you somehow had some downtime between bands. Not forgetting, of course, Grey Goose Axe Throwing, for the inner Viking in you (the kids even had their own, safer, play area)!
And so, to the music. I couldn’t make the opening (Friday) night but would have liked to have caught up with Blaze Bayley again at least (the nicest man in rock?). I trust that other Moshville scribes will be filling in those gaps? I hacked it across Maidstone and made it to the Firestarter Stage, in time to catch the last few songs by Spyder Byte, who provided an appropriately ass-kicking start to the day. Their sleazy, make-up bedecked hard rock went down well with those assembled. Daxx and Roxane were easing into their groove on the Phoenix Stage and played a nice selection of guitar-driven heavy rock, which kept energy levels up but in a slightly more mature style (I even caught elements of country in there at times). Racing across to the ‘main stage’ at the end of this set, I caught the first songs of Scarlet Rebels’ performance. They play an accomplished, if a bit safe, style of rock ‘n’ roll with some nice guitar soloing to boot. However, acting on a tip, I had to cut them short and make my way to the Firestarter to catch Blind River. This five-piece were a harder-hitting proposition, with some great heavy tunes in their armoury, from “Made of Dirt” to (personal favourite) “I Can’t Sleep Sober” (I hear you brother). Charismatic frontman, Harry Armstrong, struggled with trying not to swear, which was entertaining in itself, but Blind River’s pumping, bluesy hard rock hit just the right spot on this sun-drenched afternoon. Having seen a little bit of Scarlet Rebels earlier, I went back for the end of their set for just a little bit more (Gina G style, ha). There is no doubt that they have some fine tunes but they are a bit too Radio One for my tastes.
Just a quick shout out to the comperes / announcers introducing the bands – they did a great job, especially Pete Mally’s book readings (from “Spare” no less, well, maybe… haha). I’m not sure if it was the announcer or one of the Scarlet Rebels, but putting out the battle cry to “Support live music” to a festival full of people who clearly… well… support live music seemed a bit redundant but never mind.
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The Commoners reminded me of the Black Crowes, although I found the Commoners’ premier league rock and roll more entertaining, to be honest. They were really tight and the southern twang to their bluesy soulful rock went down well. I would have liked to spend more time watching them but had to scoot over to the Firestarter for Until 9, who turned out to be one of my bands of the day. These four Sheffield lads are great all-rounders and can really bang out some hard hitting metal, whilst retaining good song writing and melodies. Their songs are full of breakdowns and the lyrics are growled or spat out when required, reminding me of System of a Down in places (listen to “Look at me now”). Maybe it’s just me? Verdict – they absolutely slayed MoS today and I will be checking them out further. One of my most anticipated bands were on the main stage next, South of Salem. The Murderdolls-esque coffin-shaped stage props were an enticing and promising start. This is a British rock band (hailing from Bournemouth no less) who should be going places, given the number of band shirts in today’s audience. And quite right too, their fast-paced hard rock blended elements of Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, and even hints of classic-era WASP in a couple of the choruses (e.g. “A Cold Day in Hell”). With riffs aplenty and sing-back sections, they were real crowd pleasers this afternoon. Soaring guitar solos from Kodi and Fish accompanied Joey Draper’s gruff delivery, overlying the steady hard bassline provided by James and Dee, all coming together for a pretty special performance at MoS. Joey was a bit optimistic in asking for bigger, more mental circle pits (considering the demographic of this audience) but I look forward to seeing them at Hammerdown Festival in Brighton. There was one slightly odd disconnect for me, when the (admittedly very lovely) cheerleaders were seemingly dancing out their choreography at 33 rpm but to a track playing at 45 rpm. Maybe that was the point? Anyway, it felt a bit odd.
Taking things down a notch, When Rivers Meet (there seemed to be something about rivers this year…) were also highly anticipated on the Phoenix Stage and, after sound issues ate into their set slightly, Grace and Aaron Bond enthralled us with their blues rock anthems. Grace is a superb singer with a crystal clear voice and all of their songs build around her performance. Admittedly, their laid back style is not my usual tipple but when it is played this well, who can argue with quality. I shot across to the Firestarter next, to catch Newcastle-based occult hard rockers Crowley. Their style sits towards the metal end of the rock spectrum, laced with a glorious shot of goth rock and, whilst I was looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about, I wasn’t quite prepared for just how good they are live. Vocalist Lidya Balaban has an amazing voice and isn’t afraid to put forth the full power of it when called for. Guitarists Eliza and Ruth provide the guitars and widdly solos, while Sav and Kim hold down the beat and bassline, respectively. “Something Wicked This Way Comes”, “Pyre” and “Hell Hath No Fury” are belted out, as if summoning you know who from the hot place! I am surprised he resisted. Wayward Sons followed a different path over on the Phoenix Stage, with a much more middle of road hard rock style. With ex-Little Angels frontman, Toby Jepson, on mic duties I knew what to expect and they delivered a perfectly competent set.
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Now, unfortunately, I could only catch the first track of The Warning’s set as I suffered my first major clash of the day. They are one of the acts which many people that I spoke to said should have headlined the day but, while their hard-hitting brand of hard rock is pretty stirring (on their recorded output), Dead Man’s Whiskey and I have history, so I had to show my support on the Firestarter Stage. I have a particular memory of talking to them after their appearance at Redemption Festival in 2019 and I am a fan of the loner, gambling cowboy aesthetic, which runs through much of their rock songs, merch and branding. Highlights of today’s set were crowd-pleasing anthem and all-round sing-a-long “Racing Bullet” and a super-emotional rendition of power ballad “Make You Proud” (IYKYK). The pedant in me made me ask about the misspelling of whiskey (look, I can’t help it, ok) and it stems from their love of American whiskey; shockingly not Irish whiskey, but there you go.
Now, Those Damn Crows had a lot of fans here and are, apparently, another of those ‘should’ve been headliners’ bands. Bridgend’s finest can certainly play a tight riff and encourage pleasant enough sing-a-longs. I flitted between TDC and Ward XVI which, with hindsight, may not have been the wisest thing to do as it took away the sense of immersion I think you need in order to fully appreciate the Ward XVI stage show. What with a comfort break, din-dins and (possibly) a short tactical nap having occurred at this point of the day, I should probably reserve judgment for another time. Wolfmother headlined Saturday’s Inferno Stage and put on a great show. I recognised more songs than I thought I would and had forgotten how catchy the likes of “Woman”, “White Unicorn”, “Joker and The Thief” and “Victorious” are. The chugging riffs – check; the distinctive classic 70s vocals – check; the Sabbath riff outbreaks – check; the brash Aussie attitude – check. Time to bounce! Frontman Andrew Stockdale is still in fine fettle, supported by James Wassenaar on bass and Chris Condon on drums. The crowd seemed a bit subdued but then it had been a long, hot day in the open air (and I think it may have been time for some cocoa?).
Photos by Bracken Hake
