It was billed as a warm up, but this extravaganza on the Friday night for SHARKFEST 3, was a full blown, hot as hell, start to the festival. With a packed Station at 7.30pm, friends, comrades and bandmates gathered in their masses. The atmosphere was electrifying even before the first band took to the stage.
UNKNOWN REFUGE play a set primary off ‘From The Darkness’ their brilliant debut, which I loved reviewing back in 2021. The lads from Bolton met while studying music in Salford and formed the band in 2016. My first encounter was at the Stonedeaf festival in 2018 when they headlined the Friday night party. Re-reading my review, I’m reminded that Alex Mancini is influenced by Greek Myths and Ancient Battles for songs, as two of my favourite tracks ‘Palace Walls’ and ‘Battle Hymn’ testify. Opening tonight with ‘I’m Not A Bad Guy’ and a single from last year ‘Drop A Gear’ the band demonstrate how much they have developed, since that evening in Newark, young rockers still, but they play with polished maturity. The new single ‘Bewitched’ sees guitar wizard Jack Tracey let loose to captivate us, backed up by Liam Kelly on rhythm guitar. The vocals are thrashed out by Alex who also rocks it up with superb bass, wow what a piece of cosmic beauty. Album 2 is on its way, you’ll be glad to hear. Keep up with them on their social pages.
PETE K MALLY is compere this weekend and reads from his copy of ‘Spare’ to shed light on ‘conversations’ between Harry and Meghan, that have us in stitches. He wanders from the actual text to introduce the bands, with just enough ad-lib, so he avoids a lawsuit !
BLITZ proved how entertaining they are at last weeks Mayors Fest held in the Giffard. A slightly shorter set tonight but they stick to ‘Damage Is Done’ and ‘Don’t Look Back’ to get the ‘BlitZ’ party started. This trio from Nottingham are a non-stop bundle of frenzied rock. The songs are forged with the likes of Kiss and AC/DC influences to knock us sideways and the Station crowd, being a bunch of party animals adore this type of buzz. They roll off three newer creations, ‘Break Neck’, ‘Freddie Said’ and ‘Keep Moving On’ which will feature on the next album, (due to be released later in the year) however, in the meantime, if you haven’t seen these guys yet or need some reminding of how scintillating they are, I would recommend the live record ’Take No Prisoners’ for a sampler. We join in with the chorus’s and nod positively to Kevin Simpsons burst of classic riffs, while vocalist and bass player Stuart Corden belts out sizeable bouts of screams. Matt Davis on the drum stool, keeps the pace going 100% and as Pete K Mally helps raise the new banner, with cartoon images of the band and the words ‘They Can’t take Our Rock n Roll’ we all sing along to those ‘I Believe’ lyrics. Awesome to watch, once again BlitZ hit the roof.
BLACK LAKES are here for their inaugural Sharkfest and there’s an air of excitement around the camp. The Merch stall looks very appealing and Sue Winnington’s lifelike knitted dolls are on display, she’s so clever. 2022 saw the Romesh Dodangoda produced ‘For All We’ve left Behind’, that many listed as their album of the year. Tonight Black Lakes’ set contains seven from the debut LP. As the pressing drums of Dafydd Fuller’s intro for ‘Avarice’ gets underway, the punters shuffle forward, no one wants to miss this band. Will Preston has many admirers, whether it’s the boyish looks, those translucent eyes or just his evocative stage presence, the singer is mesmerising. He has a voice that takes the band into the darkest regions as ‘Fragments’ and the epic ‘Verity In Flames’ prove. Such an all round crew, Scott Bradshaw and James Rowlands on guitars create stampeding riffs, that are industrial without the harshness. ‘The Divide’ grinds with bubbling fury, I love the bass of Lee Harris and Will’s vocals add a layer of smoothness, such a powerful track. ‘Landslide’ sweeps in gently, the guys hold us in awe as the chimes bounce around the room, the song building momentum to stun us. ‘White Cliffs’ is new and an indicator that the band are writing, hopefully we will see a new album before too long. ‘Deathrone’ is another that begins with a slow and chugging riff. Lower and haunting lyrics mixed with softer screams, it’s amazing to watch them perform this tonight. They eventually end on ‘Dissident’ which epitomises the bands unique style. Black Lakes didn’t disappoint at all, truly captivating. See social pages for more info and upcoming shows.
Sue Winningtons creative knitting !
GORILLA RIOT were exceptional last week at KK’s for the Annual Mayors Fest. Tonight they headline so there’s a longer performance, yippee ! In the marquee tent at Breaking Bands in 2018 they played a marvellous acoustic set and that was my first encounter with GR, of course I’ve been a fan ever since. They are one band that stun, yet put you at ease at the same time. Arjun Bhishma’s soulful vocals, backed up with those resonant and vibrant tones from Charly T on guitar and Deggy’s bass are Southern Rock inspired but have ample portions of Grunge, Blues and dirty riffs that merge, allowing GR songs to wallow in your head for weeks after hearing them. They formed in Manchester in 2013, so astonishingly this is their tenth anniversary. Over those years they’ve played festivals like Download and Ramblin Man and have also heading off to Spain for a tour. ‘Kerosene Clown’ and ‘Still Doing Time’ mingle with ‘Molotov Sister’ and Hungry Like The Wolf’ and the Station is packed with punters, who have adoring smiles. I really love ‘Last Hymn’ which goes way back to the ‘Amercian Honey Vol 1’ EP of 2018 and ‘Half Cut’ off ‘Peach’ is as delicious as the albums title. ‘Bad Son’ and ‘Dirty’ also adhere, gosh they do enrapture us.
What a fabulous evening, well done Mark Parsley, Sharon Crosby and everyone involved.
Special Thanks to – Pete K Mally, David Clarke, The Station Cannock, Nigel Poole, Richard Brindley , Liz Austin, Sue Winnington, The Parsley Family – Sally, Michael, Abigail & Becky & Clare Merritt.
Photo Credit – Rob Billingham & Lisa Billingham 0f Billibee Creative Studio
Feature Pic – Black Lakes
Full Gallery of photos HERE from Billibee Creative
