Steelhouse Festival, on top of a mountain in Wales brings together twenty plus bands over three days of brilliant fun and superb musicianship. MMH were there to capture it. Review below, and galleries of all the bands below that.
FRIDAY
Exploding right out of the blocks on day one was KING KRAKEN. Their brand of heavy rock with pyro accompaniment, and their local connections, hailing from South Wales, King Kraken certainly got the crowd energised for the weekend.
PARKER BARROW were up next and this was a band I was looking forward to seeing for the first time. I loved their 70’s vibe high energy rock – a very listenable sound, and a great band to watch too. Some of Nashville’s finest.
Next up was Canadian blues guitarist ANTHONY GOMES. A permanent grin (or was that a grimace(!)), told us how excited he was to be playing on the Steelhouse stage.
LUKE MORLEY was up next, and this was an act I was eagerly anticipating. Luke is one of the UK’s most underrated songwriters, penning spectacular songs with Thunder, The Union, and now his own band. A blend of Americana, Blues and hard rock, he didn’t disappoint. As well as songs from recent solo albums we even got three Thunder songs, which of course went down very well with the Steelhouse crowd.
MASON HILL have recently had a change of lead singer, and after a 2 year hiatus, came to Steelhouse with their relaunched new sound. They sounded harder and edgier than I remember, and their appearance at Steelhouse was much appreciated by the diehard fans lining the barrier.
Already a well established solo artist, blues guitarist Kris Barras has embarked on a new project with female singer Phoebe Jane and the result is HOLLOW SOULS. They entertained us with excellent songs and stage performances, peppered with Kris’ trademark guitar licks.
Headliners for the Friday night was THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT. Led by the magnetic personality of Glasgow born Phil Campbell, the band took us through hit after massive hit, and had the crowd dancing to every note.
Friday at Steelhouse has gone from nothing at all, to just a few bands on a Friday evening for the weekend campers, to a full blown festival day. It is now an essential part of the weekend, showcasing brilliant bands and setting the weekend off.
SATURDAY
First up on Saturday was BLACK LAKES, a metal/emo band with a big following in the UK. Despite a few issues with their sound, they powered through and provided a perfect antidote to any lingering hangovers from the night before.
From one extreme to another, after the heavy and introspective sound of Black Lakes, next we were treated to some modern Glam Rock, in the form of BOBBIE DAZZLE. Bright and bombastic, both in looks and sound.
Next up was Nashville star TUK SMITH, another artist I wasn’t familiar with. I enjoyed the riff oriented set, which somebody later described to me as sounding a little like Bryan Adams, and I think that is a fair description
BEAUX GRIS GRIS and the Apocalypse is a band definitely making waves, although I hadn’t heard any of their music before. Led by an absolute pocket dynamo in the form of Greta Valenti, and supported by some sublime guitar work from British Blues Hall of Fame inductee Robin Davey, the band burst onto the stage and owned it for their 45 minute set. Describing themselves as a blend of Blues rock, Americana, Country and Soul, the band put on a show that was, quite frankly, stunning. Oozing confidence on the stage and punctuating the above musical genres with memorable pop hooks, BGG were possibly my favourite band of the entire weekend. Definitely worth checking out further.
One artist I was familiar with, and followed from his early days in Revival Black, was vocalist DAN BYRNE. A favourite at Steelhouse, which is almost a second home for him, and with a growing fanbase UK wide, expectations were high, and as always Dan exceeded them. Supported by a great band, Dan’s vocals are rapidly becoming iconic, a reason he is so in demand to sing with other artists. His set here at Steelhouse showed many more seasoned musicians how to rule a stage.
Next up was VON HERTZEN BROTHERS. I’d heard a little of their acoustic set in the VIP tent earlier in the day and thought it sounded very folky. With their full electric set on the main stage, it is obvious there are many strings to their bow. Ranging from melodic rock, to classic rock to progressive rock, all delivered with humour and intensity, this Finnish band gave us entertainment by the bucketload.
As we headed into the evening, REEF strutted onto the stage. Although they are English, they had a very American grungy look and a sound to match. With several hit songs under their belt, the crowd loved them.
Saturday night headliners RIVAL SONS wowed us with sophisticated songs and delicious vocals. Singer Jay Buchanan had earlier entertained the VIP tent with a solo acoustic set, Now, on the main stage he and the rest of the band showed their true class and rock pedigree. A fitting end to a fabulous day up the mountain.
SUNDAY
Kicking off proceedings soon after midday on Sunday, BLUE NATION entertained an already pretty full crowd. A riff laden three-piece, these Brummies were playing here on their biggest stage to date. To say they enjoyed the experience would be an understatement, and one they will want to repeat going forward.
Continuing the almost eclectic list of musical genres on show at Steelhouse, next up was Pagan Rock band LN. Fronted by the intense and imposing Ellen Hirst, LN’s theatrical show combined with heavy riffs (and the odd chalice filled with blood) added a few more converts to their cause.
At this point, Max and Mikey, who started this festival 15 years ago and have grown it to its current status, took to the stage. They wanted to commemorate the death of Motorhead guitarist and Welsh legend Phil Campbell earlier this year, by showing a special video recorded by Phil shortly before his death.
All the pre-festival information had the next slot on the bill advertised as a secret set. The rumour mill had been in full swing all day, and when local favourites FLORENCE BLACK came onto the stage it was to a rapturous reception. A really nice touch was when they started their set with Ace of Spades, continuing the tribute to Phil.
Next up was Darren Wharton’s RENEGADE. Darren was a member of Thin Lizzy, and Renegade is all about celebrating the music of that band. Comprising most of his colleagues from his other band Dare, Renegade know how to work an audience and with the Thin Lizzy back catalog it was a set guaranteed to go down well.
Another highly anticipated band was TYKETTO. Featuring one of the best rock vocalists on the planet in Danny Vaughn, they burst onto the stage like their lives depended on it. Tyketto are experiencing a big resurgence in popularity and continuing to make new really strong songs to add to their setlist. Also the camaraderie on stage really shone through. Seemingly in the blink of an eye their show came to a close, a good indication of how much I enjoyed it.
UGLY KID JOE were next up, their grungier sound a stark contrast to the previous couple of bands. But all styles are welcome at Steelhouse, and the crowd lapped up their performance
The penultimate act was Californian nu-metal band ALIEN ANT FARM. Their particular brand of short punchy songs works well in a festival setting and had the crowd singing and dancing long after they’d finished.
STEEL PANTHER closed the festival on Sunday night. Always larger than life, they took the heyday of hair metal to new extremes. They arrived on stage alongside scantily clad pole dancers, and that was probably the most understated part of the show. Much of their show comprised jokes and tales as they each tried to outdo each other to be as crude and tasteless as possible, but the humour, punctuated by surprisingly competent songs, only added to the party atmosphere.
And then it was over. Steelhouse has become an essential part of my festival calendar. Where else can you hear so many different styles of rock music on one stage? And all bands consistently bring their A game. They love playing at Steelhouse, and when the sun is shining on top of the mountain it is one of the best festivals out there. Admittedly it can be a challenge when the mountain is wet and windy, but thankfully the last few years have enjoyed brilliant weather for an outdoor festival.
(c) Marty Moffatt
