By Monk and The Dark Queen
It is a mark of Steelhouse’s stature as one of ÜR’s favourite festivals that it is one of the very rare occasions when your HQ team bite the bullet, max out the collective credit cards and traverse the singular most expensive of water in the Überverse for a weekend of classic rock as delivered by some of the finest exponents of the genre, both old school and new breed alike. And so it was that, this past weekend we once again braved that long and winding path to the top of the mountain, hooked up with a tonne of old friends and basked in whatever the (in)glorious Welsh weather chucked at us for three days of quality rock ‘n’ roll action…
The trip up the mountain can be precarious at the best of times, and this year’s first venture was no less so, with massive tailbacks on the road from Ebbw Vale resulting in the trip taking a fair bit longer than expected… but, thanks to the expertise of our shuttle bus drivers (who were absolute superstars over the course of the weekend), we made it in plenty of time to sort out our passes and imbibe in a quick bevy before the day’s onstage activities kicked into top gear.
And they certainly got off to a rowdy start thanks to an artist no stranger to the Steelhouse stage, as he was one of a handful of acts returning to “rocio y mynedd” for the second successive year, having front Myke Gray’s Friday night headline slot last summer. Now stepping out into the spotlight in his own right, Dan Byrne made sure that those of us who had managed to battle our way to the site in time for his mid-afternoon slot were treated to a high energy start to the weekend, his hard-edged, alt-rock resulting in a sunny set which matched the Friday weather (and, believe us, we were making the best of that while we could…). His scream at the end of ‘Death Of Me’ certainly was one to shake the mountain to its very core!
While Steelhouse more or less sticks to a NW0CR-style vibe, it’s never been afraid to push the boundaries as far as it can, as is evidenced by our next act, Jordan Red, one of today’s two back-to-back billings with whom we were not previously familiar. As usual, however, Steelhouse’s surprise packages are usually pleasant ones, and so it proves again as the Londoners deliver an accomplished set of nu-metal tinged alt rock that possesses plenty of pzazz blended with big crunchy grooves and tonnes of energy which undoubtedly wins them plenty of new fans… including your UR crue, who look forward to hearing more from these bais in the not to distant future…
Another change in mood as late afternoon moves in teatime, as The Karma Effect bring a very Seventies blues-infused classic rock vibe, evoking the spirit of Zeppelin mixed with touches of Purple and Lizzy, with some neat West Coast AOR touches thrown in for good measure, all of which produces plenty of clapping along to their infectious melodies which ensures that, while the sun may have temporarily disappeared behind a few ominously-lurking clouds, it is very much still shining on the arena and the growing crowd.
One band we definitely had been looking forward to seeing was When Rivers Meet, and the even the looming threat of rain failed to dampen anyone’s spirits as the husband-and-wife duo (augmented by a rhythm section) took to the stage and gripped the festival by its soggy balls. With Aaron wrenching the living daylights out of his cigar-box guitar, Grace positively owns the stage, commanding it with a feral intent that beautifully counterpoints her pitch-perfect vocals, that send a shiver down your spine while at the same time are mixed with more gristle than a well-cooked lamb shank (well, we had to get a sheep reference in here somewhere!) which more than delivers on their promise of a captivating set…
One of the talking points in the backstage/media/VIP areas during the day (and, indeed, over the weekend, as I was asked about it as late as Sunday evening) was how quiet Steelhouse had remained about the fact that Ginger Wildheart would not be appearing with The Sinners, who probably had earned their main support slot solely on his reputation (at least when he’s on form) as one of the most charismatic, energetic and engaging performers around. But, here we were, with Ginge’s name all over the damn place as if nothing was out of place…
And, to be honest, nothing really was, at least as far as the music was concerned: stand-in guitarist Sam Wood may lack the onstage charisma and Duracell bunny dynamic of Ginger, with his more laconic approach to his art, but he fills the gap nicely enough and the band nevertheless deliver an extremely crowd-pleasing performance, which gets those in the front pogo dancing as much as their aging knees will allow them. Maybe a bit more laid back than we would have expected, but what the hey? Still a solid performance all ’round – and we shouldn’t need to add that we wish Ginger all the best in his latest battle: get better soon, ‘cos we missed ya!
There is no doubting that Kris Barras’ rise through the ranks of the ÜK blues rock has been somewhat exponential, moving from back street pub stages to arena headlining appearances such as this with deserved ease. And, yet again, the main and his band deliver a well-greased performance which shows why exactly their ascent has been so inevitable and inexorable.
‘Hail Mary’ may not have answered Barras’ cry, but this audience most certainly did, and he has the now capacity crowd eating out of his tattooed hands, as he delivers yet another triumphal and triumphant performance, commanding the stage like the musical warrior that he is, before taking the action straight into the heart of the people by hurdling the barrier (not the last time we’ll see this happen over the course of the weekend) and bringing the first night to a properly full-on party-time finale.
I must admit that I was starting to feel a little bit cold, never mind tipsy, by this stage, but started the long walk back down the hill with a warm glow in my soul and a positive outlook on what was to come for the rest of the weekend…
- PHOTO CREDIT: All photos © The Dark Queen/Über Rock. You can view our full gallery of photographs from day one HERE.
Earlier in the afternoon, we had the chance to catch up with Kris Barras to talk about his aforementioned rise through the ranks of the ÜK blues rock scene, and where he sees his career path taking him from here (including a possible return to the world of MMA):
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