By DJ Monk
Born shortly after Über Rock first took to the darkest recesses of the internet, Steelhouse was for many years our hometown festival. With your favourite website now firmly entrenched in our second decade, the organizers had promised something a little bit special to mark their own tenth anniversary… but, to be honest, the initial announcements had failed to tickle our fancy – until today, when six more bands were announced that made us sit up and say to ourselves, “mmm, this is getting a little bit tasty…”
The first headliner to be announced for 2020 is the inimitable Bernie Marsden, who will top the bill on what is being billed as ‘Steelhouse Family Favourites Friday’. Marsden, of course, is no stranger to the mountain, having appeared there several times over the years – and also holds the record for the only artist to have appeared on all three days, having done so in 2017. History will repeat itself somewhat as the guitar slinger will once again be joined by the patron saint of Welsh rock, the one and only Nev McDonald, for a set based around Whitesnake’s greatest hits. Like three years’ ago,McDonald will be hanging about for the duration of the weekend, fronting perennial faves Hand Of Dimes on the Sunday afternoon.
Marsden told us: “I’m so looking forward to driving up The Mountain again in July! The outdoor training and weatherproof clothing are more than worth it to play on the Steelhouse stage for you great people of south Wales and beyond! Happy tenth birthday to you all at the Steelhouse Festival! I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
Also bringing the party will be some of ÜR’s favourite rock ‘n’ roll troubadours, The Quireboys, who headlined the first ever Steelhouse and are finally making their long-anticipated return to Hafod y Dafal after missing their 2018 appointment due to being stranded somewhere in Europe…
Steelhouse also continues its reputation of supporting both up-and-coming local talent. In regard to the former, rising ÜK rockers Collateral and The Howling Tides will be making that trip up the winding mountain path, while on the Saturday afternoon, the Valleys once again will be represented by another group of Steelhouse veterans, in the form of Florence Black.
Speaking about the latest raft of announcements, promoters Mikey Evans and Max Rhead said:
“This tenth year is a true milestone for us. To get here as an independent is quite something. It seems right to have some bands back that really have made the journey with us. Bernie Marsden, Neville McDonald and Hand Of Dimes are more like Steelhouse family members. To not have them play the tenth anniversary would have meant a large part of the heart of the Steelhouse not being present. You want your best mates with you at your milestone celebrations and that’s what those people are to us’
“Similarly, coming full circle with the Quireboys is just brilliant. Ten years after they had the brass balls to come and headline a first-year festival on a mountain in Wales, they return as the perfect party starters. Cheers boys!
“Ten years is quite a milestone, especially as an independent that’s been steered by two school mates with no previous festival experience before Steelhouse. We were and still are lifelong rock fans who came to the conclusion that festivals happened all over the world so why couldn’t it happen in our hometown… We were naïve, ambitious and knew exactly the sort of festival we wanted to attend ourselves. That naivety stood us in good stead. We pushed on regardless – if we knew what was in front of us, perhaps we would have never entertained the idea.
“We’ve been blessed with an incredible team of people who come from all walks of life for the common purpose of putting on the best festival we can in a part of the world many thought it could never happen in. Sometimes it been joyous, other times extremely tough, but we can look back with a sense of pride in terms of the acts we’ve brought to our unique location, the community that’s been created and what Steelhouse has become.”
The latest additions join the previously announced Monster Truck, Tom Keifer, Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons, the Kris Barras Band, The Last Internationale, Hannah Wicklund And The Stepping Stones, Crown Lands, Matt Mitchell & The Cold Hearts and Revival Black.
Steelhouse takes place at Hafod y Dafal Farm in Aberbeeg, outside Ebbw Vale, over the weekend of 24 – 26 July. Tickets are available HERE.