By DJ Astrocreep
On a much wet and windier day, it’s time for the last bands of this year’s instance of the Hard Rock Hell AOR festival. The bands have overall been of a good standard, with more focus on the second stage being a welcome stance, as seeing more people take in younger and/or newer bands is always a positive in my eyes. Knowing an early departure beckoned, I settle into the arenas as early as I can to maximise my music time.
Psycho Kiss open Stage One to a crowd who don’t seem very with it yet, the applause and responses being somewhat muted until further into the set. Frontwoman Helen cuts an affable presence between tracks, while her gritty voice works very well alongside a talented band, together creating some pretty impressive rock songs. They’re quite enjoyable and provide a quite welcome start to proceedings.
A hop across to Heartbreak Remedy on the second stage finds a busier crowd than I’d previously expected, explaining why Psycho Kiss was quieter. There’s a bit more oomph to their music, more bass along the lines of Guns N Roses or early Bon Jovi, a style that suits the band down to the ground. Well written, enjoyable and very well performed tracks prove an excellent introduction to this act for me.
Saints of Sin take to Stage One with minimal fuss but a lot of noise, playing a mix of as of yet unreleased and older tracks, with ‘Stars In The Sky’ receiving its first ever live play, to an appreciative and busy crowd. The mix is pretty good, with well crafted songs played in a melodic ’70s style with an amount of flair, energy and passion that translates well into a live setting. Each instrument is played with a high standard of quality, while the vocals are generally strong and highly suited to the songs and genre.
Daylight Robbery follow on Stage One, seeming to win over an attentive crowd within a few songs of starting their set. Their songs are well crafted and performed to a credible standard, giving themselves a very good purchase on a push towards the release of their third album later this year. Musically, they come across in the mould of Van Halen, a stance that clearly sits well with the audience, with the music crafted and the vocal harmonies having the same style of layering, without sounding like they’ve borrowed wholesale from them.
With an attitude and aura that sound straight from the sunset strip, New Generation Superstars have a more punk style of vocals that your standard sleaze band, in a similar vein perhaps to Buckcherry and other such Swedish glam/sleaze outfits. The pace is more up-tempo and they take few slight breaks even, maximising their set time and taking full advantage of this to have the heads nodding and feet stamping all around the half full room. Their songs are catchy and make even me feel compelled to dance, no easy feat in itself these days! The growing crowd take to them well and with good reason, a great set on stage two, completed with a well performed cover of ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’.
Blood Red Saints are the last Stage Two act I’m able to catch and the room is about two-thirds full to greet them, a good sign of the expectations of the band. They perform well, after a couple of sound issues, getting the crowd involved well and ensuring a good cheer for each track. A polished outfit that make everything seem almost effortless, despite some quite intricate parts to play, with a smile never far from their faces an indication of their own love of their own music that some sadly miss.
So on to my final band of the extended weekend in Kane’d, gracing Stage One with their triumvirate of strong female vocals. Vocal harmonies, strong musicianship and high levels of individual talent across the board abound from this troupe, with a busy and happy room a testament to how well they perform on the day. Their pull is obvious, with a fairly universal appreciation for their heavier rock sound in addition to the aforementioned three vocalists.
A very strong finish to the weekend for me, leaving me salivating for Hammerfest to come in under a week. Until then…
- PHOTO CREDIT: All photos courtesy of SD Photography/Sean Larkin/HRH AOR. Copyright held by the photographers as credited.
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