By David O’Neill
Steelhouse Festival began in 2011 as a two-day event focused on classic rock but has since expanded to feature a diverse lineup. While still highlighting acts like Saxon, it also includes reggae (Skindred), AOR (Europe), punk (The Wildhearts), glam rock (The Darkness), blues (King King), internationally renowned artists (e.g., Black Stone Cherry, Myles Kennedy, Mr Big, Uriah Heep, Living Colour, Airbourne, Thunder) and emerging talents like Kris Barras, Scarlet Rebels and Stone Broken.
The Steelhouse team maintained their high standards this year with an impressive lineup. Since 2015, I’ve attended every festival except in 2019 and 2020, and it always has a welcoming atmosphere, convenient camping, and friendly people—though you might be offered a “cwtch” (that’s a hug for us non-Welsh speakers).
On a sunny day, the crowd showed off their usual wild shirts as Friday began with Yorkshire’s Asomvel, together since 1993. Their Motorhead-inspired sound—complete with gritty vocals, heavy riffs, and Conan on bass—quickly won over the audience. Opening with “Born to Rock n Roll,” they set a strong tone for the classic rock festival. The band’s energetic set, backed by stacked Marshall amps, made them a memorable opener likely to return in future years.
Following the previous act, the atmosphere shifted with the appearance of the alt-rock, female-fronted group Marisa And The Moths, who have performed at various festivals in recent years, supporting artists such as Kris Barras and Those Damn Crows. The vocalist has been compared to Lzzy Hale and Amy Lee, providing some insight into her vocal style. Performing on a large stage, the band delivered a set that featured their latest single, ‘Needy’. Another track, ‘Get It Off My Chest’, was also included in their performance. The set received a positive response from the growing audience.
The original lineup of Wolfsbane made a notable return to live music at the Steelhouse Festival, fittingly opening with ‘Steel’ atop the iconic mountain. After hosting a Planet Rock Show over the winter, Blaze Bayley led the band through a dynamic 60-minute set featuring both classic and reworked tracks. With the recent passing of Ozzy Osbourne, it was fitting that an emotional cover of ‘Changes’ was included in the set. Blaze engaged the crowd energetically and the fans responded enthusiastically, singing along and chanting “Wolfsbane!” by the end.
Rather than resting on their achievements, Steelhouse introduced an unexpected addition to the lineup by inviting American gothic shock rocker Wednesday 13 and his band. As the penultimate act on Friday, they may have initially divided opinion among regular attendees at Steelhouse, but their performance quickly captured the audience’s attention.
During a pre-show interview, Wednesday 13 said he might need to win over the crowd – and he delivered. The band put on a one-hour show, featuring their recent single’ In Misery’, which drew positive comparisons to Alice Cooper. Wednesday 13’s striking appearance – white facepaint, black hair, sunglasses, and red and black leather – reminded some audience members of Michael Jackson.
Friday’s final act was Ginger Wildheart with his new lineup of The Wildhearts. After impressing in 2018 when another band couldn’t perform due to weather, Ginger returned on a high note alongside the latest album, ‘Satanic Rites Of The Wildhearts‘, which received strong reviews. The set opened with ‘Suckerpunch’, ‘I Wanna Go Where The People Go’ and ‘Troubadour Moon’,”‘ leaving the crowd impressed before they headed to the closing disco hour. The 90-minute set ended with everyone definitely revelling under a “troubadour moon”…
Well done Steelhouse, great start to the weekend!
- All photos © BandTogs/Über Rock. Not to be downloaded, published or otherwise reproduced with express written permission.