So, here we were again, making the challenging but ultimately rewarding ascent up a mountain on the edge of the Brecon Beacons for a three-day bender, sorry feast of classic rock from both some of the finest stalwarts of the scene plus a selection of the best emerging talents being given a worthy opportunity to expose themselves (metaphorically at least) to an always appreciative audience.
Friday kicked off with Valhalla Awaits, who are a recently formed group from the remnants of Revoker, Dead City, The Blackout and Buffalo Summer lead singer Andrew Hunt, who stepped in to do vocals for Phil Campbell last year, there is a seriously heavy vibe to their music. They were one of the bands I wanted to see on a bigger stage and the boys did not disappoint. Whilst they have a limited number of songs ,the stage craft of many years of performance didn’t leave anything out. The guitar work of Chris Green and Rhys Carter was outstanding, as was the rhythm section of Snoz Lawrence (drums) and Sam Kilby (bass), but Andrew Hunt’s voice just gets better and better. Watch out for them on tour.
Kira Mac has a bluesy vocal style but with some seriously heavy bass line/drumming on a few tracks and they really grabbed the crowd and got them going. Whilst the vocals of Kira are clean and clear, there is some very heavy instrumentation from the other guys in the band. Another good start and with a tour later in the year there’s a chance that some of you might get to see them
The pop rock female quartet The Hot Damn! (featuring previous members of the Amorettes and Tequila Mockingbyrd) ran on stage in multi-coloured suits then launched into a pop rock set that was well received by the crowd.
However, the highlight of the day for many in the crowd was the Llanelli quartet Scarlet Rebels. With two albums now under their belts, for many this has been a long time overdue. The boys didn’t disappoint, they continued to deliver the performances that have obtained them multiple fans wherever they go. The highlight for many in the crowd occurred when there was a technical issue and the crowd spontaneously burst into ‘Let Me In’, which shows what a crowd connection can do for a band.
The bluesy/rock rooted London-based The Dust Coda helped the day along with their style, but I was a bit disappointed they had to cut their set short of my favourite track of theirs, ‘Limbo Man’.
With the sun getting hotter and hotter and shining directly on the stage, the main support for Friday came from Myke Gray ex guitarist of Skin. Dressed in typical half black/half white suit and joined by the physically small Daniel Byrne of Revival Black. Whilst he isn’t very big, his voice is powerful and accompanied by the guitar work of Myke Gray another good 45 minute set was enjoyed by all.
- Read our interview with Dan Byrne HERE.
To finish the day, the imposing figure of Nathan James rocked the mountain with Inglorious. Now, love him or hate him you cant deny he can certainly sing. This time the set was almost completed without a kimono (thank the gods – Ed). Whilst there may have been more popular songs among the back catalogue it was nonetheless a good end to the day, but the highlight was definitely Valhalla Awaits for me.
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