By David O’Neill

Well, if you haven’t been encouraged to attend by my other two previews then this one might just swing it, as we look forward to what is going to be tickling  our musical tastebuds on the third and final day atop the mountain…

. Steelhouse organisers must like a trio (Florence Black, The Warning, MuddiBrooke, to name but a select few), as opening up on Sunday are the Farnham rockers Kit Trigg. Despite the fact we will all be on top of a mountain on a working farm (so no glass bottles please!) thankfully the only ‘Snake In The Grass‘ might be from these guys. If you had a rough Saturday they may just here you say ‘I Feel So Much Better‘ even though you may have been ‘Going For Glory‘ after The Wildhearts on the opening night. With face-melting riffs and upbeat energy they may start your day three recovery off with a bang.

If you like heavy metal then you are going to thoroughly enjoy the second offering of the day. With influences cited as Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Judas Priest, Tailgunner are going to be your ‘New Horizons‘ after your Sunday morning ‘Rebirth‘  before the mid afternoon ‘Crashdive‘.

The Treatment, who played at last year’s Planet Rockstock, make their return for this year’s Steelhouse, marking a decade since their first appearance. They are probably gonna ‘(Lets) Wake Up This Town‘ before ‘The Thunder And Lightning Strikes‘ (hopefully not!) but they are certainly going to be ‘Running With The Dogs‘  in order to ‘Shake The Mountain‘.

The return of the lampshades are next up. Blues based southern rockers These Wicked Rivers make another welcome return to the Sunday afternoon slot. For a Sunday they are definitely going to ‘Testify‘ that you need to be a ‘Force Of Nature‘ to  ‘Just Be A Man‘ after a weekend on the ‘Black Gold‘.

The next band is one that I have seen and reviewed all four of their albums for Über Rock. If you like your metal as dark and atmospheric as a Welsh Coalmine then you are really in for a treat from The Raven Age. Their first album really set the scene of the style of the band telling a story throughout which has prevailed as the theme for each subsequent album. They are no up and coming band, they have made it to the top of the battlements that Ravens usually sit upon.

Having supported the likes of Iron Maiden (there is a family reason if you don’t know), Shinedown, Volbeat, Alter Bridge and Killswitch Engage you had better get ready for a seriously impressive aural hammering. If your head is not in the game with a ‘Scimitar‘ and ‘ (The) Guillotine‘ they will not be asking you to ‘Forgive And Forget‘ because by the time ‘The Journey Is Over‘ you will be entombed in ‘The Grave Of The Fireflies‘. However, being in the land where the ‘Fleur De Lis’ is a national emblem it is only right that this becomes the video here.

After this then the return of Nathan James and Inglorious to the mountain top will definitely be a contrast. If you have seen Jeff Wayne’s War of The Worlds you cannot help but be impressed by the vocal range and power of Mr James watch out for a possible collaboration with Sophie Lloyd on ‘Do Or Die‘. Despite not being together on stage since 2022 I doubt there will be anyone who won’t ‘Testify‘ that ‘The Devil Inside‘ will definitely ‘Stand‘ alongside everyone agreeing that ‘The Messiah‘ has returned.

Never ones to miss a trick from somewhere else around the world, this years antipodean artist is Wolfmother who will definitely bring a different ‘Dimension‘ to the ‘New Moon Rising‘ before everyone making the crowd ‘Rock Out‘ aboard the ‘’Midnight Train‘ and there is absolutely no way they couldn’t play ‘Joker And The Thief‘.

Ladies and Gentlemen ‘ARE YOU READY!’ for the Sunday night headliners that are TEN years in the making but were always going to get there. With four albums under their wings and the last one reaching number one in all the ÜK music charts, last but by no means least IT IS – yes, let’s shout it out loud – THOSE DAMN CROWS!

It is probably pointless trying to ascertain the setlist but I’m pretty sure the crowd  will join Shane and the boys when they say ‘Let’s Go Psycho’, with Lloyd likely to be a ‘Man on Fire’ with Ronnie not even looking to ‘Surrender’ that drum riser. Before getting us all on ‘The Night Train’ I can assure you Shane will say ‘This Time I’m Ready’ before everyone in the audience will definitely agree that Steelhouse have done themselves proud because its absolutely true that ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Ain’t Dead’ \m/

All that remains to say is let’s Roccio y Mynnedd at the end of the month. See you in the pit!

  • Steelhouse takes place at Hafod y Dafal, outside Ebbw Vale, over the weekend of 25 – 27 July.