RockWich Festival

Witton Albion football club, Sunday 28th August

Review by; Mark

Another weekend, another festival. Same old boring routine, seeing the same bands.....except RockWich is not a run of the mill festival, it's a thing of beauty. This was the eighth edition of this fine festival and they just keep getting better and better. 13 bands in one day, all of who rocked out to a full room, all killer and no filler as the adage goes. The day started with Red Spektor, a band who were new to me. This three piece from Stoke brought their stoner hard rock sound to the stage and seemed determined to make sure all the bands that followed them to to bring their A games. They set the tone nicely for a day of original rock and are definitely a band I'll be checking out in future. Next up were The Wicked Jackals, a band I'd heard lots about but never seen live before. With a set full of energy and with foot stomping melodies this was old school rock and roll as it should be, even including a cover of The Cult's Fire Woman thrown in for good measure. Two bands in and already the crowd are giving huge cheers. Mercia, a late replacement for Black Tree Vultures who were unfortunately unable to attend, and another band from Stoke. Mercia brought a blend of different rock influences, merging prog and Viking rock into what I can best describe as theatrical rock, although they describe themselves as alternative metal. For most of the crowd they were a new band, and the crowd warmed to them after a couple of songs. Lead singer Ashe Meakin is an undoubted powerhouse of a singer and I'm interested to see how this band develops. Following on were Fugitive, a band who describe themselves as being "formed sometime during the Jurassic period but reborn in 2018". These were another new band for me and I was instantly hooked by their classic rock sound. Michael Angel on vocals and guitar knows how to engage an audience and they were the first band of the day to really include audience participation, always a winner when done well. Add in to this bringing his own stage pyrotechnics (on a smaller stage bassist David Haskayne would have been in serious danger of being bbq'd!) and you had a set which had people cheering and wanting more. Bad Actress were the next band on and are a band I've seen a few times. These guys from North of the border may be young but they know how to play and the area in front of the stage was quickly filled. They played a glam rock set which had the crowd bouncing, but unfortunately at times I felt that they were let down by technical problems. These guys are definitely one to watch out for. Next up were White Raven Down, who I have to say are one of my favourite bands. These 3 guys always give 110% and crowd participation was amazing. Singer and guitarist Stu Bailey really knows how to engage a crowd and that was evident with their Iron Man sing along. When you see the compere for an event rocking at the side of stage you know just how good a band is. My only complaint is that their set time wasn't long enough. The biggest problem with a full day festival is that invariably you end up missing a band in order to eat, and sadly for me i had to miss the Baleful Creed set. I say sadly as everyone I spoke to during the day told me what a great set I'd missed. With this heavy rock four piece from Belfast rarely being able to play gigs in England I think I may have made a bad decision. Next up were Ryders Creed, fronted by the skinnier younger brother of Jason Mamoa (that's how compere Pete Malley described Ryan Anthony anyway). Ryan is another excellent front man who the crowd cannot help but warm to, and their set focused on the heavier tracks from their second album Lost Souls. Whilst this is an album I really like I have to say that their heavy reliance on a backing track to keep the songs faithful to the album sound isn't an approach I feel comfortable with. For a headline tour promoting the album it works, but for me a festival should be about fully live music, mistakes and all, and something about their set didn't work for me. Ashen Reach, a band definitely on the rise. There's obviously something good in the water in Liverpool which nurtures astounding rock bands and Ashen Reach have definitely drunk from it. If there is a singer on the rock circuit at the moment who sings with more emotional and physical energy than Kyle Stanley then I haven't seen them, their rendition of "Prey" demonstrating that to the extreme. The crowd bounced, they jumped, they head banged, they sang along. This was what live music should be all about. With a set this explosive it's not hard to imagine that big things will be coming their way. South of Salem had the unenviable task of following Ashen Reach but if there's a band up to that task then these guys from Bournemouth are it. A highly polished set of horror rock seemed to go by far too fast and even an impromptu guitar break from Kodi Kasper didn't knock singer Joey Draper from his stride. They have reached a point where they need to introduce new material into their set to freshen it up after 2 years of gigging on 1 album, but that can't be easy when their current material is so good and so loved by the crowd. The beauty of songs from their first album is that they can all be easily sung along to, which is massive strength for a live show, and I for one cannot wait for their next album. Dead Man's Whiskey, who are currently focused on recording their second album. Filling a set with classics from their first album and songs released as singles this is another band who know how to please the crowd. Singer Nico Rogers brings a sense of humour and and genuine warmth to his interaction with the audience and in guitarist Billy Kons they have a immense talent, modelled on Slash at his very best. Personally I can't wait for their second album (there's so much good music to look forward to!) Special guest for the day were Revival Black, hot off the launch of their second Album "Under The Light", and what an album it is. Their set included a good sprinkling of new material but special mention must go to "Hemispheres" : this is an iconic song and set to be a classic ballad in the rock genre. Singer Dan Byrne has a vocal range which few can match (and that includes every rock singer, not just new bands) and the new material makes the very best of this. Finishing with "Wide Awake" the audience had been treated to a set of first class music, and it can't be long before Revival Black are playing in stadiums. Headlining and finishing the night were Kickin Valentina, who brought the American swagger and power rock to end the night on a high. Fans who had seen them earlier in the year whole heartedly joined in and the audience who hadn't seen or heard them before (myself included) were definitely impressed. A special mention must go to compere Pete Malley. A good compere can make such a huge difference to a festival, and Pete is not just good, he is great. He sets the tone for the day, engages the audience, and is the glue which holds the day together. There may have been 13 bands on the bill but there were definitely 14 performers. RockWich Festival definitely excelled this year, with a line up that any festival 10 times as large would have been proud of. The organisers, Colesia and Mik, should be immensely proud of what they achieved as this was a well organised and well run festival which was definitely punching well above its weight. A super venue combined with a truly amazing line up made this one of the best festivals I've ever attended. Matching or bettering this next year is going to be a feat, but I have no doubt that they'll do it. Look out for the early bird tickets for next years event as it will sell out again and it won't be one to miss.

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