Sharkfest 2022

The Station, Cannock

Live review by; Matt H

Photos by; Neil Jackson - Flaming Pint Sharkfest 2022 billed itself as a day dedicated to some of the best #NWOCR bands on the rock scene at the moment and it certainly lived up to the billing. The venue was The Station in #Cannock which is a great place for music. The building does show its age in places but once inside it's obvious that Dave who owns the venue is a musician - the sound was perfect throughout the day and the set up inside allowed everyone a good view of the stage. There were niggles about the venue (the toilets and the lift being the main ones) but as an intimate venue it does all it needs to do. Having the band merch in the back room of the venue was a little confusing but seemed to work well after I eventually found it. With a drink in hand it was time for the bands. First on the bill were Mercian Fyre, a 3 piece from the West Midlands who were unknown to me and a lot of the early attendees (of which it was pleasing to see there were many). This is a relatively new band although it was obvious from the outset that Jimmy on guitar and vocals, Jack on bass and vocals and Robert on drums have all played in other bands and know their craft. They warmed the early crowd up perfectly and finished on a high with their first single release "One In The Chamber". These guys are worth watching out for. The bar had been set high for the rest of the festival to follow and The Hot One Two rose to that challenge. The first of the Cambridge based bands for the day brought high energy and catchy songs and the band had the crowd in the palm of their hand from the off. Having recently won through in their round of Metal to The Masses it's obvious that this is a band on an upward trajectory and their set was really well received by the crowd. Next on were Mad Haven, a band I've seen several times before and who have never disappointed. These 3 guys from Wales make an awesome sound for a 3 piece and the crowd got behind every song. It was an emotional day for the guys, sadly Tom and Alex's mother Michelle having passed away the week before and you could see that the band ploughed a lot of that emotion into their set. This was probably the best that I have seen the guys and acted as a fitting tribute to Michelle. Ending the set with "Where Did You Go?" they got one of the loudest and warmest responses of the day from the audience. Next on was Matt Long and The Revenant Ones, a late replacement for Sons of Liberty who were unfortunately unable to be there. Matt is probably better known for his blues band Catfish but the Revenant Ones allows him to really bring his rock guitar power out to play. Again for a three piece band there is a huge sound, and the time on stage seemed to go by far too quickly. Judging from the crowds reaction and comments made during the day it looked like those who hadn't heard the band before were all converted into fans and I personally am looking forward to seeing more of them in the future. The halfway band for the day were False Hearts, who had played the original Sharkfest back in 2020. Another band hailing from Cambridge (is there something in the water there?) these guys came to do business. With Emma on guitar and vocals reminding me of a young Joan Jett their set was perfectly paced. This is another band who continue to get better and better with every set they play and relatively new guitarist Steve has fitted in superbly. Opening with "See Me Now" and including tracks such as "Misery", "Cynical Love" and even an excellent cover of "Time is Running Out" by Muse the band finished on a high with "Remedy" leaving the crowd still wanting more. Next up were Gallows Circus with their unique blend of blues based heavy rock. For a lot of the audience they were a new band and they will have grown their following based on their performance today. Their set was perfectly paced and ironically playing a slower number in "Holding My Breath" gave the audience a chance to catch their breath. Every song was packed with emotion and the guitar work from Ben amplified that emotion perfectly. This could easily have been a difficult slot to fill, with concert goers thinking about their food options but the superb music just kept coming and no one seemingly wanted to leave the room. The seventh band on were Black Tree Vultures from Bournemouth. Despite being based on the south coast these guys have played several times in the midlands so there were a lot of fans in the crowd, but there were also a lot who had never seen them before. Opening with "This is where I (Belong)" the band hit the stage running and kept the pace up for 40 minutes much to the delight of the crowd. Ending with "Rides Like A Devil" Celyn had the crowd singing along, with everyone ending breathless at the end. The eighth band on the bill were The Howling Tides, sandwiching this appearance between a tour supporting Ricky Warwick and their own co-headline tour with Anchor Lane coming up shortly. With the energy and atmosphere already at a high level somehow this four piece from Stoke added yet another level. Having followed these guys for many years it's been a pleasure to see front man Rob develop his stage craft, and today's set showed just how he's developed into an accomplished front man, knowing just when and how to engage the audience. This is another band who are on a solid upward trajectory. Special guest for the night were Skam, who I have seen many times and always entertain. They played with smiles on their faces and an intensity mixed with fun that could easily have seen them as the headliners. Skam are stalwarts of the NWOCR scene and are a firm fan favourites where ever they play and its not difficult to see why - singer and guitarist Steve is a consummate front man, Matt on the bass is full of life and the master of facial expressions and Neil on drums keeps the whole band together with ease. Skam came with one purpose, to melt everyone's faces and they definitely achieved that! The headliners were Florence Black, who probably need no introduction. These guys are just going from strength to strength at the moment and playing a mixture of songs from their album "Weight of The World" and older classics from their earlier EPs they set the stage alight. The crowd reaction was electric and hearing the audience sing to "Breadfan" and "Sun and Moon" was definitely a highlight of the day. It surely can't be long before these guys outgrow smaller venues like this and a slot supporting on a major stadium tour can't be far away surely. 10 bands in one day and all playing at their very best - what wasn't there to love about the day? Possibly the worst thing about a festival like this is choosing which bands to miss if you need a break or food, and perhaps this is something that the venue and organisers could think about how to address next year. Overall this was a great day and credit needs to go to all those behind the scenes for making it run so smoothly and for managing to put together such a strong line up. The sound in the venue was perfect (and possibly the best I've ever experienced there), each band had the audience captivated and played superb sets and everyone in the audience seemed to have smiles on their faces all the way through the day.