HRH XIV Great Yarmouth
Saturday 6/11/21
Live review by; DeeDee
Well, here we are on the last day. I am playing catch up writing in the caravan before heading down to watch the bands, although not progressing very much. Again I will select those that I haven’t seen or reviewed for a while as I do like to watch a mixture. Today’s line up certainly has a load of variation, from NWOR to Sleaze and Thrash.
LORDS OF RUIN - The Lords have only released a couple of singles so far, but this hardened Metal crew from up north have plenty of experience from previous bands. The two releases ‘What’s Left’ and ‘In From the Cold’ are first on the list and stage 2 is subjected to this harsh and brutally superb vocals from Dox and the low lying guitar riffing of Kev. The set is only forty minutes, but it’s long enough to sample ‘Bulldozer’, ‘Decay’ and ‘Awakened’ which are prime moves. Look out for Lords Of Ruin, it’s heavy and punishing stuff with melodic overtones, that give them a satisfying combination.
CONJURING FATE - Next and also on stage 2 is this Northern Irish classic metal outfit. Originally forming in 2005 they certainly aim for the Maiden and Halloween type of crowd. But don’t be fooled with the listed influences, there is also some mind destroying, thrashy material on this setlist. From the 2019 album ‘Curse Of The Fallen’ the first four numbers annihilate any calm that has befallen us. ‘Premonition’, ‘Burn The Witch’, ’Voodoo Wrath’ and ‘Journeys End’ show the HRH crowd how to decimate the peace and I adore the visual effect of guitarists Karl Gibson and Phil Horner. Up front, Tommy Daly is also the archetypical figure of a rock vocalist. ‘House On The Haunted Hill’ and the extended version of ’Trust No One’ are off the album ‘Valley Of Shadows’ both having incessant riffs and domineering chords. ‘No Escape’ destroys whatever is left standing, brilliant choice to end this enjoyable set. Finally, I have to thank the lovely man who walked all around the venue and finally tracked me down, to hand me his spare set list, what a star.
RYDERS CREED - Favourites on the NWOR scene, this Staffordshire four piece have produced two albums to date and we are given a pile from ‘Lost Souls’ that was out in 2020 and a couple from the eponymous debut of 2018. The difference between the albums is quite evident, ‘Lost Souls’ is deep and severe while the first album was more groove and punch drunk, with riff hitting tracks. So tonight the difference on stage reflects those differences and the performance drags a little heavy at times. That said, it’s still a remarkable show, frontman Ryan Anthony is a brilliant vocalist and has so much charisma, he belts out ‘Headspace’ and ‘Promise’ with so much passion. ‘Meant To Be’ and ‘Lost Soul’ are lustful tracks, again full of so much ardent and wholehearted zeal. More from Lost Souls as the set continues, with the gentle ballad ‘Believer’ and the surprisingly hooky ‘Hand In Hand With The Devil’ then the pulsating rhythm of ‘Unleashed’. ‘Cut Me Down’ takes them out and the packed HRH audience show them a mass of appreciation.
PISTON - Another band from Staffordshire, rockers Piston are based in Cannock. Who doesn’t like these lively and crazy guys, they always put on such a fun packed show and tonight they don’t disappoint. With songs from the self-titled album of 2019, we are treated to the infectious trio of ‘Dynamite’ ‘One More Day’ and the sultry earworm ‘Go Now’ before they plunge into the gritty ‘Leave If You Dare’ with nice bass strings from Stuart Egan. So cool to watch, guitarists Jack Edwards and Luke Allat cover the stage with energetic moves and frontman Rob Angelico holds the audience with his smooth and resonant voice. ‘Let Us Rise’ stomps into the flow and then we settle for the power ballad ‘Carry Us Home’. Swaying arms and singing along, the HRH room is a happy one. The tempo gains strength during ’Into The Night’ and the crowd continue to join in, as the chorus is irresistible. The popular ‘Rainmaker’ is followed by the cover of ‘Proud Mary’ where drummer Brad Newlands encourages us to partake, before throwing footballs into the unsuspecting punters. Undoubtedly, we have just seen one of the best live bands of the weekend.
TIGERTAILZ - Probably the only UK band that can offer full on Sleaze, Tigertailz are given a warm welcome to the stage. These days vocalist Rob Wylde, also of Midnite City, fills the much loved and missed Pepsi Tate’s boots and he does a fine job. Original guitarist Jay Pepper leads the band into the anthems and chants, mostly from the renown and infamous Bezerk album of 1990. ‘Sick Sex’ and ‘Squeeze It Dry’ go tongue in cheek with ‘Noise Level Critical’ and ‘Love Overload’ and the HRH crowd love every minute. Berty Burton on bass and drummer Matt Blakout take on the rhythm, as we get the more slap of ’Shoot To Kill’ and kick in the teeth chorus of ‘Dirty Needlez’. As we head back to tracks off Bezerk, with ’Twist and Shake’ and ‘Call Of The Wild’ I am so glad this reincarnation is doing so well of late. Those of us who remember the early days, will never forget how much Tigertailz altered our musical paths and widened our desire of that from the gutter. Of course there can only be one encore and as ‘Love Bomb Baby’ echoes around the room, it has to be said, it’s been a brilliant performance.
MERCURY RISING - Four friends from Chelmsford that got together in 2012, Mercury Rising are on stage 2 tonight. Influences are listed as Van Halen, Mr Big and Extreme, that’s quite a decent mix, so I am looking forward to seeing them. ‘Into The Fire’ is from the ‘Bad News’ EP and starts the set and it’s rugged and stomping from the off. I like how frontman Max Campbell holds the crowd without any effort, he’s quite a charismatic vocalist, his hand is bandaged and bleeding and that just adds intrigue, wonder what happened there? ‘These Walls’ is another older track from the EP ‘The Rabbit Hole’ more grungy and having an established riff, I’m really liking this band. A few singles ‘Come Alive’, ‘Runaway’ and the more recent ‘Hold On’ are whipped up in rapid succession, but there’s still time for friendly chat with the audience between them. They finish on the aptly titled ‘Running Out of Time’ from another EP ‘Paradise For A Troubled Mind’. Yes, a really cool bunch, with loads of singles and EP’s on offer, take a listen. Hey guys, let's have an album soon.
THE DARKER MY HORIZON - Staying in room 2 for this harder rock outfit that was formed in 2014 by Paul Stead and Mark Stephenson, both formally of Sacred Heart. ‘Functional Dysfunctional’ creates an atmosphere right away, Paul Stead has impressive vocals and the bass of Paul Hamilton, also ex Sacred Heart, is quite ruthless and striking. The next song ‘Sleaze’ is from the last album ‘Seize The Day’ which I do recommend, more backing harmonies and a punching riff. Another off the same album is ‘Carpe Diem’, so mesmerising and enchanting, it stands out as a stroke of genius. ‘Spit’ is also a piece with some magical tones, this time from guitarist Mark and ‘Perfect’ which hails back from the beginnings, is yet another with killer vocals. The drums of Will Knox introduce and remain dominant during ‘Dear Olivia’ which the band have often played as an acoustic, it’s so mystical and endearing. Going down really well here and having quite a few followers already, judging by the heaving barrier, The Darker My Horizon go out with ’Still Alive’ a recent single from a couple of years ago. Leaving on a high and mighty fury, these are another band that have surprised me, really blown away with how well they played.
Although I did go and watch a little of Orange Goblin afterwards on the main stage, the set was halted as someone had been injured, so it was time to leave. The end of another HRH and a really entertaining few days, from the opening awards night, right up to hanging at the bar and meeting up with mates, discovering new bands and reminiscing over old ones. Until the next time!
​
#rockmediauk #hardrockhell #thedarkermyhorizon #mercuryrising #tigertailz #piston #ryderscreed #conjuringfate #lordsofruin #livereview #livemusic #greatyarmouth