Castell Roc 2022

Back in 2017 I went to a concert in a castle. Such things are not everyday occurrences - but a night with The Quireboys, FM, and Gun took me to Chepstow, and its 11th Century castle, in Monmouthshire. It was a memorable evening for a number of reasons. All three bands put on excellent sets, but the setting also significantly contributed to my enjoyment of the night. Chepstow Castle is partially ruined, but a significant amount of it still stands and it makes for the perfect venue for a series of concerts in the summer. The natural slope of the land within the castle's courtyard means that you get a great view of the stage wherever you stand - and the historic setting just adds to the overall ambiance of the night. The castle has been putting on concerts for a few years, and usually holds a few each summer which are brought together under the Castell Roc banner. Not many of the shows tend to interest me, as they put on a lot of tribute bands, but the 2017 show which was closed out by The Quireboys was certainly worth the trip over to South Wales. Nothing really grabbed my attention in 2018 and 2019, but one of the shows planned for 2020 did - with the Scottish blues rockers King King and the 1970s style pop rock of Cats in Space coming together for what promised to be a memorable evening. Clearly this show did not take place in 2020, but it kept being rescheduled - and it finally took place last weekend, two years to the day from when it was originally supposed to. Whilst The Quireboys, FM, and Gun all played for around the same amount of time in 2017, this show was billed more as a King King headline show - with Cats in Space in support. Being a fan of both bands, though, the trip up the M5 and across the old Severn Bridge was very much worth it - and it was great to see Chepstow very busy when I got there at around 4:30pm. Following a short walk around the time, it was time to head to the local Wetherspoons for some dinner, which was also very busy, before heading up to the castle for the evening's entertainment. The set-up was the same as in 2017, with the stage erected at the bottom of the courtyard's natural slope. There was a bar off in one of the little side areas, as well as a dedicated seating area and a handful of food vendors. The set up gives the feeling of being at a mini festival, and the atmosphere throughout the night, as it was in 2017, was excellent. As was the case in 2017, too, the turnout was pretty good. At first it looked a little sparse, but it was not too long before the courtyard was pretty full - and it was great to see so many out to have a good time with the bands.

Before King King or Cats in Space took to the stage, though, the growing crowd was treated to 40 or so minutes of laid back rock from Rainbreakers - a Midlands-based four-piece who impressed throughout their time on stage. At first I felt as if the band's sound would be a bit too indie-inspired for me, but as their set went on they seemed to up the intensity a little - and bluesy rock riffs from Ben Edwards (vocals/guitar) and Charlie Richards (guitar) kept their songs ticking along nicely. Despite the strong riffing, though, the band's sound was never that intense. There was a laid back vibe to their sound, which was helped by some strong grooves from Ash Milburn (bass guitar), and their music was perfectly suited for a sunny August afternoon. The songs could have been a bit hookier for me chorus-wise, but there were enough melodies to keep me interested. The highlight of the band's set for me, though, was Richards' guitar playing throughout. During the first few numbers he was fairly restrained, with the occasional wah-drenched lick or brief solo, but as the set moved on he really came alive. The penultimate song of the set was quite lengthy, and featured an elongated guitar solo from him that impressed in a big way. It was quite blues-based, but the melodies throughout were excellent - and it was easily the highlight of the set for me. The band in general were not really that flashy at all, which made the lengthy solo stand out all the more, but it worked well as an opportunity for all on stage to let their hair down a bit and rock out. The closing song also had a strong guitar solo, too, although it was not as long as the previous one - but it ensured that the band's set came to a strong end. Due to the band's overall vibe, and Richards' guitar playing, I enjoyed my time with Rainbreakers. Their sound perfectly suited the weather and the overall setting - and they warmed the crowd up nicely for what was to come.

It was only a couple of months since I had last seen Cats in Space at the Cambridge Rock Festival, and only a couple of months until I will see them again in Tavistock, but I was ready to see the pomp rock six-piece live again. With the band's fifth album Kickstart the Sun less than a month old, they are currently riding high - and put on an hour-long set to impress in Chepstow. Three songs from the new album were played, but the set very much felt like a best-of festival set overall - which was probably wise given the setting. I imagine that the setlist will be changed quite a bit to accommodate more of the new songs in the autumn, but hitting the Chepstow crowd with an hour of their best material certainly worked a treat. As has generally been the case of late, the band opened the show with Too Many Gods from their debut album - with frontman Damien Edwards hitting the stage with his usual flamboyance which helped to carry the band through their glut of songs. The setlist was essentially a condensed version of the Cambridge Rock Festival set, although Spaceship Superstar was brought back - which perfectly continued on the up-tempo vibe set by Too Many Gods. The song is one of my favourites from 2020's Atlantis - so it was great to see it return to the set after not being played at Cambridge. A suite of new songs from the excellent Kickstart the Sun then followed. Poke the Witch is a great melodic song, but for it is Teenage Millionaires of the album's singles that comes across the best live. It is a great hard rock track, with plenty of the band's trademark vocal harmonies, and the chorus is one that sticks in the brain after only a single listen. The spotlight was then turned over to Andy Stewart (keyboards/vocals), who gently introduced the ballad 1,000,000 Miles for possibly its first ever outing - another strong track from the new album. It would have been nice to hear some more new songs, but as mentioned above I imagine that these are being held back for the autumn tour - and it was wise to hit the crowd with some of the very best of Cats in Space. The cinematic Atlantis is a track that always goes down well live, and it featured one of Edwards' best vocal performances for the set for me. It is one of the band's more expansive pieces, and it perfectly brought the band's big sound together - before bassist Jeff Brown introduced the disco vibes of Thunder in the Night. The funky song always goes down well live, and it proved to be another great sing-a-long moment, before Stewart again showcased his piano skills for the dramatic The Mad Hatter's Tea Party. The main set then came to a close with a stunning rendition of I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll, which was stretched out to include a lengthy ending section with plenty of soloing from both Greg Hart (guitar/vocals) and Dean Howard (guitar/vocals). Despite being a support act, though, there was time for Cats in Space to do one more - and they came back out for a powerful rendition of Greatest Story Never Told, which has essentially become the band's signature piece over the years. Edwards and Brown shared the vocal duties as ever, and the dramatic song was a great way to bring the band's set to a triumphant close. The setlist was:

Dive!

Too Many Gods

Spaceship Superstar

Poke the Witch

Teenage Millionaires

1,000,000 Miles

Marionettes

Atlantis

Thunder in the Night

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll

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Greatest Story Never Told

It was not long following Cats in Space's set that King King took to the stage. The crowd had already enjoyed two strong sets, and King King's customarily excellent performance made it three in a row - and the band impressed from the off with a career-spanning setlist that highlighted all five of their studio albums. The setlist was essentially a slightly condensed version of the set played on last year's tour, which I caught in Exeter, although one song from the band's debut was added to ensure that every album was represented. As such, the set mixed a strong handful of songs from 2020's Maverick with a number of favourites from their previous four albums. As always, the hard rocking (She Don't) Gimme No Lovin' got the set off to a fine start. The relatively new current line-up of the band has very much cemented itself at this point, but Alan Nimmo (vocals/guitar) is still very much the star of the show. His Paul Rodgers-esque voice is the perfect fit for the band's bluesy rock sound - whilst his melodic soloing style was featured extensively in every song. Despite the lengthy instrumental workouts within King King's songs, their material is still very melodic. All of the songs have strong choruses, as the newer Fire in My Soul and the funky One World can attest to - with the latter being driven by Jonny Dyke's (keyboards/vocals) Fender Rhodes. Dyke is the perfect wingman to Alan, and his organ playing is a big part of the King King sound. Alan's brother Stevie (guitar/vocals) has also helped to bolster the band's sound since his addition - with his guitar playing allowing Alan to focus on his singing at some points. Following One World, a host of favourites were wheeled out. The laid back grooves of Waking Up went down as well as always, but it was perhaps Lose Control that was the highlight of this section for me. The riffy song was not featured in the set last year, so the heavier track allowed the crowd to rock out a bit - before the pace was slowed for the gorgeous and ever-present A Long History of Love, which is always a favourite of the crowd. It is a real guitar showcase piece for Alan, and the lengthy guitar solo in the middle of the song always feels like the centrepiece of the band's set. The setting only enhanced the solo, and it was another highlight of the night. A handful of shorter pieces then followed, including the melancholic Whatever It Takes to Survive and the hopeful You Stopped the Run - before the final new number I Will Not Fall allowed for a bit more rocking out and a chance to Stevie to solo with an impressive closing barrage of notes. The raunchier blues piece Stranger to Love then brought the main set to a close with more soloing and its gritty attitude. There was time for one more, though, and the melodic and uplifting Let Love In was the encore. The song was used to encourage a bit of audience participation during the poppy chorus, and the melodic and jaunty piece was a great way to close out what had been a great overall evening of music - and showcased why King King are one of the country's best modern blues rock bands going. The setlist was:

(She Don't) Gimme No Lovin'

Fire in My Soul

One World

Waking Up

Rush Hour

Lose Control

A Long History of Love

Whatever It Takes to Survive

You Stopped the Rain

I Will Not Fall

Stranger to Love

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Let Love In

King King capped off an excellent evening at Chepstow Castle, where all of the three bands that performed impressed. It is a shame that the Castell Roc people do not book more original rock bands such as they did in 2017 and 2022, but the two nights that I have now had in Monmouthshire have been excellent and very memorable. King King and Cats in Space are two bands that I will now take every opportunity to see them that presents - and I am looking forward to seeing Cats in Space in Tavistock again in October. I am sure that King King will be around again in due course, possibly with a sixth album in tow, and I look forward to catching them again when I am able to.