Castell Roc 2024

Whilst it has not become an annual tradition, summer visits to Chepstow Castle in Wales for live music have become semi-regular occurrences in my gigging calendar. Concerts have been held in the courtyard of the 11th century castle during the summer for a number of years now, under the banner of Castell Roc, and each year the organisers book a wide range of acts to cater to a variety of tastes. With many of the acts being more of the easy listening variety or tribute bands, quite a few of the evenings do not appeal to me - but every so often something which aligns with my tastes is organised, and a trip to Chepstow gets added to the calendar. In 2017 I headed to the Welsh town for the first time for a night with The Quireboys, FM, and Gun - and five years later (after a pandemic-induced two year delay) I headed back for King King and Cats in Space. Both nights were excellent, with good weather, turnouts, and atmospheres making for memorable experiences. The castle's main courtyard is well-suited for hosting concerts, too, with a slight slope meaning that everyone gets a good view of the stage and there is also plenty of space for a bar, food vendors, and toilets. Once inside the castle walls, then, the evenings there have the feeling of a mini-festival - and it is clear that the locals embrace the events, with plenty of others also travelling from far and wide. Nothing tempted me to make the trip last year, but this year included a triple bill of real magnitude for lovers of AOR and melodic rock - so it was certainly not an evening which I was going to miss. Sweden's H.E.A.T, America's Tyketto, and the UK's own Dare were the three bands to join forces for this night of melodic rock - and given the turnout it was clear that many others were also excited by the prospect. The fact that I had seen all three bands multiple times each did not put me off, either. All three bands are generally excellent live and they are bands which I will see whenever I get the chance to do so. Dare in particular I have managed to see quite a few times in recent years - and I have also seen both H.E.A.T and Tyketto within the past couple of years. In fact, I saw Dare and Tyketto together, alongside Castell Roc alumni FM, last year - in what was another memorable evening of melodic rock. This past Saturday in Chepstow had a similar feel, then, with all of the bands getting similar length sets. H.E.A.T played for around 10 minutes longer given that they were the evening's nominal headliners - but with both Tyketto and Dare playing for an hour each the fans certainly got value for their money. There was supposed to be a fourth band, who were to open the show, but they dropped off the bill. Given that there was not a lot of waiting around between the castle opening and the night finishing, squeezing in an extra band would not have been easy - and would have likely meant that the others would have had to play shorter sets. The loss of this fourth band was no bad thing, then, in my opinion - and it meant that from 7pm when the music started to 11pm when it finished there was little time wasted.

Dare opened the night and filled the first hour of the evening with their unique brand of Celtic-infused melodic rock - although there was more of a focus on their older material than their more recent albums. Generally the band's setlists are a bit more evenly balanced, but the harder-edged material generally won out - which was probably wise given the make-up of the night. Dare are not the most adventurous setlist-wise, anyway, so the setlist was essentially a condensed version of the one that they have been playing over the past couple of years. With drummer Greg Morgan now seemingly back in the band permanently, too, Dare are very much harking back to their glory days in terms of line-up - although the first few numbers played were newer. Two songs from 2022's excellent Road to Eden kicked things off, with Born in the Storm fast becoming one of the band's best songs. It is on the heavier side compared to much of their other recent work, but it is still very atmospheric - and it got the evening underway nicely with its crunchy riff and frontman Darren Wharton belting out the big chorus. Three more newer tracks followed, with Home perhaps being the pick of the bunch. Vinny Burns (guitar/vocals) has always elevated Dare beyond where they would otherwise be, and his Celtic-inspired lead playing during the track was a real treat. There were plenty singing along to the newer stuff, but it was the more classic material which the melodic rock crowd wanted to hear. One track from 1991's Blood from Stone, likely the band's heaviest album, was played - with Wings of Fire the first of a number of sing-a-longs during the set's second portion. Everything else played, with the exception of the closing number, came from 1988's Out of the Silence - an album which is held in high regard in the melodic rock world. A few minor singles came from it, and half of the album was played to fill out much of the band's 11-song set. Singles Abandon and Into the Fire also prompted plenty of singing from the crowd, as always happens whenever Dare plays live, but the highlight for me was a stunning rendition of King of Spades - played, as always, for the late Phil Lynott. Dare have played the song essentially every time that I have seen them live, but it never fails to be a highlight. I also love how Burns' closing solo morphs into part of the Thin Lizzy classic Black Rose. The lightly anthemic Return the Heart was then announced as the final song, with the wordless vocal hooks being belted out by the crowd - but given that Dare still had five minutes left by the time it finished they decided to throw in one more. After lots of chatting, which threatened derail their plans, they opted for their version of Thin Lizzy's take on Rosalie. Dare have sometimes gone out under the name Renegade with an additional guitarist in tow over the past couple of years to pay tribute to Lynott and Wharton's time in Thin Lizzy. It was a fun way to end the set, with the riffy song setting up what was to follow. The setlist was:

Born in the Storm
Cradle to the Grave
Home
Until
Wings of Fire
Abandon
Into the Fire

The Raindance

King of Spades/Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend [Thin Lizzy cover]
Return the Heart

Rosalie [Bob Seger cover]/Cowgirl Song [Thin Lizzy cover]

Following a pretty quick changeover it was time for Tyketto, who ended up being the band of the night for me. I enjoyed all three of the evening's sets, but something about Tyketto's performance just raised the overall energy levels of the night - and in frontman, and sole remaining original member, Danny Vaughn the band have one of the most underrated singers and performers out there. Like Dare, Tyketto had time for 11 songs - and the set got underway in a somewhat unconventional manner, with Harry Scott Elliott (guitar) opening the show with a bluesy guitar solo. Ged Rylands (keyboards/vocals) backed him with some atmospheric synths, but the solo turned out to be an extended intro for the bluesy, muscular Remember My Name from 2016's Reach. I had not heard the band do the song live before, and it is a bit heavier than is typical for Tyketto, but it worked well as a set-opener due to Elliott's big riffing and some occasional harmonica from Vaughn. This was the only real surprise of the set, though, with Tyketto opting to play many of their best known cuts - with all but two of the songs played coming from their first two albums. The fast-paced Meet Me in the Night and the anthemic Wings showcased the band's melodic rock sound perfectly, with tight vocal harmonies and just enough keyboards to add depth, but is was perhaps the weightier Strength in Numbers which really got the crowd going. Vaughn has lost none of his vocal talents over the years and he really belted out the song's chorus as the sun was going down - which the large crowd in the castle's courtyard shouted back at him. It is the sort of song that is made for the stage and it kicked the band up through the gears - before the acoustic-driven Reach, the only other newer cut played other than the opener, showcased their more sentimental side. Despite being a new song, Reach has become a real fan-favourite since it was released in 2016 and it is likely to be ever-present in setlists going forward. It is hard to pick out highlights in what was such a strong set, but whenever I get to hear Burning Down Inside live I always really enjoy it. It is likely my favourite Tyketto song overall due to the way it builds towards its stadium-ready chorus - and Rylands showcased what he brings to the band during the synth-heavy number. Chris Childs (bass guitar/vocals) got to show off a bit during the breakdown of the funkier Lay Your Body Down, too, with an extended bass solo. It is great that he seems to be firmly back in the band again following some time away before the pandemic, likely due to commitments with Thunder, as he always seems to give them a boost. Lay Your Body Down was another great crowd interaction moment, too, and it saw plenty of singing before a couple of more acoustic-based pieces followed. The Last Sunset in particular, though, got everyone going before the set closer, with Johnny Dee (drums/vocals) leading the crowd rhythmically whilst Vaughn sang. It was left to Forever Young to close out the set, though, with the single and anthem bringing the curtain down on an excellent hour of music that was not going to be topped. The setlist was:

Remember My Name

Meet Me in the Night

Wings

Strength in Numbers

Reach

Rescue Me

Burning Down Inside

Lay Your Body Down

Sail Away

The Last Sunset

Forever Young

The night's headliners, H.E.A.T, are certainly the biggest of the three bands on the bill internationally and those wearing their t-shirts in the crowd also significantly outnumbers those representing the other two bands. Despite this, though, I felt that H.E.A.T struggled to follow the excellence of Tyketto before them. I have seen H.E.A.T live a few times and they have always been excellent, but I did not enjoy this set as much as I have enjoyed the band live previously. Something was not quite clicking for me, which was not helped by some technical issues which Dave Dalone (guitar/vocals) seemed to be having as well as a seeming wish to drag out some of the songs for far longer than necessary. I still enjoyed the set, and frontman Kenny Leckremo certainly did his bit to get the crowd onside, but they were a bit disappointing based on previous showings. Both Dare and Tyketto had had excellent sound mixes, but H.E.A.T's was much muddier, too. This meant that their big vocal harmonies did not cut through as much as they should. The band battled through this mix, though, with the heavier and percussive Back to the Rhythm and Rock Your Body kicking off the set. Generally the band went for heavier songs, which was perhaps understandable, but the mix did not always help them - with the latter and the following cut Hollywood lacking some of their usual power. An early highlight, though, was an excellent rendition of the more cinematic Downtown. It was not a song which I had heard the band do live before, and it allowed Jona Tee (keyboards/vocals) a bit more time in the spotlight - and Leckremo sounded great during the slower, more atmospheric piece. I am not quite sure that he always suits the heavier side of the band which developed following his initial departure in 2010, but songs like Downtown he really owns. He is a powerful singer and a likeable frontman, but he perhaps lacks some of the venom of his replacement - and his habit of holding out the microphone during the choruses only really works if the mix prioritises the backing vocals. He is still growing back into the role, though, and I thought he was great when I saw the band in 2022 - I just think that, for a number of reasons, this set was not H.E.A.T at their best. Beg Beg Beg showcased this, which was stretched out for far too long with lots of attempted crowd interaction and talking. I think some of this was covering for Dalone trying to fix his guitar dropping out but nevertheless it felt rambling. A tighter set would have worked better in my opinion, but there was still plenty of great stuff to come including the early ballad Cry and a powerful version of Point of No Return which I had not heard the band do live before. Despite my criticisms, though, the crowd were certainly having a good time. Not every attempted sing-a-long quite hit home but there was clearly a lot of love for H.E.A.T in the crowd - with Living on the Run and their Eurovision song 1000 Miles both receiving big cheers later on. The end of the set was approaching by this point, but there was time for a couple more - including a raucous rendition of the riffy and metal-adjacent Dangerous Ground. It was left to A Shot at Redemption to bring the set, and indeed the whole night, to a close - and this song was also dragged out a bit with some more soloing and crowd interaction. The band really gave it their all but I have seen them do better - I just think the tech issues and having to follow an inspired Tyketto did for them this time. The setlist was:

Back to the Rhythm

Rock Your Body

Hollywood

Downtown

One by One

Beg Beg Beg

Cry

Point of No Return

Living on the Run

1000 Miles

Dangerous Ground

A Shot at Redemption

Despite my criticisms of H.E.A.T's set, which I still enjoyed I should reiterate, the trip up to Chepstow for a third time was very much worth it. All three bands put on enjoyable sets and, even though I had seen all three multiple times before, they are all bands I will make every effort to see when I am able to. Shows like this remind me why I go and see some bands over and over again - and I am already looking forward to seeing Tyketto again next month on their UK tour with Little Caesar. I may also be seeing Dare again in October if I decide to head down to Looe for the Saturday of Cornwall Rocks. It is great having so many opportunities to see bands like these live - and I hope that H.E.A.T return again soon, too, as their headline show in London in 2022 was excellent.