The venue was open throughout the afternoon, but the live music did not start until around 3:30pm. With six bands to get through it was clear that those who turned up were in for a treat, and the day started off with a bang courtesy of the Bristol-based noise merchants Mother Vulture. Mother Vulture were one of the two bands on the bill that I was not already familiar with prior to the gig. While they are not really my thing, they really gave it their all and certainly blew away the cobwebs following the enforced live music break. The band were a member down, and were performing without a bassist which probably left some holes in their sound, but the three guys on stage put on a captivating show that mixed overdriven, organic sounding bluesy riffs from Brodie Maguire (guitar/vocals) with throat-shredding screams from frontman Georgi Valentine. Mother Vulture sound a bit like what The Black Keys or The White Stripes might sound like if they were metal bands. They have some of the raw bluesiness of those bands, but Valentine's antics and an emphasis on harsh vocals gives the band a tougher edge. I enjoyed the energy that the band brought to the day, but sound-wise Mother Vulture are not really my thing. I have never been a big fan of the overdriven organic blues sound that the band employ, although I appreciate the originality in their whole presentation. I can see why the band are well-liked here in the South West, and they received a pretty strong reaction from the crowd throughout their set.
Up next were the Essex-based four-piece White Raven Down, who's brand of modern-sounding hard rock certainly felt less abrasive than Mother Vulture's aural assault - but an unnecessary loud sound mix meant that the nuances of the band's sound were sometimes lost. The sound throughout the day was generally good, but both White Raven Down and Massive Wagons later in the day suffered from everything being turned up to 11 - which was a shame. White Raven Down were the other band that I was not familiar with prior to the show, and like Mother Vulture they did not do a whole lot for me. The sound mix did not help, but the band's modern, American-esqse radio rock sound did not really take hold. I have never been a big fan of the post-grunge scene, and White Raven Down are another band that seem to be heavily influenced by the sound. The style of music is popular generally, and the band went down well, but it is just not really for me (bar a few exceptions). The band certainly had a lot of bite to their sound, and guitarist Stu Bailey impressed with a few big riffs and some shredded solos, but overall the songs were not that memorable. White Raven Down play a style of music that needs big choruses to allow it to really sink in, but unfortunately none of the band's choruses stuck with me. Despite what I thought however, the band certainly had a few fans in attendance as there were plenty of White Raven Down t-shirts to be seen across the site. They went down well with the crowd too, which is always great to see - and the atmosphere was good during the band's set.
Heading into more familiar territory, Raging Speedhorn upped the heaviness considerably. The Corby-based metal act, who seemed to be a guitarist down, were easily the heaviest band of the day; but their mix of Cancer Bats-esque grooves and a vocal style that recalled early Slipknot certainly brought a strong reaction from the crowd. The band have been around since the late 1990s, and are well and truly part of the British metal furniture at this point. I saw the band at Bloodstock Open Air in 2015, and in fact were the first ever band that I saw at the festival, and they did not do a lot for me then - but I was prepared to give them another go. While the band still did little for me, it was clear the moment that Raging Speedhorn hit the stage that the bar had just been raised. Not to take anything away from the opening two bands, but Raging Speedhorn just sounded, and looked, much better. The sound issues that plagued White Raven Down were gone, and Raging Speedhorn's heavy, sludgy sound could be heard loud and clearly across the site - with the voices of dual frontmen Frank Regan and Dan Cook both roaring out the speakers. I had not expected there to be to moshing throughout the evening due to the general make-up of the crowd, but Raging Speedhorn managed to persuade a few down at the front to get moving. It was a good thing to see after around 18 months without a proper concert, and the band seemed pleased with their reception throughout the set - which lasted a bit longer than the two that preceded them. I had wondered if Raging Speedhorn would go down well on a bill such as this, and I think that the band probably thought the same, but they seemed to be having a great time on stage. The band will never be my thing, but they are masters at what they do - and they brought the energy throughout their entire set which certainly raised the bar for all who followed.
Despite the opening three bands all contributing to making the overall day a great one, it was the remaining three bands that I was there to see. The home straight promised to be a great one, with three extremely well-respected bands from the worlds of rock and metal all promising to display exactly why they are so well-liked. The first of the three was the Lancaster-based five-piece Massive Wagons - the most unabashedly hard rock act of the day. While there is a good dose of old-school hard rock in Massive Wagons' sound, they also have a bit of a more modern vibe at times - helped by the powerful, but decidedly un-bluesy, voice of frontman Baz Mills. It is Mills that helps Massive Wagons stand out from the crowd in my opinion, and his attitude has more than a little bit of a punk edge at times - which gels well with the band's riff-based sound. I saw the band a couple of years ago opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Status Quo, but I have become something of a fan of late - and have been enjoying the band's 2020 album House of Noise a lot over the past couple of months. Much of the set was culled from this album, with the opening three number all hailing from it. The fast-paced Pressure was a great opener, before the anthemic In It Together and the spiky Freak City provided to be a powerful opening trio. Unfortunately however, like White Raven Down, the band suffered from an 'everything lounder than everything else' sound mix, and sometimes Mills' voice was lost in the shuffle - which was a shame. He is a great frontman, and the band's lyrics are quite different from the norm at times (as The Curry Song can attest to) - so the crowd certainly missed out on some of the band's nuance as a result. The band did not let this affect them however, and it is fair to say that the crowd lapped it all up regardless. There were not as many Massive Wagons shirts on display as there was for some of the other bands on the bill, but the band certainly won everyone over during their 50 or so minutes on stage. Despite the band's quirky nature, the song Changes, about the band's fans and fans of rock music more generally, hit the spot given the recent plight of live music - but this more sincere vibe did not last too long as the dynamic Bangin in Your Stereo soon crashed in to restore business as usual. A handful of older songs were left to round out the set - with the highlights being the anthemic Tokyo and the set-closer Back to the Stack, both of which perfectly represent the Massive Wagons sound. It was a great in-your-face set from the Lancastrians, despite the sound issues, and I can see Massive Wagons being a band that I will only like more the more of their albums that I hear. The setlist was:
Pressure
In It Together
Freak City
Nails
Glorious
The Curry Song
Changes
Bangin in Your Stereo
Tokyo
Billy Balloon Head
China Plates
Back to the Stack
Following a giant hotdog, it was time for what was probably the set of the day for me. I had seen Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons four times previously, but was looking forward to seeing the band again - as they always put on a great show. Since the last time that I saw the band however they have released their second album We're the Bastards and parted ways with their original vocalist Neil Starr. Filling in on vocals for this show was a friend of the band Andrew Hunt, from the Welsh rock band Buffalo Summer, who's bluesier voice did give some of the songs a slightly different feeling - but the change was only subtle. It was only Hunt's second gig with the band, but he did a great job - although Phil Campbell (guitar/vocals) did most of the talking in-between the songs. With the exception of two songs from the new album, the setlist was essentially a condescended version of the setlist that the band have been playing over the past couple of years. There was a good balance of the band's own material and Motörhead classics - and the crowd lapped it all up. I think that Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons were probably the best-received band of the day, and there was a lot of crowd interaction throughout the band's hour long set as a result. Opener We're the Bastards saw quite a lot of singing during the anthemic chorus, but it was probably the fast-paced Motörhead track Going to Brazil that saw the most movement early on. Son of a Gun celebrated the release of the New Wave of Classic Rock compilation album, with a great intro from Tyla Campbell (bass guitar/vocals), while the slower-paced Dark Days allowed Hunt to really showcase his bluesy tones during the darker track. One of the highlights of the set however, as always, was Born to Raise Hell. Why that song was not a setlist staple for Motörhead remains a mystery to me, but Phil Campbell has made it a staple for this band - and it always goes down a storm at every gig due to its stadium-worthy chorus. Get On Your Knees was somewhat the centrepiece of the set however, with the customary mid-section given over to crowd interaction - which everyone in attendance loudly took part in. It was easily the loudest sing-a-long section of the day, which is impressive considering that Ace of Spades was featured later in the set. By this time the band were really in the groove, and even Hunt seemed a natural part of the band rather than just a stand in. One last original in Ringleader with its massive riffing showcased that the band are a vital modern rock act in their own right, but it was left to older songs to round the set out. The band's customary cover of Silver Machine went down as well as it always does - before Ace of Spades and Killed by Death rounded out what was a powerful and energetic set from the five-piece. The crowd certainly showed their appreciation, and I am sure that Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons were the highlight of the day for many. The setlist was:
We're the Bastards
Step into the Fire
Going to Brazil [Motörhead cover]
Son of a Gun
Born to Raise Hell [Motörhead cover]
Dark Days
Get On Your Knees
R.A.M.O.N.E.S. [Motörhead cover]
Ringleader
Silver Machine [Hawkwind cover]
Ace of Spades [Motörhead cover]
Killed by Death [Motörhead cover]
Despite a few people leaving after Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons' set, there was still a healthy crowd present when the day's headliners Orange Goblin took to the stage not long after 9:30pm. A lot of Orange Goblin shirts had been witnessed around the site during the day, and the crowd gave the band the headliner's welcome that they deserved as they stepped onto the stage and launched into the bluesy Solarisphere. While I think that the crowd were louder during Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons' set, there was still plenty of love shown for Orange Goblin - and the moshers who had had their fun during Raging Speedhorn took advance of Orange Goblin's heavy riffing to open up a few pits. This pleased towering frontman Ben Ward greatly, and it was clear that the band enjoyed their first show in front of a crowd for quite some time. The show was also the debut of Harry Armstrong (bass guitar/vocals), who recently replaced the band's original bassist Martyn Millard. Far from looking nervous, Armstrong looked and sounded the part. It is clear that he has already gelled with the rest of the band - and his pounding bass presence was an excellent foil to the riffing of Joe Hoare (guitar/vocals). All nine of the band's albums were represented throughout the set, with the focus actually being on the band's earlier work. The band have become more anthemic over the years, as songs like The Filthy & the Few can attest to, but the set featured a lot of the band's more meandering pieces such as Saruman's Wish and The Man Who Invented Time. These songs featured a lot of great soloing from Hoare, while faster songs such as Made of Rats and the shout-along Some You Win, Some You Lose certainly pleased those moshing in the pits. Despite having also seen the band at the 2015 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air, this was my first headline experience of Orange Goblin live. I have only really got into the band properly recently, and I finally understand why the band are seen as such an institution in the British metal scene. The power that the four-piece bring live is pretty special, and the years on the road since forming back in 1995 were all spilled into the band's 80 or so minute set. A personal highlight for me was the slower-paced, creeping The Fog. The song's atmosphere really hit the spot as the darkness rolled in, and the catchy refrain at the end was playing in my head for quite a while afterwards. Another highlight was the Motörhead-esque Sons of Salem, with its anthemic chorus - but the pace was soon raised further with the blistering The Devil's Whip. Some technical gremlins reared their head towards the end of the set, with Quincy the Pigboy needing to be restarted due to Hoare's guitar cutting out, but the band just laughed their way through the problems and kept the show rolling on. In fairness, the end was nigh at this point - and it was left to the muscular Red Tide Rising to close out the show. Ward had a massive smile on his face as the band finished their set, and it was clear that he was as happy about live music being back as everyone in else in attendance. The setlist was:
Solarisphere
The Ballad of Solomon Eagle
The Filthy & the Few
Saruman's Wish
Aquatic Fanatic
Your World Will Hate This
Made of Rats
Blue Snow
The Man Who Invented Time
Some You Win, Some You Lose
The Fog
Sons of Salem
Scorpionica
The Devil's Whip
Quincy the Pigboy
Red Ride Rising
While Spike's acoustic show a couple of months ago provided a rather gentle easing back into live music, Orange Goblin and co.'s marathon Cornish afternoon/evening felt more like the real thing. The festival atmosphere was welcome, and the weather was excellent throughout - being just the right temperature for a good few hours without a significant amount of shelter. The entertainment was top drawer too, and even though a couple of the bands were not really my thing it was great seeing bands up close and personal again. The final three sets of the day were all excellent however, with Massive Wagons, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, and Orange Goblins all putting on stellar shows. All being well I will be seeing Orange Goblin again in London in December, and by then I should have a lot more live shows under my belt. Perhaps the second half of 2021 will be normal after all...
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