There’s a bit of spectacle about them as well – some Maiden-style theatrics – but crucially, they’ve got the songs too: “Chainsaw Savior”, or the power metal brilliance of “March Of The Gods”. If anyone better exemplified the do-it-because-you-love-it-but-do-it-right ethos of the festival, I didn’t see them.
Winners of the vote for an opening act here, King Kraken are just about perfect. Their fans are out in force, even offering around some kind of alcoholic drink (the teetotal MV genuinely had no idea what it was), but by the end everyone else was won over too. And how could you not be, when there are riffs as chunky as Orange Goblin on the likes of “Green Terror”, or something as heartfelt as “Hero”, which singer Mark Donoghue dedicates to his late father.
And they’re back just a few minutes after their set to join in with the All-Star Ozzy Osbourne Tribute, featuring Myke Gray on guitar and a host of the great and good, including Florence Black doing “Paranoid.”
Black Oak County are making their first ever appearance in the UK here, and not only do they have to follow that, they also have to contend with two broken snare drums.
No matter, because the Danes are here to make an impression—and my goodness, they do.
“Save Your Breath” is hard rock fun, “Back For Blood,” as singer Niels Beier is eager to tell us, won an award back home, and “Laughing With The Crows” is full of the best type of hooks.
But there’s been a feeling all set that they remind you of another band, and it’s only when they play their snippet of “Blame It On The Boom Boom” that the name Black Stone Cherry bursts forth.
There are worse bands to be likened to, of course, and when they finish with “Boom Boom Baby,” you can only hope they visit the UK again.
There’s a band on the bill later in the afternoon that has a song literally called “Metal Is Forever,” but there are none more metal anywhere than Enforcer.
The Swedes even dub themselves “true metal.” From Beyond is exactly that, while singer Olof Wikstrand reckons that “Live For The Night” is “fast shit.” Certainly, the first word is right.
This is proper heavy metal – the kind of thing people who don’t like metal think metal sounds like. With their Flying V guitars and leather waistcoats, you know exactly what they’re going to sound like – and they do. “Hell Will Follow” and “Midnight Vice” are exactly what you’d want from them.
Cards on the table before we start: MV is a huge fan of The New Roses, and there’s a parallel world where they’re the arena rock band they want to be. Seeing them here, smashing out “Bring The Thunder,” they are just magnificent.
Singer Timmy Rough always looks like he’s having a wonderful time, and “Every Wild Heart” soars. They’ve always been this good, as early material like “Thirsty” proves.
There’s not a crowd they can’t win over in 40 minutes, and “Usual Suspects,” along with their closer “Down By The River,” underlines it.
And so to the band who actually do sing “Metal Is Forever”: Primal Fear. The band Ralf Scheepers formed when he didn’t get the gig with Priest. For almost 30 years they’ve embodied power metal, and “Angel In Black” thunders along tonight. With a new record imminent, “The Hunter” proves they’ve still got the same fire they always had.
Frankly, a rock and metal festival without a band like this in the afternoon is getting it wrong. With “Chainbreaker” and the aforementioned anthem, these boys are very much a pick-me-up.
D-A-D are all too infrequent visitors over here, but their flamboyant set today more than makes up for that.
Stig Pedersen has brought his best boots and skirt for the occasion, and not to be outdone, guitarist Jacob Binzer sports an immense top hat. Once you’ve taken in the spectacle, what follows is a brilliant 50-minute hard rock set, as the Danes prove they aren’t quite like anyone else. Whether it’s “Jihad,” “Girl Nation,” or the knockabout rock ’n’ roll of “Riding With Sue,” it’s all sensational.
“Rim Of Hell” is arguably the song of the day up to that point, though it might just be upstaged by the glorious closer “Sleeping My Day Away.”
Next to MV on the disabled platform was a woman looking after her daughter. Earlier she’d cheerily explained, “I don’t particularly like this music, but I like the vibe.” After D-A-D, she simply said: “I like them, they made me smile.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.
As we’re stealing words all over the place, here’s some more. As compere Krusher put it, Sweet offer “all hits and no shits.”
Sweet are brilliant. You can stick them on any stage, anywhere, and they just knock out exactly that.
They start with “Action,” then throw in “Hell Raiser” for good measure.
Along the way they deliver “The Six Teens,” and singer Paul Manzi nails it: “It doesn’t matter how old you are, we’re all sixteen in our hearts.” That’s why this music lives on, and why they can still get away with doing “Teenage Rampage.”
Andy Scott has now recovered from his illness and is back where he belongs, tearing into “Fox On The Run” and “Blockbuster.” And for the kids of the 90s who grew up with Wayne’s World, there’s “Ballroom Blitz.”
Look, if you don’t like Sweet, that’s a you problem.
There are certain bands that, wherever they are on the bill, act like they are headlining and The Dead Daisies are one of those.
Afforded what isn’t far off a full set, they are arena rock in a festival setting.
“Long Way To Go”, “Rise Up”, or the title track to last autumn’s “Light ‘Em Up”, all of them soar into the evening sky. Largely this is down to the California cool of Doug Aldrich and John Corabi.
The latter being back has made them a very different band from the Glenn Hughes version, and its difficult to imagine them doing “Mexico” or “I’m Gonna Ride” a few years back.
Covers are a important part of what they do as they the rock fans rock band if you will. Their version of “I’m Going Down” rocks up a blues classic, while “Fortunate Son” and The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” gives it a proper singalong to end.
This closes The Dead Daisies UK tour – it won’t belong before they are back. David Lowry’s troops belong on stages.
The second song in the encore tonight is The Almighty history. It’s the first time they’ve ever played “The Four Horseman” live (they’ve recorded it for an all-star Metallica tribute). Dare we dream of new music to go along with this reformation?
Right, the usual caveat here: The Almighty are my favourite band. So yes, I’m biased. But to be fair, they’re easily the band with the most T-shirts in the crowd tonight (mine included), and they are in incredible form.
Songs chosen by the fans include opening with “Power,” followed by “Destroyed,” and more old favourites — let’s be honest, the newest track here dates back to the mid-90s — like “Full Force Lovin’ Machine.”
“Wrench” showcases the utterly glorious Crank record, and credit to them for playing songs some of them weren’t even originally on.
But it’s those first four albums that are really mined tonight. Arguably the best run of four albums ever recorded, they swing from the tender “Little Lost Sometimes” to the visceral punk of “Jonestown Mind” in just a few minutes, showing the sheer range and skill of this band.
The early album’s are represented too, with a couple of huge singalongs — “Devil’s Toy,” for example — and the takedown of organised religion “Jesus Loves You… But I Don’t,” both delivered to perfection. Then, of course, there’s “Free N Easy,” the only possible way to end the set.
“Crucify” kicks off the encore, before the Metallica cover is balanced by “Wild and Wonderful,” dedicated to Ozzy and Brett Hinds, a stunning close to a marvellous day.
The Almighty are, quite simply, the best.
