Live Review: Steelhouse Festival 2021
23rd-25th July 2021
Review and photos by Paul Hutchings
Smiles. Smiles for miles. If there was one enduring memory of this bustling, fantastic classic rock festival held at the top of the Gwent Valleys, it was the sheer joy of being in a field watching live music with a beer in hand. These fans had waited so long. And they travelled in their numbers from all around these sacred isles. Scots, Cumbrians, Mancunians, Liverpudlians and those from the South joined with the South Walian hard rock family for the tenth anniversary, cruelly delayed by the pandemic and much changed from the original line-up. In many ways the line-up was almost incidental. It was the ability to do something we took for granted every year.
Fans were required to produce a negative lateral flow test prior to arrival, but once into the campsites and arena, you could have sworn there had not been a pandemic as people mixed freely, hugged, and smiled. Distance was respected, the space on the capped crowd reduced to 4000 but the vibe remained. Tears, laughter, memories of those no longer with us shared, it all came together superbly and whilst the inevitable and (sometimes) justifiable gripes about the limited toilets, queues at the bar and limited food options surfaced, one must remember that the organisers threw this event together with three weeks’ notice from the Senedd. A great achievement and a huge effort – well done to all involved.
Friday
In their three years together, Staffordshire’s The Howling Tides could never had expected that they’d be playing under such circumstances. The four-piece made sure that their fiery brand of classic rock lived long in the memory with a storming set that got the eager crowd clapping and dancing along. They’ll be playing Bloodstock soon and are sure to get another excellent reception. Matt Mitchell was eager to follow and the singer, backed by The Cold Hearts maintained the momentum with another solid set. Mitchell has been around the block a while now, with stints with Colour of Noise, Furyon and Pride amongst those on the CV. He’s got the voice, and with his band giving it everything, it was 2-0 to the stage after two hours, with both bands and the cheering audience beaming from ear to ear.
Cornwall’s King Creature must be one of the hardest gigging bands in the UK today and the four-piece led by the energetic Dave Kellaway they powered their way through another set that impressed. I’ve seen the band many times, including two shows on their socially distanced tour with Blind River at the end of May, and they are growing in confidence and quality. A sizeable portion of the crowd were word perfect and the number of King Creature shirts in the audience suggests that the band are on the verge of big things. There was a time when Raveneye were everywhere. Steelhouse Alumni from 2016, Oli Brown and his trusty cohorts have toured with no less than Kiss in Europe in the past and their infectious blues driven hard rock is usually a real treat. With Michael Blackwell filling in on the bass for the band, Oli Brown and drummer Adam Breeze expertly guided the crowd through a pleasing selection of songs from their Nova album and also their new single. It was good to see Oli and co back, a live band who rarely let you down.
On Friday 19th August 2011, London rockers The Quireboys headlined the first night at the first Steelhouse Festival. Spike and the boys have been back up the mountain before, in 2018, but there are few better bands if you want a party started than The Quireboys. It might have been past ‘Seven o’clock’, but it was time for a party and with the panache and swagger that the band has delivered since those early days in the 1980s, The Quireboys turned back time to deliver a cracker of a set. ‘Hey, You’, ‘There She Goes Again’, ‘Sweet Mary Ann’, all had the crowd dancing and singing along. A beer in hand and the last remnants of the sun reflecting off the screens, suddenly all was right with the world again.
It was only a few weeks ago that Phil Campbell and The Bastard Sons announced the departure of their long-time vocalist Neil Starr. It sent shock waves around the band’s fan base, with speculation rife about possible replacements. A few days before the festival Andrew Hunt, vocalist with Buffalo Summer was revealed as their temporary singer. Keeping it in the country, Hunt is a fine vocalist and for those who had arrived as gates opened, you might have heard his soundcheck echoing across the fields. The Motörhead guitarist and his sons know exactly how to deliver a headline set, and they eased into their summer touring schedule with a show that nailed it on every level. From the raucous ‘We’re the Bastards’ that kicked the hour long set off, to the generous serving of Motörhead tracks (‘Going to Brazil’, ‘R.A.M.O.N.E.S’, ‘Killed by Death’, ‘Ace of Spades’ and ‘Born to Raise Hell’), the band ploughed through a 14-track set in triumphant style. The chorus of “Fuck You Tyler Campbell”, the defiant middle fingers and of course, Phil’s genuine chat between songs saw more and more smiles emerge around the field. Hunt was fabulous, hitting the right notes and putting those nerves to bed early doors. Behind him Dane and Tyla were solid and anchored the show, allowing Phil and Todd to hit the lead breaks. Come 11 O’clock and the arena was in heaven. A fantastic and sensible move had worked out stunningly well.
Saturday
The promised storm duly arrived in the early hours, with thunder, lightning, rain, and wind of biblical proportions taking down a few tents and gazebos in the campsite. But apart from an hour’s delay staring proceedings, there was little to dampen the spirit on the stage and Revival Black ensured any early morning woes were swiftly forgotten with their swaggering rock causing a good round of early festival dancing and jigging. Vocalist Dan Byrne made the most of the walkway, spending almost as much time at the end of it as he did on the stage. It was a good way to start the second day. Hands Off Gretel were up next, bringing some colour and glamour to the stage. Their punk-tinged hard rock with anthems of empowerment changed the vibe but Lauren Tate’s hugely impressive energy and non-stop action ensured that whilst the messages may have been more political, the good time was still important.
Florence Black probably had the shortest distance of any band to travel, but that didn’t stop the Merthyr trio taking the festival by the scruff and giving it a good shake. Tristan Thomas always looks controlled, his joint vocal and guitar duties leaving him a little static but he could not resist venturing along the walk way when the opportunity presented it. Florence Black are in the process of releasing their latest single and with a new album to come soon, things are looking up. We also saw ‘Padge’ from Bullet for my Valentine guesting on their traditional cover of Budgie’s ‘Breadfan’ which unsurprisingly got the Valleys singing.
Kris Barras is another fan favourite up the mountain although I believe he and his band were making their debut at the festival. Although I’m impressed by the talent of the former cage fighter and vocalist with Billy Gibbons in Supersonic Blues Machine, his set was one of the few I tuned out for during the weekend, refuelling with some food and drink whilst watching from further back. With the Black Spiders stuffed by a ping, it was left to Planet Rock presenter Toby Jepson to step into the hero role that many have done in the past and fill a slot with some acoustic solo and Little Angels music. Not my bag by a mile so I apologise that there isn’t much to say. The Crowd, all more generous than me, loved it, so I’m in the minority!
If Those Damn Crows aren’t headlining this festival by 2023, I’d be amazed. The Bridgend boyos are due to release their third album soon, but to be honest, with such a partisan crowd behind them, Shane Greenhall could have farted the Welsh National anthem and the band would still have conquered the event. Whilst their music isn’t by any means ground-breaking, they play their brand of new classic rock with style, and in Greenhall have an excellent frontman who commands the crowd with humility and a swagger of confidence brought about by sheer hard work. A blend of hard-hitting rockers and softer, semi-ballads worked well with the band ramping it back up for their finale. You heard it here first.
The Crows are still learning their trade and could still take a thing or two from the band that followed them. Northern Ireland has produced several good bands over the years, but few receive the adulation and excitement that Therapy? generate. A powerful, punchy set that started with Isolation ended with the band throwing a spot of Judas Priest into the mix. Therapy? were determined to go for it and with a substantial diehard fan base cheering their every note, it was only ever going one way. Andy Cairns and Michael McKeegan are fine, engaging outfield players whilst Neil Cooper, approaching his 20th anniversary held everything together with his rock-solid drumming.
When Anthrax was forced to withdraw, I suppose it was inevitable that a more familiar replacement would be sourced. Watching the crowd cheer The Darkness, you’d have never thought that the New York thrashers had ever been on the bill. Of course, the band led by Justin Hawkins are no strangers to Steelhouse having headlined in 2016. This time around they were flat, with some strange song choices and overlong gaps between songs. Rusty they may have been, but Hawkins high pitched falsetto has never floated my boat and at the end of a long day I sacrificed the last 30 minutes for an early night.
Sunday
Amazingly the weather, so often the source of conversation, not to mention misery at Steelhouse continued to surprise and it was shorts and t-shirts as the final day kicked off. Having missed Empyre (sorry!) it was time for the Spinal Tap moment of the weekend. Kent based Collateral released their debut record last year and expanded to a six-piece, adding keyboardist Robert Richard James Fenning and guitarist Louis Malagodi to the band who comprise Angelo Tristan (lead vocals, guitar), Todd Winger (guitar), Jack Bentley-Smith (bass) and Ben Atkinson (drums). I’ve used the word Swagger several times in this review but if there is one thing that all the singers at this festival possess, it is swagger. Tristan flounced onstage in a flamboyant full-length coat, grinning from ear to ear and delivering a clean, crisp vocal show. That Spinal Tap moment, I hear you ask. Ah, yes, At the end of the first song, Tristan attempts to remove said coat, only to get stuck in the sleeves and requiring the help of a member of crew to pull the singer out of his predicament. He survived the embarrassment and Collateral demonstrated why many are tipping them to do well with a smooth and polished set.
If you look at the history of Glaswegians Mason Hill, you’ll understand why there was so much support for them in the crowd. Formed in 2013, the band have packed huge amounts into their career and with frontman Scott Taylor beaming from ear to ear, they quickly got the fists in the air and the heads on the barriers nodding with their infectious brand of hard rock. It was obviously cold on the stage, as guitarist James Bird looked quite untroubled by his thick beany hat despite the blazing sun. Another of the Steelhouse Alumni, Mason Hill may have travelled the furthest, but the reaction of the audience was hopefully enough for that long journey home.
Talking of swagger, there’s few in the hard rock scene that have more bounce than Toby Jepson. Having pushed the Wayward Sons into the Black Spiders slot, Jepson and his band (including a beaming Sam Wood on guitar) received a huge ovation. Three albums in their four-year career isn’t a bad return and Jepson can write a classic rock track in his sleep. From the opener ‘Any Other Way’ through to the closing ‘Until the End’, Wayward Sons performed with style and quality, and earned that rapturous applause. I’m afraid that Stone Broken leave me cold, and despite one rather intoxicated young lady telling me later than they should have headlined, they were never going to get in the way of a can of something cold and a bacon sandwich.
If there are two men that could play the kazoo and earn an encore, it would be Bernie Marsden and Nev McDonald. The former is of course, a legendary guitarist whose set is usually based on the Whitesnake catalogue he wrote and featured on. McDonald is a hero on the mountain, with his band Hand of Dimes and of course, his previous tenure in Skin. This was a set full of emotion, and nostalgia, with McDonald once more stunning with his superb vocals doing justice to those songs that Marsden wrote so long ago with David Coverdale. With backing singers to add oomph, this was an opportunity to sing along to ‘Here I Go Again’, ‘Ain’t No Love In The Heart of the City’, ‘Ready and Willing’ and ‘Fool For your Lovin’ and the crowd gave it their all. As the sun cast its rays across the arena, once more there was a moment to reflect.
If The Quireboys were Friday night’s party outfit, and Therapy? brought the noise on Saturday, there was little that could be less guaranteed than the fact that The Wildhearts were not going to play without a headline performance. And so it proved, as Ginger, CJ, Ritch, and Danny simply blasted their way through an hour of classics and newer songs in typically robust style. It was epic from the word go, and with the crowd clearly in the mood, the first and only mosh pits briefly opened as The Wildhearts blew the stage to bits. These are a band not to be missed.
As are Uriah Heep. Celebrating their 51st anniversary, the Heep rolled back the years with a glorious 90-minute set that was enthralling and captivating for every minute. Mick Box can still play with glorious fluidity, his command of the fretboard marking him out as one of the most underrated guitarists in rock whilst Bernie Shaw (vocals) and Phil Lanzon (keys & vocals) are now entering their fourth decade with the band and still have a magic about their delivery. A setlist crammed with classics, the crowd were also treated to some extended jams as the band (completed by drummer Russell Gilbrook and bassist Dave Rimmer) proved to be worthy headliners. Concluding the night with a riotous ‘Easy Livin’, suddenly it was fireworks time and then the short walk back to the campsite for a final beer, with the realisation that for three days the world had been almost normal.
Steelhouse had prevailed, the weather had been kind, and the bands had been brilliant. It’s a festival that prides itself on the friendly nature, the small scale but the big heart. Once again, it succeeded on all counts.
Check out our full Steelhouse Festival gallery here.
All photo credits: Paul Hutchings
Beautiful review for an absolutely fantastic weekend. New friends made, old ones caught up with and music so loud it made your ribs rattle
The whole festival was fantastic and as usual, such a friendly crowd. I have to disagree with your comments on Stone Broken. They got the crowd rocking and joining in. I heard people behind me saying how good they were and I couldn’t agree more. Mason Hill were also fantastic with their enthusiasm clearly showing through their music. It was great to hear live music again and in such fantastic surroundings. Thanks Steelhouse!