Review by Paul Quinton and Woody, Photos by Lisa Billingham
Day Three, Saturday 22nd March
Saturday at HRH Prog/Blues/AOR, was a lot like Sunday at Firefest, a lot of good music to look forward to, but the crowd always seemed a little quiet, taking their time to get into things, regrouping after two days of music.
Melodic Rock band CURRAN opened the day’s events on the AOR stage, sadly in front of a crowd barely numbered in dozens. It was a shame, because the band really have an awful lot to offer, with good original songs and a lively performance for so early in the day. Singer Mark Curran tried really hard to involve the crowd and build some kind of atmosphere, even trying a singalong to the band’s cover of ‘Rosalie,’ but it was hard work, even for such a promising band. Not really a situation for them to give of their best, but Curran are another band well worth seeing.(PQ)
Disappointingly, there was then more news of a band pulling out, with DeeExpus being unable to appear on the Prog stage due to illness in the band. However, this did mean a chance to see the frighteningly fresh-faced Black Country band EAST OF EDEN. Definitely not to be confused with the Folk/Prog outfit who had a single chart hit in the early 1970s, this is a tight four-piece who can clearly play, and if their own song writing betrays their inexperience, some smartly chosen covers helped make this a very enjoyable set. Perhaps Led Zep’s ‘Rock and Roll’ was an obvious choice, but they did well with Velvet Revolver’s ‘Slither’ and a fascinating mash-up of ‘Billie Jean’ with ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was one of the best things I heard all day. There’s huge talent here, and hopefully their support slot on the McBusted tour will do them a world of good. (PQ)
Russians REDS’COOL were a late addition to the HRH AOR line-up but I wasn’t shocked to see them added as they were touring with UFO across Europe. I was looking forward to the chance to check these guys out after enjoying their album Bad Bad Story. It was a shame the crowd wasn’t bigger for when they hit the stage as they are the real deal a solid and tight live outfit that perform like they were born to It. As a new band, at least to me, I had presumed their performance may have been more timid or reserved especially as the hall wasn’t full for them. They really brought the rock and the crowd responded exceedingly positively to their brand of ultra melodic classic rock. Based on this performance I could see these guys really breaking through and hopefully the UFO support will allow them get onto the average rock fan’s radar. They seemed even more smooth and melodious than they do on their album, something I really relished and this drew me even more to the band. I do fear a language barrier could hinder the bands progress in the UK which is a real shame given what a solid live unit they are. Amongst their set we heard ‘Brand New Start’, ‘Hey You’, ‘Forget You’ and ‘Bad Bad Story’. Well worth checking out! (Woody)
With no DeeExpus, CRIMSON SKY began their set on the Prog stage earlier than scheduled and also were given a longer slot than they expected. This could be a really good band, but there always seems something lacking with them, a spark that will raise them a level or two, both in terms of performance and reputation. They have some decent songs, very melodic prog, and singer Jane Setter works really hard to involve the crowd and put the songs over, but, in terms of presentation, she gets little help from the rest of the band. There’s very little movement or effort in performance from them, and this does nothing to lift the music out of the merely competent bracket. While excusing the drummer and keyboard player, for obvious reasons, I don’t think either the guitar player or bassist moved two paces to either side for the entire set, much less make eye contact with the crowd. The highlight was their ‘title song’, ‘Crimson Sky’ itself, with echoes of Solstice and Iona, which at least shows that there’s more to Crimson Sky than you see on stage. (PQ)
Scandinavian’s DYNAZTY who I’ve been following for a while play a very melodic brand of sleaze stereotypical of what their homeland produces. Or at least they did, these guys have had a massive sound change and to be honest it’s not for everyone. They have a new album coming called ‘Renatus ‘and it sees the band move firmly into a power metal territory, fast guitars and an even faster rhythm section – think Dragonforce and you’re sort of onto the style they have drifted into. Personally it’s not for me and songs like ‘Run Amok’ just scared the bejesus out of me and fitting in some older numbers felt awkward and it really disjointed the flow of the show and you could sense the band were very keen to stick the metallic edge of their newer material. The crowd seemed very appreciative but I found myself checking my watch and been totally gobsmacked at such a drastic change in the band’s sound. I’m not a fan of their changes but I do sense the change in direction could help push them towards a wider audience. (Woody)
As someone who’s followed PANIC ROOM since the early days after the band’s formation, watching them live is starting to become a little frustrating. There’s far too much talent in this band for them not to be brilliant. Saving guitarist Adam O’Sullivan, who’s still in his early days with the band, Anne-Marie Helder (vocals, guitar), Yatim Halimi (bass), Gavin Griffiths (drums) and Jonathan Edwards (Keys) are some of the best musicians on the current UK Prog scene at the moment, but too often it feels like the band are playing within themselves and you long for them to really cut loose live. They played a lot of material from their new album ‘Incarnate’, and while it’s an improvement on the previous album, ‘Skin’, it still feels a little safe. It wasn’t until they finished the set with the excellent ‘Song For Tomorrow’ and the community singing of ‘Satellite’, that there seemed to be any real fire and passion in the playing. As artists and songwriters they have to follow their own path, but sometimes the music needs some passion and devil to come alive. (PQ)
Back into the AOR arena for KEE MARCELLO and his band. If you hadn’t known he used to be in Europe, you would surely have realised when you heard the cheers for the inclusion of some their songs in his set, but his hour-long set, as part of a for-piece band was mostly his own stuff, solid melodic hard rock. His own vocals are competent, but it has to be said, he’s no Joey Tempest, nonetheless it’s pretty decent stuff, without being spectacular, but obviously the best reception is for the two Europe tracks in the set, a rocking ‘Superstition,’ which was really good, and ‘Rock The Night’, for which he was joined by former Ten, Dare and Asia guitarist, Vinnie Burns. It’s always good to see Vinnie The Viper on stage, but oddly Marcello’s band didn’t give him a lot to do, other than playing rhythm, he only stepped forward for a very brief solo, which seemed a bit of a waste. Good set, without really catching fire. (PQ)
After Kee Marcello came LOVE/HATE, which, like Tesla and Skid Row the previous year, seemed to be stretching the definition of AOR rather. Perhaps they’d be better off calling the weekend ‘HRH Classic Rock’? Like Kee Marcello, this was another solid set of crowd pleasers, that went down really well, and perhaps opened the crowd’s eyes to the fact that there’s a lot more to Jizzy Pearl’s band than ‘Blackout in The Red Room’. Although that is their one genuinely classic song, other songs like ‘Why Do You Think They Call it Dope’ also went down really well, and the band seemed to be having a pretty good time as well. ‘Black Out…’ brought the set to a suitably raucous end, and the band exited to perhaps the best reception of any band on the Saturday so far. (PQ)
COLDSPELL are one of those bands I’m desperate to love but I just can’t seem to get into them. It’s hard to explain because they have so many elements that appeal to me in music, they are hugely melodic, have full frontal keyboards, lots of vocal harmonies and a strong singer, but I just can’t connect with them and I don’t know what that missing part is. They have built up a strong and loyal fan base and you can see clearly from the fans reactions they are hitting all the right notes with the melodic rock community – in fact I don’t know anyone into this genre of music who doesn’t love these guys – I really do feel like the odd man out. It’s like I’m in a room full of people and someone has just told a joke and everyone is busting a gut laughing except for me. There is no denying what a solid live unit Coldspell are and it’s easy to hear and see how they have won such a loyal fan base. They are an extremely hard working band and those efforts are picked up by and appreciated by their fans. But my detachment from their music makes it very hard for me to cheer and appreciate them more, I have a lot of respect for them as musicians and the hard work they put into their music. Maybe one day it’ll click and I’ll finally hear what everyone else is! I do own all their albums and recognised most their set so here’s what we heard and those down the front danced and sang along too, ‘Heroes’, ‘Angel Of The World’, ‘Six Feet Under’, ‘ Paradise’ , ‘When Night Falls’, ‘ One In A Million’, ‘On The Run’, ‘Eye Of The Storm’, ‘Soldiers’ and ‘Time’. (Woody)
With a view to seeing as many different bands as possible on the main stages, it was back into the Prog Arena for THE ENID, and even now, looking back at their set, I’m still unable to make sense of it or to work out exactly what I was watching. Scheduling and technical issues meant they started their set 35 minutes later than scheduled, and even then, after their first piece (it seems wrong, somehow, to describe it as a song) there was a further delay for five minutes when an electronic wind instrument broke down. I thought at the time that it all seemed an attempt to rewrite the works of classical composers like Stravinsky for rock instruments, with the percussion, the multiple keyboards, the elaborate arrangements and the contralto vocals of Joe Payne (think of a deeper voiced Jimi Somerville), it was all a long way from ‘Black Out In The Red Room’. Words like grandiose, bombastic and even pompous come to mind, but occasionally you wonder if it’s all some kind of elaborate joke or performance art piece being played on the audience, especially when pianist Robert John Godfrey complains about the volume and aggression of the other bands on the bill, then proceeds to lead a band that produces such elaborately over the top music as this. They’re by no means po-faced about it all, and there’s some welcome humour between the ‘pieces’, but if it was a joke, it was one that I didn’t get. (PQ)
Given GRAHAM BONNET’S truly abysmal performance at The Robin a few days prior to this performance, I wasn’t sure he would show tonight and even if I wanted to be here if he did. Talking to a few people about what happened at that gig the gossip is Bonnet did indeed seek medical attention the following morning – which would make sense as it wasn’t a bad a show in he was messing it up he literally lost his voice. Tonight vocally he was a million times better although that wasn’t hard to achieve and there was obviously some medical reason why his performance in Bilston was so bad. That said it wasn’t a stellar performance, his voice did frequently crack and float out of tune, what I did notice is Bonnet acknowledge these flaws and make sure he didn’t stretch himself to the point where his performance would overly suffer. The set was OK at best but the mid set lull did have me drifting asleep, it had been a long weekend for me! That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it! But it did mean I didn’t fully appreciate the end of the set as I found myself wishing for my bed! They played ‘Eyes Of The World’, ‘Love’s No Friend Of Mine’, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Bad Girl’, ‘Making Love’, ‘Stargazer’, ‘ Catch The Rainbow’, ‘ All Night Long’, ‘Lost In Hollywood’ , ‘Long Live Rock N Roll’. His backing band were faultless and well practiced – you can’t say enough superlatives to describe how well these guys recreated all those Rainbow classics and Bonnet couldn’t have asked for a better backing band which included Shy drummer Bob Richards. Bonnet himself though seemed to divide audience reaction many die-hards fully loving every second but the other half finding his onstage antics and banter annoying and in some cases disrespectful. Personally I felt he was trying too hard to entertain and maintain his reputation for bad behaviour and unpredictability. It was clear from the onset he would struggle to win the whole of the crowd. (Woody)
My colleague Mr. Woodward has had his say on Graham Bonnet, but before moving on, can I just say that I saw the opening few minutes of his set, which sounded promising, but when his voice cracked and faltered in the opening line of the opening song, I had to leave shortly afterwards. I just couldn’t bear to hear some of my favourite music ever being treated like this. Instead it was back to the Prog arena to see another artist who’s had some voice problems in the last few years, but who has managed to make what seems like an almost complete recovery. In fact the turnaround in FISH’s career recently is almost extraordinary. His voice is back, he’s released a fine, fine album, ‘A Feast of Consequences’, and tonight the Big Man gave us an absolutely superb set. The new material sounded terrific in the live setting, particularly a spectacular ‘God’, and his band were on absolutely top form, not letting a problem with feedback, reoccurring throughout the set, knock them out of their stride. Inevitably there were some Marillion songs in the set, early on there was an absolutely spellbinding ‘Script For a Jester’s Tear’, played as well as I’ve heard for several years, and later a lengthy ‘Assassing’, which incorporated parts of ‘Fugazi’ and ‘White Feather’. Along with Tyketto, this was one of the very best sets of the entire weekend. (PQ)
After Fish, events on the Prog stage were concluded by the ever excellent SOLSTICE. The earlier delays meant they started their set 50 minutes later than scheduled and had to cut its length down from an hour to barely 40 minutes. Nevertheless they were still able to prove that they remain one of the undiscovered gems of Prog in the UK. While Andy Glass’ guitar understandably dominates, and he is a very fine player indeed, Jenny Newman’s equally fine violin playing gives them some real individuality and her harmonies with lead vocalist Emma Brown are a joy. They gave us two songs from the new album ‘Prophecy’, ‘Keepers’ and the majestic 18-minute ‘Warriors’, and to finish a set that flashed by far too quickly, a simply terrific ‘Flight’. Along with Fish, they closed the Prog element of HRH on a very high note indeed, and I’d like to close by saying ‘can you come back and play the Midlands sometime very soon, please?’ (PQ)
More delays in the AOR arena meant I was able to catch the end of UFO’s set. It’s meant as a compliment to when I say that they’re one of those bands who are almost predictable, you know exactly what you’re going to get, an almost flawless back catalogue, brilliantly played and yet they usually manage to put something surprising into the setlist. Tonight it had been ‘Pushed To The Limit’, from the ‘Walk On Water’ album, as well as a couple of songs from their most recent album ’Seven Deadly’. Phil Mogg was his usual self, introducing the songs with his usual wry humour, and is there a more underrated vocalist in British rock than this man? Most of the rest of the set list you could probably predict, including the encores of ‘Doctor, Doctor’ and ‘Rock Bottom’, but these are songs you can never really tire of hearing. The clash was unfortunate, but that’s the nature of these events, and I’m glad I got to hear at least some of what appeared to be a fine set. And to the person who held up a sign asking them to play ‘Doctor, Doctor’: did you really think they wouldn’t? (PQ)
So that was HRH AOR/Prog/Blues, and I think we can put it down as a pretty fair success. The organisation and facilities were excellent and there was some absolutely terrific music to hear. Overall, my favourite sets of the weekend were Tyketto, narrow title winners over Fish, Solstice Bonfire and Dante Fox. The best new band I heard over the weekend were Synaesthesia, although several bands new to me played some great sets as well. The major downside was the difficulty in scheduling three stages, which meant some very tricky decisions had to be made, including missing the Flower Kings and Pineapple Thief on the Prog stage, and that there was rarely a real chance to visit the Blues stage for fear of missing something elsewhere. Next year it looks as if the Prog event will be hived off to a different weekend, which means even harder decisions will have to be made, even if only on economic grounds, and although the organisers were pushing the opportunity to book a year in advance very hard, I think most people will be waiting for the line-up announcements before making their choice.
