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Review and photographs by Linda McDermott

Rockmantic is a great wee festival, that lifts the spirits on a November weekend. With 12 bands playing over the two days, it’s a chance to soak up some fantastic rock music while discovering some great up-and-coming bands.

Visiting The Yardbirds Rock Venue in Grimsby for the first time I was hoping for some amazing acoustics and a great atmosphere. From the moment I entered the venue, I knew this was the right place to accommodate this gathering of rock fans.

The venue, renovated during lockdown to extend the building to include a larger stage area has had some awesome bands set foot through the doors with the likes of Breed 77, Zodiac Mindwarp, The Treatment, Screaming Eagles, Kris Barras, and Massive Wagons to name a few and now with this weekend, that list was about to get even longer.

Fridays Bands

· Bad Touch

· She Burns Red

· This House We Built

· Warbirds

· Moskito

· Liberty Slaves

Liberty Slaves

With things kicking off around teatime, this five-piece band from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire had the hard job of opening up proceedings for the weekend, never an easy task for anyone. With a crowd of around 50 to 60 people spread throughout the venue, they did themselves proud. They played some gutsy rock and roll songs reminiscent of Motörhead and AC/DC and with the singer sounding more like Lemmy than Lemmy did, I was foot tapping away right from the start. I loved the whole set as did those who ventured forth to the front of the stage when they were asked to by the band.

The guys were giving it everything to warm up the crowd, their songs were catchy and full of energetic riffs, lively drums and great baselines, add all that to Ryan’s gravelly vocal cords and you’ve got a powerhouse of a band. To accompany their formidable music, they were funny and engaging and had a great energy about them.

What a great start to the weekend.

Set List

Devil in Me

Heavens Above

Ain’t That A Bitch

Losing My Touch

Cat Got My Tongue

The Struggle is Real

Never Enough

Moskito

This was the surprise band of the night for me. The band stepped onto the stage and launched into the first track ‘Thrill Seeker’ slowly building up with vocals from the rest of the band before Jake the singer comes on and gives the song some attitude, they have piqued my interest from the offset.

With a mixture of influences heard throughout their set, I thought they were phenomenal. To start with I was intrigued as I heard influences in their music from the likes of Muse, The Streets, and Artic Monkeys and then there was a demanding imposing nod to Marilyn Manson and Rammstein in the great song, ‘Killing Joke’. I mean, how does that mix of influences even work? I honestly don’t know but they produce a great punky punchy rock sound that’s all theirs, add in that wee bit of attitude and swagger, which they had down to a tee and it’s a winner and I loved it! I’ve downloaded everything they’ve released now, and I’ll be at another gig of theirs soon that’s for sure.

Check them out, Moskito with a ‘k’ because in their words, ‘it’s edgy’ and so is the music. Go find them.

Set List

Thrill seeker

Gone with the Girl Next Door

Loser

Clinomania

517

Killing joke

Warbirds

Coming all the way from Australia the band has been in the UK touring on the back of their latest album ‘Order from Chaos’ which was released on the 19th of October. This power trio consisting of Looch, Anthony and Danny wasted no time delivering a slick set of heavy rock-based riffs with melodic rock melodies. Their influences come from seventies, eighties and nineties bands with a touch of prog rock sprinkled in there for good measure. Included in the set was ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ by Cream giving you an indication of their blend of music. I loved the laid-back title track ‘Order of Chaos’ with its haunting complexity that drew me in as it built up. They are a very polished and extremely talented band and yet another find for me in this world of rock and roll.

Set List

Prison cell

Slave

Collider

Sunshine of Your Love (Cream cover)

Bring Back Your Love

Take My Hand

Control

This House We Built

With more people now in the venue they were treated to a fantastic set by the guys from Scarborough with their fresh songs. They have released an awesome self-titled album that has a great uplifting quality to it that just says open the windows and play loud so everyone can hear.

They connected with the audience who were getting right behind them, and I, like the crowd loved the bluesy feel to ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ and the glorious ‘Fly me to the Moon’ that has you swaying side to side as it majestically transports you to another place. I think This House We Built are an amazing band and one to watch especially as I’ve now listened to the whole album which is superb with every song worthy of its place on it. If you’ve not seen them yet they are supporting Tyketto on their tour over the coming weeks.

Set List

Fairweather Friend

Nobody’s Fool

We Are, We Are

Walk the Line

Fly Me Up to the Moon

Dead Man’s Shoes

My Old Friend

She Burns Red

She Burns Red are a four-piece alternative banging rock band from Edinburgh and tonight they are playing all the songs from their debut album ‘Out of Darkness’ and a couple from their ‘Take Back Tomorrow’ EP.

Andy, Scott, James and Naz kicked off with the hard-hitting ‘Touch’ followed quickly by ‘Rise and Fall’ one of the five singles taken from the album. They had the attention of the room and played through their set at a blistering pace with cheers and applause heading in their direction. The crowd sang along to their fourth release ‘Crosshairs’ as James bounced about the stage in his kilt and war paint.

Then it’s onto their latest single ‘Heavy is the Head’ which was released two weeks ago and it’s another cracker with an anthemic feel and a rousing chorus to it.

‘Run’ is a breathtaking song in both its musical and lyrical content, it is a stunning track delivered in such a way that you can’t help but lose yourself in its emotional build-up. With guitars and vocals that take you on a stirring journey of emotions, it’s difficult not to be affected in some way by this song.

She Burns Red play the last two songs with fire and ferocious energy finishing with the album’s brilliant title track ‘Out of Darkness’. What a band!

Check out their debut album it’s incredible.

Set List

Touch

Rise & Fall

Killing Time

Copernicus Falls

Gone

Crosshairs

Heavy is the Head

Stronger

Run

Crack the Sky

Out of Darkness

Album Review https://jacemediamusic.com/2023/08/01/out-of-darkness-by-she-burns-red/

Bad Touch

These guys have got it sussed; they stroll onto the stage with an ease that tells you this is where they belong and treat you to a set of great bluesy good old southern rock and roll. With their new album due for release any day now they kicked off the set with its title track. They draw the crowd into their music with an epic fifteen-song set that’s just pure joy for the audience in front of them.

I love ‘Lift Your Head Up’ taken from the 2018 album ‘Shake a Leg’ with is great punchy beat and singalong chorus. They played songs from across all their five albums which was a treat for everyone, new and old fans alike. I love how they dropped their version of Alanis Morissette’s song ‘Hand in Pocket’ into the set as it could so easily be their own track as they make it fit seamlessly in between ’Let Go’ and ‘Come a Little Closer’.

We’re just about at the end of an amazing first night at the Yardbirds Rock venue and there’s only time for two more songs which are played to perfection and are in the form of an acoustic version of ‘Nothing Wrong with That’ before the rest of the band joins in and they finish the set with one of my favourites, ‘99%’ with everyone joining in the chorus. What a great night!

Set List

Bittersweet Satisfaction

I Get High

Strut

Lift Your Head

This life

Wise Water

Good on Me

Dressed To Kill

See it to Believe It

Spend my Days

Let Go

Hand in my Pocket

Come a little Closer

Nothing wrong with that (acoustic)

99%

Review of their upcoming album Bittersweet Satisfaction https://jacemediamusic.com/2023/11/11/bad-touch-bittersweet-satisfaction-album-review/

Although the venue wasn’t full on the first night of this event and it felt a bit spread out with a few people watching from the seated area, this didn’t deter the bands from putting on a great performance and a performance that will have gained them more fans. They all brought their ‘A’ game and the people who were there had a great time mingling and chatting to the band members making it extra special for everyone.

The sound was brilliant as was the lighting, which to a photographer is important! The bar prices were not extortionate, the staff were lovely and chatty, and everyone was friendly and approachable as at every rock gig I’ve ever been to.

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