Where – Yardbirds, Grimsby
When 15th/16th November 2024
Review by Mark Pitfield
Photographs by Linda McDermott
Day One
One of my highlights of the year is held annually at Grimsby’s Yardbirds, a great small venue with a high stage and 2 floor levels, that means everyone can see the bands. I always feel at home here and the staff and the punters in attendance are always supportive of the music that is put on, the price of drinks is very reasonable too, so what’s not to like! The organisers have a knack of finding grassroots bands and giving them a platform, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend ahead.
Starting the weekend off are The Empty Accents who are a young band that I first saw at Call of the Wild Festival on the Trailblazer stage, and I was keen to hear how they had progressed since then. I wasn’t disappointed as it was noticeable that they’ve become more confident and grown into their sound. Playing a seven-song set to get things going that included a brilliant cover of ‘Slither’ that showed where their influences come from, they were the perfect start to the night.
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Starting Fires
(The Bunker CIC)
The Dead Demons, a four-piece from South Yorkshire grace the stage next with their new frontman Paul who delivers great melodic vocals to go with everyone else’s fluid playing, I liken them to Blaze Bailey and what’s not to like about that? A great set of classic rock songs with highlights for me being their new song “Evolution” and their final song “Another Space in time.”
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Evolution
(GatorGimp)
Luna Marble introduced a 70s vibe to the night with sharp female vocals and songs. Regardless of a broken string issue, Dragos was like Frank Zapper in a younger form and licked the strings skilfully throughout the set. It must be said I really enjoyed them and their style, and I was whisked back to the 70s. With their influences coming from the likes of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd I was incredibly happy to be transported.
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Begging Mercy
Up next were Lesbian Bed Death. I was new to this band and for me they were definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. With great songs and stage presence I lapped up their sound as their set progressed. I am thinking of likening them to South of Salem and for those slightly older amongst us, Rob Zombie – which is not bad thing. A highlight was the guitarist banging out a great tune on a personally made satanic guitar to the song ‘Satanic, Suicide, Sex Cult.’ They came they saw, and they gained me as a fan.
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She Loves Lilith
Dead Fire
Another new band for me and the music now turned a lot more aggressive! An all-male 4-piece band, headed by a bearded version of Phil Anselmo, with all the attitude and a great voice. They came all the way from Aberdeen to play and they did not disappoint. They belted through their set with guitar riffs and heavy beats and with Charlie venturing into the crowd to sing up close and personal. If that wasn’t enough, just to finish off their blistering set they sang the ‘Ace of Spades’ leaving the audience on a high.
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BMF
Tail Gunner
The headliner for Friday was Tail Gunner who I had seen in the summer at the Stonedead festival in front of 5000 people, seeing them again in a small intimate setting and playing with all their heart and soul is a testament to their rise in popularity. I can only say that they came, kicked ass and left – along with lots of theatrics on stage which I want to draw a comparison to a young version of Iron Maiden. They have been on their Guns for Hire tour playing some 50+ dates and it shows in how tight they are. Thoroughly enjoyed their set and they even played a cover of Pain Killer by Judas Priest.
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Painkiller
Rockmantic 16th November 2024 – Day Two
Foxx opened day two with a mix of songs that included tracks from the singer, Dean Foxx’s other band Knock Out Kaine. Even though the hall wasn’t full he likened it to “playing at Wembley but with affordable drinks”! With great up-tempo songs like ‘Bare Knuckle Blues,’ ‘I’m Back’ and ‘Blackstreet Romeo’ and finishing the set with ‘I’m Coming Home’ they eased everyone into the night’s entertainment.
Next up was Circus 66 with sassy lead singer Annabelle showing off her impressive vocal range that brought real emotion to the songs. They gave us a masterclass in great beats and gritty guitar riffs that encompasses who they are and what they’re about. Their new album comes out in March 2025 and their new single, ‘Save The Damn World’ really was explosive and a great point of their set. Check out the new single video below.
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Save the Damn World
Manors, what a band! Ellen, Jake, Drew, and Ric are from Newcastle and have a heavy sound with powerful vocals. They are fierce and in your face one minute, melodic, and tantalising the next. This is their first gig outside of the Northeast and I am sure it won’t be their last if this performance is anything to go by, I just couldn’t take my eyes off them, with their mesmerising stage presence.
The song ‘Change’ all about mental health, had the Jake taking over the vocals. It was melodic and was very poignant, and showcased how versatile this metalcore band are with their music.
They will be playing at Rockmantic, Carlisle in February and Call of the Wild, Lincoln in May and I for one will be looking forward to both of their gigs.
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Addicted
Mint had the unenviable task to follow Manors, but they held their own with an impressive range of songs reminding me a little of Queens of The Stone Age crossed with the Hives. Their songs made me smile as the beat had a feel-good factor about them that had my foot tapping away. They introduced a couple of new songs, and paid homage to Grimsby with their song called M180. Highlights for me was their new song ‘Thousand Reasons,’ a really enjoyable set.
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Superglue
A surprise for me, were HARSH, who had amazing energy for a band that has only been around for 4 years. They remind me of everything that we know and love about hair metal, with high energy and a very energetic drummer! Along with their own songs a great cover version of kBorn To Be Wild’ was thrown in for good measure. They played their new song ‘Don’t Mess With Me’ along with a song about beer where they proceeded to pour Jack Daniels down the throats of the band members and then half the crowd too (whats not to like) and also a cover version of ‘Maniac’ with a great metal twist. High energy and a lot of new fans made.
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Maniac
The headliner, Juliets Not Dead closed the weekend as a late addition after Midnite City had to cancel due to a family emergency. Juliets Not Dead (previously Twister) are a great four-piece band, who have been renamed and rebranded but still play their back catalogue along with the new tracks from their soon-to-be-released album due out in February 2025.
They graced the audience with a great uptempo set, with fans joining in and singing along, and are a band you can’t fault. Their new song ‘Open Fire’ really does set the scene for 2025 for the band, so watch out for that new album which sounds like it’s going to be a cracker.
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King & Queen
Both nights finished at midnight, though it could have been better supported, those that had made the effort were treated to a wide variety of bands and the chance to discover some amazing new music. However, if you didn’t get the chance to attend this weekend there is another Rockmantic that takes place on the 7th & 8th of February 2025 at the Brickyard, Carlisle and if its half as good as this one, you’d be mad not to get a ticket.
Tickets available here
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