by Tim Marcus with photos from Sam Conquest Photography
We’re back in Dorset, at the St Leonards campsite just outside Ferndown, for the eighth edition of Loverocks, and our fourth year here, covering this increasingly popular festival. Initially starting out as a festival of top tribute bands with one or two local originals bands thrown in, it’s grown year on year and is now a fully fledged festival which attracts the very best of up and coming rock bands, primarily from the classic rock genre but not necessarily exclusively so. As an indication of how the festival has grown, when we were here three years ago for the Thursday night “warm up”, there just two bands on, both on the smaller of the festival’s two stages, playing to a very small gathering. The past couple of years though, things have kicked off two hours earlier, at 5:00pm, and we have five bands ahead of us, all appearing on the main stage, which is the biggest change we’ve seen this year as the organisers have chosen to do away with second stage for 2025 on the basis that it makes life a little easier for the sound techs and creates some additional space within the festival arena.
Opening this year’s festival are the first of three bands this evening that I’ve not come across before, XIII Doors. Taking to the stage as the festival’s opening act, this four-piece outfit from Ireland waste no time setting the tone for the weekend. With DJ O’Sullivan front and centre on lead vocals and guitar, the band tear into their set with the confidence of seasoned pros. O’Sullivan’s vocals pair perfectly with his guitar work, drawing you in from the very first riff.
On lead guitar and backing vocals, Flash Murphy delivers some electrifying work and in common with his band mates, has a great stage presence. Pat “Pablo” Byrne on bass locks in tightly with drummer Cian “Whoasley” O’Sullivan, creating a solid rhythm section that gives every song serious weight and drive.
XIII Doors’ sound is one of hard driven riffs, delivering a something reminiscent of a meeting of late 70s classic rock and with the heavy metal sound of that era; it’s a style that clearly goes down well with the crowd, who like me I think, are blown away by the weekends’ opening act. I’m sure that XII Doors are a band we’ll be hearing a lot more of in the future and certainly one that are going straight on to my “must see again” list.
The second band of the day, and also another band I’ve not come across before, are Zac and The New Men. As they take to the stage it’s pretty clear early on that the very high standards already set by XIII Doors are going to be maintained as this Swansea based four piece deliver a magical performance,
blending some vocally led, melodic rock with numerous other diverse influences, all of which has the crowd hooked from start to finish.
Frontman Zac Davies, taking on both vocals and lead guitar duties, has a wonderfully melodic vocal and great musicianship. His voice carries emotional weight while retaining a powerful rock edge, which to me is what defines this band’s sound. However it’s certainly not all about Zac as he’s ably supported by the tight rhythms of Oli Poole on guitar, and the powerful rhythm section of James Dye on bass and Will Newman on drums. Dye, in particular, caught the eye, not just for his rock solid bass lines, but also for his uncanny resemblance to a young John Sykes!
Highlights of the set included “The Lesson” and “Overtime”, both songs showcasing the band’s ability to balance melodic hooks with gritty instrumentation; something which reminded me at times of another band of whom I am very fond, Blue Nation but Zac and The New Men have a chemistry that makes them very distinguishable.
Judging by the number of Zac and The New Men t-shirts on show in the crowd today I’m clearly late to this particular party however this Welsh quartet are another name added immediately to my “must see again” list. I think we can expect to hear much more from Zac and The New Men in the near future; there’s no doubt they’re a serious musicians and a name worth remembering as they will no doubt continue to work their way up the ranks.
Next up are The Outlaw Orchestra, the first band so far on at this year’s Loverocks that I am actually familiar with. We’ve been following this band for around seven years now and have always been highly entertained by their delivery of bluegrass; something I would describe as a kind of heavy country rock with a hillbilly twang.
By the time they hit the stage, the crowd is already well and truly warmed up as this trio from the deep south, the deep South of England as front man “Rocker” Dave Roux (on lead vocals and guitar) likes to say. Already known to the Loverocks regulars as a result of previous visits, they have no trouble in keeping the high tempo going as they serve up a raucous, riff-heavy set led by Dave’s gritty vocals and driving rhythms. These sounds are all overlaid by a variety of steel strings provided by “Banjo” Pete Briley (guitar, lap steel and banjo) while ever-energetic drummer Ryan Smith holds things together with his thunderous beats from the back of the stage .
Like most of the supporting bands tonight they only have around forty minutes on stage and so it’s a relatively short set. For me, one of the stand outs from that is “Rotten Apples,” which features both Dave and Pete wielding cigar box guitars to create a raw, swampy sound that has heads nodding and feet stamping out in the arena. “Back to Georgia,” is another song that goes down very well before Dave gives a plug to the band’s merch, which tonight is being sold by his mum! Apparently before the set she’d told Dave not to swear! (Oh dear, I think you’re in trouble Dave!). Once again at Loverocks, The Outlaw Orchestra have gone down a treat and close things out with a track from their most recent album, “La Familia”, called “Bag of Bones”. That’s three bands down and so far each one has hit the mark.
The penultimate band of the evening is another that I’ve not come across before, euro rockers from Finland, Shiraz Lane. Surprisingly given their youthful appearance, Shiraz Lane began life some 14 years ago and already have some notable appearances to their name (including Wacken, Wildfest and the Monsters of Rock cruise from Miami) as well as supporting other bands such as fellow countrymen Lordi.
This five piece explode onto the Loverocks stage, immediately filling the arena with power and energy. Charismatic front man Hannes Kett leads the way with a powerful yet melodic vocal performance as he prowls back and forth across the front of the stage full of swagger and confidence, immediately owning it. This is also reflected throughout the rest of the band as they deliver a set full of fun and energy. Guitarists Jani Laine and Miki Kalske are equally full of swagger and confidence as their axes fill the air with electrifying and powerful riffs. The band’s wild and explosive on stage performance is all held together by a solid rhythm section of Joel Alex (bass) and Ana Willman (drums).
Amongst the tracks we hear tonight during the course of their sixty minute set are “To the Moon and Back”, Broken into Pieces” and “Harder to Breathe” as they leave us with a single from their upcoming album. Shiraz Lane have totally nailed it tonight, winning over an army of new fans, including myself, in the process.
Finally, after a few technical issues it’s time for our Thursday headliners, local boys from Bournemouth, South of Salem. With their trademark haunting intro music and the stage engulfed in dry ice and lights, Jody Draper (lead vocals), Kodi Kasper (guitar), Denis Sheriff (guitar), Dee Vower (bass) and James Clarke (drums) take to the stage; you could easily be forgiven for thinking their makeup had come straight from the studios of the Hammer House of Horror! This is the third appearance for shock/horror rockers South of Salem at Loverocks and their first as headliners: they grow in stature with each appearance.
Tonight they launch straight into crowd favourite “Let Us Prey” and then continue to rock their way through their seventy five minute set with a wonderfully theatrical performance, as we hear tracks including “Made to be Mine” as well as a brand new song “Fallout”.
It’s a great set that has everyone hooked and it’s clear that many at the festival this week have come specifically to experience South of Salem as their army of fans continues to grow, Tonight’s chilling performance is rounded off with “Demons are Forever”, “To the Moon and Back” (a Savage Garden cover) and finally, “A Cold Day in Hell”.
I know that this is only the end of the first day of three however I think I can safely say already that Loverocks continues its habit of never failing to deliver. The thing I love about this festival aside from the fun, friendly atmosphere that always prevails, is that despite any reservations I may have beforehand about the number of bands on the bill that I know nothing about, I always come away from Ferndown having discovered a new band or three that ends up becoming a firm favourite. Going into this evening three of the five bands on show this evening were brand new to me (XIII Doors, Zac and The New Men and Shiraz Lane) and I’m coming away from here tonight loving all three of them and wondering when I’ll get my next opportunity to see them. And of course I knew exactly what to expect from both The Outlaw Orchestra and South of Salem and it goes without saying that they did not disappoint.
It’s been a fantastic opening day to Loverocks, in my personal opinion possibly the best, and as we make our way back to the car park I can’t wait to return to see what tomorrow has in store.
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