by Tim Marcus with photos from Sam Conquest Photography
We’re back on site for day two of this wonderful festival and the quality simply picks up where it left off last night with this morning’s (yes I did say morning’s; we’re on an 11:30am start) opening band, Alabama Crow from Dundee in Scotland, another band I’ve not come across before until now.
Fronted by Billy on guitar and lead vocals, son Danny on bass, Paul on lead guitar and Craig on drums, the foursome take to the stage topless such is the temperature and humidity today; and it’s not even midday yet. It’s only a forty minute set but what a great forty minutes it is Alabama Crow pump out a great set of bass driven, Southern tinged, classic style rock, including one of my favourites from the set, “Mother’s Vigilante”, a single release from earlier this year. It’s been a great set, from a great band whose performance belies the fact that they’ve only been around for about 18 months. And yes, of course they are going straight onto my “must see again” list!
Next up are Mikey Ball and The Company. Again a band I’m not familiar with however they deliver an energetic and fun filled feel-good performance with their brand of hooky, classic rock. The four-piece band waste no time in getting the crowd onside, kicking things off with “Burning All Night” — a perfect opener that sets the tone for what’s to come.
Throughout the set, Mikey Ball and The Company deliver a tight, clinical sound brimming with energy. Tracks like “King of the Lonely Throne” with its wondrous guitar solo brings out a slightly darker side to the performance, while the set closer “One More Night” wraps things up with some high energy audience participation to finish things off.
It’s a well received set from start to finish with the band and audience feeding off of each other, creating a fun atmosphere throughout the forty minutes which never waned. I’m sure that following this set, like several other bands this weekend, Mikey Ball and The Company have collected a number of new fans.
Band number three of this increasingly warm Friday afternoon are The Hot One Two (appropriately named given the weather we’re experiencing today!) who hail from Cambridge.
The Hot One Two bring more great energy to the Loverocks stage with a head-banging, riff-heavy set that shows why this five-piece continues to build momentum in the UK rock scene.
From the first crunch of guitars to the final crash of cymbals, their set is a tight dose of unapologetic heavy rock –loud and energetic. Front man Simon West delivers vocals with a growl and swagger, while the dual guitars and lead Nick Manners lay down thunderous hooks that have the crowd moving from start to finish.
Highlights include the fierce and crowd-pleasing “Demon Daze”, the swaggering “Is It Hot?”, and great new track “The Reaper”, a darker, heavier, but still hook laden song. They close with “Tie Me Down”, a ferocious finale that has heads banging across the field.
Next up are Crowley, a five piece occult heavy metal band from the North East of England who take their inspiration from classic rock and a fascination with witchcraft! After making their Loverocks debut last year they are back again this year to perform on the large, and this year, only stage.
Led by the commanding presence of vocalist Lidya Balaban, whose voice ranges from haunting melodies to feral growls, Crowley deliver a set that’s both theatrical and thunderous. Guitarists Eliza Lee and Ruth Cranston carve out seventies style metal riffs with a hypnotic intensity, while bassist Kim Fellows and drummer Sav Montore lay down a pounding, ritualistic rhythm section that pulses like a heartbeat beneath the chaos whilst still managing to hold everything together.
Standout songs from today’s set include the searing “The Witching Hour,” which drips with occult atmosphere and brooding menace, while the defiant, “Hell Hath No Fury,” has the crowd hooked.
Crowley may have only formed in 2022, but their performance is that of a well seasoned band. Their set is tight, powerful, and soaked in attitude – a perfect blend of classic influence and fresh fury. After their appearance here last year they went on to also play at the larger Maid of Stone festival and if their performance here today is anything to go by then you can expect to Crowley’s name rising on more festival and tour posters soon.
Band number five of this Friday are The Bad Day. Like Crowley before them, this is a second appearance at Loverocks. They first appeared here back in 2022 which I think was just after they’d shortened their
name from their original moniker of The Bad Day Blues Band – which obviously gives you a small clue as to the genre that they lean towards the most. I do recall seeing them back then and for whatever reason they didn’t leave much of a mark on me. However today is a totally different kettle of fish as this four piece from all points of the compass, from Hartlepool to Uruguay, explodes onto the stage. Comprising of Adam Rigg on bass and vocals, Sam Spranger on harmonica (or as the dearly departed Steve Beastie would have referred to it, gob iron), Nick Peck on guitar and German Moura on drums, The Bad Day give us a wonderful, fun filled forty minutes of blues rock, ranging from the traditional to the riff driven. There’s great performances across the board however the standout for me is the non stop Sam Spranger who’s constantly on the move, cavorting across the stage in never ceasing motion with his harmonica (much like his sales patter when I met him briefly in the merch tent before the band went on stage!).
Whether it’s the mood or whether it’s the slight change in tempo following the frantic start to today in these soaring temperatures I don’t know, however this forty minute set from The Bad Day has hit the spot just at the right time with this, ever so slight, downturn in tempo and for me, despite there being a number of bands to come that I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing again, is probably the best set of the day so far. Three tracks that stand out for me this afternoon are;”Devil’s Lullaby”, “The Hustler”, and “Forget”. And whilst I said earlier that The Bad Day didn’t leave much of a mark on me when I saw them here back in 2022, they most definitely have today and I’m already looking out for the next opportunity to see them again: hopefully they’ll be returning down south sooner rather than later.
Next up is a Loverocks favourite, and also one of my own personal favourites, Manchester’s Gorilla Riot. I first saw Gorilla Riot when they played on the tented, rising bands stage at the old Rambin’ Man Fair back in 2018. Whether by design or by misfortune, on a personal note, I find it frustrating that they’ve not risen up the ranks in the way that some artists appearing on that same stage around that time appear to have done (e.g. Those Damn Crows, Stone Broken, Kris Barras Band). It certainly can’t be through performance; in the many times I’ve seen Gorilla Riot since, whether that be at a festival or performing at their own show, they’ve never given a bad one.
I’m pleased to say too that today is no exception as we get forty minutes of what Gorilla Riot do best; dirty, sleazy blues rock, unmistakenly punctuated by the husky, growling vocals of charismatic front man Arjun Bhishma. For me, it’s the combination Arjun’s vocal and guitar sound, combined with the wonderful playing of the other half of the twin guitar attack, Charly T that gives Gorilla Riot their unique sound. And let’s not forget stellar performances too from bass man Deggy, newest band member Matt T on drums and Luci V who provides the backing vocals on the band’s live shows. There are no real surprises in today’s list and on a personal note I’m delighted that it includes all of my favourites, “Kerosene Clown”, “Bad Son” and the set closer “Dirty”.
I was looking forward to seeing Gorilla Riot today with great anticipation and I’m delighted to say they didn’t disappoint, delivering a spot on performance.
There must be something in the water in South Wales as that area of the UK seems to produce far more than its fair share of great new rock bands and King Kraken, although a band I’ve not come across before, turn out to be yet another in the long line. Fronted by black kilt clad front man Mark Donoghue it’s now two years since the release of King Kraken’s debut album “MCLXXX”. During that time their reputation has continued to grow as they’ve filled support slots for the likes of South of Salem, Geoff Tate and Monster Truck to name just a few.
With Donoghue ably supported by drummer Richard Lee Mears, bassist Karl Meyer, rhythm guitarist Pete Rose and lead guitarist Adam Healey, King Kraken show the Loverocks crowd just what they’re about as they deliver forty minutes of no frills hard rock. As I say, not a band that I was previously familiar with however from the tracks I heard them play today, the standouts for me were “Hero” and their set closer, “Chainsaw Saviour”, both tracks coming from their most recent album, 2025’s “March of the Gods”.
Next it’s time for one of our favourite bands, The Karma Effect. These boys from Kent have now become almost a permanent fixture at Loverocks, today being their third appearance here in the last four years. Fronted by the charismatic Hen Gottelier The Karma Effect deliver their usual helping of high energy classically orientated brand of rock. As usual it’s Hen’s stage presence that catches the eye however his singing ability and guitar playing are not to be sneezed at either. He’s ably supported on guitar by the equally high energy Robbie Blake. While all hell is breaking loose courtesy these two, the powerful, yet controlled quality of a thundering rhythm section comprising of Liam Quinn on bass and Ash Powell on drums to hold together. Newest recruit to the team is keyboard player Jamie Bull (perhaps more widely known to some for his wonderful Elton John tribute, Jamie and The Jets) who adds a touch of class to proceedings with his playing, not to mention the excellent back up vocals he provides which both compliment and contrast with Henry’s lead vocal in equal measure.
It’s a largely unsurprising set from The Karma Effect this evening as they slickly and professionally work their way through their forty minute set. After a few technical problems just as they’re about to start they eventually kick things off with the lively and upbeat “Livin’ it Up”. They also include “Doubt She’s Coming Back”, “All Night Long”, “Wrong Again”, “See You Again” and “Wild Honey”. Sadly the tech problems at the very start of the set means that crowd favourite and audience participation song, “Testify” appears to get cut from the planned set list as they wind things up with the title track from
their last album, “Promised Land” and finally conclude another great Karma Effect performance with “Steal Your Heart”.
We’re now down to the final two bands of the day and filling the special guest spot tonight are a band from the same management stable as both The Karma Effect and Gorilla Riot, five piece rockers from the East of England, Bad Touch. Formed in Norfolk by charismatic front man and vocalist Stevie Westwood and guitarist Dan Seekings along with bass player Michael Bailey, Bad Touch have recently added to new members to their ranks in the shape of drummer Brad Newlands and former Vambo axe man Pete Lance. Since forming back in 2010 Bad Touch have worked consistently hard earning themselves supporting slots over the years to the likes of The Quireboys, Tyketto, Jared James Nichols, The Answer, The Kentucky Headhunters and Skid Row and in the autumn are due to head out on a co-headlining tour with The Dust Coda.
As special guests, Bad Touch are afforded fifty minutes on stage this evening but it soon flies by as they deliver their lively and bouncing take on classic rock, with, Stevie telling us “The more you drink the better we sound!. But let’s be honest, Bad Touch are a class act and you don’t need to drink to enjoy their set tonight which includes “Lift Your Head Up” and “Taste This”, two songs I recall them playing the last time I saw them just over a year ago. My own personal favourite on show tonight is “This Life”, a track from their most recent album, “Bittersweet Satisfaction”
Interestingly I heard a couple of people chatting about the set shortly after the band had come off stage. One guy says to the other, “I like Bad Touch but their set list hasn’t changed for two or three years. It would be nice to hear a lot more new stuff”. Now my take on this is that when people go to a festival it’s not simply to see one band; you’re there to experience, and hopefully enjoy, all of the bands on show. Therefore whilst a festival audience will always contain devotees of a particular band who are playing there, the majority of people are not necessarily devotees of that band therefore when I go to a festival I like to see bands play a “greatest hits” type of set list which will hopefully contain a number of songs that the non devotees of that band will know or at least be familiar with rather than 60% of the set list comprising songs from a brand new album which is what you might expect if you went to see a band doing their own show on an album promotion tour. In that respect I think Bad Touch got it spot on tonight, as has been the case with most of the other bands we’ve seen here so far.
Finally we’re down to tonight’s headliners, hailing from Evansville Indiana in the US, Blues Rock trio The Cold Stares, comprising Chris Tapp on guitar and vocals, Brian Mullins on drums and newest member Bryce Klueh on bass guitar who between them produce their own blend of heavy, Southern Blues rock.
Beginning life as a duo back in 2009, The Cold Stares only became a trio as recently as 2022 when Bryce was added to the line up.
From the opening chords of tonight’s set, it was clear this wasn’t just a gig, it was going to be something special. The band’s chemistry with the crowd was electric, marked by easy chatter, and the kind of rapport that can only come from years of road-tested performing.
The quality of the musicianship was outstanding throughout the set with blistering guitar riffs, a pounding rhythm section, and gritty, impassioned vocals, The Cold Stares are proving why they’re more than just a blues act and why they’ve been sought after to perform with the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Larkin Poe and Rival sons to name but just a handful . Personal highlights from this set include the “Evil Eye,” the strained bluesy sound of “Prosecution Blues,” and a great set closer in “Can’t Hold Out Much Longer”.
It’s been another great day here at Loverocks with the familiar names delivering as anticipated and the new ones leaving some last impression. That’s fifteen bands down and ten more to come as we look forward to returning tomorrow morning for the final day of Loverocks VIII
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