review by Tim Marcus with photos from Sam Conquest Photography
As we enter the site this morning for the third and final day of Loverocks VIII, I’m wondering what to expect as I look down the list of artists we’re due to be seeing over the next eleven hours or so; there’s only three or four on the schedule that I’ve come across before: the majority of today’s lineup is new to me. Am I going to get bored or is it going to be another day of discovery? Why I’m even asking myself that question I have no idea as in the four years that we’ve been coming to this wonderful festival now it’s never failed to deliver and fast forward to the buzz I’m feeling as we exit at the end of the day (not to mention the bucket load of merch I’ve acquired during the day) the answer is obvious!
Events kick off today with a band called Cry for Mercy; the first of several bands I’ll be telling you that I’ve not come across before. Coming from North Wales, this great little three piece delivers us forty minutes of bluesy power rock with vocalist and front man Kev Plant delivering a great gritty type of bluesy, vocal performance while the guitar riffs are generated by Andy Cutty.
It’s a great set, my favorite tracks from it being “Don’t Let Me Down” and “A Thing About Me”. I’m really impressed on first viewing and sounding of these guys and it’s no wonder that they have been sought after at festivals across the country and to support the likes of The Quireboys, Danny Bryant, Pat McManus Band, and Chantel McGregor to name but a few.
Next it’s Tempus Frayed, a four piece band from Suffolk. Fronted by Kailan Last on vocals and lead guitar, Tempus Frayed produce a forty minute set of easy to listen to alternative pop rock. Supporting front man Last are group co founder Sam Pritchard on drums and more recent acquisitions to the project which began back in 2021, Ryan Austin (rhythm guitar) and Phil Benton (bass). Amongst the tracks they play during this short set today, if I had to pick one stand out, it would be “One in a Million”.
Third band of the day are Lead Feather. I’ve not seen or heard these guys before either however I’m still very much looking forward to this set as I know the band are fronted by the charismatic Apostolos Liapis, who performed a similar role with the band Hunted by Elephants at last year’s Loverocks festival and I was very impressed.
Lead Feather, a London based band founded by lead guitarist Simon Hurts, are a four piece band, not too dissimilar in style to Hunted by Elephants it has to be said, who play pure unadulterated classic rock, 1970s style, although continuing to make the comparison, it has a slightly bluesier feel to it (think Deep Purple Mk III as opposed to Deep Purple Mk II). Apostolos has a strong powerful vocal which is prominent throughout. Maybe not quite up there with my heroes from the 1970s but think along the lines of Ronnie James Coverdale and you won’t be far away! Simon’s guitar playing is also magnificent throughout and I particularly enjoyed the short Blackmore/Gillanesque interplay between guitar and vocal.
With Simon and Apostolos ably supported by Thanos on drums and Daniel Devis on bass, I’m sure we’ll be hearing plenty more from Lead Feather over the coming months and hopefully beyond. My favourite tracks from this particular set today are “Roll the Dice” and “Why?” Another band added to my “must see again” list.
The day just keeps on giving and the next band on stage to entertain us are another I’m not familiar with however they waste no time in making a great impression on me and many others around me too. The Rattlebacks are a Surrey based classic rock and grunge influenced five piece.
Fronted by vocalist Josh Clarke they not only look the part but they deliver it musically too. Either side of Clarke at front of stage are lead guitarist Max Horn (who also makes use of a Peter Frampton style talk box during the set) and rhythm guitarist Coxy, a pair who’ve known each other apparently forever. Backing all of this up and holding the on stage mayhem together is the band’s mighty rhythm section comprising Seth Markes on drums and Jack Hollamby on bass – some of his playing having me in mind of Geezer Butler’s Sabbathesque bass riffs.
The set is over all too quickly as far as I’m concerned. My favourite track? “Dementia Lounge”, and yes, The Rattlebacks are another band instantly added to my ever growing “must see again” list.
With the greatest of respect to the Thieves of Liberty, who had to pull out of the show this weekend, some might say that what comes next is somewhat of an added bonus as in as late replacements for the Sunderland rockers are Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters who make a welcome return to the Loverocks stage after a great performance here a couple of years ago.
It’s great to see Beth and her band again as they pump out an energy filled set of aggressive yet melodic hard, 1970s style classic rock. Beth who takes lead vocals and rhythm guitar is accompanied on stage by Dan Rowe on Lead guitar, Sam Brain on drums and Berty Burton on bass. The tracks that stay with me after their forty minute set is concluded are “This Bitch Bites”, a new song called “Never Let Go”, a song that Beth tells us was Classic Rock’s Track of the Week, and probably my favourite from the whole set, “Jack and Coke”.
Next on stage is yet another band that’s new to me, hailing from Derby in the East Midlands, an alternative rock, grunge inspired three piece going by the name Muddibrooke. Fronted by Brooke on lead vocals and guitar, and Anna on bass and vocals, they’re ably supported from the rear of the stage by Morgan on drums.
They kick things off at a frantic pace which is maintained throughout the set as this high energy trio hold nothing back, their pace and energy typified by one of my favourite songs we hear during their forty minutes on stage, “ADHD”. Amongst my other favourite tracks they deliver during their set are “Devil” (from their 2023 EP “Lunacy” and a brand new track that Brooke tells us currently has the working title of “Cocaine”. It’s been a great set.
Before this weekend I wasn’t sure that I was going to take to Muddibrooke however I’m pleased to report that by the time their opening song was concluded I’d already been won over.
Now it’s time for another band making a return to Loverocks after a year off and that’s Scarborough based classic rockers This House We Built. Comprising Scott Wardell (Vocals, Guitars, Percussion),Andy Jackson (Vocals, Guitars), Chris Mayes (Drums, Vocals) and Wayne Dowkes (Bass Guitar), this four piece deliver a no nonsense set of powerful classic rock.
My favourite tracks from their allocated forty minutes being their cover of John Farnham’s “You’re the Voice”, “My Old Friend” and their set closer, a new song from the band “Coming Home to You”.
We’re now into the evening and as we get down to the final three artists of this final day we’re in for another treat as we get the return of another Loverocks favourite, Skam. Returning here after an appearance back in 2022 these hard classic rock influenced trio from Leicester hit the stage hard, full of the sounds of the giant rock bands of the 1970s, an impression underpinned by the inclusion in the set of a great cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”. Fronted by Steve Hill on guitar and vocals, ably backed up by Matt Gilmore on bass and vocals and Neal Hill on drums and vocals, Skam conclude their hard hitting set with an excellent track called “No Lies”.
Tonight’s special guest spot is filled by an artist I’ve seen a number of times before, at festivals, in support slots and headlining her own shows. The lady in question is New Yorker Sari Schorr, a regular visitor to Europe and the UK. Always supported by an array of top class musicians, today Sari is accompanied by a three piece band of drummer, bass player and guitarist.
For the next hour, she delivers a set which is a mix of her own material with a couple of great covers thrown in. Highlight’s for me are Sari’s grungy bluesy version of Bad Company’s classic, “Ready for Love”, a song she wrote about the legendary bluesman, Robert Johnson called “King of rock n roll”, the upbeat and rocking “Valentina” (all three of those tracks incidentally from her 2018 album “Never Say Never”), and her set closer tonight, another great cover, this time, Led Zeppelin’s “Rock n Roll”.
Finally we’re down to tonight’s headliner and the closing act of this year’s Loverocks festival, The Commoners. Hailing from Toronto Canada, this five piece roots rock band take to the stage and immediately hit the ground running. Fronted by vocalist Chris Medhurst they launch into their set with “Shake You Off”.
With Medhurst supported by Lead guitarist Ross Hayes Citrullo the pair dominate the stage like they own it. As we hear tracks like “Who are You?” and “Fill my Cup”, the pair are perfectly complimented by keyboard player Miles Evans Branagh who adds depth and intricacy with his wonderful Hammond sounding keys while the powerhouse rhythm section of Adam Cannon on drums and Ben Spiller on bass drive the momentum forward.
We then hear “Gone Without Warning” and the title track of their latest album, “Restless”, a slower, ballad like song about the pulls of touring and being away from home. They finish their set tonight with “Find a Better Way” before returning for an encore which comes by way of another track from the latest album “Devil Teasin’ Me”
Once again Loverocks has delivered – as it always does. It’s been yet another weekend of discovery down here in Dorset, with once again a small fortune spent on merch and many bands added to my “must see again” list, a list that never grows quite as fast as it does during the weekend in June that I spend in Ferndown. Long may it continue and once again as we leave the site for the final time this year we’re already looking forward to 2026’s Loverocks IX.
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