20th December 2025
Voodoo Sioux, Gorilla Riot & Jayler.
KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
Review and Photography by Brian Cherrison
A trip up the M6 took a friend (Paul) & me up to Wolverhampton for this event; a quick visit across the road to Jacks was made for pre-gig food and a pint. I would thoroughly recommend it.
We arrived at approximately 17:30 & there was already a small queue forming at the doors.
Despite the late load-in due to a record fair using the venue during the day, the crew did a
Great job of getting the stage set up and sound checks completed, ready for the doors opening at 19:00.
On doors opening, the venue soon filled up with eager rock fans looking to get their last pre-Christmas fix of live rock music. I must confess, my friend Paul & I can include ourselves in that group!
The evening was a sell-out with approx. 700 in attendance.
The opening act was Voodoo Sioux, a band originating from the Midlands led by the colourful Professor Balthazar (Nick Flaherty) on vocals, the energetic Mario Ermoyenous on bass, Jon JB Blakey on guitars & backing vocals, and finally Nige Halford on drums.
They performed nine songs, which I would call old-school hard rock with a slight punk feel on the vocals; there were some great riffs coming through & Mario was ever energetic, bouncing around the stage like an excited Tigger from Disney.
Professor Balthazar stripped off several layers throughout the set to go from his starry suit to a bright shirt to finally a Voodoo Sioux shirt.
Mid-set, a moment of silence was respected by the crowd in memory of Stu Hunting, who sadly passed away in the week.
Video, Damage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bb4UE1QK2c
Website link: https://voodoosioux.com/
Set list.
1. Damage,
2. Babylon,
3. Same Shit,
4. Pillow Talk,
5. Edge of World,
6. Garden,
7. Better Man
8. No Rest &
9. Jester
Within what seemed a quick changeover time, we were on the next band, Gorilla Riot. They filled the stage up with 6 members:
Arjun Bhison on vocal & guitar, Deggy on bass, Charly T on guitar & vocals, Matt Talbot on drums & two young ladies on backing vocals.
They very quickly got into their groove, a mix of some very catchy riffs with Arjun’s moody voice. It had a rock and roll blues feel with Arjun stalking around the stage throughout the set.
There was some engagement with the crowd on song 6, with them clapping along with the intro.
They came across great live; there were hints of grunge, stoner & country throughout, and they went down very well.
Video, Molotov Sister. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNqx_oJhCsk
Website link: https://gorillariot.co.uk/
Set List,
1. Wrong Side of Town,
2. Molotov Sister,
3. Kerosene Clown,
4. Hungry,
5. Last Hymn,
6. Half Cut,
7. Bad Sun &
8. Dirty.
Now it was time for the top of the bill & again a local band, Jayler.
The band performs with four members: James Bartholomew on vocals/guitars, Ricky Hodgkiss on bass & keyboard, Tyler Arrowsmith on guitar, and Ed Evans on drums.
They burst out on stage to a set containing bluesy riffs with guitar-driven anthems, smoke machines, and sparklers. It is easy to see why they can be compared to the likes of Led Zeppelin & Greta Van Fleet, with influences of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Cream, Eddie Van Halen & Jimi Hendrix on show—great, solid classic rock, which the audience lapped up.
Early in the set there was a random jacket swap between James and a member of the audience; they were swapped at a previous gig and, as arranged, duly swapped back.
There were several sections of acoustic guitar & Ricky on the organ, then they all plugged back in for Alectrona, during which Tyler disappeared into the crowd; he did return safely!
There was plenty of interaction with the crowd, who were encouraged to clap along with songs & sing the chorus to Lovemaker.
At some point James stood on the barrier to serenade some groups of the audience who were loving every second of it.
There was a short break in the proceedings to present a birthday cake for Tyler with the audience singing ‘Happy Birthday’.
It was then time for the final songs, ending with Glory. The room lights dimmed, and the audience waved their mobile phones with the torches on, all very atmospheric.
In what seemed a heartbeat, their set was over, capping off the night for the 700 attendees with three great bands, all with their individual styles, so there was something for everyone. Sadly, it was now time to negotiate the many roundabouts and traffic lights of Wolverhampton to wind my way back to the M6 & head south for Cheltenham.
Video, Lovemaker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OfM8jIlAzA
Website link: https://jayler.co.uk/
Set List,
1. Down Below,
2. Acid Rain,
3. No Woman,
4. RR Rudolf,
5. The Getaway,
6. Riverboat Queen,
7. I’ll Meet You There,
8. Hate to See It End,
9. Alectrona,
10. The Rinsk,
11. Need Your Love,
12. Lovemaker,
13. Over The Mountain &
14. Glory.
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