Firevolt Festival – Friday’s Feel-Good Festival Fun

Where – Whitebottom Farm, Etherow Country Estate, Stockport

When – 6^th/9^th August 2026

Review and photographs by Linda McDermott

Day One Friday 7^th August 2026

It’s officially day one of Firevolt Festival at Whitebottom Farm, on the stunning Etherow Country Estate, and there’s a mood of great anticipation for the three days ahead. Now in its fifth year, the festival is nurtured and organically growing into one of those must-attend festivals of the year, as the rock community spreads the word about just how brilliant a weekend it is.

After a great pre-party night, the sun is shining yet again. I’m sure organisers Bev and Stret have made a deal somewhere to guarantee such great weather year after year. The campsite is busy with more arrivals setting up and getting themselves sorted before heading into the main area, just two minutes away. The festival centre sits in a bit of a valley, with the Bludsucker Stage at one end, food vendors and stalls around the edges, and a stroll down into the Barn area where the bar sits in one barn and the Trooper Stage in the other, oh and there’s a double decker bus!

To kick things off, we saw the return of Shape of Water, who featured on the Grand Central Stage last year and were a huge hit. Opening the Bludsucker Stage to a great early crowd, their set was an eclectic mix of grunge-fuelled rock, with keyboards adding another layer to their sound. Halfway through, they included a special classical piece that had the crowd listening in silence before the tempo and emotional levels were raised. Vocals added even more depth, followed by guitars and a soaring operatic ending. Silence of the Lambs changed the feel with its high intensity and energetic pace, and with flames heating the stage and adding a bit of drama, they were a powerful trio to open the day.

Next up on the Trooper Stage were Takeaway Thieves, and what’s not to love about these guys? From the moment they swagger onto the stage, they just ooze rock ’n’ roll. With a varied, high tempo set, they quickly had the crowd on their side, delivering their songs with plenty of energy and attitude. I’ve seen Takeaway Thieves a few times now, and I never tire of watching or listening to them, so it was no surprise to see the festival crowd getting right behind them too. There was plenty of banter along the way, with Pete even declaring that the festival was amazing and had an arse-bleaching tent. It didn’t, for those of you who might be wondering if you missed out!

It was back to the Bludsucker stage for the formidable Doomsday Outlaw. They started a man down because of issues on stage, but technical problems gave them the chance to fill the time while everything was sorted. We had the shortest drum solo, a bit of guitar playing, a comedy keyboard tune and some audience participation, with Phil leading a repeat-after-me session. Thankfully, everything was soon back on track, and they kicked ass with their brilliant songs. Just as I grabbed myself a drink, medicinal purposes only, the song Drink Myself To Death rang out around the arena, with the perfect chorus for a festival to get behind. The guys wasted no time between songs and, in what has become a Doomsday Outlaw tradition, they played Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran, which was brilliant as the crowd of a certain age sang their hearts out.

Next up was Fireheart, who came on like a torpedo, launching into a high-energy set of songs that it seemed everyone in the swelling crowd knew. With their focus on mental health and the message that ‘good is good enough,’ they are spreading the word like an army on the rise. They have a debut EP out and a first album in the making, crowd-funded to help make it happen. After just five days, they already had 72% of their total, which says a lot about their fan base. The stage is getting bigger for Fireheart, and their message is being received loud and clear.

Ward XVI are pure theatre from start to finish. With a set built as an asylum for the criminally insane, they started their intro with some of the band behind bars, swaying back and forth as the crowd gathered. They then launched into a full assault of drama, music, and song, delivering a mesmerising experience as they weaved a story throughout their set. It was a performance as much as a gig, and one that certainly gave the crowd something different.

By now it was time to get something to eat, and with a choice of chicken, pizza, and the like, it was hard to choose, however I must give a shout-out to Matt’s Traditional Fish and Chip van. Festival food is not cheap, but their fish and chips at £8 were amazing. No half measures, one portion fed two! Real chippy chips, peeled and not frozen, fish without skin and very friendly service. The van was queued out, and for good reason. Hats off for keeping it real.

Renegade was next up, with Thin Lizzy’s Darren Wharton keeping the songs alive and kicking as the crowd loved every minute of the nostalgia surrounding hit after hit. Jailbreak and Chinatown came flying out of the speakers to a crowd that was fully invested and singing along. Asking if anyone wanted a dance, he got the desired response and launched into the song Suicide. One of the highlights was when Ricky Warwick joined the band on stage, and hearing the duet of The Boys Are Back In Town was just fantastic and a real special moment.

What a day! The crowd were enjoying the sunshine on Shit Shirt Friday, and boy were there a lot of shit shirts on display, including Paul Cash’s daily wear! With drinks flowing, music ringing out throughout the park, laughter, and smiles, what could possibly be better than that?

With only three bands left to go, it was the turn of The New Roses from Germany. This band know how to keep the energy high, and many people I’d spoken to were looking forward to seeing them. They played a set of high-energy songs and kept the crowd happy in the sunshine, with great rock ’n’ roll blasting out of the speakers. I love a band that has some ‘whoa’s’ in their set to add to that coming together with the audience. Tim told the crowd that people wonder why they get on planes and travel to play for an hour in a different country. His answer was simple, it’s the crowd at festivals like Firevolt, and what better reason is there than that? The crowd agreed with a huge cheer before they launched into their next song.

Ricky Warwick and the Fighting Hearts were yet another great choice for the festival, keeping the beat pulsing with good old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll vibes. With great harmonies throughout, they gave us another hour of solid rock. There was foot tapping all around me, with one or two people bursting into a jig, although I restrained myself from doing the same. The energy was definitely there, and no sooner had one song finished than the next kept everything bouncing along with the beat. I’ve decided I must listen to more Ricky Warwick and the Fighting Hearts.

The hours have ticked by without a care in the world. Everyone is invested in the weekend, and work and worries are forgotten as the headliners take to the Bludsucker Stage.

I hadn’t seen Mason Hill since the last time they played Firevolt two years ago, with a different singer, so this was going to be interesting for me. Mason Hill is now a completely different entity. They hit harder and faster than when I last saw them here at Firevolt, and with new singer Tom’s vocals and the music having a harder edge, they have nailed it.

Singing songs from their first album, they played favourites DNA and Against The Wall to old and new fans alike. It can’t be easy introducing a new singer and a new, heavier sound, but it works. They’ve mixed things up and are moving forward carving a new sound, and I hope to see them on more festival bills and doing more gigs.

And for me, that’s it for tonight, even though there is a party in the barn for those who need to have that last drink that will get the blame in the morning. I’ve had a great day, so relaxed and enjoyable, and there are still two more days to go!

If you want to be part of the Firevolt community, follow them on Facebook for all the up-to-date information on tickets for next year. You don’t want to miss out now, do you?

Firevolt MCR

https://www.facebook.com/FirevoltMcr

Band Socials

Shape of Water

https://www.facebook.com/shapeofwatermusic

Takeaway Thieves

https://www.facebook.com/takeawaythieves

Doomsday Outlaw

https://www.facebook.com/DoomsdayOutlaw

Fireheart

https://www.facebook.com/fireheartuk

Ward XVI