Review and photos By Ali Burman
Opening a festival is never an easy task. The audience is still arriving, the weather can be unpredictable, and many of those standing in front of the stage may not have come specifically to see you. For Aethoria, however, their appearance at Stonedead Festival at Newark Showground on Saturday 29 August represented something considerably more significant than simply being first on the bill.
This was their biggest stage, their biggest audience and the culmination of a remarkable rise that had seen the Suffolk five-piece win the poll to secure the festival’s coveted opening slot. It also coincided with the release of their debut album, Fool’s Gold. If there was ever a moment to make an impression, this was it, and Aethoria arrived ready to make some noise.
With Lee Alexander behind the drums, Connor Sheppard anchoring the low end on bass, Jamie Gray providing rhythm guitar and Alex Coombes handling lead guitar, the band’s sound was immediately substantial. At the front was vocalist Mecia-Jade Holden, instantly recognisable beneath her distinctive, striking red hair. Her energetic stage presence ensured there was never any doubt about who was driving the performance.
There was, however, one rather significant obstacle: the weather.
As Aethoria took to the stage, the heavens opened, and heavy rain came down with considerable force. For an opening act, particularly one playing to a crowd still settling into a long festival day, it could easily have been enough to send people heading for cover. But it didn’t.
Instead, the audience stayed put, and as the rain continued to fall, the crowd in front of the stage became a sea of waterproofs, hoods and increasingly soaked rock fans. Rather than dampening the atmosphere, the weather seemed to add to the sense of occasion. There was something fitting about watching a new hard-rock band battling through a downpour while delivering a set packed with big guitars and even bigger ambition.
From the opening notes of “More Time”, Aethoria attacked their short set with the determination of a band who knew they had only 40 minutes to introduce themselves to a crowd that had come to see an entire day’s worth of established rock names.
“More Time” proved an effective opener. Driven by punchy guitars and rolling drums, it immediately established the band’s preference for big riffs and melodic vocals. There was little hesitation, no tentative easing into the performance – Aethoria sounded like they belonged on the Stonedead stage.
“Tamed” followed, giving Coombes and Gray plenty of opportunity to demonstrate the importance of the twin-guitar setup, while Sheppard and Alexander supplied the muscular rhythmic foundation underneath. Even with rain cascading around them, the five-piece never appeared distracted.
Then came “Eden”, with Coombes’ lead work adding another dimension to the band’s sound. The contrast between the weight of the guitars and Holden’s soaring vocals is one of Aethoria’s most appealing characteristics. There is melody here, but it is never allowed to overwhelm the rockier edge of the material.
“Bring Me Home” kept the momentum going, and by this stage the relationship between band and audience was becoming increasingly obvious. The fact that people were still standing in heavy rain was testament to the strength of the performance. This wasn’t a crowd waiting patiently for the headline acts; they were actively engaged with what was happening on stage.
The set then moved into its most significant territory with “Fool’s Gold” – the title track of their debut album.
There must have been a particular satisfaction in performing that song at Stonedead. After months of building towards the album’s arrival, Aethoria were able to stand in front of a sizeable festival audience and effectively say: this is what we’ve been working towards.
The performance demonstrated that the band aren’t simply relying on one or two singles. Their material has enough variety to construct a concise festival set without everything sounding like the same song repeated seven times.
“Stepping Stones” followed, before Aethoria reached the closing number, “Popcorn”.
It was a smart choice for the finale. Built around a particularly memorable riff, the song provided a strong closing statement and left the audience with something immediately recognisable to take away from the performance. After the intensity of the preceding songs – and with the rain still refusing to let up – it felt like a final burst of guitar-driven energy before the band stepped away.
For Holden, the performance was as much physical as vocal. She threw herself into the show, constantly moving and engaging with the audience despite the difficult conditions. Her striking red hair made her an even more distinctive figure against the dark, rain-soaked backdrop, while Coombes’ lead guitar provided the flashes of virtuosity. Gray’s rhythm work gave the songs their weight, Sheppard’s bass sat firmly beneath the guitars, and Alexander’s drumming supplied the considerable power that drives Aethoria’s sound.
There is also something refreshing about watching a band at this stage of its career. They haven’t yet developed the polished detachment that can sometimes accompany established festival acts. There was genuine excitement surrounding the occasion, and that enthusiasm was infectious.
Aethoria’s Stonedead appearance was never going to be about delivering an elaborate, two-hour headline performance. Seven songs in 40 minutes meant there was no room for excess. Instead, it was about making an introduction – and, crucially, giving people a reason to remember the name.
In that respect, the band succeeded.
Their sound sits comfortably within the modern hard-rock landscape, combining heavy guitars, melodic vocals and a strong sense of atmosphere. Stonedead’s bill was packed with legendary names, but Aethoria represented something different: the possibility of the next generation of British rock.
And perhaps the most convincing evidence of their success was standing directly in front of the stage. The rain was relentless, but the crowd refused to leave. People stayed through the downpour, watched the entire set and continued to respond to the band. For an opening act, there can be few better endorsements.
For a band that only emerged in 2025, standing on one of the UK’s major rock festival stages just over a year later is an impressive achievement in itself. Celebrating the release of their debut album while playing through heavy rain to a committed audience makes it even more memorable.
Aethoria came to Stonedead as the festival’s poll-winning opening act. They left having introduced their music, their personalities and their ambitions to a much larger audience. Seven songs may not be enough to tell the whole Aethoria story, but it was certainly enough to make people want to hear the next chapter.
As they left the stage to a huge ovation, there was a sense that this wasn’t simply another festival appearance. It felt like a statement of intent. If Aethoria continue to deliver performances with this level of energy and assurance, it won’t be long before they’re returning to Stonedead much higher up the bill.
Verdict: 8.5/10
A confident, riff-heavy festival statement from a band who refused to let torrential rain – or anything else – dampen their big Stonedead moment.
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