Stonedead Festival 2021

After a year and a half of waiting, the masses descend upon Stonedead Festival to witness many shenanigans on one field. There were plenty of attractions at the festival like the Marquee of Metal, Stonedead Festival merchandise stand and the Monsters of Rock Museum to keep the crowd occupied between bands. At one point, a huge crowd gathered around the Royal British Legion Riders charity stand with three motorcycles on display and there was a guest appearance from a roaring spitfire taking the skies. Despite bands Black Stone Riders and The Treatment having to cancel and other changes along the way, Stonedead Festival pulled off the festival experience that left a field full of classic rock fans exhausted but happy.

 

Although the proceeds was delayed by thirty minutes, it didn’t stop London’s very own Dead Man’s Whiskey throwing in the thunderous ‘Live, Loud & Ready’. High energy riffs and duetting solos brought a great response from the crowd and this was mirrored with the recently released song ‘Breakout’. The track ‘This Fight’ was a definitive rock and roll anthem brought a slower but heavier stomp that maintained its continuous hard rock elements. ‘Last Train’ was easily one of the high energy songs along with ‘Hoe Street’, which shortly followed by ‘Make You Proud’ in remembrance to those close to everyone. The quintet finished off with ‘Racing Bullet’, giving Dead Man’s Whiskey a nod for bands to check out.

 

Replacing The Treatment on short notice, Manchester’s heavy metal quartet Absolva proceeded with ‘Life On The Edge’ giving a slice of Iron Maiden inspired pie and optimum energy was unleashed for ‘Rise Again’ enticing the field to throw fists in the air. With tracks ‘Never A Good Day To Die’ and ‘Defiance’, the heavy metal influences kept the crowd appeased and brought the mosh back with ‘No Tomorrow’. Absolva shredded in with ‘Never Back Down’ before ending their set with the hard-hitting final track ‘Code Red’, which exploded edge and overall power.

 

From Skin fame, Myke Gray threw in the strong ‘Stand Up For Rock And Roll’ which then joined in swiftly with the thrashing ‘Trouble’ accompanying the strong shredding. Hearing ‘House of Love’ and ‘Raised On Radio’ from Skin played a classic homage complimenting the guitarist’s skill and it played some of the many tracks for his fans and new listeners. Myke Gray certainly had everyone enticed to the melodies and had the punters entertained throughout the performance.

 

Bringing to their audience with a 25 year anniversary set since singing for a little known band Iron Maiden, Blaze Bayley provided a taste of the treat with ‘Lord of the Flies’, which allowed crowd participation and gave sense behind the legacy. ‘Sign of the cross’ was next to thrill the punters with a first sombre start top track before it kicks in with a marching smooth metal riffs and galloping melodies. Even the Appleton brothers got to perform their awaited solo duet, which got a great response from the crowd.  They kicked off with another belter ‘Virus’ which had a mix of a back-and-forth sombre sounds with a fast paced anthemic heavy metal classic power. Any Iron Maiden fan or anyone who is unfamiliar with Blaze and his contributions to the legacy will have certainly taken away a piece of memory.

 

Kris Barras Band who is ready to show Stonedead that music Festivals is something he has conquered. First song to be performed is ‘Ignite (Light it up)’ which threw in a lot of energy, heavy solos and heavy hard rock beats. Thereafter, it lead in to the song ‘Counterfeit People’ which cranked up the classic rock style with variable vocal styles. Kris’ presence on stage was so lively you would not want to miss out on his shows in the future, especially with them only being around for four years. They have a lot to give and their music live is just on another level.

 

Taking the stage with the party starter ‘Pressure’, Massive Wagons pure momentum set the standards along with ‘In It together’ which drew more and more punters to an already packed crowd towards the stage. ‘Bangin In Your Stereo’ was a complete crowd pleaser, which brought in the hard rock headbanger ‘Nails’ further sweetening the deal to their congregation. With their show-stopping tracks, you can say that Massive Wagons was one for the adrenaline-pumping punters!

 

The Scot’s Gun added a genuine style of hard rock vibes with the 1980’s pop classic ‘Word Up’ which all couldn’t help but sing to the top of their throats. The track ‘Money (Everybody Loves her)’ took everyone back to the late 1980’s and their title track off their debut album ‘Taking On The World’ brought a nice edge to their diverse set. Gun certainly brought the party to the field to their cover of Beastie Boys classic ‘Fight For Your Right’ bringing their set to a great close!

 

Terrorvision almost instantly brought the crowd jumping with ‘Discotheque Wreck’. Their set brought a great mix of smooth melodies with hard rock jumping and bopping beats. With added trumpet and saxophone blending into the air, the band shown many intervals of unique sounds further adding depth into their high energy performance. Their classic track ‘Alice, What’s The Matter?’ was a favourite amongst fans who couldn’t help but groove.

 

Finally, to take their stance on the Stonedead stage was the Headliner Uriah Heep, who replaced Black Star Riders due to unforeseen circumstances. This didn’t dampen the whole performance, nor the spirits to all who were present. Flying in with their first track ‘Grazed By Heaven’ the performance filled every corner of the field with joy. ‘Too Scared To Run’ was another brilliant classic which had almost everyone in the crowd dancing. Tracks ‘Bird of Prey’ and ‘Between Two Worlds’  shown the strong musicianship from all members with their talents. which then followed with ‘Gypsy’, ‘Look At Yourself’, ‘July Morning’ and ‘Lady in Black’. The band finished off with an encore of two of their legendary tracks; ‘Sunrise’ and ‘Easy Livin’. Uriah Heep provided an explosive set with undeniable classics to end Stonedead Festival 2021 as the gold moon shone in the dark skies.

 

Review: Phillip Krawiec

Photos: Sabrina Ramdoyal