High Voltage Day Two: The First Bands Reviewed
Well, we might be blowing own trumpet here, but there’s no getting away from the undeniable fact that Day One of Classic Rock’s High Voltage festival was a spectacular success. Come inside to find out if Day Two matches up, with reviews of The Reasoning, Lethargy, The Quireboys, Audrey Horne, Wishbone Ash, UFO, High On Fire, Steve Hackett and Bachman Turner.
Words: Geoff Barton
The first band of Day Two were The Reasoning on the Prog Stage. The big surprise was seeing frontwoman Rachel Cohen dressed in a decidedly non-prog outfit of a plain-looking white vest and matching shorts; close your eyes and it could almost have been (utter heresy, we know) Lily Allen. Otherwise it was business as usual – moments of delightful waftiness set against periods of extreme heaviness, with unexpected Yes-style veers in direction to keep you on your toes. There was an amusing nudge-nudge moment when Cohen proclaimed: “It’s our job to get your vocal cords lubricated for the day – oo-er!” Closing song Aching Hunger was ace, the crowd chanting along with the mantra: ‘I’ve got that aching hunger, won’t you help me feed it.’ A singalong challenge for an ordinary rock crowd maybe, but the prog hordes, naturally, took it in their stride.
Somehow in recent years The Quireboys – who at one point seemed destined for the dumpster – have become A National Treasure. Frontman Spike has a real swagger about him these days, and he’s got that perilous mic-stand-twirling thing completely off pat as well – something that never used to happen back in the old days (we’ve got the forehead scars to prove it). Spike’s voice has matured as well, somehow becoming gruffer but also richer. Mona Lisa Smiled exuded class and There She Goes Again was celebratory and spectacular.
“To your prog-rock collection point please.” Yep, it was time to venture toward the Prog Stage again, this time to hear Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash play their classic Argos* album in its entirety. If you’ve been following the epic debate on the Classic Rock website, you’ll know that many doubt the legitimacy of Turner’s version of the Ash. Well, everything sounded mighty fine to us; songs such as Time Was and The King Will Come (a near-perfect rendition) were gentle, measured and stylish – the perfect accompaniment to a glorious English (note: English) sunny summer’s day. This was an epic, 70-minute set but to the Ash’s credit it never flagged. There was a fine moment when, after a particularly tasty guitar solo from Ray Hatfield, Turner bellowed: “Ray Hatfield – rubbish!” Which, of course, he wasn’t. Turner also reminisced about the time when the Ash played outdoors in London at the Oval (we believe it was a Melody Maker Poll Awards concert) “in 1927… sorry, it was 1972.” A nice bit of self-deprecation. *Alright, we know it’s really called Argus.
Over at the Metal Hammer stage, Wales’ finest young rock band, Lethargy, proved their worth with a storming set full of angsty complexity. This was a monstrous performance peppered with true class; surely there are great things in prospect for this fresh-faced and enthusiastic four-piece. Show closer Purification – also the title of their current album, out now on Classic Rock’s Powerage label – sounded suitably mayhemic and maniacal. Breathtaking stuff.
UFO’s first song on the Main Stage, Save Me, was a curious choice of set-opener with its slow pace, acoustic slide-guitar intro and all. Then things went horribly wrong when Vinnie Moore’s guitar (the electric variety this time) refused to work on Only You Can Rock Me. Singer Phil Mogg remained remarkably unphased, however, remarking: “This is why we never got on the X Factor, give us a slow handclap.” Moore’s guitar was eventually restored and from there UFO never looked back, bombarding the crowd with classic after classic: Lights Out, Love To Love et al.
A quick dash back to the Metal Hammer Stage, where we found Audrey Horne kicking up a storm. We’ll admit to being totally unfamiliar with this Norwegian combo’s music, although we do know that they took their name from Sherilynn Fenn’s character in Twin Peaks. So there! But we were massively impressed by their hard rock/post grunge shtick. Even though singer Toschie was dressed like a hospital porter in his all-white outfit, he had something of the Geoff Tate about him. Audrey Roberts (sorry, Horne) might sound intense and overwrought at times, but they’re never less than interesting.
We wish we could say the same of High On Fire, who followed the Horne on the MH Stage. This alleged power trio did nothing for us, and frontman Matt Pike’s guttural vocals were, to be honest, rubbish. There were precious few clues to the band’s stoner metal background – Pike having been the guitarist in the totally legendary Sleep – which struck us a trifle odd. Still, if you like the thought of Slayer being played at 33-and-a-third rpm on a hi-fi made of soggy cardboard, HOF could be right up your street. For those bemoaning the lack of a Pete Way arse-crack moment during UFO’s set – Way being replaced in UFO by Barry Sparks these days – Pike provided that very experience, his beer-gut pushing the waistband of his jeans down repeatedly to reveal you-know-what.
Back on the Prog Stage – a spectacular success for High Voltage; who would’ve thought it?! – Steve Hackett’s supremely musicianly set had the crowd in raptures. Interestingly, the ex-Genesis guitarist had two gals in his band: rhythm guitarist Amanda Lehmann and bassist… oh, hang on a minute… it’s actually Nick Beggs from Kajagoogoo! Wearing a skirt! Now we’ve seen everything. A special mention, too, for saxophonist Rob Townsend who supplied some memorable interjections in the manner of the parp-meister himself, David Jackson of Van der Graaf Generator fame.
We saw Bachman Turner at Sweden Rock a few weeks back, and the best phrase we could come up with to describe them was ‘entertainingly decrepit’. That still held true for High Voltage, but you couldn’t knock it. BT had a great groove and songs such as Roll On Down The Highway, Rolling Along and Hey You were simplistic but highly effective. Still, that didn’t stop the couple in front of us from sitting cross-legged on their straw mats, reading the Sunday papers in seemingly bored fashion. More fool them. There was a memorable moment when Randy Bachman proclaimed: “We’re back!” (Shouldn’t that be: “We’re Bach?” – Ed.) And did they play You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet? Well, to answer that question, the words ‘bears’, ’shit’ and ‘woods’ spring to mind.
* Stay tuned to the Classic Rock website for Malcolm Dome’s verdicts on the rest of Sunday’s bands.
Escaped before I had to hear any ELP. On which note, a SERIOUS bloody complaint. HOW FUCKING DARE THEY cut the sound on Ian Hunter. ELP’s roadies wanted to get started? Boo hoo. I don’t care what the schedule said, you just don’t do that to royalty.
Ufo, foreigner and Joe Bonamasa best bands by far.
The last 2 1/2 hours of day two were a chore. More seating next year please did you see the age of us all?
brillant two days. Sunday was fantastic. Joe Bonamassa (only saw half), UFO, Opeth, Down, ELP were fantastic. So was Wishbone Ash. Were High On Fire really that bad? I really enjoyed there show. haha.
Lack of info on Black Label on the other review, Zakk and the Berserkers were incredibly tight and pulled off an amazing and technical show. UFO were very disappointing, Moore seems to be an un-restrained canon who Mogg has no control over nowadays. At the Junction in Cambridge 2 years back they played an amazing set, Mogg was much more confident, Moore had a leash on him and we weren’t all bored by the same lengthy and unoriginal sweep picking fests. Top marks for Barry Sparks, always energetic and treats his bass playing like he’s got the lead spot, and Paul Raymond is legendary on keys and always has his geetar turned way too low. Didnt know too much about Bachman before seeing them, but a very energetic set and great sound, reminds me of Creedence/Steve Winwood stuff. Ash were great though again can’t really comment only heard a few tracks, but they had charisma and were entertaining as well as musically accomplished. Totally agree about High On Fire, very dull
Couldn’t agree more Alex. I thought it was a disgrace, particularly as I was looking forward to seeing Ian. He only managed 2 songs. ELP need to accept things have moved on and they can no longer command God status. Still, at least we now know who ate all the pies! Highlights for me were definitely Bonamassa (God calls him God), Focus and Bachman Turner.
Jack: Sadly, I missed this festival, so I can’t comment on your disappointment with UFO. However, when was Vinnie Moore ordained? A loose canon, you say?
Thought there was a bit of ‘afters’ behind the stage after he was cut off – looked like he wanted to hit somebody with his guitar. Joe Elliott knew they were running late, and there was a cock up even after that just getting him on stage too.
Anyway, for me, Focus, Magnum, Zappa, Asia, Argent, Uriah Heep, ZZ Top (awesome), the little bit of Foreigner I managed to see, ELP and of course Heaven and Hell were all great.
OK, I didn’t get far from the prog stage on Sunday, but to be fair you could still hear the metallers quite clearly even from right in front of the stage – a point made by more than one band trying to play ballady stuff. Point them in a different direction next time please folks!
Down’N'Outz were a great surprise. Very tight, the attack of drums was excellent, very well crafted songs, beautifully played – what a pleasure to watch. Agree that pulling the plug on Ian was a disgrace, everyone was disappointed.
ELP were the highlight, a brilliantly constructed show, excellent choice of songs. Stage pyrotechnics, knives in Keith’s keyboards, revolving stage for drum solo, cannons – the whole works. Carl Palmer has lost none of skill, an absolute powerhouse, breathtaking to observe.
I thought UFO were excellent but blighted by those guitar problems. sadly Phil’s voice is starting to show it’s age, but when he hits the spot he is still one of the best around. Vinnie has always kept his shredding contained within UFO and although there was a bit more of it on “The Visitor” (maybe to compensate for a slightly more laid back feel overall?) I didn’t think he was over the top on Sunday. Perhaps surprisingly, given his past, he’s been a great asset to the band and it is no surprise that all three albums with him have been excellent. Going back to ageing vocals. I have to say that I was VERY impressed by Greg Lake. Sure he adjusted the songs to suit him, but I thought he sang beautifully and was much stronger than I expected. Good on yer Greg!
Echo the comments re: Down N’ Outz getting the plug pulled. They were overrunning and I think they left it way too late to bring Ian on. Why didn’t they get him on earlier?? I’d hazard a guess though it was the overall festival rather than ‘ELP’s roadies’ who were responsible for pulling the plug. Still whoever it was, they weren’t even ready for ELP by 8:45 so they didn’t actually get on till 9pm. Loved ELP. Wasn’t perfect by any stretch but maybe our expectations could never be met anyway. Song selection was spot on and the finale with the Hammond and all that was amazing.
I thought the treatment of Ian Hunter was shoddy and spoke volumes about the folks involved in cutting him short. A disgrace as a) the man’s in his 70s and b) deserved a shitload more respect from those misguided organisers who cut his and the Down N Outz stagetime. Yes, it was fairly obvious tempers were somewhat frayed and a bit of reflection from the management is needed on policy.
I noticed Jimmy Page side-stage. Would he have joined the masses for the ‘All The Young Dudes’ finale? We’ll never know. ELP, hang your heads in shame.
Also, can I just have a brief mention here for the Strawbs? They played in the VIP tent backstage. To say they were awesome would be an understatement. Despite the glorious weather outside, Cousins, Cronk & Lambert delivered a chilling, dark set comprising of the meatier material from their back catalogue. ‘Ghosts’, ‘Autumn’, ‘The Hangman & The Papist’ and ‘New World’ were all well received and deserving of a far greater audience than the lucky punters inside the restricted area.
What a weekend! Too many highlights to mention them all, but Uriah Heep were superb – needed to be for me to miss Bonamassa. Down’n'Outz were brilliant, especially starting with Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding! It was unfortunate, but it seems to me that if Hunter didn’t like the plug being pulled on him he only had himself to blame, coming on late; maybe HE thinks HE’s God? Everyone knows there are schedules to keep at these events. (& was that Jimmy Page sat stage left for the D’n'O’s set?) Felt sorry for UFO; & Vinnie Moore was great. Why do soundmen think the rhythm guitar & keys don’t need to be heard? Neil Carter had the same problem. (Great to see him back with Gary – didn’t recognise him ’til I saw the profile!) Other highlights – Focus, Ash, Transatlantic with Steve Hacket, & of course ELP! Do it again next year CR, PLEASE!
There just on Sunday and have to say what a superb time we had…The prog stage was awsome…Down’n'Out almost sent the crowd to sleep before Ian Hunter decided to put his arse onstage and do two tracks…As for the plug being pulled , it should have been pulled two songs into Elliots pub band spot and let Hunter do a solo stint…They had a time slot , but thought they were bigger than the headliners LMFAO……………………….ELP wre majestic in their spot.
Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash were bloody awful so not sure you were really listening or even heard the Argus album in its original form. He can’t sing the tunes anymore (badly out of tune forgotten lyrics etc) and the guitar playing was amateurish at best . Also the mediocre drums were a mere shadow of original drummer Steve Upton’s fine playing . Sorry I tried to enjoy it but from what I’ve heard the only way it can be listened to would be to overdub the entire performance .
Wishbone Ash (not the Andy Powell tribute band version) were brilliant – contrary to what ‘Trip’ says. I guess it’s a non de plume for a certain American person.
Ignore, they were great and delivered a near-faultless, and at times funny, set. Self-depreciating but taking the crowd back to the 70s in the process.
Sorry you disagree Russell. Has nothing to with being “American” . I personally felt they didn’t perform well. Out of tune is out of tune and other than when Ted Turner took the stage I didn’t feel it was well done musically. And in closing Martin Turner,Andy Powell , Ted Turner ,and Steve Upton made some great music in their time . Try not call anyone a tribute band out of respect to all involved . I wouldn’t say it about any group those gentelmen were in alone or together .