Saturday's highlights:
From the moment the first few bands were announced for the inaugural High Voltage Festival, I had my heart set on going. So, when the chance came along to cover it, the appeal of watching such a diverse raft of bands, ranging from living legends and cult favourites to underground acts, all in the confines of the (hopefully) sun-drenched Victoria Park, was just too much to resist. And was it ever sun-drenched. Last minute fears of not packing my trusty festival wellies soon pass as I take my first peek out of the window on Saturday morning, only to be greeted with glorious sunshine enveloping the whole of the east end. In fact, in the five and a bit years that I lived in London before moving up north, I think I'd rarely seen such a nice day in the capital…
But enough of the weather; the real reason we're here is for the music, and no sooner are we inside with beer in hand at the Metal Hammer stage, than we're treated to a brilliant set from one of the hottest properties currently doing the rounds in the underground rock and metal scene, Black Spiders. Theirs is a timeless rock and roll sound that seems no less contemporary in the 21st century than it would have done back in the 70s. Not only that, each member of the band proves himself to be a fine musician, and all really throw everything they've got into their performance.
After Black Spiders, Orange Goblin hit the metal stage; however, I can only stick around for a couple of songs. Not because of Orange Goblin, I hasten to add; I'm a pretty big fan of theirs and would've loved to have caught more of their set, but over on the prog rock stage, one of the main draws of the whole weekend for me are just finishing off their sound check: Focus.
OK, I have to admit that, like many others, I only really know the one Focus song, namely 'Hocus Pocus' (the one song that can make yodelling seem in any way a cool thing to do). However, after loving every minute of the band's all-too-brief set, especially their extended jam over the aforementioned 'Hocus Pocus', I can confirm that there is a hell of a lot more to this band than one song. Sure, Thijs van Leer (keyboard player, flautist and band leader) may not be able to hit as many high notes as he used to, but he shows that he's still got what it takes almost 40 years after the band's breakthrough.
After Focus, I'm faced with a bit of a conundrum: Saxon or Bigelf? Having caught Saxon slightly more recently than the latter, I opt for the 'elf, but not before popping along to see if Biff and Co. decide to play 'Wheels of Steel' or '747 (Strangers in the Night)' in the top half of their set. Alas, they don't, but nonetheless, from the part of the set I do get to see, Saxon are still on top form.
Despite forming almost 20 years ago, Bigelf first graced our shores just last year, as part of Dream Theater's Progressive Nation tour; however, since then, they haven't been able to keep away (this is their third visit in the last nine months). The band's contemporary and slightly heavier homage to 70s prog luminaries such as Jethro Tull and Gabriel-era Genesis has certainly touched a nerve with UK rock fans (yours truly included), and considering the reaction that their engrossing set gets here today at High Voltage, it's no wonder they like coming here so much.
After a brief respite (i.e. a trip to the bar for another beer), it's back to the prog stage for Dweezil Zappa (son of a certain Frank Zappa), another of the key acts for me today. Dweezil has been touring his Zappa Plays Zappa show for the last few years as a tribute to his father's legacy, and I'm happy to say that he and his band pay his father's music the respect it deserves. Skilfully recreating the weird and wonderful likes of 'Cosmic Debris', 'Easy Meat' and 'Inca Roads' to name but a few, the new band show that they're more than capable of capturing the essence of the originals. Along with Dweezil, a special mention should go to singer Ben Thomas, who manages to match the vocals of former Zappa cohorts Ike Willis and Napoleon Murphy Brock as well as that of Zappa Senior himself; and multi-instrumentalist Scheila Gonzalez, who effortlessly divides her time between keyboard, sax and vocal duties.
Over on the main stage is arguably the biggest event of the whole festival: the final ever performance of Heaven and Hell. However, there's one glaring absence, namely the late and great Ronnie James Dio, for whom tonight's show serves as a tribute. From start to finish, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Vinnie Appice masterfully keep the classics like 'Children of the Sea', 'Mob Rules' and 'Heaven and Hell' coming, while stand-in vocalists Glenn Hughes (formerly of Deep Purple and erstwhile Sabbath collaborator) and Jorn Lande of Masterplan both treat their task with passion and respect. Hughes gives it his all and keeps the kind words about Ronnie coming, but for me, Lande's the one who captures Dio's vocals better (arguably down to his power metal heritage). As their set draws to a close, the band are joined on stage by Dio's widow Wendy, who delivers a heartfelt speech that, albeit obscured by a dodgy microphone, surely has even the hardiest of metal fans welling up. To top the set off, the band come back on and give a rousing rendition of Dio-era Sabbath classic 'Neon Knights', complete with a hyperactive Phil Anselmo bounding around stage and helping out on vocal duties.
Heaven and Hell's set could well have been the headline performance, but there's still the small matter of ZZ Top rounding off the first day. They've got a tough act to follow, especially considering the fact their more laid-back bluesy sound is not exactly taking it up a notch compared to Heaven and Hell's bombastic set. However, Billy, Dusty and Frank put on a great show, and do it in their own inimitable style. From the moment the iconic beards appear on stage and fire up the opening bars of 'Got Me Under Pressure', the guys have the audience in the palm of their hand, and as they make their way through classics like 'Cheap Sunglasses', 'Gimme All Your Lovin', 'Sharp Dressed Man' and 'Legs', it all serves as a great way to close the opening day.
Sunday's highlights:
As we arrive at the main stage on the Sunday that little bit hazier than yesterday morning, it appears something is afoot, as The Quireboys seem to take an age to come out, subsequently throwing most of the timings out on the main stage. Had they put on a great set, it wouldn't really have mattered, but as it happens, they turn out to be one of, if not the weakest band of the weekend. However, every cloud has a sliver lining, which in this instance was leaving the main stage only to discover Welsh rockers Lethargy, who prove to be infinitely more interesting to watch than The Quireboys. Part grunge, part no-nonsense hard rock, the band put on a suitably frenzied show, complete with heaps of hook-laden classic rock riffs, a slice of Soundgarden-esque bleakness and some seriously impressive windmilling dreadlocks to boot.
We next head back to main stage to see UFO but, alarmingly, The Quireboys are still playing. Thankfully, not for much longer though, and once the roadies have done their thing, it's finally time for some UFO. At least, that's what we were all hoping for, but instead, something somewhere goes awry, leaving singer Phill Mogg to fill the void. Having grown up in Bethnal Green, Victoria Park is essentially his backyard, therefore you would expect him to have some material, but instead, we're treated to a run down of which band members were born in the local hospital (“I was. He was. He wasn't”. Classic banter Phill!). Luckily for the crowd though, the guided tour of the east end health service is interrupted by a guitar springing back to life, allowing the band to get back on with their set, offering up the likes of 'Lights Out' and 'Hell Driver' and finishing with the classic 'Doctor, Doctor', with which, the earlier lull in proceedings are all but forgotten.
Over on the prog stage, Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash (not to be confused with the other incarnation of the band led by Andy Powell) are making their way through their seminal album 'Argus'. However, it all seems a little sedate; what we really need now is something to liven things up a little bit. Fortunately, High on Fire are more than willing to oblige. For me, they're one of the great unsung heroes of the modern metal scene. They consistently produce great albums, such as 2005's 'Blessed by Black Wings', 'Death is this Communion' in 2007 and this year's 'Snakes for the Divine', yet I rarely see them mentioned in the music press (although I'd be happy to be proved wrong on this one, as they definitely deserve the coverage...) Not only that, High on Fire's UK appearances are rarer than a really rare thing, which makes their appearance here today a must-see. And they really don't disappoint; frontman Matt Pike is at his gruff and growling best, while Jeff on bass and Des on drums keep the crushingly heavy stoner beats coming. It's also great to finally hear some of the new album played live for the first time, such as the title track and the almighty set finale 'Frost Hammer', both of which sit comfortably next to older material like 'Blood from Zion' and 'Hung, Drawn and Quartered'.
At this point, I feel compelled to check out Bachman and Turner (minus the Overdrive due to legal wrangles), if only to hear 'You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet' played live at least once in my life. And as luck would have, no sooner had I rounded the corner past the air guitar stage (yes, you heard me right), than the opening strains of the track begin. Once I get over the novelty of it all though, the lure of seeing Clutch becomes too great, so I depart once more for the metal stage.
As with High on Fire, Clutch are a band that have a great back catalogue and are well known in the right circles, yet have stayed more or less an underground band for their entire career. However, I think all it would take is for more people to check them out and realise just how damn good they are. The slightly surreal and verbose lyrics, the great musicianship and Neil Fallon's unique southern twang all combine to create a brilliant and different sound that flirts with blues, with metal and with straight up rock, yet never settles on one or the other, and you only need look around the metal stage at the sheer number of Clutch t-shirts to tell how well-loved this band is.
On to Opeth... Now, as a huge Opeth fan, its pretty difficult to remain objective here, but without a hint of bias (OK, maybe just a bit), I can confirm that, as always, the Swedish prog-metallers are fantastic. OK, there may well have been a slight issue with frontman Mike's microphone to begin with, but minor technical niggles aside, it really is a brilliant performance: they just make playing such complex music look so easy. If there's one (very) minor gripe, it's that there's a lack of early stuff in the band's set (the oldest track is 'The Drapery Falls' from 2001's 'Blackwater Park'), but with the likes of 'Windowpane', 'The Grand Conjuration', 'The Lotus Eater' and finally the epic and extremely heavy 'Deliverance' completing the set, I certainly wasn't about to complain.
After his brief foray on stage with Heaven and Hell the night before, Phil Anselmo returns to greet the crowds, only this time on the metal stage and with his own band, the indomitable Down, who now seem to be functioning as a complete unit, as opposed to the side project it once was. Opening up with 'Eyes of the South' from their 1996 debut 'NOLA', the band proceed to bludgeon the audience with riff after sludgy riff, as they offer up highly crowd-pleasing set that is light on material of the last album (“you know, the one you didn't like”, quips Phil) and instead focuses on 'classic' Down tracks, as it were, like 'Stone the Crows', 'Lifer', Temptations Wings' and their perennial set-closer, 'Bury Me In Smoke'.
As Down finish, swathes of the metal fans head for the exits. It appears that for a lot of people, that's it, and, well, I suppose if you're not of fan of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, then it really is it, as all other stages are closed by the time the reformed prog legends take to the stage. However, in the name of journalistic integrity (and for the chance to see Carl Palmer go ape-shit on the drums), we make our way towards the main stage one final time. Despite the mass exodus after Down, there's still a sizeable chunk of the crowd left for the final act of the weekend: ELP, back together for the first time in 15 years.
I have to show my ignorance here and admit that I am pretty clueless when it comes to ELP, other than 'Fanfare for the Common Man' and Greg Lake's Christmas song. As a prog fan, that's probably tantamount to heresy, but what can I say? I've just never really got into them, and from tonight's show, I don't think I ever will. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they were bad in anyway, it's just one of those things. That said, it was still interesting to see Keith Emerson going for it on his myriad keyboards and wardrobe-like original Moog synthesiser, and to see Carl Palmer let rip on his gongs every now and again. Plus, while there was (expectedly) no room for 'I Believe in Father Christmas', I at least got to hear 'Fanfare...', which I guess made it all worthwhile.
With that final burst of proggy goodness, the first High Voltage festival is over. In writing this review, I've tried (in most instances...) to remain as objective as possible and tried to look for areas of improvement for next year, but, save for a grievance over paying £4 for a can of Tuborg, and perhaps the slightly inflated entry fee compared to other rock and metal festivals (but then again, it is in the middle of London), there really isn't much I would suggest to improve it. If MAMA and Classic Rock magazine keep the format as it is and put together a line-up as strong as this year's, then I really can't see where they could go wrong. In the words of Clutch's Neil Fallon: “I think we got a nice little festival here with High Voltage, don't we?” You know what Neil? I couldn't agree more.
Mike Perry