Simon Rushworth
Sonisphere may have stolen a march on its rivals in the race to become crowned the summer festival of 2010 – naming Iron Maiden, Rammstein and Alice Cooper among its confirmed acts – but next year’s new kid on the block has hit back in some style.
The Classic Rock conceived High Voltage two-dayer had already named ELP and ZZ Top as co-headliners and now Foreigner, Focus, Black Label Society and Clutch have been added to the bill.
And all of this at a time when the likes of Kiss and Europe are being touted to deliver main stage sets at Download! High Voltage will take place in London’s Victoria Park on July 24 and 25 and is being billed (by the promoters!) as ‘The Best New Rock Festival In The World’.
Sonisphere, of course, is no longer new and Download has become a permanent fixture on the summer rock map. So perhaps the team behind High Voltage aren’t telling a lie.
And they have to come up with a unique tag line when they’re also up against the Pearl Jam-fronted Hard Rock Calling event in London’s Hyde Park on June 25.
Just who will be crowned kings of the summer festival scene remains to be seen but one thing’s for sure – with Kiss’s Sonic Boom tour hitting the UK in May there’s never been a bigger choice of quality rock for your money. Bring on 2010!