Simon RushworthFour days of full-on rock and metal mayhem marked out Call Of The Wild as one of this summer’s must-see festivals. Rushonrock editor Simon Rushworth enjoyed a cracking final day in the company of some hot new blood and some trusty old favourites.
The LA Maybe aren’t from Lincoln.
They’re not even from LA, by the way.
But by the time the flamboyant US rock and rollers had raced through their second show on British soil it became clear that the UK’s a place they can always call home.
And maybe, just maybe, this intoxicating hybrid of Airbourne, Guns N Roses and Rushonrock faves Massive might just be your new favourite band.
Like a five pack of Duracell AAs, The LA Maybe burns energy for fun and their firebrand mix of red hot riffs and scorching melodies roused a fast-flagging COTW crowd.
In a neatly galactic twist, axeman Dallas Dwight blasted out Star Wars themes The Imperial March and Cantina Band before ushering in bullish new anthem Down To Fight.
And throughout a stunning set, febrile frontman Goliath Furr — who succeeded one-time AC/DC auditionee Alvi Robinson behind the mic — made a serious play for Spike’s title as rock’s sexiest beast in a bandana.
Believe the hype?
We wanted to. And we did.
The LA Maybe or LA Guns reinvented? Either way, we’re hooked.
Earlier Anchor Lane overcame a late night and a nightmare trip to drop new tune Choke on the COTW massive.
The Scottish three-piece are on the road with Rushonrock-approved The Howling Tides across the UK in May.
And right now it’s tough to choose between two of the most electrifying bands on the NWOCR scene.
In frontman and bass guru Joe Bonson, Hollowstar boast a classic rock troubadour in the mould of peak Danny Bowes.
His magnificent take on Skynyrd’s Simple Man was a festival highlight and crowd favourite Good Man Gone sounded too good to be true.
Isn’t it nice to hear New Device?
After the band signed to the Powerage label in the late noughties it looked like the sky was the limit for Daniel Leigh and co.
And if that major breakthrough never quite happened then there’s no denying New Device still have the chops — and the choons — to dominate a major festival stage.
Wake Up never sounded more apt. It’s just a shame more rock fans never did back in the day.
The Dust Coda continue to go from strength to strength and it’s little wonder the band has bagged a spot playing alongside Europe, Whitesnake and Scorpions at Spain’s giant Rock Imperium festival next month.
Lead guitarist Adam Mackie is the perfect foil for growling frontman John Drake and in combination they drive a heavy blues sound rooted in Zeppelin, Free and Bad Company.
Bookended by the brilliant Jimmy 2 Times and the magnificent Limo Man, this stellar set was a Sunday afternoon special from a truly talented quartet.
With stadium sized hooks and eye-catching stagecraft, Sister Shotgun looked a little out of place on the modest COTW stage.
Chloe Ozwell’s a captivating frontwoman in every sense and it’s baffling how, a decade down the line, the West Midlanders aren’t a far bigger deal.
Miss Fortune saw Sister Shotgun hit their stride in style…and if you’re a fan of gritty hard rock this monster anthem truly hits the target.
German retro rockers The New Roses arrived in Lincolnshire via Bavaria, Frankfurt and a four-hour drive…to play a 10-song set at COTW.
And hell was it worth it.
Had Timmy Rough and co. emerged in the mid 80s their intoxicating brand of chorus-driven, radio-friendly fist-pumpers would have record label execs falling over themselves to serve up multi-album deals.
Very much a band out of time, the Wiesbaden quartet are, nevertheless, one of the classiest acts around and in Whiskey Nightmare, Life Ain’t Easy (For A Boy With Long Hair) and Can’t Stop Rock & Roll they boasted three of the weekend’s standouts.
Glory Road set the seal on a set that’s unlikely to be bettered throughout the UK summer festival season.
Midnite City look like they should be propping up a dubious dive bar somewhere along the Sunset Strip.
And their steadfast refusal to move on from 1987 deserves maximum respect.
Here Comes The Party says it all about the self-styled ‘number one hair metal band in the UK’.
And the soft rock bangers came thick and fast.
Singer Rob Wylde counts Kiss, Danger Danger and Poison among his three favourite bands: all of those influences and more spilled out during a dynamic display of spandex-powered excess.
It’s unlikely Phil Campbell is a big fan of Danger Danger.
And the Motörhead man’s furiously heavy festival-closing set couldn’t have contrasted more sharply with Midnite City’s fluff and silliness.
Angry opener We’re The Bastards set the brutally unrepentant tone and new boy Joel Peters paced a high octane performance worthy of COTW’s top billing.
At 61 Campbell continues to breathe new life into a career surging from strength to strength.
And with his Bastard Sons in blazing form it’s impossible to imagine the Welsh wizard hanging up his axe any time soon.
Images Courtesy Of Mark Ellis.
Check out the Day Two action here.
Check out the Day Three action here.