Simon RushworthIt’s become one of Rushonrock’s festival staples and we couldn’t wait to head back to Call Of The Wild for another feast of all things hard and heavy. Editor Simon Rushworth counts down the opening day highlights.
British festivals don’t do wall-to-wall dry weather but that — and a raft of bang on the money bands — was the bold promise as Call Of The Wild made a welcome return.
Bigger, better and decidedly brighter than before, the latest iteration of this fantastic festival offered a typically eclectic mix of tasty opening day treats.
And after a flurry of reassuringly feisty action early on, the riff-fuelled momentum gathered pace as soon as Birmingham-based doomsters Alunah arrived on the scene.
Led by captivating frontwoman Siân Greenaway, the stoner stars cast a spell over a sun-baked showground with Sabbath-esque flourishes underpinning a dizzying set.
Set closer Silver is a gold-standard mind-bender, glistening with moody intent and there were plenty more where that came from.
Alunah might be six albums in but one of British metal’s most enlightening bands has never sounded so relevant.
Local heroes Carry The Crown are, by contrast, relatively new to the scene but with bags of potential and a truckload of personality, these brash alt rockers are surely destined for the big time.
New single Radio’s live debut reinforced the band’s songwriting chops but it’s charismatic frontman Martin James who’s the ace in the CTC pack.
An electric off-stage stint gave fans an in-your-face insight into one of the weekend’s star performers. Carry The Crown are carrying the torch for high octane homegrown rock.
Over on the Trailblazer stage and genre benders Square Wild were shaping up to deliver one of the breakout sets of the weekend.
Mixing punk, metal, ska and funk with their proggy foundations, the Manchester crew emerged as the ultimate party starters.
Frenzied leader Lucy Shevchuk leapt across the intimate stage like a kid in a sweetshop and dance-inducing set closer Gypsy (Keep Us Down) came far too soon.
Troy Redfern might be one of the busiest men in rock right now but the retro-fuelled bluesman is all about quality over quantity.
Flanked by the über-cool Keira Kenworthy, the prolific singer songwriter held a rapt crowd in the palm of his hand with a no-holds-barred blast through the ‘hits’…and more.
New tune Native benefitted from some truly uplifting vocal harmonies and the supreme Sanctify never sounds anything less than sensational.
That this was drummer Ollie Harding’s first show with the boy Troy beggared belief — his instant connection with Kenworthy is yet another reason for catching Redfern again soon.
Ginger Wildheart’s been around the block and back again during a colourful career as one of rock and roll’s most troubled troubadours.
But he looks right at home in the company of his Sinners — despite struggling all night to get the vocal mix right.
A heady mix of country, Americana and bluesy classic rock saw Ginger and buddy Neil Ivison interpret classic Quo and the Georgia Satellites at their singalong best.
A cameo appearance from Maggie the dog, a few spilt cans of IPA and the odd tuning issue kept the masses guessing as the Sinners just about held things together.
Haphazard, heroic or a whole heap of fun? This meandering set was all three.
Kris Barras was as cool as the proverbial cucumber as Friday’s headliner juxtaposed the slick with Ginger’s affable slack.
The rising star of the blues rock scene breezed through a refreshingly polished set with the confidence of a performer at the very top of his game.
And when Barras did need a breather, the imperious Josiah Manning was in red hot form, firing off a volley of blazing riffs.
The explosive six-stringer has long since proved himself the perfect fit for a well-drilled band and Call Of The Wild was treated to a fret-fuelled masterclass.
Hail Mary, These Voices and Planet Rock favourite Chaos were the steepling highlights as Barras proved himself the perfect headliner.
Images courtesy of Mark Ellis