Grimsthorpe Castle, Bourne
Saturday, 7th September 2024
Motorhead’s anthem used to be No Sleep Til Hammersmith. I think a suitable tag line for this festival could be No Sleep at Nene as another 11:00 am start after an exceptionally long Friday and another day jam packed with bands.
Sadly due to tragic circumstances Blue Lena had to pull out at the last moment which was remedied by an extended spot for Credo, followed by a highly entertaining space psych rock from Splink often described as Hawkwind meets with Zappa with the spirit of Ozric Tentacles. DR
Reviews by Dave Ridley, Graham Thomas & Chris Simmons
Photos by Chris Simmons & Graham Thomas
CREDO
Credo returned after a long hiatus from the gigging circuit – not that you would notice the band had been away as they delivered an assured and polished set. Fronted by the powerhouse vocals of Mark Colton, the band featured a healthy selection from the Rhetoric album. A great version of Too Late To Say Goodbye featuring a cracking melodic solo from Tim Birrell, who was on excellent form.
Highlight of the set was perhaps Staring At The Sun – with shades of early Marillion. Superbly driven by the Gerald ‘Mully’ Mulligan on kit and Jim Murdoch on bass, Mike Varty’s keyboards soared across the room. A commanding performance from Mark Colton and nicely backed up on backing vocals by Mike Varty and Jim Murdoch. CS
SPLINK
Photo by Graham Thomas
After Friday’s concentration on the main stages, due to the quality of the acts involved, I was determined to check out some of the bands on the smaller Kingfisher stage, and made my way straight there on arrival to see Splink. Vikki Ings is the initial focus of attention, playing her Flying V violin! How rock’n’roll is that? They are kind of folky, with a hint of psychedelia, and they seem to be having a ball.
They are really fun to watch, and a lively start to the day. GT
THE ROOM
Photo by Graham Thomas
Back on the main Swan stage, and The Room have just kicked off their slot. They are another band ideally suited to this sort of festival. They aren’t too prog for those unimpressed with the genre, but their songs are interesting enough to satisfy prog aficionados. Basically, they are hard to pigeonhole; they just write good songs with interesting lyrics, and play them really well. The band have had a difficult few years, but now seem to be back to their best, and back where they belong – on a stage playing live. They have some memorable songs, imbued with real meaning and performed with heartfelt feeling. New boy Simon Fisher on guitar has now settled in well, and hopefully a new album might happen. GT
SIMONE GALASSI
Moving into mid afternoon on the Kingfisher stage Simone Galassi from Italy gave an impressive performance of 70’s power blues and you can tell why he also fronts a Rory Gallagher tribute band back home. The tent very quickly filled up, with an impressive crowd outside as well, as Simone belted out guitar driven rock. His style and delivery reminded me very much of Frank Marino and there were smiles all round when he launched into Voodoo Chile. DR
Simone Galassi follows on, and his power trio approach may have been done many times before, but when the band are as gifted and tight as this, it’s a winning formula. Galassi himself is a great guitarist, channeling such greats as Trower, Gallagher and even Hendrix. The rhythm section are equally good, and the band are cooking up a storm in no time.
They play a set of original material before finishing with Voodoo Chile, and it’s a spectacular way to end the set. Very impressive indeed. GT
BACKSTAGE SHENANIGANS:
Some may have noticed on the Spriggan Mist and Ghost Of The Machine social media pages the on-going disagreement regarding – should there be dancing at prog gigs? Personally I’m of the view prog is a no dancing zone and was discussing this with members of GOTM, when out of the corner of my eye I saw trouble was on its way in the guise of Spriggan Mist’s bass man Baz Cilia, who was making a beeline Charlie Bramald. Fortunately Roger Marsh was on hand to save the six foot plus, martial arts instructor Baz from coming to any harm.
Needless to say Baz suitably recovered to perform a stonking set with the band. 😉 CS
SPRIGGAN MIST
Festival favourites Spriggan Mist next on the Heron stage. A band that never fails to deliver and are building a formidable reputation on the Prog Festival circuit, mixing a stunning brand of Pagan Folk Rock. Witches, dragons, and folklore feature in their songs which you can dance to it 🙂 Four of the band’s five members are songwriters and it shows in the crafted material they perform, a lot of today’s material comes from their very well received Isambard the Mechanical Dragon album. DR
Back on the main stages, Spriggan Mist are a big hit with a large section of the audience. Vocalist Fay Brotherhood sports her traditional headdress which seems to include half a small forest, and leads the band through their brand of folk prog which is truly unique. GT
THE MIGHTY RA
Photo by Graham Thomas
Back on Kingfisher, The Mighty Ra are well into their set, and as usual a section of the crowd have respectfully donned sombreros and moustaches, though I’m still not sure why. But it doesn’t matter, it’s a bit of fun isn’t it, and their performance seems to go down very well. GT
GHOST OF THE MACHINE
Ghost of the Machine, fronted by Charlie Bramald, and having succumbed to their debut release Scissorgames, I’m looking forward to their slot with some anticipation. They perform much of the album along with some new material from their forthcoming follow up, and it’s a joyous performance.
New song Panopticon is particularly impressive, alongside old favourites like Mountain and Mercury Rising. Charlie commands the stage, and in addition to his fine voice, plays some rather lovely flute. The rest of the band are rock solid and assured. I can only see the Ghost of the Machine going from strength to strength on this showing. GT
RHABSTALLION
Rhabstallion were a firm favourite last year at Nene and they made a welcome return with their original brand of NW0BHM featuring all four original members. They immediately take you back to the era of Saxon, Diamond Head and Tygers of Pan Tang. As well as old material they showcased songs from their new album Bat Shit Crazy which of course I rushed to purchase on vinyl before all the copies went. They performed the title track with relish, throaty vocals and screaming guitar solos. The perfect band for a 4:00 pm slot blasting away the cobwebs to prepare us for an evening of prog sandwiched between another rock headliner – more of which later. DR
Rhabstallion follow this with their take on melodic heavy metal. They are a NWOBHM band from Halifax, and their latest album is called Bat Shit Crazy. I think that’s all I can say really; they do what they do with enthusiasm, and many enjoy it, but it’s not my cup of tea to be honest, so I go to find one instead… GT
McHALE’S PERMANENT BREW
McHale’s Permanent Brew are much more my kind thing though, a blues band with an inventive psych edge, and I enjoy what I heard of their slot. They wear their seventies influences with pride, but put enough of their own stamp on their songs to keep it vital, and they are definitely a live band worth checking out. GT
MOSTLY AUTUMN
Mostly Autumn took to the Swan stage early evening and come a long way from their early days supporting the likes of Blackmores Night throughout the UK. Probably one of the most hard-working prog bands they have built their solid fan base through constant gigging. The set featured many of their classic numbers Western Skies, The Last Climb and Into The Stars. DR
Mostly Autumn are another familiar band to anyone attending this type of festival, and they always draw a sizeable crowd of devotees. Their playing is top notch as always, and whilst I can’t get excited about a band I’ve seen so many times before, I’m always in awe of their exemplary work ethic, and perfectionism. They really are very good. GT
SON OF MAN
Next is a band I’ve wanted to see for a while, being a big fan of Man, especially their seventies albums. Son of Man are well named, being formed by George, son of Man legend Micky Jones. Their own songs are excellent, as they refuse to rely solely on Man’s reputation, and selections from third album Gaslight are well received. We do get some legacy though! Of course we do, and C’mon and Bananas are excellent. Before they are allowed to leave the stage, it is insisted by organiser Trevor that they play Spunk Rock, and they duly oblige, and I’m a happy chap. GT
Mostly Autumn paved the way from one of the most anticipated performances at this year’s Nene – Son of Man. Formed by George Jones, son of Man guitarist Micky Jones, and joined by former Man (and AC/DC) drummer Bob Richards they have just released their third album Gaslight. Two songs into the set and you soon realise this is a much rockier proposition than was expected. Stand out track was The Circle taken from their first album but I can honestly say that every song caught the attention and set the foot tapping, from 717551 to Bananas. The band also benefit from the seasoned vocals of Richie Galloni from fellow Welsh rockers Sassafras. DR
DARREN WHARTON’S RENEGADE
Headlining the day is Darren Wharton’s Renegade, and they play a rapturously received set of Thin Lizzy classics. The band are tight, the arrangements are spot on, and Darren Wharton himself looks every bit the rock star, and is clearly loving every minute. They play many songs you might expect (Renegade, Jailbreak, Don’t Believe A Word, Emerald etc), and one or two deeper cuts (The Sun Goes Down, Suicide), and they perform them perfectly. It might sound like they’re a tribute act, but Darren was in the band for a few years and co-wrote a fair few songs, and apart from that, they’re very good! GT
Tonight’s headliners are more than just another Thin Lizzy tribute band and the main tent soon fills up in anticipation for Darren Wharton’s Renegade.
Darren joined Lizzy on keyboards at the age of 18. Here he takes prominence as a front man and no he doesn’t sound like Phil Lynott, but he makes up for that in boundless enthusiasm and an obvious joy in delivering not only songs that he was involved with off Renegade and Chinatown but all of Lizzy’s greatest hits. Darren is constantly smiling and so is the crowd, what could go wrong its Thin Lizzy songs after all penned by the man that Bob Dylan called “some kind of genius.”
Yes, a few blips and a false start on one of the songs but Darren Wharton is an absolute charmer regaling the audience with past tales from the road in between classic songs like Emerald and Don’t Believe a Word. I would say this was an unexpected triumph and for me the best Headliner of the weekend. Don’t worry Mr Lynott there’s definitely a ‘Killer on the Loose Again’. DR
[Live photographs by Chris Simmons and Graham Thomas]
LINKS
Nene Valley Rock Festival – Website | Facebook Group | Trevor NVRF