The day started drearily and rainy, but the opening act on the main Inferno stage, Jack J Hutchinson, rapidly put a smile on the faces of the assembled hardcore early starters. His blend of bluesy rock was the perfect antidote to the weather and was the kick start that the event needed.
With songs like Deal With The Devil and the chugging riffs of Overdrive, he was on to a winner from the start.
I Will Follow You slowed down proceedings, but saw the audience involved in the first sing-along of the day. It came over as a very personal piece written following his Father’s dementia diagnosis and one that clearly had an impact and was a particularly poignant piece.
Opening the Firestarter Stage were Big River. The band comprises lead vocalist, Adam Barron (ex Mick Ralphs Blues Band), bass player, Simon Gardiner, guitarist Damo Fawsett and drummer Becky Scott. Having had to drop out of Maid of Stone in 2024, it was clear that they intended to make up for that with a strong and enjoyable performance. They have some killer songs, such as Don’t Hold Out which enabled the band to produce a more relaxed mode, complete with Mandolin, before they cranked up into some head-down, raw and potent rock and roll.
This is a band who are nothing if not adaptable, from blistering rock through to more subtle blues, they are masters of all. The title track from their 2022 E.P. Beautiful Trauma followed which showed off their ability as blues musicians, before a cover of Stevie Wonder’s Higher Ground got the audience grooving along with the band.
Similarly to Jack J Hutchinson, they play a heavily blues-infused style of rock, which was well received by those early risers.
A quick hop back to the Inferno Stage saw Midlands rockers Fury in full glorious flow as they unleashed a molten torrent of incendiary metal. This is a band who are clearly going from strength to strength. With four albums under their belts and a fifth on its way later this year, they are an act that is well worth seeing in the live environment.
They now feature two vocalists, with Julian Jenkins now joined by Nyah Ifill, and their two different vocal styles ensure that there is a depth and resonance in the delivery of the songs that has enhanced the material.
Fury make no pretences about their musical style and for those of us of a certain age will recognise that there is a NWOBHM touch to come of the tunes. In particular, Prince of Darkness, which, following Tuesday’s sad announcement, could have been dedicated to our dear departed Ozzy.
Asking the expanding audience ‘ Do you like it fast? Do you like it Loud? They cranked the intensity up another level for the new single What’s It Gonna Be.
Fury definitely started the party at Mote Park. They are a solid, hard-working, good-time rock and roll band, and amidst a heavy downpour, they definitely raised the spirits.
Leaving the final chords of Fury’s set a quick dash brought us back to the Firestarter stage and before us is the enigmatic Bobby Dazzle with her style of music that has clear vestiges of 1970’s glam rock, albeit updated for the 21st century. It’s an interesting mix, and she has some seriously catchy songs on show today. Let’s turn the clock back to our youth and immerse ourselves in this set, because she has it all: memorable tunes, a huge on-stage personality and tons of sass.
Revolution has a serious Sweet vibe to it, with some distinctive drum rhythms and Back To The City provides a master class in writing a catchy tune with a singalong chorus.
Merry Go Round sees Bobby on flute, glam prog perhaps, but utterly infectious.
Watch Out is a new song and their tribute to Abba, and comes complete with a keytar solo, and in the songwriting manner, there is a clear nod to the Swedish pop heroes.
She ends the set with a piece titled Lightning Fantasy, which is a song that she developed after she found some lyrics that had been written by her departed father that he had written in his youth. Bobby and the band developed the music to wrap around these lyrics, creating an epic piece of music which had a similar feel to the material being created by the more garage-based glam rock bands in the US back in the 1970s.
Following the hard driving blues rock and metal of the opening acts Rosalie Cunningham brings a change with her more laid back psych infused progressive rock, In fact this is the perfect follow up to the flash of Bobby Dazzles glam. Rosalie is one of those artists who is making a strong name for herself and though the music itself may have its roots in the past she has put her own personal and modern touch to it.
Rosalie is one of those artists who can transport you to another time and place. She has a definite tone to her voice that is compelling and stands out, even if at times there is a touch of Airplane era Grace Slick about her, yet she also has an imposing persona, which transfers to her stage performances perfectly.
With material played from across her three solo albums, she produced a flawless set that certainly enticed the punters and was clearly gaining her traction and interest. She quite simply is an impressive performer.
Ably assisted by ‘Speedy’ Gonzales Diaz on Bass and flute, she has the perfect foil to her own guitar flare and is as much part of the performance as Rosalie herself.
She introduced a new piece called Rabbit Foot, which saw Guitarist Roscoe Wilson step up to add to the vocal dynamic, and this is a piece from a project which is likely to be released later this year.
The set was closed out with her hit single from her last album, Ride On My Bike, which had a clearly laid-back yet reflective melody alone. All in all, a very successful performance.
Switching back to the second stage, and if Rosalie Cunningham had seemed a little more laid back, then Kim Jennett hit the stage with a burst of enthusiasm and attitude as she stoked up a metal fire and set the stage alight. Kim is a pretty incredible artist who is clearly starting to make waves, and her energetic performance was of the highest quality. Not only does she have an impressive stage persona and works it nonstop, but she also has some stupendous material and a vocal range and ability that is more than capable of hitting some incredible highs. She has the tone, she has the power, and this was showcased to great effect through her cover of the Led Zeppelin classic, Immigrant Song. Those opening cries lifted the roof of the stage and will be resounding in the ears of her fans for weeks to come.
This set was a breath of fresh air and set the metal standard for the day. Kim is a consummate performer, and her approach and delivery in an intense rocking environment was outstanding.
Heading back to the main stage, we were just in time to catch Welsh rockers Florence Black. If you were into the more metallic end of the festival, then this was you, and they provided the perfect response to Kin Jennett’s set, taking the metal mayhem up a further level. This was their second performance at Maid Of Stone, and they provided the faithful with a strong and direct set, which brought the punters flocking to the front of the stage for a much-needed metal workout.
There is an ease in which they play, which seems to simplify the depth and quality of the songwriting and musicianship they bring. Their more metallic approach was the perfect wake-up call for those fuelled by mid-afternoon beer-fuelled rectitude and torpor.
Their approach was to take no prisoners with a powerful and dynamic performance. This was more than shown on their adaptation of fellow Welsh legends Budgie’s Breadfan, where the level of guitar playing moved to another level. They are out on the road later in the year and, on this showing, are well worth catching live.
Interestingly this was turning into an afternoon where whatever the guys could do the girls could do better. Guitar supremo Sophie Lloyd brought the stars out during the afternoon with a number of guest vocal performances as three special guests joined her on stage.
This is a young woman who oozes confidence and energy and between her and her band they created one of the more memorable sets of the day with a performance that was outstanding and with an atmosphere that was intoxicating. If she wanted to win over the crowd quickly then a fast fingered instrumental version of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck was it.
The first special guest up was Marisa Rodriguez, from Marisa and The Moths, who would be playing their own set the following day. More about that later. Guesting on Won’t You Come between them, they produced a fiery performance which matched the improving weather and brought some great rock n’ roll fire to proceedings. Nathan James of Inglorious then joined for a couple of songs, including Do Or Die before Black Stone Cherry’s lead singer, Chris Robertson, entered the stage for Let It Hurt. A move that went down very well with massed and assembled Cherry Heads.
Marisa returned for the title track from Sophie’s first album, Imposter Syndrome, before an instrumental version of Metallica’s Enter Sandman was aired, with the band leaving the audience to provide the vocals. Something that they needed little encouragement to do.
Ugly Kid Joe are always the ultimate festival favourite. Add them to the bill, and this bunch of Californian reprobates can do no wrong with their infectious and unruly pop metal anthems. If you want to have a good time, then these are your guys.
Musically, they are very much a band with their own ideals, and song-wise, it is very much a case of quality over quantity. Ugly Kid Joe have the songs, and they speak for themselves i.e. Neighbor, Jesus rode a Harley Davidson etc
Ugly Kid Joe are here for a party, and so it seems that the Maidstone masses are too, and it’s the band’s job to ensure that everyone has a good time. Unsurprisingly, they more than provide the party atmosphere, and the banter between audience and lead singer Whitfield Crane is perfect, even if not entirely family-friendly. But hey, this is a rock ‘n’ roll show, not the ballet.
No Ugly Kid Joe show would be complete without the hit single Cats In The Cradle which saw the children in the audience lifted onto parents’ shoulders. I’m sure there were a few aching backs the next morning as the kids bounced along to the classic tune. Although my main complaint of the day raised its head at this point, with sound bleed crossing over from the Firestarter stage. The stages are too close and virtually opposite each other, so it is obvious that this is a likelihood.
With the audience already won over, they launched into a frenzied Ace Of Spades before closing the show with their ‘anti-social’ anthem Everything About You. Had they won over the audience, we wonder? The grin on the audience’s faces as they headed towards the bar confirmed that this had been a resounding success.
So, we arrive and the Saturday headline set. Luckily for us here in the UK, Black Stone Cherry seem to be one of those bands that are more popular here than in their home country, and they will always be welcome visitors to these shores.
They are also no strangers to Maidstone, with this being their third headline performance at this location, having played twice before under the festival moniker of Ramblin’ Man Fair.
They are one of those bands who know what their fans want, from the set opener Me and Mary Jane through to the encore of Peace is Free, they and their adoring fans were in their element. As a band, they are a ball of energy, and with lead guitarist Ben Wells high kicking and whirling across the stage, the enthusiasm and charisma the band has was contagious.
Keeping the fans happy was easy and the wheeled out a few older tunes which was a sure-fire way to reel in the audience and move the level of expectancy and higher. Black Stone Cherry have the songs to do that and rolling through Devils Queen, Soul Creek and Like I Roll did just that.
Emotions ran high as they played their big ballad, Things My Father Said which was specially dedicated to those who had lost a loved one and wanted to send one last message to them. Unsurprisingly, the phones went on as the crowd swayed and a sea of lights rippled across the arena. A few tears were also shed, both on stage and off. That was one of those awe-inspiringly powerful moments, and to share it with the audience in the manner that they did was quite special.
To break up the set we were treated to a step back to their first album which they were celebrating the release of exactly 19 years to this weekend. So hey, why not share something special.
The main set ended with the powerful triumvirate of White Trash Millionaire, Blame It on the Boom Boom and Lonely Train. To the Kentish hordes, they could do no wrong.
Due to time restrictions and curfew, we got one encore; however, what an encore, as every drop of emotion was squeezed out for the emotive Peace Is Free.
That was the perfect end to the perfect day. Let’s see what Sunday brings.
WORDS: ADRIAN STONLEY PHOTOS: ROBERT SUTTON
Maid of Stone Festival Saturday Gallery
