It’s that time of the year again where classic rock fans from all corners of the UK and perhaps even further make the annual pilgrimage to the mountain of rock, Hafod Y Dafal Farm, for another rocking weekend in the mud. Or maybe not this. Over the years there’s not many of these weekends that have seen the sun, but it’s a beautiful day that greets the punters of 2024.
It’s a modest start to the weekend, with a smaller-scale Friday headed up by the Berniefest All Stars and a standout set from Little Angels frontman Toby Jepson, who even teased a full-blown Little Angels reunion next year. Members of Thunder, Skin, and Hand of Dimes all turned out for a gentle Friday night which piqued with a rendition of Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again as fans ease themselves into the weekend.
Local heroes James And The Cold Gun blast through an energetic set, which looks as though it may have turned a few fan’s heads as they easily claim the best set of the afternoon. Mexican trio The Warning takes us into the evening. Their blend of hard rock and pop rock gets the crowd moving as the sisters’ voices, soar out over the valley on numbers like Automatic Sun and Evolve but it’s another Welsh hero who gets the biggest roar so far as Phil Campbell brings his Bastard Sons back to the Farm for another set of classic heavy metal.
They kick off with their anthemic We’re The Bastards and make it a personal mission to get every head banging as they churn out their own slices of metal magic, in between Motörhead classics such as Born To Raise Hell and of course Ace Of Spades.
The perfect warmup for tonight’s headliners: German heavy metal legends Accept enter the arena and immediately go to work with The Reckoning. There’s no Udo Dirkschneider in the band anymore but vocalist Mark Tornillo proves himself to be more than a match for their original frontman, prowling the stage as the band belt out Restless And Wild and Losers And Winners to the delight of a now slightly well-oiled audience.
In Wolf Hoffman, Accept have a bonafide guitar hero, whose solo work deserves every bit of the backdrop that Ebbw Vale is now affording him as the sun goes down and the crowd are eating up every lick he plays. But it’s the classic heavy metal anthem Balls To The Wall which the crowd want to hear, and the band duly oblige before they depart. These Germans conquered a little corner of Wales tonight and we love it.
Shaking off the cobwebs is no mean feat as the earlier rises start making their way to the arena for another days’ worth of rocking. Dan Byrne is perhaps the highlight of the afternoon: vocally reminiscent of Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy, with a voice that always feels like it has an extra gear to go to and the people that have assembled seem genuinely impressed with his talent. But the first proper hustle and bustle of the day occurs just before US funk rockers Living Colour’s set.
Having played the same stage a few years back, the hype was real for their return. Corey Glover in his white suit and long blonde dreadlocks is still very much the focal point of the band and the band busts out a great cover of Led Zeppelin’s Rock n’ Roll as well as their signature tune Cult Of Personality but ultimately the whole performance seemed a little lacklustre.
Next up for a stint on the mountain are Mr Big, who played a career-spanning set that took in their self-titled first album in 1989 and all the hits since. In case there was any doubt that we are witnessing supreme musicians, they blast into the Addicted To That Rush which gives each member an opportunity to show their chops. Green Tinted Sixties Mind, from their multi-platinum second album Lean Into It, gets the crowd singing along as does the mega-hit that was To Be With You but it’s sadly evident that Eric Martin’s voice isn’t what it once was.
They take the crowd through a beautiful version of Cat Stevens Wild World before disappearing into the night with Shy Boy and a cover The Who’s Baba O’ Riley, vocal issues or not Mr Big certainly gave it everything they had tonight, and the mountain people seem happy.
Ricky Warwick has made the trek up the mountain a few times in various guises, but he’s finally bringing the one band of his that we all wanted to see. As The Almighty take to the stage, they are greeted like returning heroes. They have a setlist that is tailored to please and I’m pleased to report that they’ve not lost a step. Over The Edge, Addiction, Jonestown Mind, Wrench and Full Force Loving Machine are all played, showing the diversity they have shown in a career that has seen them defy genres multiple times over.
Drummer Stumpy Monroe holds the rhythm down like a well-tuned engine, while Warwick engages the fans but the biggest roars of the night are kept for when Free And Easy and Wild And Wonderful are played, showing that there is plenty of life in this band yet. And that’s it as far as the bands go.
Of course, the party will go onto the early hours on the campsite, but for the bands and organisers, it’s another successful stint up the mountain. Bring on 2025.
Steelhouse Festival, Hafod Y Dafal Farm, nr Ebbw Vale, Fri 26-Sun 28 July
words CHRIS ANDREWS photos ANTHONY JAMES
