Review: Firevolt Festival, Friday August 9th 2024

Etherow Country Park. Stockport

Reviewer / Photographer: Dan Mann

After only being able to attend the Sunday last year, I was looking forward to all three days this year. Alas a family emergency put pay to that and I was only able to attend on the Friday.

But what a Friday it was. A cracking line-up of bands, there wasn’t one which had the meh factor.

I have to mention the location, I can’t think of any other festival situated in such a fantastic setting, nestled as it is in Etherow Country Park. The organisation by Stret & Bev and their team was once again superb. With two stages, the Trooper Stage in a converted barn, no it ain’t rustic, with a proper stage, lights, sound and digital back screen, and the Big Top stage, which is in a big top!

First out of the blocks on the Trooper Stage were two piece rockers We Three Kings. I’d seen them at this year’s Call Of The Wild and had enjoyed their set. Considering there’s only vocalist / guitarist Rich and drummer Pete, their set was not shy & retiring, delivering just what was needed to kick start the day.

First band of the day in the Big Top were a band I always enjoy watching. Ransom haven’t set out to reinvent the wheel, frontman Matt Fielder roams the stage, his enthusiasm soon rubbing off on the crowd. The band delivered a thoroughly entertaining set and I dare say made some new fans in the process.

It’s funny how a different stage, venue or day can affect your enjoyment of a band. The Karma Effect‘s set at Maid Of Stone festival, while solid, I didn’t enjoy it as much as their set on the Trooper stage for some reason. Either frontman Henry Gottelier is on intravenous Redbull or he is just sucking in every ounce of musical pleasure he can. They enveloped the crowd with their brand of rock, again making new fans along the way, Just superb!

Back down the hill to the Big Top for Northern Ireland’s answer to Black Stone Cherry. I’ve alas not had chance to see Trucker Diablo since the inaugural Call OF The Wild. I soon remembered why they’d made me a fan, another band whose live performance takes their studio work to another level. Judging by the number of Trucker Diablo t-shirts on view, their fans were out in force.

Talking of t-shirts, there were also plenty belonging to the next band on the Trooper Stage. I’ve been privileged to have seen/photographed South Of Salem quite a few times over the last few years, this is a band very much on the rise, and that is I would say down to their live performances. They are one of the few bands around who put on a show. I don’t mean other bands don’t deliver great live sets, but South Of Salem turn up with a van load of stage props & lighting. Their sets are a visual as well as an audible experience, and with the ever growing fan base, it won’t be too long before their headlining larger venues in the UK and elsewhere.

The festival energy levels are not allowed to drop even 1% as The Treatment explode onto the Big Top stage. Their usual high octane set was as always a pleasure to watch, to be honest, I’ve never seen them having an ‘off day’. Thankfully I get to see them again in a few weeks time.

Darren Wharton’s Renegade, consisting of members of Dare, gave us a memorable trip down memory lane, with their setlist of Thin Lizzy songs. There were plenty of people singing along to those familiar tunes. Again, another enjoyable set.

Big Top headliners Stone Broken are a band I’ve only seen a couple of times before. Their another band with a loyal fanbase, with plenty of people packing into the tent for this headline set. Maybe it was my chronic pain levels rising, but I didn’t enjoy them as much as I’ve done previously, but I was certainly in the minority judging by the crowd’s reaction.

And so to Trooper Stage headliners Vandenberg. I was very much looking forward to seeing them again, I’ve been lucky to have seen them a few times, and there was of course the added bonus of the Whitesnake songs thrown into the setlist. The band delivered a worthy headliner performance to an enthusiastic crowd.

As I type this here review, my better half is purchasing weekend tickets for Firevolt 2025, and you Know what? I cannot wait!

©All photographs are copyright of Dan Mann – RPR Photography. They may not be altered or used without express permission.