HARD ROCK HELL XII - Hafan Y Mor, Pwllheli, North Wales.
Review by: Diane D
Friday November 9th
So it was upon us once more, the annual November party at Hard Rock Hell, Pwllheli. This being the 12th year
that many of us have braved the route through Snowdonia to enjoy the festivities. It just gets bigger, now there
is an award night on Wednesday, with bands and more passes to gain access to Royalty, VIP and whatever, that
weigh you down like a pack horse. Yet it is still a blast, everyone is your mate for the duration, the beer flows
and we all encompass the halls with gusto.
It is impossible to see every performance, with two stages and over 40 bands, you are spoiled for choice and expert planning is necessary to catch all those who take your fancy. Rather than staying in the main venue, I did venture to Stage 2 quite a bit this year, as there were some eye catching new talent on board. Festivals such as this are excellent for stumbling upon fresh ensembles, while still being able to revive your enthusiasm for established old hacks like Saxon, Girlschool and The Hawklords.
So I can only enlighten you on a selection of the proceedings, I checked in on the Friday and of course after bumping into friends and checking out the merchandise, getting some food, drink and a good vantage point, it was 6pm and ‘Vintage Caravan’ had already found their pitch.
‘Vintage Caravan’ are a trio from Iceland that devour psychedelic guitar, reminiscent of the 1970’s, with soul binding vocals from Óskar Logi. The frontman is joined by Alexander Örn on Bass and Stefán Ari on Drums, both helping out on backing vocals. They are on for an hour and it is pretty potent stuff. I wouldn’t miss them if they toured next year as they were worthy of their Viking heritage. We were attacked, pillaged and left pondering the onslaught.
Everyone loves Dan Reed, how can you not love him? He charms us with his grace and gets us in the mood from the onset. Back with his band ‘The Network’, we are graced with many funk rock favourites like ’Rock You All Night Long’, ‘Divided’, ‘Forgot to make her Mine’, ’Under My Skin’, ‘Ritual’ and ‘Get Tto You’. Promoting the ‘Origins’ album, made up of classic DRN body shakers, we were again under his spell. This lot sure know how to hold a party.
I left the main stage after DRN to check out some interesting new bands, currently hitting the limelight, on stage 2. ‘Anchor Lane’ were ending their set, enough time though to appreciate a really cool sound, coming from these young Glaswegians. With a debut album on the way, they are definitely ones to watch. And they gave me a free badge, so I like them!
Up on stage 2 next were ‘The Dust Coda’ who have been mentioned by a few recently. Wow, yes what an array of riffs, some racy rock n roll and John Drake’s vocal range is staggering. They are on tour with ‘Tax The Heat’ as I write but have also supported the ‘Dead Daisies’ and ‘Black Stone Cherry’ recently. This portfolio suggests they are destined for bigger things and well deserved. Low down and gritty yet polished like the family silver ‘The Dust Coda’ are astonishing good.
I stayed put and wondered if the ‘Witchfynde’ I was about to clock was the same ‘Witchfynde’ of old? No surely not, those guys were around in 1973. As they straddle the stage and the slow thudding begins I realise, christ it is! With 2 original members they punch NWOBHM Old School right into the faces of the audience, many are too young to have witnessed them in their early days, what a treat. ’Witchfynde’ are still relevant, deserve respect and maybe slower on the boards than previous artists tonight. But the class is there, many of the HRH line up are only in existence due to bands like this. So good to see them continuing to hack it.
Ok, I’m beginning to fade at 11.15pm, so i take a seat for ‘SNEW’. The band members adorn themselves with leather and that sleazy ‘Faster Pussycat’ look, which is quite pleasing to the beholder. Formed in 2005 and despite 4 albums in the bag, it’s the Californians first visit to the UK, so it’s good to set eyes on them at last. SNEW rock steady and Curtis Don Vito bawls out, confidently. The Guitars of Andy Lux on lead and Lenny Spickle (I love that name) on rhythm work well and in accord. It’s just hard rock, US style and ‘SNEW’ hold it together until after midnight. I finally head back to my hotel.
Saturday November 10th
The continuing rain doesn’t discourage the early birds and after a decent coffee, I head again to stage 2. I must not miss ‘Ryders Creed’ they are one of my new favourites this year after seeing them at the ‘Breaking Bands’ festival in May. They only formed in 2017 and won the Hard Rock Hells, Highway To Hell award the same year. This year they are on every list for best band/ album/gig, goes to show how much these Stafford/ Derby guys are earning fans. One of the bands belonging to what is being called ‘The New Wave of Classic Rock’, the Creed are ballsy, hard rocking and dangerously near perfection. Many tracks from the excellent debut self titled ‘Ryders Creed’ album are on the list today, ‘Ryder’, ’On the Road’ and ‘Raise the Roof’, are executed without mercy.
I didn’t know what to expect from the ‘Dukes of Bordello’. Rockabilly, are they at the right gig? Is this some kind of gross negligence by the organisers? I had to take a gander, my curiosity got the better of me. What appeared before me was pure genius, a three piece rockabilly ‘Motorhead’. Usually seen with strumming ’Chrome Molly’, Andy Barrott’s side gig is a breath of fresh sweat. Along with the steadfastness of Jake Parker on drums is Chip Waite grasping his Doghouse Bass. With only 45 minutes to enthral us the Dukes lash out about 15 numbers including ‘Down In The Gutter’, ‘Wreckin Ball’, ’She’s My Witch’, ‘King Of The Road’ and ‘Wilko’ dedicated to Mr Johnson himself. Such is the pace we are at this lunchtime. Imagine Lemmy with dreads howling Rock n Roll on guitar and antics with a double bass being thrown around, this is the ‘Dukes Of Bordello’. Chatting to Andy at the bar later, I think we will be seeing even more interesting stuff from this combo in 2019.
‘Massive are a volatile macho-rock engine fuelled on adrenaline, lager and a determination to party hard.’ Their words not mine, but pretty well sums them up. Time to head over to stage 1 and juggle for a good vantage spot. ‘Massive’ hit us at 4.20pm an hour with the Aussie party animals awaits. Plenty off the 2014 ‘Full Throttle’ album tonight, ‘Lacey’, ‘Bring Down The City’, are intervened with ‘What You Gonna Do’ in which the band incorporate ‘TNT’. dynamite stuff it is as well, Brad Marr is a supreme frontman and we are beholding to him. A drum solo during ‘Bullet’ and ‘Massive’ wind up with others off the same album including, ’Dancefloor’, ‘Ghost’ and ‘One By One’. I believe a new long player is on the cards for 2019, so keep a lookout. Got to be one go the best performances of the weekend.
I take a break for a short while and return to glimpse ‘The Tygers of Pan Tang’. I hurry to the right hand side of the room so that I can drool over young Tyger Cub, Micky Crystal, who is a wonder to watch. Another NWOBHM band delighting us. Robb Weir reformed the Tygers in 2001 and they have been roaring around ever since. Always a good band to get the audience whipped up, ‘Get your Glad Rags On’ is a firm favourite.
I decided to watch John Coghlans Quo from the bar and catch up with mates who hadn’t moved from there all weekend! Oh I love Quo songs, they take me back to my youth, dancing all night in a remote Herefordshire Village Hall with 100 or so bikers. I am soon embarrassing all around me, bopping away. I can’t believe how people can stay still to these songs, it’s our rock heritage.
Ok, the tension mounts now and displaying my shredded Daisies T, I am in a brilliant place to catch the headliners, ’The Dead Daisies’. Started by David Lowy in 2012 as a project, rotating musicians, as and when, the DD’s have been a phenomenal success. We are constantly faced with social media posts, photos and videos that make us feel part of the DD family. That is the result of marketing, however the band are true performers, the current members having played with the best, ‘Whitesnake’, ‘Thin Lizzy’, ‘Motley Crue’ and ‘Journey’ among them. As part of their ‘Winterland’ tour, they are gracing us again with stupendous showmanship. I have seen them a few times now, even attended one of bass player Marco Mendoza’s solo ‘Viva La Rock’ gigs, which cemented in my mind what a great musician he is. Tonight he is joined by Doug Aldrich on lead guitar, John Cobari on vocals, Lowy also on guitar and Deen Castronovo on Drums. We succumb to ‘Burn it Down’, ‘Can’t Take It With You’ and covers of The Stones’ ‘Bitch’, Purples ‘Highway Star’ and to finish The Beatles ‘Helter Skelter’ which thankfully is usually on the set list. In between there are a mass of thrillers and all together we are thoroughly content. The combining years of experience, have taught these guys how to entertain.
Well it’s midnight and time to race over to stage 2 for a bunch of Canadians called ‘The Wild’. Coming from a remote part of British Colombia may explain why these fellas have no fear and are totally mental. Lead man Dylan Villain offstage is a decent and charming young man, onstage he metamorphoses into this mad animal, yes wild in name and wild in nature. There is a decent crowd hanging on for the last band of HRH, maybe a few are worse for wear, but they whoop it up and adore Dylan and crew. This is pure rock and roll, a bottle of Jack is opened and shared with a few down the front before it is finished off by the singer. ‘Roadhouse’ is the opener, it was the first single and a big hit back home. ‘Slowburn’, ‘666’, ’Straight To Hell’ and the monstrous ’Ready To Roll’ are chucked at us. A cover of ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ is well decent before they end on ‘Party Til You’re Dead’, I do believe they mean it as well. The tattooed bunch, in cut off denim have been a hit in their native Canada since 2012 and they have toured with ‘Buckcherry’, ‘Korn’ and recently ’Steel Panther’. Hope they return to our shores soon.
And that’s a wrap, HRH XII is over before we know it. It’s always a pleasure to meet up with friends, make new ones and indulge like a rock party animal for a weekend.
Here are Facebook links to the bands mentioned -
https://www.facebook.com/thewildrocknroll/
https://www.facebook.com/TheDeadDaisies/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
https://www.facebook.com/JohnCoghlanOfficial/?
https://www.facebook.com/tygersofpantangofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/MassiveOz/
https://www.facebook.com/TheDukesBordello/
https://www.facebook.com/RydersCreed/
https://www.facebook.com/SNEW.official/
https://www.facebook.com/Witchfynde-Nwobhm-664457873689259
https://www.facebook.com/TheDustCoda/
https://www.facebook.com/anchorlaneofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/DanReedNetwork/
