INFERNO STAGE – FRIDAY

It was a hot and sunny day as the gates opened, albeit a little later than planned. The fans were still coming through the door for Hillbilly Vegas, so they started playing on the main Inferno stage to a fairly sparse audience. The space soon started to fill up as their blend of rock and country drew the crowd to the front. “Hi from Oklahoma”, lead singer Steve Harris yelled out. Lots of Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirts in the audience gave a good indication of their sound!

The first day gremlins were definitely at work with a few technical problems to sort out before the ‘not so’ secret set of Kris Barras with his new band Hollow Souls took to the stage. Hollow Souls takes Kris back to his blues sound with the fantastic Phoebe Jane on vocals. Their first song Borderline was their debut single and soon got the crowd clapping along. Phoebe’s vocals were sublime on their cover of Led Zep’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, before Kris played their new single Bad Thing, normally sung by Chris Tapp from The Cold Stares. Kris spoke of his affection for the festival, having originally played at Ramblin’ Man a few years ago. He finished his set with the classic Hail Mary with more singing from the crowd.

Myke Gray was next to the stage. Myke only plays with the very best musicians and this performance was no exception with the bassist supremo Colin Parkinson (Inglorious), drummer Chris Allan, Tony Lang (Apriori) and from The Karma Effect, vocalist Henry Gottelier, . The whole band looked like they’d been playing together for years rather than the few weeks of rehearsals that they’d had. All the Skin favourites of course, finishing with the crowd pleasers Tower of Strength and Shine Your Light. A triumphant and very enjoyable set.

Sticking with the late 20th century the Quireboys came on stage to a massive crowd full of anticipation. Spike was on really good form looking great in his purple jacket and silver headscarf. With the unmistakable honky-tonk piano, they still have such a unique sound and it was wonderful to see Luke Morley on guitar obviously enjoying himself. As Spike said it was 35 years since A Bit of What You Fancy was released. To some of us it still feels like yesterday.

H.E.A.T. exploded onto the stage with their brand of Scandinavian rock. With a voice quite ‘operatic’ at times, Kenny Leckremo quickly mesmerised the crowd with his sheer vitality (and the tightest trousers of the festival!). It was during their set that it struck me that it was still only the first day and yet we had already been treated to some totally brilliant vocal performances. Not something that you always get with other genres of music. Halfway through Kenny appeared with the Union Flag wrapped around his shoulders to a huge roar from the crowd. He had lived in the UK for a while and was keen to tell everyone that he knew how to drive on the left! In hindsight it was very timely that they covered War Pigs with Ozzy’s death announced just a few days later. The crowd loved them and someone even told me they thought that H.E.A.T should have headlined!

When Joanne Shaw Taylor came out on stage it was truly a beautiful evening and thankfully starting to cool down. She played with such confidence and self assurance and you could really see the joy on her face. Joanne also referred back to her time at a previous Ramblin’ Man festival where she played just before the late Bernie Marsden. A seamless and very cool performance.

The arena was packed for Dirty Honey and they received a great welcome when they came on stage. California Dreamin’ (no not that one) was a great song for a summer festival and Heartbreaker was there “for all the women in the audience”. With shades of Aerosmith to be heard, and vocals that reminded me of Jack Russell (Great White) at times, this is a band full of nostalgic sounds but with a modern twist. Suddenly there appeared to be an uncharacteristic scuffle in the crowd and singer Marc LaBelle was quick to call it out. They powered on as night drew in and the threat of a storm approaching. What a great way to end day one!

FIRESTARTER STAGE – FRIDAY

Three days, twenty bands, just on the Firestarter/ERB stage alone. Looking at the list of bands scheduled you knew this was going to be a great weekend of new discoveries and familiar favourites.

Igniting (sorry!) the Firestarter stage on the Friday afternoon, with people already waiting at the barrier, was the rapidly rising Leadfeather. The arena soon filled up as people came over from the main stage, and this ‘migration’ remained a feature throughout the weekend. Leadfeather performed songs that are becoming well known favourites, from Sands of Time to Roll the Dice. The audience lapped up the almost operatic vocals and the musicianship of the band members, who just seem to grow in confidence every time you see them.  What a fab’ way to open the Firestarter stage.

Although we don’t want to think about the C-word yet, We Three Kings intro’ music was the Christmas carole of the same name. My main memory is of black balloons, a giant football, and skeletons being thrown to the crowd! The music was pretty good too. If you weren’t looking you wouldn’t have known they were a two-piece band as their sound filled the whole stage and encompassed the audience watching them. Great tracks included Gold Digger and Blackout.

If a band has the backing of Luke Morley (Thunder) you can guarantee that they’re going to be good, and Muddibrooke certainly were. Powerful riffs with female lead and backing vocals, we were treated to some great originals like Devil, a grungy cover of You Don’t Own Me and forthcoming single Money. If accidently pulling the plug out of your own bass guitar during your solo doesn’t stop you, then nothing will stop Muddibrooke going far.

Changing the mood was Tom Killner with a full electric band; his style of country-rock-Americana was exactly the chilled-out vibe we needed on this scorching hot day.  Despite the overzealous smoke machine, we enjoyed hearing and seeing the performance of Comin’ Home and Ride with Me amongst many others. A welcome refreshment to the still hot 6pm sun.

The penultimate band today Apriori brought a little piece of Blackpool pleasure to Kent. A varied catalogue of songs that required audience participation for not only tambourine playing but also joining in the Nah Nah Nah Nah’s in the song of the same name. Well, that’s one way to get the audience to learn the words! Closing their set with Making Love to the Devil these three men had the audience singing along, and as happy as building sandcastles on the beach.

Rightfully earning the top slot tonight was a band who’s not only grown in stature, showmanship, and the best vocals we’ve heard so far from Arjun was Gorilla Riot. Joined by two ladies on backing vocals, the band filled their time with songs of varying tempo and intensity, showing their versatility from sultry Morning Sun to long-time closing singalong favourite Bad Son, scattered in-between with tracks that ensured the party vibe, the most recent being from their 2024 album Salvation. The arena was packed but those watching extended past the arena’s boundary. That was game, set and match to Gorilla Riot and the Friday night Firestarter stage.

INFERNO STAGE – SATURDAY

It was raining on Saturday morning, but considering the overnight storm and downpour, the arena was still looking good. It was warm and a bit sticky, but everyone was hopeful of a bright afternoon. Jack J Hutchinson got Saturday off to a great start. There was a good-sized crowd, and Planet Rock’s Darren Redick wore his finest yellow trousers to introduce him. The sound was particularly good and Jack sounded great on such tracks as Constellations and Deal with the Devil. Halfway through his set it did start raining and Jack apologised as it had also rained the last time he was in Maidstone! The crowd joined in when he played I Will Follow You from his Who Feeds The Wolf? album. The song is a great tribute to his father who previously has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Fury are loud, heavy, and probably the most metal band that had appeared so far. The dual vocals from Julian Jenkins and Nyah Ilfill were very impressive with harmonies not often heard in traditional heavy metal. Nyah was obviously having a great time judging by the smile on her face.

Another change of tempo and style as Rosalie Cunningham took to the stage. New to me, they had a real vintage feel and everything just calmed down just a little. Rosalie looked great in a black velvet catsuit and has a strong voice with a distinctive vibrato. Bass and flute player, Claudia Gonzalez, with a mass of fantastic red hair looked like she’d just stepped off the set of Daisy Jones and the Six. A very enjoyable performance that had many in the audience asking when they can see her again.

It was the biggest crowd of the day so far for Florence Black. I had seen so many Florence Black T-shirts that I knew that I had to get my place early if I wanted to hear and see them properly. Back to the metal sound with throaty vocals and Tristan Thomas telling everyone to “make some noise”! With classic tracks such as Bird on a Chain it wasn’t long before a mosh pit appeared, much to the delight of, let’s say, the slightly older crowd that make up the Maid of Stone audience. The crowd loved their standard cover of fellow Welshmen Budgie’s Bread Fan and they finished with the absolutely brilliant Sun and Moon, which in my humble opinion is already a rock classic.

Sophie Lloyd is not only visually stunning but also an amazing performer. To the delight of the crowd, she walked on to Battleground; the theme from Top Gun, shredding the well-known solo from the off. She was then joined by Marisa Rodriguez as a guest vocalist. Both wearing black net tops, with nipples covered by tape for decency, I really have never seen so many men get their phones out for a sneaky photo! Sophie then played an instrumental version of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, before Nathan James from Inglorious came out to join her. Chris Robertson from Black Stone Cherry followed for Let it Hurt. A further instrumental of Metallica’s Enter Sandman received rapturous applause.

The Raven Age added to this most metal of days. The black make up, stopping just below their chins gave a startling appearance. Dry ice, green lighting and a shock of blond hair on guitarist Tommy Gentry, all added to a hard-hitting performance.

I arrived at the arena for Ugly Kid Joe a couple of minutes late. So popular were they that I found myself at the back! A very engaging band, getting the crowd jumping, especially when they cover Motörhead’s Ace of Spades. The big hits, Harry Chapin’s Cats in the Cradle, plus Everything About You were received well by the crowd. Great fun and an appreciative crowd.

Black Stone Cherry arrived on stage to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck. How do you follow that? Well, go straight into Me and Mary Jane and get the crowd singing their hearts out. It was a fantastic, very energetic performance and despite moving out from the middle of the crowd – where the sound was great, but it was a little claustrophobic – I really enjoyed the whole set. Like I Roll, Blame it on the Boom Boom, White Trash Millionaire, In My Blood, and Things My Father Said, what a brilliant back catalogue to choose from. It was BSC’s only performance in the UK this year and the third time they had played in Mote Park. They’ll always be welcome back.

FIRESTARTER STAGE – SATURDAY

After the thunderstorms Friday night/Saturday morning, everyone was more than ready for the music to commence, and this honour went to Big River. A bluesy heavy rock band, with occasional use of a ukelele for a more country feel on songs like Don’t Hold Out. A power ballad came in the sound of Beautiful Trauma. The audience clapped when Big River announced they were going to play a new song, their response being ‘wait until you’ve heard it!’ I didn’t catch the title of the song, but clapping was very much in order after hearing it.

The first female act today was Bobbie Dazzle who started with an interestingly titled track called Flowers on Mars. A very different, with an almost Status Quo style opening, came on the bouncy track Revolution. This lady has a great voice and rapport with the audience who loved her, and obligingly moved their hips and danced along, despite the ‘wet and grey’ of the day.

If anyone suits the title of pocket-rocket it is Kim Jennett. Leaping on stage to Psycho, not keeping still for one moment while singing at the same time, she totally owned her stage and audience. Songs demonstrated her past demons included Dead to Me and hitting rock bottom Bloody Killing Floor, were performed with strength and passion which would have resonated with many. Did anyone notice the drummer twirling his sticks in the air, catching them, then continued playing without missing a beat? Impressive, especially as it was his first ever gig!

I missed the introduction of Flint Moore due to a slight overlap with Florence Black, but myself and a large crowd quickly made our way over from the main stage. A heavy rock band that performed many tracks from their recent The Aches and The End album. Although from a previous album, I especially liked Old Cove and its haunting lyrics and sound. As an aside, the bass player had the most amazing long hair that she expertly tossed and didn’t get caught once!

I was very pleased to see local-to-me band Revenant doing so well and halfway up the bill on this stage. They had a big crowd dancing along with catchy songs like Best Medicine and Coming Back to Life that apparently got the singer in trouble with his wife! Rolling on my Back closed their set, and Revenant are becoming a band you’re not going to want to miss seeing soon.

Next, something completely different from In Search of Sun. Energetic doesn’t really describe this band as the singer spent as much time with his feet off the ground as on. With powerful songs like The Fire I Play With the whole thirty minutes set was one big heavy-rock party. I didn’t catch the names of all the songs, but I wasn’t the only person who enjoyed every single one. This is another band I shall checkout again!

Bringing the Saturday night to a close was the most colourful band of the day, if not the whole festival (The Hot Damn weren’t there this year!). Beaux Gris Gris & the Apocalypse were as entertaining as they were colourful. Fast and furious Wild Woman and Oh Yeah had the whole arena bouncing. Some of the songs were quite long but we were told their gigs are usually two-and-a-half hours, so they were only playing ‘the short ones’ in their fifty-minute slot.  Closing the set with What’s My Name with the reply in the lyrics ‘ooh la la la Beaux Gris Gris’ will be an aide-memoire for the many people who will be wanting to see their full show.

INFERNO STAGE – SUNDAY

There was a big crowd waiting for Absolva on Sunday morning. By far the most NWOBHM sound so far – not surprising as Absolva are Blaze Bailey’s backing band. Great to hear a northern accent from Chris Appleton so far down south, and yet again another great singer.

Parker Barrow made a huge impact at Maid of Stone. They’re from Nashville, and I immediately felt a hint of The Black Crowes, only for them to cover My Morning Song later in their set. They take their name from the outlaws Bonny Parker and Clyde Barrow, which belies their outlaw style. Vocalist Megan Kane may be small in stature but produced a powerful and polished performance. Battling through the rain did not faze them at all – in fact a friend came up to me later in the day to say that they were their new favourite band!

Marisa Rodriguez had already been on stage with Sophie Lloyd, but now it was the turn of her own band Marisa and the Moths. The sun was out and Marisa had already proved what a fantastic voice that she has. A bit of an indie sound, it was a homecoming for their drummer who had lived just down the road.

I had seen Sari Schorr just a few weeks previously at Love Rocks Festival and knew what a great singer and entertainer she was. A problem with the microphone interrupted her performance, but she took it all in her stride and was soon back on track once the problem had been resolved. Her clothes sparkling in the breeze she gave a solid performance, including a great cover of Bad Company’s Ready for Love.

It was third time lucky for These Wicked Rivers. They were due to play at Ramblin’ Man 2020 which was cancelled due to Covid, then had to cancel in 2024 due to a family bereavement; so it was great to finally see Grandma’s lampshades on stage. There is a lot of affection for TWR in the rock world and it was plain to see in Maidstone too. The crowd had already begun singing to their walk-on song, Tom Jones’s Delilah, and TWR continued to entertain. The UK’s answer to ZZ Top, singer John Hartwell, guitarist Arran Day and the band give off a great vibe for a Sunday afternoon. Shine On got the crowd singing along again. We’re all so thankful that they made it in 2025!

I couldn’t believe that it had been eight years since I had stood on the barrier at Ramblin’ Man waiting for Stone Broken to start the day off. Having announced that the band would be taking a break, I was keen to see them before their self-imposed hiatus. They didn’t disappoint as I sang along in the middle of the large crowd. They kick off with my own favourite Stay All Night – I just love Chris Davis’ guitar solo in that song! A loss of power during the show didn’t put them off and Rich went and collected his acoustic guitar and played fan favourite Wait For You. A fitting end to their performance, there were lots of call for “more” as they exited the stage.

Sweet are pure nostalgia for many. I heard people say that their performance was their favourite of the weekend and it’s easy to see why. Singalong tunes and childhood memories bring a lot of pleasure. Hell Raiser, Love Is Like Oxygen, Blockbuster, Action, Fox On The Run and Ballroom Blitz, memories of school discos flashed before my eyes. One of the highlights of the festival and despite 50 years of hits, long may they continue.

The Michael Schenker Group (MSG) are another band that evoke a lot of memories in people. Michael Schenker was an inspiration in the 1980s and many a guitarist has cited him as an influence. With Eric Gronwall on vocals delivering all the favourites Only You Can Rock Me, Doctor Doctor, Lights Out, Rock Bottom from Michael Schenker’s days in UFO, along with the guitar poses of the 1980s, this was another dose of nostalgia. What’s wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. An encore of Too Hot to Handle was a great way to end this year’s third iteration of the Maid of Stone festival.

FIRESTARTER STAGE – SUNDAY

It’s true what ‘they’ say about time-fun-flying, as all too soon it’s Sunday at 12.40 and time for the first band on the last day.

Unfortunately, Queen Horizon was unable to make it, but whoever managed to book Karobela should be given a hefty pat on the back. Crystal clear vocals and great tunes like Afterthought, about friends who don’t care, followed by Bad Ass Bitch about not putting up with ‘stuff’ and Imposter Syndrome, which they certainly weren’t today. Unexpected, but what a find.

As scheduled, second today was The Heat Inc with their brilliant mix of punk/rock/indie/Roy Orbison(?) sound. They played an interesting style of music including fast paced Draw Blood for Proof about going back to Tulsa in various years, and their new single which I’m pretty sure wasn’t called Dead Pony Club but didn’t detract any enjoyment on hearing it. Great vocals, great set, audience obliged with clapping, and stepping forward for required photo.

Another change to the schedule was Beth Blade & The Beautiful Disasters replacing Battle Born. Beth had graced the VIP acoustic stage on Saturday, but now she was with her full band that kicked off this set with Hell Yeah. Other great anthems included Give It All You’ve Got because ‘life’s a short stop’. The latest single Never Let Go went down well, then as always there was the tribute to Lemmy with Jack and Coke. It was a shame for Battle Born, but a win for MoS.

Back on schedule with no further replacements was Less Than Hollow who were the heaviest band on this stage today. The current single Better Than This was received well, and previous single You Don’t Exist kept everyone dancing along. The closest to a power ballad was How Can I Live that showed the breadth of this band’s songwriting, and performance.

This House We Built performed a cover of You’re the Voice that had everyone singing along, because ‘you all know the words.’ That didn’t take anything away from their own tracks that included Nobody’s Fool that had the audience clapping along unprompted – always a good sign. Most of the songs were from their self-titled album, plus their most recent single Addiction. There were power ballads, and there were faster tracks that provided a thoroughly enjoyable set.

The enigmatic, award winning, Blue Nation seemed to be on everyone’s ‘must see’ list as the crowd was enormous! The chemistry between these three musicians is almost visible, and they’re loved for their chat as much as their music. Although Neil said he wasn’t going to talk much, that was soon scuppered when a couple shouted that they’d come all the way from New Zealand to see them! True story. During their first three tracks that included the title of their recent album Ordinary People I could see Neil looking over at Luke waiting to cause mischief, but Luke was looking out at the arena seemingly in awe of the mass of people out there. The set continued with previous single Hand Me Down and finished with Echoes about mental health that clearly hit a nerve with some. All this time, Nick was giving the drums a good workout, and the New Zealand couple ended up with one of these fractured sticks as a souvenir. The longest queue so far at the mech’ tent ensued.

To close a festival stage, you need an exceptional band. One that’s going to make those fans-to-be sit up and take notice, and existing fans proud to have followed their journey so far. A band that’s going to have another queue for merch’ almost out of the arena. Empyre fulfilled these perfectly. It’s difficult to describe Empyre and do them justice; the overall theme of their music is deep and moody, and songs like Hit and Run and Only Way Out are haunting and beautifully sung. More upbeat was New Republic, and the now familiar response to each song was affectionate booing! This didn’t mean that there wasn’t bucket loads of fun being had by both the band and audience. It was mesmerising and memorable. With their adopted hashtag #killing the vibe Empyre topped the bill beyond expectation.

It was good to see people waiting at the barrier for every single band who played on the Firestarter stage this weekend. That can only mean that the organisers of Maid of Stone 2025 got everything right, and I for one can’t wait to see who’s booked for 2026!

Check out all the photos from the festival here

Find out more about Maid of Stone Festival here