Intro: LUCY HEFFER
Review: LIZ TICE
Photos By: ROCKRPIX PHOTOGRAPHY
For the second year in a row, Emerging Rock Bands was invited to Mote Park in Maidstone to support the Maid of Stone Festival. Rising from the ashes left in the park by Ramblin’ Man Fair (but in no way affiliated), the festival brings together established and emerging artists from the UK and further afield. Across three days, the trio of stages included southern, blues, rock and metal, featuring a total of 37 superb acts.
Our hard-working team of ERB volunteers hosted and introduced the Firestarter stage, assisted with managing the Phoenix and Inferno stages, supported the accessibility viewing areas, took time to personally assist guests with mobility issues, hosted the Firestarter band merch area, and still managed to find the time to enjoy a plethora of band performances and sell many copies of our magazines.
We were inspired by meeting teenage photographers rapidly establishing themselves in the scene, guests with neurodiversity challenges keen to share their stories and of course new and emerging bands eager to grow and succeed in the vibrant scene that we all enjoy.
It was an absolute pleasure to contribute to such a welcoming and inclusive festival that manages to maintain a community vibe, whilst bringing in high class acts from across the world. Long may it continue and we will see you back at the park in ’25!
ERB team member Liz Tice reviews the Firestarter stage performances, with photos provided by John Bull (Rockrpix Photography).
It’s a warm but overcast Saturday as Spyder Byte kick off the Firestarter Stage to a good-sized crowd, full of anticipation. Spyder Byte are a high energy rock band, and it’s not too early to get everyone rockin’ along. We get a sudden and brief rain shower, which turns out to be the only one of the day, but the band play on. The sun reappears, brighter and hotter than ever.
The band have a striking green and pink theme going on, with the lead singer’s green leopard/pink zebra print shirt and the guitarist’s green hair – I’ve definitely not seen that one before! There are some good melodies here, the audience are jumping, and an inflatable ‘doll’ is dancing and floating across the crowd. A great start to the day!
After an impromptu round of ‘Happy Birthday’ for lead singer Harry Armstrong, the tempo does NOT slow down as Blind River hit the stage. I’ve seen these guys before; it’s gutsy, dirty rock ‘n’ roll. More high energy, gravelly vocals – ‘Who likes some groove?’ he shouts, ‘give me your hands’, and the crowd answers, clapping and cheering along.
‘Fuck yeah, fuck yeah, fuck yeah’, as the song ends, ‘This is Maid of Stone, and we’re Made of Dirt!’. Given the name of the festival it seems appropriate they play the title track from their 2020 album. If you love ‘old school’ heavy rock, then join all those I saw wearing their Bind River t-shirts and give these guys a listen.
UNTIL 9 are under strong competition from the Phoenix stage, where The Commoners from Canada draw a huge audience, but they couldn’t be more different. Those that love their metal loud and heavy, are here, loving that great drum beat and the bass heavy sound. The lyrics are fast and thrashy, with guttural throat roars and chunky guitars. A unique hard rock sound amongst the bands here today.
I know lots of people rave about The Hot One Two, but I had only had the briefest of listens on Spotify, so was looking forward to seeing them live. Another challenging clash as they’re up against South of Salem on the Inferno Stage, which it seems a bit unfair as the audience must be really torn as to which band to see. They do NOT disappoint and soon draw a large crowd once they start playing. Loud and heavy, but with a great groove. I look around the crowd as it’s always interesting to see what t-shirts the audience are wearing for a particular band – wow, quite a variety here, Those Damn Crows, Dirty Honey, Ward XVI and The Outlaw Orchestra! ‘How are we doing’ yells the singer, ‘Whoa!’. This is good old Rock ‘n’ Roll, brought right up to date. Great backing vocals and eccentric moves from Kev Baker, the rhythm guitarist make for a great show.
I last saw Crowley at Love Rocks, where the band had just been celebrating the solstice at Stonehenge, and I’m looking forward to seeing them again. Drawing people away from veterans Tyketto on the main stage is no easy task, but Crowley manage it. Vocalist Lidya Balaban not only looks stunning, but her voice is on good form today. The audience are very appreciative and a bit of smoke on stage adds to the atmosphere. Most of the band are dressed in black (of course!), which makes the two guitarists, one blonde and one blue, really stand out on stage. It’s a classic rock sound, retro with a bit of goth in there. A visual and audio feast.
Ashen Reach already have a large and loyal following and, as I approach two songs in, the Maidstone Mosh Pit is already formed! Up against Wayward Sons on the Phoenix Stage they’re doing well and holding their own. T-shirts are tossed out into the crowd and singer Kyle Stanley has the crowd in the palm of his hands. This is modern, heavy, melodic rock and the fans lap it up. If you love the new heavier music scene then Ashen Reach are a band not to miss. They leave a very happy crowd. Although it’s getting later in the day, there’s still plenty of energy out there!
I have a confession that I absolutely love the latest Dead Man’s Whiskey album, In The Storm and can’t wait to hear some of it live. The biggest crowd so far gathers, and the band begins with the superb Masquerade. Nico hits those top notes with ease and it’s a confident and accomplished performance. This Fight is particularly good, and although the recent album shows that the band have grown and developed, their songs have always been strong. Nico introduces Make You Proud, a song which is a tribute to his mum’s battle with brain cancer. There are tears from the singer and someone from the crowd is so overcome they end up on stage with the band. It’s all good natured and they leave from the side of the stage. This is a powerful performance, with the crowd then split for a singing competition on the favourite Racing Bullet. Thanks are given to the temporary drummer Will Richards, who is standing in for Charlie Gray whilst he’s on honeymoon!
Ward XVI have the toughest slot today being up against Those Damn Crows, but they are so unique that they still have their own significant audience. A macabre performance in a circus pit, with a mix of blood and music, broken cleavers and a beheaded teddy bear, watch Ward XVI, if you dare!
It’s a bit of a disappointment to some that Sunday openers Big River are unable to attend Maid of Stone due to illness, but thankfully local Medway band Gianna Scalara and The Jury can stand in for them at short notice. They are a three piece and as first band of the day they draw a reasonable size crowd. With a traditional rock sound, they get the audience singing along almost straight away – which isn’t bad for a Sunday lunchtime! It’s a confident and well executed performance that has the crowd moving to a funky bass line and the vocalist is a great guitarist and singer.
Brake Loose have come all the way from Dublin and the animated singer immediately grabs your attention. Using a tambourine rather a like a fidget spinner, he gyrates and prances all over the stage, at one moment on the floor, the next crooning into the microphone. We see rather more of his tongue than is really acceptable at this time of day, but as he asks the crowd ‘Do you feel all right?’ his antics draw more people in. Their cover of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell suits their sound extremely well. They make a powerful impression and are a great discovery for some of those watching.
With a striking look, including a whip(!), Black Roze’s singer Viixen gives a breathy and powerful performance. The band dedicate a cover of the Eurythmics Sweet Dreams are Made of This to the singer’s niece and nephew which has everyone singing along. Another great discovery, they won the festival vote to win a slot at the festival but also made a lot of new fans judging by the reaction.
Twister have already drawn the biggest crowd of the day so far when I turn up, a couple of songs into the set. I’m impressed by the screens on the front of two large amplifiers on stage, showing funky patterns, flames and lighting effects. But it’s not just the visuals that keep my attention; the melodies are strong, and Stevie Stoker’s voice is great. There are lots of hands in the air as he asks, ‘Are we ready?’ The smoke machine hides them momentarily. ‘We have new merch’, he announces ‘…but please buy the old stuff too!’ Twister have a new album out soon, if it’s anything like what I’ve heard today then it’ll be well worth a listen.
Well, this is a change of pace! Laid back and mellow, the next artist Drew Dixon is from Nashville, Tennessee. Blues is obviously in his blood. I hear a cow bell as they cover Mississippi Queen. Who doesn’t love a cowbell?! Perfect for a Sunday afternoon.
Dashing back from an incredible performance from Massive Wagons, I find myself watching the coolest band of the weekend on the Firestarter Stage, if not the festival! Really laid back, but nothing like Drew Dixon’s blues. Darnell Cole and The Vibe are from Southern California, and I can see where their name comes from as I love the funky seventies vibe that’s going on. The audience are clapping along, but it’s slow and measured. The musicianship is incredible as Darnell plays the guitar behind his back. …and then we’re back to some mellow blues again. The audience sing along – ay-oh, de-oh, it’s great to see something different.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen The Karma Effect. I don’t think I’ve seen a band make so much impact in such a short period of time since the whole reemergence of the rock scene a little over ten years ago. If you’ve not seen them, well where have you been? They’ve already had a top 20 album! This is easily the biggest crowd of the weekend at The Firestarter stage, and I know that many people are here on recommendation and others just want to check them out. With two stunning albums behind them they now have great material from which to choose their set. I move to the back where the sound is better. It’s bluesy, funky, but most of all, just extremely enjoyable. The audience love them and it’s all over far too quickly as they finish with Testify with the crowd joining in. A couple of festival goers even come over to the ERB merch table afterwards and thank Lucy for the recommendation, ‘You were right!’ they exclaimed!
Skarlett Riot have the same headline spot that Ward XVI had on Saturday which is not easy, as Larkin Poeare playing an amazing set on The Phoenix Stage.
Nevertheless, they have a reasonable crowd right in front of the stage that are enjoying every minute. Chloe Drinkwater, with her hair a vibrant scarlet and black, has a powerful voice and soon gets the audience joining in ‘Hey – hey, hey, hey’. It’s a sound that is a world away from Larkin Poe, it’s loud and heavy, metal and melodic. The crowd love them right up until the last note. A fantastic end to a weekend of excellent new music.
At the time of publication, tickets are not yet on sale but next year’s Maid of Stone Festival but the date is confirmed as Friday 18th to Sunday 20th July 2025.
