The day started bright and early with new sleaze kids on the block Roxy N’ The Lockhearts, whose down and dirty riffage was accompanied by dancer Mhairi Clark. Although they have only been gigging for less than a year, these 80s-inspired hair metal heroes already kick quite a punch. Frontman Joshua Carvell regales us with stories of dead guinea pigs, hasty exits in a state of deshabille and getting married in Vegas, while the band churn out the scuzzy riffs on MTV throwbacks Jettblack, Dirty Blonde and Rip N’ Tear. The party is well and truly started. Next up we have genre-fluid alt-rockers Vazon who have stepped in at the last minute following a drop out from the scheduled lineup. I have seen this Bradford duo several times now, so I knew what to expect, but I suspect that it was the first time for many others in the audience. Starting with the slow burning Dance With The Devil, the band soon ramped up the sonic weirdness as their bass and drum (as opposed to drum and bass which is a whole other kettle of fish) attack kicked in. This is definitely alternative rock, with the emphasis on more experimental sounds – Britney’sToxic has never sounded so unsettling before – but it still packs a punch. Vazon are certainly an acquired taste, but for the adventurous they are worth repeated listening. No Favors take us back to more familiar classic rock territory. The only band on the lineup that I haven’t seen before, I soon found myself nodding along to the NWOBHM-inspired The Monkeys Are In Charge Of The Zoo and Stop Where You Are. Having been around since the 80s, the band have the experience and heritage to pull off this sound with authenticity. Singer Dani J Rankin has a raspy voice reminiscent of Brian Johnson or Bobby Blitz, but he can also soften his tone when required. Founder member and rhythm guitarist Carl Ogden keeps the rest of his troops on point as they race through an invigorating set of stirring hard rock that goes down well with the RockWich crowd.

If you want a band that brings both a rock ‘n’ roll swagger and a touch of class to the stage, then look no further than Black Country barnstormers The Soul Revival. Won’t Bring Me Down sets the scene with an earworm riff and relentless, driving drums while Outlaw slows the pace to allow vocalist Ste Nunn to shine. The crowd are really up for it and the temperature in the tent is rising – as Ste remarks he now knows what a chicken nugget in an air fryer feels like – but there is no let up as guitarist Andy Dove churns out riff after riff. This is a truly invigorating set that really hits the spot. FangSlinger are another band that have not been around long but are quickly building a fan base for their Undead Redneck Rock N’ Roll. Merging Western mythology with vampire lore to create a unique sound, these Lost Souls are winning over bloody hearts and minds with each gig that they play. Vocal duties are shared between FangSlinger (aka Connor McGovern) and his undead bride Blood Rose (aka Eve McGovern) while the riffs are provided by the imposing Hangman (aka Ciaran Frost) who does most of the instrumental heavy lifting on stage. The music draws you in like the call of a siren before the riffs bury their hooks into your soul and you are lost in the fun of the moment. Speaking of fun, Alabama Crow are up next to bring a smile to your face with their good time rock ‘n’ roll. The set opens as usual with the personal and introspective Mother before the energy ramps up for crowd pleasers Open For Business, Sold My Soul (To The Devil) and Alabama Crow. Frontman Billy Jack shares that he is somewhat worse for wear having completed a 12 hour night shift followed by some liquid refreshment before making the 5 hour journey down from Dundee to be here, but you’d never know it once he finds his groove. The band are shirtless from the outset, which is not surprising given the heat in the tent. Rhythm section Craig Duncan and Danny Elder are incredibly tight, while guitarist Paul Randall never ceases to impress with solo after solo. It’s no wonder that this fourpiece keep getting invited back to festivals wherever they play as they are instant crowd pleasers. I just hope, for their sake, that someone invents a teleporter soon to speed up that killer journey from the east coast of Scotland.

The tent starts to fill up in anticipation of the arrival of local(ish) rising stars We Three Kings. Lots of people are wearing paper crowns and there are various skeleton inflatables and even a giant plushie as a tribute to the most important member of the band, Bonesy, who stares at us implacably from his prime spot on the stage. As the strains of We Three Kings Of Orient Are fade away, Rich and Pete ramp up the energy for a blistering 40 minute set packed with crowd pleasers from sophomore album Stone Cold Kiss. The fuzz is turned up to the max on Blackout, Nothing Without Me and Gold Digger as the riffs come thick and fast. FangSlinger return to the stage for the live debut of a collaboration between the bands on a version of Judas Take Me Home which is being released for charity and then all too soon it’s over. No matter how many times I see W3Ks (it’s been a lot), they never fail to deliver and they never fail to excite. A tough act to follow, but Beth Blade and The Beautiful Disasters take everything in their stride. Beth is on a mission to bring those big riffs to the masses while taking a swipe at her detractors along the way. Hell Yeah! gets the party started and from then on it’s non-stop banger after banger. There is a brief respite as Beth sings I Will Always Love You as a solo tribute to the recently departed Dolly Parton, but then it’s back to the rock ‘n’ roll revelry for This Bitch Bites and Jack And Coke. As the light begins to fade and we approach the final stretch of the day anticipation rises ahead of the next band. The tent is bursting at the seams as This House We Built hit the stage and crank up the hip thrusting swagger of Broken Dreams, quickly followed by the glorious harmonies of Addiction. Their polished approach on record is roughed up a bit and given a massive dose of showmanship live on stage which takes us to rock ‘n’ roll heaven. Frontman Scott knows how to work a crowd and soon has everyone eating out of the palm of his hand as he gets us to sing along to You’re The Voice, while the rest of the band lay down an infectious groove that just makes you want to dance. Wayne Dowkes-White remains impossibly cool on bass as Andy Jackson churns out the hooks and Chris Mayes keeps the beat rock steady at the back. It may only be rock ‘n’ roll but we fkin’ like it!

Once again organisers Colesia Pryse and Mik Matzen have pulled off a spectacular event. This has to be one of the best lineups so far, despite some pretty stiff competition from previous years, so they have got a huge task ahead of them drawing together something even better for 2027. Yet somehow, they will do so because they are able to attract not only high-quality bands but a guaranteed sold-out crowd of loyal festival goers. I, for one, cannot wait to do it all over again.

Full photo gallery available here:

https://www.nickashtonphotography.co.uk/-/galleries/festival-season-2026/rockwich-30-08-26

Find out more about the festival here:

www.rockwich.net/

facebook.com/RockWichFestival

Instagram.com/rockwichfestival