Danger! High Voltage

Sunday 24 July – Saw two of our troupe in London for the second day of the High Voltage Festival 2011. The main aim of the day was to see Thunder but there were a number of other great acts on at the Main Stage as well.

The afternoon started early when Top Gear’s James May introduced a bonus act, Love Fungus. Now I’ve never heard of these guys before and apparently this was the first time that they performed together in twenty years. Mat ‘Mush’ McIvor (Vocals), Mark ‘The Bone’ Rabone (Lead Guitar), Dennis ‘D’ Day (Rhythm Guitar), Ben ‘Jim Morrison’ Upton (Bass Guitar) and Ian ‘Kel’ Kelly (Drums) put out five or six instantly forgettable tunes. I can only assume that they were some sort of pub punk band in their previous existence, it was just a bit of a waste of time for us though.

The afternoon proper kicked off with a band that I’ve seen a few times in York, Heaven’s Basement, but this was the first time I’d seen them since recent band changes. In February 2010 vocalist Richie Heavanz left and was temporarily replaced by Johnny Fallen. In February 2011 Aaron Buchanan took over on lead vocals, and rhythm guitarist Johnny Rocker left, reducing the band to a four piece. The line up for the High Voltage stage was therefore Buchanan, Sid Glover (lead guitar; backing vocals), Rob 'Bones' Ellershaw (bass guitar; backing vocals), and Chris Rivers (drums). Their set was absolutely storming, pulling the very best off their two EPs and more; Close Encounters, Can't Let Go, Misunderstood, Leeches, Reign on My Parade, and the awesome Executioner's Day. These guys need to get an album out, so that I can buy it! A superb opener (I’m not counting Love Fungus) to the festival.

Next up were Saint Jude who, being on their home turf, drew a decent crowd. Fronted by Lynne Jackaman, they delivered a rocky set including; Little Queen, Garden of Eden, Soul on Fire and Southern Belles. But, they failed to overshadow the dynamism of Heaven’s Basement who had set a high standard for the following acts.

The smell of nostalgia was in the air for the next act, Michael Schenker, who was promoting his Temple of Rock album due to be released later this year. He had a new band line-up, not MSG, which included Herman Rarebell (ex-Scorpions) on drums and Michael Voss(Ex-Casanova and Silver) on vocals. They opened, predictably, with Into The Arena followed by Armed And Ready, then a Scorpions track, Another Piece Of Meat. There was then a change of vocalist, Doogie White (Tank) for a new track; Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, which bodes rather well for the album. Voss then announced “for the next 4 minutes, we are going to rock you like a hurricane” and on-stage came Michael’s brother, Rodulf Schenker to perform the next two songs; Rock You Like a Hurricane and Hangin On. Schenker closed the set with two UFO songs; Rock Bottom which featured UFOs own Pete Way, followed by Doctor Doctor with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals (Talisman, Yngwie Malmsteen and Journey) plus all the other guests. It was chaotically brilliant, and the fans certainly enjoyed themselves. I haven’t been a huge fan of MS but he impressed me with his brilliant guitar work and sheer over-the-top-ness.

And what a way to get you prepared for the next band. For so many of thousands of rock fans who headed to High Voltage on Sunday, this set was the reason for their trip. That was certainly true for us. All day I'd noticed a huge number of folk sporting Thunder t-shirts, I myself was resplendent in a Harry James as the devil in almost mint condition. Then AC/DC's Thunderstruck started playing, and they all gravitated towards the main stage. I stayed where I was, ensconced in the grandstand, a prime viewing platform. As the band took to the stage they got a monstrous reception and right from the opening notes of Back Street Symphony the entire crowd sang along with every word. The crowd went crazy, at first because it is a cracking tune and everyone was delighted they were playing, but more so because of the sound issues. It cut out several times and on the third occasion the cries of dismay were so bad that Luke Morley threw his cowboy hat to the floor. Thankfully the soundman woke up or there might have been a riot. Even when Bowes’ vocals were sorted, Luke Morley’s guitar was painful low in the mix.

But Thunder successfully overcame such technical obstacles to carry their set on pure joy and enthusiasm alone. There’s something to be said for putting on a show with a smile on your face and never have five guys appeared to enjoy themselves so much. We were treated to; Back Street Symphony, River Of Pain, Higher Ground, Gimme Some Lovin', The Devil Made Me Do It, Love Walked In (I admit it, I cried during this one), I Love You More Than Rock 'N' Roll, and Dirty Love. Their final song turned into an extended crowd sing-along with the audience split into sections trying to out-sing each other. Pantomime? Probably. Brilliant? Definitely. The best day out a rock fan can have. Bowes’ voice is still incredible and Morley’s guitar playing must put him at the top of any list British rock guitarists. God how I miss these guys.

Hey, the festival wasn’t over yet though, my favourite blues guitarist, Joe Bonamassa, was in the next band, Black County Communion, along with Glenn Hughes, Derek Sherinian, and Jason Bonham. This is one band where the individual performances really do meld into a sum greater than its parts. The sound problems were never far away mind, and there were times when Derek’s keyboard simply couldn’t be heard, but overall this was rock raised on a plinth for the world to behold. With just two superb albums and a handful of live shows under their belts, most of the audience must have struggled to recognise most of the set, but BCC play with such class and professionalism that you can’t help but be reeled in by the performances. BCC played an abbreviated version of their current headline set; Black Country, One Last Soul, Crossfire, Save Me, Song of Yesterday, The Outsider, Man In the Middle, Joe Bonamassa’s own The Ballad of John Henry, and a cover of Deep Purple’s Burn. I also understand that Joe Bonamassa put in a guest appearance for Jethro Tull’s encore of Locomotive Breath.

With the sun now setting it was time to break out the flasks of tea and coffee as we settled down to the headline act, two hours of Dream Theater. With the advent of darkness, the stage lighting became a focus for the fans further down the park. Luckily, we were able to appreciate the lighting and the performances of the figures on the stage as we were so close. It was a truly incredible show. They kicked off with Dream Is Collapsing by Hans Zimmer, from the soundtrack of the film Inception. Then we had; Under a Glass Moon, These Walls, Forsaken, and Endless Sacrifice. Four great tracks from four different albums. We were then treated to a drum solo from Mike Mangini before the band came back on stage for Ytse Jam from their first album (Ytse Jam is Majesty spelt backwards, Majesty was the original name of the band). In fact we got tracks from each of their albums as this was followed by Peruvian Skies and The Great Debate. Next, a new track for me, the single On the Backs of Angels taken from their forthcoming album, A Dramatic Turn of Events. Then Caught In A Web, followed by two tracks from Metropolis Pt. 2 (it’s difficult to just get one track from this album as they tend to merge into each other); Through My Words segueing into Fatal Tragedy. Finally, we got The Count of Tuscany from their latest album. Of course, the arena erupted and the crowd bayed for more, and the band came quickly back for their encore: Learning To Live. What an absolutely top couple of hour’s entertainment. High Voltage Festival 2012, here I come!