Zac and the New Men - Oct 22 Crazy Cowboy have been putting on rock/punk/sleaze based festivals at the Facebar for a number of years and this was the second since the end of lockdown. With bands alternating between the venue’s two stages with no clashes, it’s a good opportunity to catch up to a dozen bands in one day.

The previous night had seen Dave Kerr (Silverjet), The Suicide Notes and the eagerly anticipated Swedish rockers The Royal Beggars serenade the early weekend arrivers with their acoustic sets. The small but appreciative audience were treated to a not so laid back selection of songs from the three bands which nicely warmed us back for the main event.

First up on the Saturday were Zac and the New Men. Unbelievably young, the band have clearly been listening to their parents (grandparents?) classic rock collections. ‘Social Blur’ and ‘No Mans Land’ have that early 70s Sabbath/Zeppelin feel with the pounding drums, riff heavy guitars and soaring solos. Covering ‘Iron Man’ reinforces the direction the band are taking. For an opening festival act, it was a good start.   

Zac and the New Men - Oct 22 From the youth of Zac and the New Men, we move across to the main stage to watch early 90s veteran Sonic Gypsy. Whereas singer, Mickey Banks’ earlier band Scorpio Rising had a baggy rock feeling to them, Sonic Gypsy are firmly in the sonic blues mold. It is a glorious noise with echoes of the delta blues of John Lee Hooker. A cover of Bo Diddley’s ‘Who Do You Love’ fits in seamlessly with the likes of ‘Shotgun TEL’ and ‘Backyard Stomp’.

Sonic Gypsy - Oct 22 Three piece The Dukes of Bordello piqued my interest with their rockabilly infused rock sound. Imagine Ministry’s Al Jourgensen fronting a psychobilly band and you’ll get the gist. Songs such as ‘She’s my Witch’, ‘Alternative Jesus’ and ode to Wilko Johnson ‘Come Back Wilko (All is Forgiven)’ will have you shaking those hips in a frenzy. A fine version of rock n roll staple ‘Strychnine’ goes down well and set closer ‘Scream If You Wanna Go Faster’ is short and punchy and totally hits the spot.

The Dukes of Bordello - Oct 22 Vambo are starting to make a name for themselves with Jack Stiles being singled out for his vocal acrobats. Musically, we are skirting into Muse territory particularly on ‘We’re Not The Same’.  ‘This Is Your Life’ has echoes of Def Leppard and sounds like it could become a Planet Rock mainstay. The band have potential as long as they stay away from ponderous rock ballads. A cover of  Deep Purple’s ‘Burn’ allows the band to flex their chops and give Jack’s vocals a good workout.

Vambo - Oct 22 I wasn’t sure about New Generation Superstars at first, but slowly they won me over with their Backyard Babies/Supersuckers type punk rock. Singer/guitarist AJ is an imposing figure and certainly has presence adds to the intensity of the band. They are tight and songs such as the immense ‘Bastards’ and ‘Goodbye 2020’ had the audience singing along. Everybody is inserting covers into their sets today and here we get the Ramones and a frenzied ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ (is there any other way?).

New Generation Superstars - Oct 22 Dave Kerr had regaled us the night before and it was time for his full band, Silverjet, to make an appearance. Having been around for a good 15 or so years, the band produce a well oiled mid 2000s rock soundtrack with enough licks and hooks to get the crowd bouncing around.

Silverjet - Oct 22 The Royal Beggars Friday acoustic had us eagerly awaiting their full electric set. The band fall into that well worn path of country rock n roll but with sufficient tunes and presence to make it distinguishable. Looking like a 1970’s Scandinavian rock god, singer David Roobert has a similar vocal sound to Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder which perfectly compliments the band’s sound on songs like ‘Midnight Romeo’ and ‘Rid of You’. Given the chance, The Royal Beggars should make a big impact of the scene. After the set, I picked up a couple of their EPs and they are worthy additions to my collection.

The Royal Beggars - Oct 22 Ransom are old school NWOBHM and don’t they know it. Having progressed from pub covers band to playing their own material, there are no fills here – this is straight in your face heavy metal. Having a rest from compere duties, singer Matt is happy channeling the early 80s rock gods. The kids from Zac and the New Men are in the front row watching intently and Matt returns the favour by dedicating ‘Gender Offender’ to them and the latest generation of rock bands.

Ransom - Oct 22 I saw Daxx & Roxane supporting Wolfsbane at London’s Water Rats a few months back and was very impressed. This Swiss outfit know how to open a show starting with ‘Ticket to Rock’ with its massive AC/DC riffs and Bon Scott like vocals. ‘Strange Woman’ is classic rock which would not have felt out of place in one of the ‘Wayne’s World’ films. By the time the set finishes with ‘Fast Lane’, they should have won over a load of new fans. This is a band that know that, sometimes, you don’t need to keep reinventing the wheel to produce classic rock music.

Daxx & Roxane - Oct 22 Unfortunately, early evening food needs meant that we missed Airforce.

I’ve seen The Suicide Notes multiple times and they are one of my favourite bands to photograph. Singer Billy Tee is a strikingly decadent figure channeling the best (and worst) of Jagger/Pop/Interior. Whether he’s hanging off the mike stand rasping through ‘Black Dog Howlin’ and ‘Snakes Grin Within’, in the audience or having tripped up on the way back, singing on his back on the stage floor, that presence is always there and he looks cool as…

Drummer Gave is never content to stay behind his kit and you are never quite sure where he will end up. It helps that he is a cracking drummer behind all the tomfoolery. Alex, Danny and Damien hold the show together and keep the riffs coming to please us all. For the customary set closer, ‘Dead Flowers’ the band are joined by David from The Royal Beggars and JJ from the City Kids.

The Suicide Notes - Oct 22 This was my first time seeing Spike since the acrimonious split from his band The Quireboys. As with Sham 69, Gene Loves Jezebel and countless others, we now have two versions of the band touring the country to confuse audiences. This time Spike was solely accompanied by Christian Heilmann on guitar, so it would be interesting to see what he pulled out of the bag.

Having the largest songbook ever set out in front of him, Spike regaled us with tales of his musical adventures (especially those with Bonnie Tyler and Dogs D’Amour’s Tyla) whilst singing a selection of cover versions and a few from the Quireboys back catalogue. Across two sets we got the likes of ‘Pearl’s A Singer’ (Elkie Brooks), ‘The First Cut is the Deepest’ (Cat Stevens) and one of my all time favourite songs, ‘The House of the Rising Sun’. Everyone is singing along especially for the Stones ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’.

Spike is an amusing orator and his tales about Tyla Pallas staying with his mother were fun to hear. The subsequent cover of Dogs D’Amour’s ‘How Come It Never Rains’ was well received. However, playing the Quireboys ‘There She Goes Again’ reminds you how much you want Spike to have a full band behind him to get that full blown bar room swagger feeling again.

It’s been a long but highly enjoyable day with a good selection of bands. May events like this continue.

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