Live Review : SOS Festival in Manchester on July 6th 2024

Luna Marble kick off the first full day of this year’s SOS Festival and despite the heavens opening the moment they hit the first note, they don’t let little things like inclement weather dampen their enthusiasm or performance.  Delivering a thoroughly engaging groove laden, psychedelic performance both in musical and aesthetic terms, theirs is music suited to the blissed-out Summer’s Day that we should be experiencing were it not for the vagaries of the English climate. There are gorgeous vocals, floaty scarves, some beautifully tasteful soloing and it's all really rather wonderful. ‘Sea of Sorrows’ and ‘Redemption’ are two standouts in a confident and well received set, with the band demonstrating a fabulous consistency in music, presentation and style.  It’s the perfect to start to the day and rewards those hardy souls who’ve braved both the rain and the hangovers of previous night with a dynamic performance with its 70s inspired vibes and superb musicianship. 

Back indoors Kinstrife’s propulsive and infectiously melodic attack is rattling the rafters, and capturing the hearts of the assembled masses.  The crowd are with them from the start with their enthusiasm only growing as the set goes on. Mike Hoskins on lead vocals is a damn fine vocalist, dripping with charm and likeability and his easy, effortless and genuine interactions with the crowd are lovely to see. It’s a great paced set which shows the range and depth of Kinstrife’s impressive repertoire with the storming ‘Make Me’ and the Kinstrife choir in full voice just one highlight.  With only a small number of gigs still to play before Mike steps down later in the year, it will be interesting to see what the next chapter of their career holds for Kinstrife, but maybe (and hopefully) the best is still to come for these talented Hereford guys. 

LaVire bring a very different energy over on the Viking Stage, at times almost punky, at others veering into a far heavier sound with colossal riffs that could stun a bear at a thousand yards, they’re impossible to pigeonhole. Lead vocalist Chloe works tirelessly to engage the crowd, pulling them into the band’s dark orbit with the melding of styles that makes the band such an interesting proposition. ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ grabs you by the throat and demands you move to its insistent call, it’s sneery, snarling and all the better for it.  LaVire are different in their approach to rock in the 21st century to many other bands on the bill, even slipping in and out of harsh and clean vocals on the insistent ‘Save Yourself Kid’, but this is just one of the things that makes them so fascinating.  Only three bands into the day and each one is radically different to the one before and surely it’s this fantastically curated commitment to embracing the widest spectrum of what the rock world has to offer that makes SOS so utterly compelling and unmissable. 

The brilliantly monikered Rockabye Reaper are another band making a big impression over on the other stage.  With a front-line of guitarists all dressed in black shirts and ties, they make for a visually and musically arresting spectacle.  The Welsh band are young, fiery and professional beyond their years with a huge in your face sound characterised by big riffs and inspired shared vocals, with the cleaner lead vocals counterpointed by the harsh roars of their rhythm guitarist.  Throw in some intricate and inventive drum patterns, a thunderous and emphatic element to the band’s sound and you have a winning combination.  It will be - interesting to follow this talented young band and see where they go as the future looks very bright for them if they continue to deliver shows as strong as today’s. 

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has seen them before that Heartbreak Remedy bring the fun (and the sun) to the Viking stage.  The perfect festival band, this hugely likeable trio are guaranteed to garner a great reaction, and today unsurprisingly proves no exception to that rule. Heads are nodding and feet are stomping to the likes of the brilliant ‘21 Kings’ with its irrepressible catchy guitars and nostalgic-fuelled lyrics, and the anthemic ‘Rock Me’ from their latest album “Let the Good Times Roll” and the mood and energy of the day noticeably lifts as their set goes on.  This is an object lesson in delivering a memorable and involving set; there should surely be a rule that Heartbreak Remedy be on any festival bill, such is their singular ability to connect with a crowd with their brand of good time rock n roll. 

It's been nearly twelve months since we last saw Zac and the New Men and the progression of the band during that period is startling.  They were good then but today they show how far they have come and are next level. Individually they are evidently fantastic musicians but as a collective whole they are exceptional.   They’re probably sick of references to their youth, but it needs to be said; they aren’t a great “young” band, they are simply a great band full stop.  Within the space of forty minutes, they show the dynamic range of their catalogue, from quieter, introspective and delicate, to out and out rockers with wonderfully fuzzy guitars. It would be quite easy for their bluesy 70s inspired look and performance to feel contrived but it never, ever does and as such they are a unique live act like nothing else.  One of these days they may very well write something that sends them on a stratospheric trajectory and we’ll all be talking about how we saw them before they became massive; whilst they may have their roots in the past, it’s the future and the potential the band possess that is the truly exciting thing about Zac and the New Men. 

Wildfire from Scotland by contrast are much more about traditional metal with an 80s edge; there’s a hint of Maiden here, some distinctly NWOBHM-esque flavours there, but it is performed with absolute passion and flair.  The band’s manifesto seems to be epic tracks in the grandest metal tradition and all the requisite components are there, virtuoso guitars, cacophonous drums, and soaring vocals.  There’s also room for plenty of “wo-ahs” too and despite drawing the short straw of going up against the England football quarter-final, they play a blinder, growing in strength and stature as the set goes on.  By the end of their allotted time the SOS crowd are firmly with them, helped in no small part by the inclusion of a startlingly good version of ‘War Pigs’ which sees everyone joining together with joyous abandon. 

Meanwhile back indoors Webb are proceeding to carve SOS a new one. The three piece don’t so much as play as pummel; they’re tough, beautifully brutal and aggressive and win a lot of friends today. There’s absolutely no compromise to what they do, from the dangerous ‘You’re Going Down’ to an unlikely – but brilliant - cover of ‘Nights in White Satin’ of all things, Webb are going to do things their way. However, listening to conversations around the crowd there’s a lot of love for this singular approach and there’s no doubt Webb’s muscular and confrontational attack will be making an appearance on many folks’ playlists once the festival is over.  

Next up are Eternal Breath who bring a decidedly European metal sensibility to the festivities.  The Belgian band released their latest album “Road to Insanity” earlier in the year and the epic cover art from that opus looms over the band as they deliver their particular style of metal which leans into the more power metal side of things.  It sets the scene for a professional and slick performance, high on bombast and drama as you would expect from purveyors of this genre; there’s dextrous shredding, swooping operatic vocals, one of the guitarists goes for walkabout in the crowd mid-song; in short, all the components of a traditional metal show front and centre. 

Sigh.  What can we say about A’priori that we haven’t already?  We could refer you to our earlier ROCKFLESH reviews over the past twelve months but that would just be lazy…. Suffice to say the Blackpool trio put in another show stopping, dynamic and entertaining performance that puts them in a league of their own.  With the release of the forthcoming album “Voodoo Love” drawing tantalisingly closer, surely, surely, A’priori must be on the verge of greater things…But that’s for the future, tonight they prove again why they’re such a world class, vital and essential force in today’s rock scene. There’s evidently a huge amount of affection in the room for Tony, Mousey and Mark, judging by the crowd’s reaction to them, and they repay that with a crowd-pleasing set of favourites from their back catalogue.  Ending with the knock out two hander of ‘Shotgun Blues’ and ‘Making Love to the Devil’, this set serves as an enticing hors d’oeuvre for when the main course is served up and the album and tour kick off in September… 

Back on the other stage (and competing with England’s penalty shoot-out) Imperium astound with a magnificent concoction of savage riffing, frenetic drumming, and in Ben Porter, a singer who is an absolute force to be reckoned with.  Imperium absolutely stamp their authority on the Viking stage; at the thrashier end of the spectrum, the band oozes attitude and deliver a well-crafted and finely honed performance.  Ben stomps and moshes around the stage demanding your attention with a blunt force charisma, magnetic in its intensity. It’s utterly irresistible and you can’t fail to fall for their speedy charms and be drawn into their vortex of swirling power. 

Tom Kilner could not however be any more different from Imperium if he tried.  Americana, country rock, or Blues, whatever you choose to call it, Tom and his talented band blow a breeze of mellow, melodic wonderfully played songs through the venue. Big on glorious harmonies, Tom’s music is a veritable delight for those who like their music on the Southern side.  What they may lack in aggression and punch, they more than make up for with the smoothest of vocals, a down-home honesty and expertly crafted songs, effortlessly sweeping you up in their wide-screen ambition.   

There’s a reason Fury are headliners tonight and it’s quite a simple one.  They are without a doubt one of the finest, most dynamic, most colourful and downright fun bands on the scene today.  Their 21st Century traditional metal, is bold, inventive, expertly played and leaves you with a silly grin on your face.  The band have a knack of writing songs that you find yourself singing for days or weeks to come.  Take ‘Hell of a Night’ with its refrain of “monster movies” and ‘Who Are You’, with it choreographed multi-vocal “whos” between the front line, both as entertaining as they are musically excellent.  But really you could pull any number from tonight’s set, as they have such an embarrassment of riches in their catalogue that it’s impossible to pick just one highlight. 

And if you think you’re going to just stand there at a Fury show, think again, we sing, clap, bounce and are completely involved in Fury’s performance from start to finish. Lead singer Julian Jenkins is an exceptionally talented Master of Ceremonies, making everyone feel part of the Fury party (and with a twinkle in his eye can’t help but burst into a delighted “it’s coming home” in reference to the earlier football result).  Fury are incapable of giving a performance that’s anything less than 100% and they finish the night in suitably epic and spectacular fashion. 

But wait, whilst that may be the end of the advertised bands, there’s one final treat for those who’ve made it this far.  The SOS stage crew take up instruments in the form of party band Captain Sack Blabbath, roaring through a set of rock and metal standards that brings band members and the crowd together in one final singalong of community and camaraderie.  And as ‘Living After Midnight’ ends and the last notes of ‘Crazy Horses’ ring out, that really is it for what has been a truly great day of music. 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Fury + Imperium + A’priori + Webb + Wildfire + Zac and the New Men + Heartbreak Remedy + Rockabye Reaper + LaVire + Kinstrife + Luna Marble