Live Review : Firestorm Festival on August 12, 13, 14th 2022

When it first hit social media pages back in March, most people thought Firestorm was either a wind-up or a scam. You see, if you are a fan of the current crop of new wave of classic rock acts, then this provided a mouth-watering line-up that put bigger setups (with bigger budgets) to shame. All that was before anyone had even seen the venue. Whitebottom Farm is set within Etherow Country park just outside Manchester and is awash with meandering walks through some amazing greenery and scenery. For a festival, it is perfect, as it manages to combine panoramic views with an intimate area.

Live Review : Steelhouse Festival 2021 - Day 1

It’s been a long 18 months, hasn’t it? Since Covid kicked us all in the face in March 2020 our lives have changed so much, possibly forever. For those of us who love our live music our hearts have been torn out as we have watched gig after gig, festival after festival fall to the dreaded “Covid Rules”. There have been glimmers of hope here and there with a smattering of socially-distanced and sanitised events and some online streams, but they have been few and far between and, while better than nothing, they haven’t really been able to replace what we have lost.

Live Review : SOS Festival, Prestwich on July 12th 2019

This year sees the 12th edition of Manchester’s SOS (School’s Out for Summer) Festival, and it will be the 5th one I have attended. The festival was originally envisioned by Lynne Hampson from Rocksector Records to be a family-friendly indoor gig. It continues on that basis to the present day, providing a platform for local bands whilst also adding some national and international acts into the mix.