Live Review : Call Of The Wild Festival on May 29th 2026
There’s no better feeling than checking the weather forecast and the traffic conditions for a UK festival and finding that both are looking pretty good. As we all know from communal experience a failure of either of those things can spoil what would otherwise be an excellent weekend, so it was with a song in our hearts and the aircon turned up to 11 that the good ship rockflesh.com sails forth to Lincoln in order to put another Call Of The Wild (or COTW to its nan) experience under our belts.
The festival proper doesn’t really actually get going until Friday, so Thursday is more of a warm-up for the VIP ticket holders; a chance to get your camp set up in comfort and wander into the arena to check out what’s new this year. The action takes place in a packed “Wolfpack” – the site’s erstwhile pub-alike beer tent that is also the setting for the Trailblazer stage for the rest of the weekend. This year on the Thursday there are four live acts for our delectation, followed by a DJ set from MMH Radio’s Sisters Of Spin. It’s a chance to kick back, grab a drink and catch up with friends.
The musical offerings this year are first-class. An acoustic set from longtime COTW stalwart Dean Foxx followed by blistering sets from This House We Built, the delectable Takeaway Thieves and the newest sleaze trash UK supergroup on the block, The Needful Things. Hugs were given and received, the new in-house brand of rum “Howl” was tested to destruction and feet danced until they hurt. The site has improved again in subtle ways, the most noticeable being an addition of a covered seating area at the back of the main arena which provides some much-needed shade during the rest of the weekend! You also enter the arena from the campsite via “Wolfie” a giant inflatable tunnel that ends with a wolf’s head.
Friday dawned fair, with barely a cloud in the sky. Factor 50 was duly applied everywhere and we headed out to see what the day would bring music-wise. One of the best things about a smaller, independent festival such as COTW is that the music choice is eclectic. From household names to schoolkids clutching instruments barely bigger than themselves, there is something for everyone here. If you don’t much like the band that’s on right now you can just grab a drink, wander round the trade stalls and the food vans, maybe have a quick ride on a mechanical bull or slide down a bouncy castle, and by the time you’ve done all that the next band will be on and are likely to sound completely different.
Opening proceedings this year are Beggars Bliss, a Midlands-based outfit who give us funky, bass-driven grooves and a song about a railroad. They were followed by Dead Zebras, a bunch of Londoners who proceeded to light the stage up in a Van Halen-inspired kind of way. Polished anthems and animal-print clothing sees them amass a plethora of new fans as they bounce and grin their way around the stage. Their chosen cover song is slightly off the wall, being Queen’s ‘Keep Yourself Alive’, and they finished the set with the bang of a confetti cannon. Definitely a band on the “One to watch” list.
Over on the Trailblazer stage it’s a smorgasbord of potential new talent. Dead Reynolds get things off to a fine start with a nu-metal infused set of Linkin Park-inspired goodness. Tight and impressive, they gave it their all and make a good impression all round. Back out in the sun Foxx were also giving it their all. Dean Foxx, former frontman of Knockout Kaine, has been part of this festival from the start and it really wouldn’t be the same without his cheesy grin, rockstar shades and ego the size of a small planet. He knows his stuff though, and his band rip through a slew of potential dancefloor bangers with panache and just a touch of sleazy sparkle.
For dark, broody goth-based metal in the vein of Finnish brooding vampire HIM, look no further than young pretenders Matted. Their atmospheric sound, bordering on industrial, is well-performed and considering how young they are they shows a lot of promise. Unfortunately, they lose a lot of their potential crowd as they were all rammed into the Trailblazer tent to watch Fangslinger. The energetic cowboy-infused country rock draws a huge crowd, and as even the merch involves cowboy hats the theme spills out quickly into the warm May sunshine.
Back on the main stage its Rockflesh.com’s discovery of the weekend time in the shape of young Texans Ratchet Dolls. They sound like a modern-day AC/DC with a great blend of hard rock, energy and enthusiasm. They are reminiscent of a baby version of Kickin Valentina, and the appreciative response from the crowd fires them up for a fantastic crescendo of power chords, attitude and fun. A hard act for The Hot One Two to follow, but they rise to the challenge admirably and their melodic yet hard rock is reliably good. Not so melodic though are The Chuck Norris experiment who are raw, raucous and sound a fair bit like Motorhead, if you close your eyes.
We roll into the final stretch with the return of (watch out for this phrase, it's going to be used a lot) Tomorrow Is Lost. They have been on hiatus for about 4 years following the departure of founder members Cass and Joe in 2020. Despite this being a joyful reunion it is unclear if this is a one-off or a proper reformation - either way it’s a good time. They soon have the crowd bouncing along, and despite their budget not running to any more pyro than a single handheld confetti cannon they give the impression that they could be dancing in flames throughout.
Following them, we have yet another “the return of” with the reappearance of York’s finest metalcore outfit, Glamour Of The Kill. They burst onto the scene with vicious abandon back in 2007, issued a couple of highly acclaimed albums and toured with the likes of Bullet For My Valentine and Avenged Sevenfold. But despite a fervid fanbase they threw the towel in around 2015. There have been a couple of abortive attempts to regroup since then but somehow it all seemed to come to nothing. Until now that is. Following a short series of warmup gigs back in March they storm the stage like they had never been away. The vocals wander from harsh to clean, and the sound is very precise. They showcase all the old favourite songs and add in a fair few from their soon-to-be released new album “Vengeance” .
They were followed by yet another “the return of” – it was that sort of day! Myke Gray had a long and distinguished pedigree as a guitarist in bands such as Skin and Jagged Edge, as well as his solo releases, but in 2022 he hung up his guitars and picked up a camera instead. These days he is more likely to be found in the photo pit in front of the stage than performing on it, but it seems that somewhere inside him is an itch he can’t scratch, so this year, he has assembled a new band around him and headed out for a summer of festivals to show off his prowess.
His band is something of a New Wave Of Classic Rock supergroup, with Henry from The Karma Effect on vocals, Colin from Dan Byrne’s band on bass, Tony from Apriori on rhythm guitar and Alex from Marisa & The Moths on drums. Together they throw out Myke’s usual brand of catchy, hook-ridden classic rock and everyone seems a little surprised at first just how good they are. Some of the tunes are recognisable, ‘Raised on Radio’ and ‘Look But Don’t Touch’ were hits in their own right back in the day and their big riffs and extravagant solos help the show to proceed at pace. Everyone is smiling, everyone is happy and the crowd is rippling like a dangerous tide throughout. I think we can safely say that Mr Gray’s return is something of a triumph for him.
Finally it’s time for headliners Florence Black. The rise of this 3-piece blues-rock band from South Wales has been a steady plod rather than meteoric, but finally, after 14 years of back-to-back touring, they are here as headliners. As usual, the music is fierce and uncompromising. This is a band that are happy to lose themselves in their own material. There is little interaction with the crowd or each other. Instead they put their heads down and get on with it. Their music is driven and relentless, technically brilliant and well-received down at the front.
The set is a mix of old tunes, a couple from their current release “Pouring Rain” and a cover of fellow Welshmen Budgie’s “Breadfan” that is good enough to bring a smile to every face. They conclude with perennial favourite song “Moon and Stars” with rapturous crowd feedback and even a couple of onstage smiles. They may not be the most dynamic band on the circuit right now but damn, they probably rank as one of the best and this headline slot is a well-earned career highlight for them.
Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Florence Black, Myke Gray, Glamour Of The Kill, Thieves Of Liberty, Tomorrow Is Lost, Chuck Norris Experiment, Kuro, The Hot One Two, Cell Games, Ratchet Dolls, Bright Black, Straight For The Sun, Fangslinger, Matted, Foxx, Dead Reynolds, Dead Zebras, Beggars Bliss
Nice & sleazy, glam & cheesy