There are a few things in life that are inevitable. Death and taxes are the obvious ones, but also that the team from Upstged will throw a hell of a party at their annual showcase event. They have a lot going for them in terms of their chosen venue – Lincolnshire Showground is spacious, level and has ample blocks of proper toilets and showers scattered throughout both the camping areas and the arena itself. The arena is tucked away in a corner shaded by trees, and features two adjacent stages as well as a big marquee that houses both the substantial (and reasonably priced!) bar and the Trailblazer tent. For this year, we are going to be covering the up-and-coming acts featured on the Trailblazer stage in a separate review so do keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, let’s join the fray and see what the calibre of this year’s mainstages artists is all about!

The weekend kicks off with Big Iron, and like the famous orange drink they are made in Scotland. As they’re from Aberdeen they’re made from granite not girders though! Musically they are hard-driving classic rock with a great singer who reminds me of Aaron Buchannon. Not a bad start to the weekend at all.

Next up are Manors from Newcastle. This is a new project from ex-Twister guitarist Jake, and they bring us energetic alt metal with a good female singer. Wasn’t sure at first but it kind of grew on me, and by the end of the set Ellie’s fab vocal range (from screamo to light harmony) had the whole place jumping.

Greyfox Conspiracy are southern rock in the mode of Blackfoot but with occasional touches of W.A.S.P.. It’s good, retro and upbeat and another crowd pleaser.

Phoenix Lake is another female fronted band but they take us to the dark side with a set of goth metal with all the black. The guitarist can shred a bit too!

Continuing the gothy theme Lesbian Bed Death are vampire goths with a horror theme that’s more Hammer than Psycho. They have tongues firmly in cheek with their song titles and although there is a dancer with bat wings and a snake there’s no bass player which is a little odd. When they play a song called ‘Satanic Suicide Death Cult’ it’s probably time to go back to the bar for another drink, even if you are smiling all the way there.

The band we’ve all been waiting for, and probably band of the weekend for me, are up next. This is the final date on Sisters Doll’s UK tour, and although there is already a smattering of their tshirts in the crowd they set out to win over the hearts of everyone here and boy do they succeed with that! They bring all the Aussie energy and charm to their performance, and even though there’s a bit of a rain shower whilst they are on they still bring the sunshine too.

Strategic use of confetti cannons meant that this ridiculously talented band of brothers blew the festival apart literally as well as figuratively. Their set was pretty similar to the one they have been doing in their club shows over the last couple of weeks supporting Kickin Valentina (see our review here), encompassing songs from all 3 of their albums and all 15 years that they have been together as a band, and it’s glorious. Each brother gets a solo spot, a chance to shine, but rather than overkill this just makes the show even better. A simply stunning performance, and by the end of the set there were only two questions on everyone’s lips – when are they coming back and will they be headlining? Fingers crossed for next year!

Next band Jayler offer a change of pace and style as they are essentially a modern-day Led Zeppelin. They do some nice slide guitar and are really good in a 70’s retro kind of groove. The vocals are great, the performances are great, the energy is palpable and despite their relative youth they give us a mature performance that sizzles with vigour.

We swap genres again as Asomvel are also a retro-influenced band but in their case the inspiration is the mighty Motorhead. They look like Motorhead, they sound like Motorhead and although their material is original there’s a definite Lemmy feel to the whole thing. Started by the bassist’s uncle Jay-Jay Winter in the 90’s, they continued as a tribute to him after his untimely death and as crowd-pleasers they really don’t put a foot wrong.

Tailgunner too are a band that are definitely still on the up. They have ego ramps, and a new drummer since they were last out on tour to help make full use of them from the get-go. There’s a second album in the pipeline so a couple of new songs are aired and it appears they have now slid forward a couple of years and are hitting the sound of 1982. With their twin-guitar sound the Iron Maiden influences are obvious but don’t go thinking that they are just copycats. They take the best parts of that era and mix them with a modern sound to give us a set bursting with enthusiasm and pure metal. They even have their logo on the (enormous!) base of Craig’s microphone stand which gets flashed at relevant moments. The choreographed guitars next during ‘Blood Sacrifice’ are a nice touch too! They seem to be faster and more metal than ever, as proved by new song ‘Follow Me In Death’ which features some screaming solos and more choreographed posing. After a short hiatus they come back on to finish the set with album title ‘Guns For Hire’ and manage to leave the stage in a blaze of glory with the crowd baying for more.

Friday’s headliners are another change of pace for us. Toronto’s The Commoners are a much more mellow prospect. They give us laid-back grooves with a tinge of Southern rock, very much in the style of The Black Crowes or even the Rolling Stones. The keyboards are prominent and from opening track ‘Shake You Off’ to closer ‘Devil Teasin’ Me’ they rock but in a dignified, harmonious way. Oh yes, harmonies, they are really good at those. Standout song ‘Who Are You’ has a woo-woo bit that’s similar to ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, but otherwise their sound is all their own. The sun is setting, the mood is comfortable and although their music is very much in contrast to most of what we’ve seen today, it’s nice. It’s relaxing and soothing, which after the frantic pace of the earlier bands is a pleasant way to wind down the day and get ready for tomorrow.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
The Commoners + Tailgunner + Amsovel + Jayler + Sisters Doll + Lesbian Bed Death + Greyfox Conspiracy + Manors + Big Iron + Call Of The Wild

Live Review : Call Of The Wild Festival on May 30th 2025