Live Review : SOS Festival on July 2nd 2022
Day two starts early (well, earlier than Friday), and has 13 bands plying their wares today. It opens with relative newcomers Unknown Refuge and they instantly get the crowd to wake up or at least look up from their first pints of the day. If this Bolton-based band of youngsters are anything to go by, we are in for a belter of a day today. These very talented guys not only wrote, recorded, mixed, produced and released their debut album (“From the Darkness”) during lockdown, but they also built their own practice and recording facilities. They seem more than happy to forge their own path by letting their music do the talking. Definitely, ones to watch out for on the festival circuit this year.
Manchester-based Melodic power metallers Gone til Winter get things going indoors today with a great set, whilst the outdoor stage is readied for Rites to Ruin, who have an “old school” feel about their sound and go down well with the ever-increasing crowd.
Up next is Misery's Smile with a catchy, audience-participating crowd-pleasing set and following them hard-hitting metallers Lords of Ruin came out all guns firing and wow a crowd that is swaying between stages in an almost tide-like motion.
Next up in this never-ending stream of musical talent is Mad Haven, who I first saw at the Live rooms in Chester when they supported FM. They might be barely out of short trousers but they are building up quite a reputation for themselves. The young North-Welsh three-piece deliver rock really well. Loads of fun and energy, and I honestly think they covered more kilometres on one stage than we did moving between the two stages all day, I hope they wore their fitbits.
The scheduling is relentless and modern and melodic-sounding Sister Shotgun follows playing a good, well-received set.
As time ebbs away, we are getting to the point of the evening where the big guns are rolled out. Kreek is fronted by the way too energetic former frontman of Bigfoot Antony Ellis, who essentially is a legend in his own lunchtime. This is proper blues-edged rock. Smooth, elegant and beautifully rendered, the set is well delivered and equally well received.
Pure Manc Metal trio Vice was up next and played their latest album “For the Fallen” in its entirety,
\before Aren Drift, a Nu-Metal influenced four-piece bring a welcome change of pace with a bouncy and rather irreverent set.
As I said we are now in the business end of the bill as Bastette certainly needs however no introduction. Caroline's lyrics and vocals are well known on the touring and festival circuit, however, she now seems to be backed up by a completely new variation of the band. Some more well-versed gig-goers may recognise them from different acts on the circuit, but I'm afraid I don't. They sound perfectly fine to these ears, but I think I am too used to seeing the previous incarnations of Bassette to get really excited.
Sons of Liberty headlined the indoor stage and delivered a very energetic and quite fast-paced southern rock set. These guys really know how to entertain a crowd and look like they are really enjoying doing so.
You can't keep those Appleton boys down and Absolva brings our Saturday evening to a close with what I like to call “proper rock”. This special 10th-anniversary set is a no-frills assault on your ears. A Bangin' end to a busy day.
Rocker, photographer, biker in no particular order