HIGH VOLTAGE FESTIVAL 2010

DATE:

VENUE:

Saturday 24th July - Sunday 25th July 2010

Victoria Park in London, UK

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER; MARILLION; OPETH; URIAH HEEP; MAGNUM; UFO; WISHBONE ASH

ZZ TOP; TRANSATLANTIC; HEAVEN & HELL; SAXON; DWEEZIL ZAPPA; HAMMERFALL; BIGELF; ORANGE GOBLIN; FOCUS; PENDRAGON; TOUCHSTONE

Heaven & Hell onstage at Victoria Park, 24th July 2010

Photograph copyright © 2010 Ross Cooper - www.extantphotography.co.uk

Reviews by Elena Francis; Photography by Ross Cooper (www.extantphotography.co.uk)

Reviews by Elena Francis; Photography by Ross Cooper (www.extantphotography.co.uk)

SAXON

Returning to the Metal Hammer Stage, Saxon have drawn up quite the multitude. The classic heavy metallers opened with the pounding ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’, one of the best heavy metal songs ever and instantly the crowd is moving. Naturally, the set is a straight-forward ‘best of’ affair, which nobody has any qualms with when it comes to Saxon. Vocalist Biff Byford comments on how the band have been instructed to keep their volume low, which is confronted with disapproval from the fans. Nonetheless, Saxon plunder through the staples ‘Princess of the Night’, ‘Crusader’ and ‘747 (Strangers in the Night)’, the latter forcing many to remark “I remember this one!” The lesser discussed, but still adored, classics ‘Motorcycle Man’, ‘To Hell and Back Again’ and ‘Dogs of War’ are devoured readily by the fans and even the newer ‘Live to Rock’ from the ‘Into the Labyrinth’ album a few years back is an entertaining and fist-pumping anthem. The band members appear slightly less static than usual but this may be due to the lack of ramps that usually accompany their headlining tours. They are still enthused to see the audience find joy in their music, especially when ‘Wheels of Steel’ starts up; it feels as if the entire crowd sings along to the chorus. Unfortunately for Saxon, during the tail end of their set, the spectators thin out as many leave to catch the Heaven and Hell show. The more hardcore Saxon fans stay for ‘Denim and Leather’ and ’20,000 Feet’ to finish up the set and people clamour for more but no more arrives. Saxon are always such an invigorating and entertaining classic metal act and they never ever become tiresome. This set is testament to such a statement.

SATURDAY 24th JULY - PART 2

HEAVEN & HELL

Heaven and Hell’s final show on the Main Stage is one that many had been anticipating and was a motivating factor for some to buy their ticket, being a tribute to Ronnie James Dio – a passing that hurt the rock community profoundly. However, one complaint that was shared by many was the decision to have them clash with other exclusives Transatlantic and Black Label Society. Heaven and Hell playing beneath ZZ Top seems ridiculous and, in an ideal world, they would have been headlining the night. Because of the clashes, I only caught about twenty minutes of Heaven and Hell’s show. Norwegian Jorn Lande provides vocals for this final outing and he does a fantastic job replicating Dio, quite the departure from his own style. The atmosphere feels sombre and cathartic; it certainly feels like a special affair. The crowd are visually vicariously enjoying the show and Dio is clearly on their minds. Glen Hughes takes over vocal duties for ‘Country Girl’ and ‘Children of the Sea’ and, like Lande, does a magnificent job. Lande returns for ‘Turn Up the Night’ and ‘Voodoo’, which is all I catch before I leave. From what I saw, it was a fitting memorial to Dio and hopefully those who witnessed it felt that way.

TRANSATLANTIC

On the Prog Stage, there is a pitiful crowd for Transatlantic but, given the circumstances, it is understandable. The prog rock supergroup are a little late coming on stage, which means I could have spent more time watching Heaven and Hell but problems happen. This is the last time the band will be promoting their ‘Whirlwind’ album and they play the song in its entirety, clocking in an almost eighty minutes. Neal Morse is such a captivating frontman, genuinely reliving the emotions of the music and lyrics on stage. His vocals are particularly fragile and stirring, suiting his keyboard wizardry. Ex-Flower Kings guitarist Roine Stolt’s guitar provides beautiful classic prog backdrops for Marillion’s Pete Trewavas’s sturdy bass lines. Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy was enviously precise on his drums while Pain of Salvation’s Daniel Gildenlow donates extra guitar and other pieces as a live session member. The ‘Whirldwind’ reprises beckon the fans to sing along, likewise with the emotionally vulnerable ‘A Man Can Feel’, ‘Rose Colored Glasses’ and ‘Is It Really Happening?’ sections. The song does not just stick to the sentimental; the ‘On the Prowl’ and ‘Lay Down Your Life’ segments paint different colours and change the pace, retaining liveliness in the song. Of course, the finishing ‘Dancing with Eternal Glory/Whirlwind (reprise)’ fixates on a celebratory mood that translates to the audience perfectly. After the song is over, the applause is rapturous and the audience is significantly larger as Heaven and Hell had concluded their set by this point. To make their finish extra shiny, Transatlantic invite Steve Hackett on stage for a rendition of Genesis’ ‘Return of the Giant Hogweed’. This excites all the prog rockers as voices as hurled towards the stage in unison, singing along to the prog nostalgia. Such a magnificent set.

ZZ TOP

It would be near-impossible to top Transatlantic’s set and ZZ Top are left with that leviathan of a task. Their trademark beards and shades can be spotted from a mile away as these classic hard rockers forked out their best numbers and some covers: Willie Brown’s ‘Future Blues’, ‘B.B. King’s ‘Rock Me Baby’ and Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe’. From their own inventory, I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide’, ‘Cheap Sunglasses’ and ‘My Head’s in Mississippi’ are a few fan favourites that the all-Americans showcase. The vibe is incredibly laid back and contrary to the intensity of Transatlantic. However, after a few songs, the novelty of watching ZZ Top faded. They are more like one of those bands you watch just so you can say you have seen them. They had no stage presence and with only three members, there is plenty of empty space on stage. It feels like a chore watching them and it crosses my mind again as to why Heaven and Hell are not headlining. Rather than forcing myself to watch them, I follow the thinning crowd and leave, deciding to get on a non-packed to bursting London Underground Tube. Still, the first day of High Voltage has been an overall success with plenty of great bands on show. Hopefully the second day will follow in a similar suit.