Footnotes from Sonisphere

IT was a fun and eventful weekend at Sonisphere, so here's a few additional bits and bobs noted over the festival.

• The idea of facing main stages is genius. Keeps the fans hanging around less between bands and cuts down on trudging from stage to stage. Although anyone in the disabled section trying to enjoy Dream Theater on Sunday evening would've had it drowned out by the Metallica soundcheck.

• Iron Maiden is more than a metal band, it's a religion. Their fans swarmed the arena on Saturday, all wearing band T-shirts, denims, badges and costumes. And they came in all ages, from teenage girls to hairy old men and everything in between.

• Sonisphere had the most families I've ever seen at a festival. There were lots of parents with older kids, but also with babies and toddlers - as well as nan and granddads. Great to see.

• These festival-goers love a bit of merchandise. If it wasn't a Maiden T-shirt, more often than not it was an official Sonisphere one or a Knebworth 40th anniversary one. And some were Maiden celebrating Knebworth's 40th anniversary at Sonisphere.

• Ironic T-shirt of the weekend: The guy wearing a 'FUCK AUTHORITY' top standing out the way behind a barrier after a security guard told him to finish his drink before entering the arena.

• £4.90 for pint of Tuborg lager seems excessive. It may be the going rate for a festival beer, but Sonisphere doesn't have to follow the norm. The price did include a 10p cup desposit, but £4 a pint would surely have been a decent enough mark-up.

• Cup collecting has become a serious business. Diving at the feet of a moshpit to pick up discarded cups now not only makes entertainment for kids bored of the music, but there were guys who brought their own kit to pick up all those will-be 10ps off the floor.

• While Metallica's By Request set is a great way to get fans involved, the last minute "you can vote for one more song by texting at a cost of 25p plus standard network rate blah blah blah" did smack at wringing every last penny from the fans. 

• The guitarist from Anti-Flag can fly.

Sonisphere - Day Three review

Alice In Chains

THE early(ish) night worked and I'm feeling as fit as a flea this morning. So much so that I'm up and into the festival arena just over an hour before the first band.

But there is a busy day ahead and it starts with The One Hundred. Management for Surrey upstarts had emailed me before the festival encouraging me to come along, so it seemed rude not too.

As I waited outside the Satellite stage for their 11.30am slot, it was great to see the band giving out flyers to festival-goers themselves less than ten minutes before go time.

It can be awkward when you're asked to check out a band you've never heard before - especially when they're given an unenviable early start on the festival's smallest stage. But they were great.

Their mix of rap, rock and a bit of electronica harks at Rage Against The Machine, but firecracker frontman Jacob Fields delivers his rhymes, singing and raawwlls with a definite British slant - and with a sense of humour.

Delays on the main stages mean I can check out a bit of noisy bastards Dripback on the Jägermeister stage and Gojira before Protest The Hero appear on the Saturn stage.

The Canadians turned in a popular performance - frontman Rody Walker mocked the short set by announcing they would "play their six songs and then just fuck off" and later threw both his shoes into the moshpit. The music was great too.

The Devin Townsend Project follow before Karnivool turned in one of my favourite performances of the weekend. The Aussies were brilliant as they turned out a relatively short set that included Set Fire To The Hive and finished with the lengthy New Day.

I spend a while flitting between stages taking in the likes of Airbourne - who seemed to pull in a surprisingly large crowd - and Reel Big Fish before I take up a spot near the front for Mastodon.

Gojira played an early set

The hairy prog metallers opened with the stunning Oblivion and although they omitted my favourite Curl Of The Burl, it was another set to remember from the weekend - but there were two more of those to come.

I listened to bits of Dropkick Murphys but then Alice In Chains took to the Apollo stage and blew me away. 

Grunge has long drifted away from the mainstream, but these guys were there at the start and are still making the music relevant today. Sure there were lots of the old stuff of Dirt, but it was a set for the fans. Well, this one certainly.

And when they finished with Would? and then Rooster, I was in heaven.

I had planned to go and see Therapy? over in the Bohemia tent but even with Dream Theater on the Saturn stage, the crowds were building in front of the Apollo for Metallica. I stayed put - even while a recording of James Hetfield and Co was played over and over begging us to vote for another song on the By Request setlist.

They came on a little late, but it was well worth the wait. Flanked on the stage wings by dozens of fans, they tore into Battery and Master of Puppets. The audience went mental and the band fed off the fervour. 

Ride The Lightning, The Unforgiven and Fuel followed before they played new track Lords Of Summer. Sad But True, Fade To Black, Creeping Death and One - oh yes, so great to hear that live - came one after the other along with For Whom The Bell Tolls, Blackened, Nothing Else Matters and Enter Sandman.

There was, of course, an encore that kicked off with Whiskey In The Jar and was followed by late (voted for) addition ...And Justice For All before finishing off with Seek & Destroy.


A fantastic, heavy and unforgettable finish to a wonderful weekend of music. They wanted to celebrate 40 years of festivals at Knebworth - and they did it in style.

To look back at the past days of the festival, click here for Day One or Day Two.

Sonisphere - Day Two review

Deftones' Chino says 'hi' to the crowd

SO day two quickly arrives and from first thing in the morning one thing is very evident - Maiden are definitely playing tonight.

At least every second person is wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt. I feel out of place. I knew they were big, but this is more - this is a cult.

But Tesseract are the opening band of the day on Apollo and with founding vocalist Daniel Tompkins back after a three-year break they tentatively build into good little set. They are then followed on the Saturn stage opposite by Scottish pirate metallers Alestorm - and by then the hangovers are blown away.

Babymetal win some new fans

Then comes the bizarre back on the Apollo - Japanese outfit Babymetal. Three dancing frontwomen with very high-pitched voices backed by chugging guitars. Nuts. Batshit crazy. The festival-goers I spoke to were split. Some thought it was awesome, others not so keen. Pokemon metal is the term I settled on.

But as the heavens opened I took my leave to the Bohemia tent to take in Calling All Cars and Voodoo Six - sorry Chas n Dave, but it was dry in there. 

Both bands did plenty to keep my interest though and it was a successful if previously unplanned diversion. That's what festivals are all about, right? Finding new bands too.

Anyway, the crazy continued on the Apollo as next up were costumed, Swedish doom merchants Ghost. They really don't float my boat so I quickly decided it was time for  lunch and drinks before a bit of Anthrax and next up after that for me was Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls.

Ghost - not a musical of the Patrick Swayze film

Frank was a weird fit to the weekend - which he admitted himself - with his acoustic country/folk/rock jangles out of place against many of the other chugging guitars and screaming vocals of many others on the bill.

He even jokingly introduced the crowd to an acoustic guitar.

He mentioned in the build-up to the festival and during his set that he is a massive Iron Maiden fan and grew up listening to metal and rock music - maybe he offered to do the gig for free in return for playing alongside his heroes. In any case, his set did come as a break from what had gone before and was coming later. Namely, mayhem.

Taking things back up a notch first were Hundred Reasons - back on the line-up two years after their cancelled appearance for the 10th anniversary of their Ideas Above Our Station album. They did the album in full and after a shaky start they found their groove.

In a day with a few oddities, another was soon upon us. Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson and his Great War Display Team re-enacted a World War One dogfight in the skies above Knebworth for a full 15 minutes, complete with commentary. Maiden mascot Eddie was supposedly one of the rear gunners, but my eyesight wasn't up to the job of confirming that.

Frank Turner and his acoustic

The display was ended by the Band and Bugles of The Rifles playing the Last Post - and just a minute or so later Deftones were on the same stage blaring into their track Diamond Eyes.

They may have been a bit bemused, but Chino Moreno didn't let it show and put in a ferocious performance as he stalked the stage rasping out his vocals. It was a great set, but I was disappointed that my personal favourites Back To School and You've Seen The Butcher didn't feature. No matter.

Now we're into the business end of the evening and as Slayer played the Saturn stage, I stayed nearer the Apollo to get a good viewing spot for the big one - Iron Maiden.

Now. I'll be honest, I'm not a massive Maiden fan. I don't own any albums and don't really have the inclination to go buy any. But I appreciate their status as one of the iconic bands of rock and metal music. And from the vastly swollen crowd from the previous day, it was evident this was going to be one to remember.

Soon, a grounded Bruce was out on the stage as they opened with Moonchild, swiftly followed by Can I Play With Madness. The crowd was madness personified and Dickinson seemed to cover every inch of the stage as The Prisoner and 2 Minutes To Midnight followed.

Maiden ended up playing for around two hours - including three-song encore ending in Sanctuary. It was awesome.

My plan had been to follow this by attending the Kerrang disco starting at 1am. But after two days of booze, sun, seemingly infinite walking and loads of good music, I needed a rest. Plus there was another full day of music to come. But today would take some beating.

Click here to read my review of Day One if you missed it, or carry on to Day Three.

Sonisphere - Day One review

Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst

SAY what you like about about Limp Bizkit - and most people do - they sure know how to write songs that get a festival crowd singing along and dancing.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. It's day one of Sonisphere at glorious Knebworth and the sun is shining and it's hot. And as soon as the tent up and the first beer sunk, it's time to see the first band of the day.

London industrial metallers The Defiled are first up on the Apollo stage and quickly get the crowd going with a fierce set that they seem to enjoy as much as their fans.

But the early sets are short and sweet at 30 minutes and they are soon off and next up for me is Comeback Kid in the Bohemia tent. Just like The Defiled, these Canadian punks are quickly into their groove and have the tent thumping.


By this point - 4pm day one - one thing is very clear. Unlike other festivals I've been to, the priority for the crowd here is the music. Beer and everything else is secondary. Sure there are plenty of drunk folks and those dressed up in the wrestling theme of the day - but they're still hear to see bands.

The Defiled open the Apollo stage

After Comeback Kid for me is Devil You Know. As a big fan of Killswitch Engage, I was keen to see what former frontman Howard Jones and his supergroup sounded like live. 

To be honest, they were just OK. Not bad, but I didn't get the vibe off them I get when I listen to KE. Maybe it's unfair to compare, but I'll still give them another listen.

After that I take a little refreshment break - a few beers and some food - and take in bits of Band Of Skulls, Him and Atari Teenage Riot, but then I'm on my way near the front of the Apollo stage for Limp Bizkit.

Wes Borland blacks out

The Lounge Kittens kick off the set with an a cappella intro to Rollin before Fred Durst joins them on stage and takes over vocal duties. From then on it's classic after classic with the likes of Faith, My Generation, Nookie, a cover of Rage Against the Machine's Killing In the Name before closing with Take A Look Around and Break Stuff - and all with Wes Borland in his usual made-up gimp look.

With the crowd really hyped up, next comes headliners The Prodigy. Those who dispute a dance band topping the bill at a metal festival really haven't seen the Essex boys live before. Man, they rock.

Breathe is the first track and within seconds of the familiar intro the audience is thrashing. It's a long set but the energy of the band and the crowd is immense and the likes of Omen, Firestarter and Invaders Must Die really life everyone. When they play Smack My Bitch Up we reach a frenzy and then comes a four-song encore. What a start to the weekend.

Click on the links here to read my reviews of Day Two and Day Three.

Dripback's Adam da Rat's Sonisphere picks

WITH Sonisphere Festival taking place this very weekend, RealSoundsOK caught up with Dripback bassist Adam da Rat to get the low-down on who to see.

He told us: "I'm picking stuff that might not be as obvious - everyone goes to see the big names, - but the great thing about festivals is finding hidden gems."

So here are his choices...

THE DEFILED - Apollo Stage, Friday 2.45pm

I've followed this band since they were playing to 20 people in a shitty little pub in Camden and always imagined them on a huge stage. Next Friday I don't need to imagine. I can't wait to see them bring their show to the biggest stage they've played so far. Crushing but melodic and with a rare star quality, you shouldn't miss these.

Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhA0eglzNis

STAMPIN GROUND - Jagermeister Stage, 5pm Saturday

This is their first show in god knows how long. They were the kings of UKHC back in the day. The first time I heard them I thought "Slayer on crack". Viscous, energetic, they will have the whole place bouncing up and down. I can not wait.

Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZS9L8s98Rk

THE LOUNGE KITTENS - Satellite Stage, Saturday 5.30pm

I've not seen these live yet so really looking forward to this. Three very funny girls with beautiful voices doing very creative interpretations of all manner of songs, from rock to dance to hip hop to whatever. One keyboard, three perfectly harmonising voices and a wicked sense of humour, I can't imagine this not being fun.

Check Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiwJdH3avHQ

DRIPBACK - Jagermeister Stage, 12pm Sunday

OK - so this is my band. If I wasn't playing I would most definitely be watching Protest The Hero over on the Saturn stage. With that in mind, we need all the help we can get so come watch us play haha. It's dirty, vicious, brutal hardcore played by a bunch of friends who grew up on death metal. We don't get together often but go absolutely bonkers when we do. 

Check Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD5dZZ7972k

KROKODIL - Jagermeister Stage, 2pm Sunday

Friends I've known for years who are all incredible musicians who've been in other bands previously (and currently). Riffs. Big, fat, juicy riffs, and all the heavy.

Check Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lhmNYgA0eE

Get behind the scenes at Sonisphere

HANDY with a video camera? Like noisy music and festivals in the UK? You're in luck.

Gibson and Sonisphere have teamed up to give two people the chance to be Gibson 'Explorers' - going backstage at the Knebworth bash to meet the production teams, roadies and bands.

The winners will create video shorts from their unprecedented access, which will be shown to millions of people around the globe.

Those wishing to enter should submit a video, Vine or Instagram to showcase their content-making skills. It can be a song, interview, skit, animation or something else.

Submissions will be taken until June 28th with the festival taking place on July 4th to 6th. Visit sonisphere.co.uk/gibson for more details.

The prize consists of two Access All Areas passes and £200 worth of reporting kit. Full Ts & Cs are here.

Hundred Reasons to play Ideas... in full

HUNDRED Reasons will perform their album Ideas Above Our Station in full after being added to the bill for this year's Sonisphere festival.

The band were due to perform for the tenth anniversary of the album in 2012 after reforming in November that year, but it never came to pass.

But a chance meeting between Sonisphere's Alan Day and Hundred Reasons guitarist Larry Hibbitt changed all that. Larry said: "We said we'd never do it again, but the cancelled Sonisphere of 2012 left a big hole in that summer for us. So when our shorts-wearing, crowd-surfing, festival-promoting comrade Alan Day came up with a slot for us this year we just couldn't say no. And we didn't. 

"Don't get used to this. We say no A LOT so this is not going to happen often, if ever. But when it makes sense it makes sense and we're there. Like we will be on 5th July. See you at the front."

Also added to the bill are ex-Wildhearts guitarist Danny McCormack's new charges The Yoyos, Mixhell, Messenger and Dripback.

Dripback bassist Adam Da Rat said: "This is gonna be immense, we can't wait. Metallica and Maiden together for the first time, dozens of the most awesome bands ever, Chas & Dave, a World War One dogfight - I was wondering how this could get any better, and now we're playing too. Safe!"

Aussie rockers Calling All Cars have also been added to the line-up alongside industrial punks Protafield and Blaas of Glory.

For the full line up of the festival - which takes place at Knebworth from July 4th to 6th - visit sonisphere.co.uk

Wilko Johnson added to Sonisphere line up

PUB rock legend Wilko Johnson has been added to the bill for this year's Sonisphere festival.

The former Dr Feelgood guitarist was diagnosed with terminal cancer a year ago and has declined chemotherapy, but has continued to perform live on a regular basis.

He is one of a number of new acts for the festival at Knebworth Park in July including Electric Wizard, Dog Eat Dog and Anti-Flag.

The Pittsburg punks, who celebrate their 20th anniversary this summer, said: "Anti-Flag is always searching out new places to play. Sonisphere is a new forum for us to discuss that we are a band that stands against racism, sexism, homophobia and cynicism."

Also joining the bill are Black Spiders, Brutality Will Prevail, Emp!re, supergroup Krokodil, the reformed Raging Speedhorn, Reckless Love, Tesseract, The Safety Fire, The Defiled, The Hell and The Hype Theory.

Possibly the best PR quote comes from Stampin Ground, who said: "We're more excited than Kriss Akabusi on a waterslide."

This year's Sonisphere will be headlined by The Prodigy, Iron Maiden and Metallica, with Limp Bizkit and Deftones also appearing.

Visit sonisphere.co.uk for more details.