MAID OF STONE FESTIVAL 2024 / FRIDAY Featuring White Raven Down, Gun, and Blaze Bayley
With performances on one of the three stages, Friday is a warm-up day—not that any further warmth was required on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year thus far. This provided an opportunity to assess the situation and observe that this was an ingenious, small layout that was extremely well-organized.
WHITE RAVEN DOWN
White Raven Down, a trio from Southend-on-Sea, kicked off the event at precisely 6 p.m. The band stunned the crowd with their powerful riffs and intense stage presence, which have gained them recognition in the past year or two.
The party got underway as soon as the initial sound problems were resolved. This was a wonderful start, with songs from their most recent album, Don’t Shoot The Messenger, going down well and leader Stu Bailey working really hard to get the crowd involved.
BLAZE BAYLEY
Blaze Bayley was warmly welcomed, and rightfully so. Despite his recent serious health problems, he appears in excellent health and fitness, making it hard to believe that he had a quadruple bypass surgery a little over a year ago.
Tonight’s Iron Maiden performance was complete, with every song drawn from The X Factor and Virtual XI, his two albums from the 1990s.
He’s still got the Absolva lads to accompany him, as predicted, with Luke and Chris Appleton’s dual guitars blaring in the sunshine. Blaze persisted on getting the crowd involved in calls and responses, not content until the screaming reached a suitable decibel level.
Reminded that there are good songs buried among the less known and praised Iron Maiden albums was a wonderful thing, and songs like Como Estais Amigos, Futureal, Sign Of The Cross, and The Clansman truly hit home.
Blaze was yelled for by Maidstone, and he spent the remainder of the weekend there, spending time for everyone who wanted to talk and take pictures.
GUN
Gun, who are currently riding high with the release of their most successful album, Hombres, are a fierce act and would be an excellent choice to end the evening.
With a repertoire of timeless songs that perfectly balance the Scottish group’s power and melody, very few artists can match them.
Considering that they have been operating for more than thirty years, the chemistry between Jools and Dante Gizzi, a family partnership, is sizzling and crackling in all the right places. This is honest, unpretentious rock ‘n’ roll that excites with its raw stomp, swing, and stammer without any additional bells or whistles.
Selected songs from their complete repertoire, including the fiery Inside Out, coexist peacefully with the magnificent new hit song. Falling, these and other things are doomed to remain in our minds over the remainder of the evening.
Gun has the same natural talent to write excellent rock songs as Angus’s mob, and songs like Everybody Loves Her, Don’t Say It’s Over, and Shame On You are brimming with attitude and nasty guitars, emulating contemporary stadium titans AC/DC.
Ante’s position as frontman has long since been established; the captivating singer has undoubtedly developed a strong affinity for the part. His brother is a master of power and cool; the drums of Paul McManus and Andy Carr drive the beast, with the latter performing wonderfully the day after undergoing keyhole surgery. His brother’s interlocking fretwork with Ruairidh McFarlane creates sparks. That’s dedication, people.
Better Days, their still-fresh-sounding debut hit, and a powerful Steal Your Fire are maybe the songs of the evening, even if their rendition of Cameo’s Word Up is a lot of fun and has the audience chanting along at full volume during the call and response portion.
Strangely, the power goes out just as the band is starting the encore song, Fight For Your Right To Party, and the show is cut short because of the tight curfew. The Beastie Boys would have laughed at this scenario.
With a smile on their faces, the band exits the stage and receives applause, which is all that was required.
Tonight’s Gun performance is amazing, and I hope they keep it up.
MAID OF STONE FESTIVAL 2024
On July 19 and 21, 2024, Mote Park will host the Maid of Stone Festival 2024, which will feature 39 bands performing live. Headliners Gun, Wolfmother, and Mr. Big are scheduled for what has become into a music lover’s must-attend event over the years.
