Steelhouse Festival 2024 / Sunday Review Part One

Steelhouse Festival 2024 – Sunday. I know I keep mentioning the weather, but it’s impossible not to acknowledge just how fantastic a weekend without rain is at this festival. Everyone appears more relaxed, at peace, and genuinely enjoying themselves. 

Steelhouse Festival 2024

Hafod-Y-Dafal Farm, Ebbw Vale – Sunday 28 July 2024

Words: Paul Hutchings

Photography: Manuela Langotsch

The final day at Steelhouse promises an eclectic mix, which kicks off with Australian / Welsh outfit Cassidy Paris, who brings her band to Wales for the first time.

Cassidy Paris

It is a compelling start, with the blond singer using the walkway extensively in the first few minutes. She is soon strapping on a Fender, one of the companies who she has endorsements with. Father Steve Janevski takes the mic at one point to say how proud he is before returning to his bass duties, whilst the Welsh connection of brothers Tom and Alex Rogowski add a ‘ginger perspective’.

A Paramore cover, Misery Business, goes unnoticed by me until a younger friend points it out. But in fairness, the music that the band plays is sadly rather generic. They are, again, vibrant and entertaining to a degree, but a little bit magnolia to my ear.

The small but enthusiastic early-morning fans gathered in front of the stage are clearly enjoying the set, and I cannot fault their energy, especially having been on the road for some time.

Again, this is my perspective. You can’t win them all, and judging by the number of people in the signing tent and grabbing selfies around the site, many would disagree with me.

Dan Byrne

In contrast, Dan Byrne and his band have songs that linger long in the memory. With the electric side of things upping the intensity and tempo, Byrne presents another side to his music, which works on every level.

The harder edge of Hard To Breathe, the feral anger of Hate Me and the visceral side to Like Animals make him a compelling watch. Confidence is now engaged, and it is a performance to dispel anyone complaining about ‘too much Dan’.

He throws in a stellar version of Wide Awake from his time with Revival Black before Death Of Me stirs the emotions for one more time. He is going to be around a lot in the next few months and should certainly be checked out if you haven’t seen this rising star yet. 

Jared James Nichols

Switching the sound for the third time, the muscular hard rock and blues of Jared James Nichols eases us into Sunday afternoon. It’s a powerhouse of a set, and the Wisconsin guitarist shows his flair on his 1952 Les Paul Gold Top with a fine set.

Opening with Easy Come, Easy Go, there is an urgency that gets the head nodding. In a weekend with many fine six-stringers, Nichols competes with the best. His band, Ryan Rice and Louis Collins, if I’m correct, keep things tight, allowing the denim-waistcoated singer to do his stuff.

It is compelling, and his unique chopping style has just a flicker of Tony McPhee and The Groundhogs. He is good with the crowd, too, and a few shoutouts to bands performing, as well as a nod to Bernie, go down well.

It is time for Nails In The Coffin, which leads to a storming War Pigs to close. 

The Commoners

I had first seen The Commoners last year in the tiny Louisiana in Bristol. Their new album, Restless, is a fine release, so it was a no-brainer that these boys were going to be in the crosshairs.

What follows is a vindication of my decision as the Toronto quintet blasts through the mid-afternoon slot with the hip-shaking flourish of The Black Crowes in their pomp. Shake You Off gets the crowd moving, and the interested closing in.

Lead singer Chris Medhurst sees the walkway, and barely leaves it for the next 45-minutes. He is joined by lead guitarist Ross Citrullo, who is also compelled to rock out in the sun. 

As more people join the throng, The Commoners show their class as their infectious Southern style hits the right notes. Heartfelt and soulful, but with a kick like a vicious rouge chilli, they draw deep from Restless, which works fine for me.

Between songs, Medhurst spends time telling stories from the road and the heart. They are one cohesive unit, and with the rich layers of their keyboards, along with Ben Spiller’s bass lines, they deliver one of the sets of the weekend. Hopefully, they will be back soon. 

The Last Internationale

There’s always one band who I miss, and this time around it was The Last Internationale who drew the short straw as I headed for some respite and food at the tent.

By all accounts, Delila Paz and Edgey Pires went down a storm, with Mr. Big Billy Sheehan making an appearance and Paz making her way into the crowd before realising half the audience was unable to comply with her command to “get down.”

My apologies here, but at least there should be some good photos. The Last Internationale did at least sound good from the campsite. 

Living Colour

Reviews of Living Colour’s last show here several years ago have always been mixed, but I was looking forward to the New York Legends appearance. They proved to be a class act, with a controlled yet slightly chaotic set that showed that class is permanent.

If you cannot appreciate the slick skills of Vernon Reid’s incredible guitar playing, or the interplay between bassist Dough Wimbush and drummer Will Calhoun, then you will surely revel in Corey Glover’s sheer presence on the walkway. 

This was a masterclass in quality, which included some well-known tracks, Glamour Boys and Love Rears Its Ugly Head included alongside a beautiful breakdown medley of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U, Cream’s Sunshine Of Your Love and Zeppelin’s Black Dog.

Glover commands the attention and ends the show sat on the end of the walkway for the finale before being joined by Reid and Wimbush in an epic finale that, of course, features Cult Of Personality.

It is a set that oozes class, and as the saying goes, class is permanent.

You can read all of MetalTalk’s Steelhouse Festival 2024 coverage at MetalTalk.net/steelhouse.

For the Steelhouse Festival 2023 edition, click here.

The post Steelhouse Festival 2024 / Sunday Review Part One first appeared on MetalTalk - Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.