Now in its second year High Voltage returned to Victoria Park for two days of hard rocking.

Kicking things off on the main stage was former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe: it was all sleazy dumb fun, which is exactly what you need at a festival, and the man himself certainly seemed to be having the time of his life on stage. Putting on an energetic performance that put many frontmen half his age to shame, he played some great rock n roll tracks performed that included ‘Trick of the Wrist’ and, closing his set, ‘Dead Jail or Rock n Roll’ – what a good start to the festival!

Brit rockers SKIN arrived on stage to the sound of the Queen classic ‘We Will Rock You’, and over the course of their set no one could argue that they didn’t do just that. Belting out tracks such as ‘Look But Don’t Touch’, ‘Shine A Light’ and ‘Tower Of Strength’, vocalist Nev McDonald’s powerful but smooth vocals are possibly one of rock’s hidden gems. This was rumoured to be the band’s last gig, and what a way to end things! Even Nev’s bloodied face (after smacking himself with his mic) couldn’t take the smiles off everyone’s faces.

I caught Rival Sons next. I’d heard a lot of good things about the band, and following their support slot with metal legends Judas Priest I was interested to find out what the buzz was about. Sounding like the love child of Led Zepplin and Black Crowes, the band emitted a coolness that sucked you in. The sound could have done being a bit louder, a problem many bands suffered with that day. It did improve slightly, but a few slower numbers and a bluesy inspired jam halfway through their set nearly slowed things down too much for a festival.

Over on the Metal Hammer stage Ravens Creed tried to ward off the impending dark clouds with their heavy riffs and some impressive shouty/growling vocals. The Nottingham band was probably more used to playing the dark sweaty clubs with sticky floors, but lapped up every second of their set. Like most of the bands on this stage they were perhaps a little too heavy for the classic rockers, but the metal fans in attendance seemed to love them. I enjoyed their set, but after seeing a lot of the old school bands on show I couldn’t get into it.

Queensryche were next on stage: this is a band I had heard of for a long time but only recently started getting in to them, so I was pretty excited. The Seattle band had a very large crowd in front of them, not that they seemed bothered... with such finely crafted songs, they shouldn’t be! Even though the sound and mix was still poor, the class of the band still shone through. With songs like ‘Eyes of a Stranger’ and ‘I Don’t Believe In Love’, both old and young lapped it up.

Someone had forgotten to tell Thin Lizzy they weren’t headlining on Saturday as Ricky Warwick, Scott Gorham and the rest of the band put on a show that many will remember for a long time.

Ricky Warwick asked the crowd ‘Are you ready to rock?’ and with that dives into ‘Are You Ready?’. The band is, the crowd is... but the soundman still seemed like he wanted a quiet day. Sound problems aside, the band pulled in a crowd young and old and treated them to hits like ‘Jailbreak’, and ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’. Michael Monroe came on stage to handle saxophone duties for ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’, Ending things with ‘Waiting for an Alibi’ and ‘Black Rose’, the crowd in the palms of their hands.

Strolling out cool as only he can be, SLASH with the vocal talent of Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy proceeded to bring a feel-good vibe to the festival, dishing out songs from his acclaimed solo album, a handful of Guns ‘n Roses classics, plus Velvet Revolver hits and one or two from Slash’s Snake Pit album. Myles Kennedy easily handled tracks such as ‘Night Train’, ‘Rocket Queen’ and ‘Slither’. Other highlights were ‘Dr. Alibi’, but sadly minus Lemmy on vocals, but bassist Todd Kerns handled it very well. As birthday parties go (it was Slash’s birthday), this was one to remember.

After the recent shock retirement of K.K. Downing, many wondered if Judas Priest would be able to complete their world tour. Luckily, they found the talent of Ritchie Faulkner. After hearing impressive comments about one of their recent UK gigs, I’m curious to see them and what they would bring to a bigger stage. Not being a huge fan, I knew a handful of songs and of course knew how much of an influence they are on so many bands, being forerunners of heavy metal and Rob Halford considered one of the godfathers of the genre.

The stage was clad in cloth with a print of chains everywere, including some of the outfits Rob Halford appeared in tonight. There were nearly more costume changes than a Lady Gaga concert, along with enough spikes and studs to impale the crowd if a stage dive was enacted. The sound problems that had dogged many bands today seemed to have been fixed, making them possibly on of the loudest bands I have ever seen live. Over the course of two and a quarter hours, the hits flowed, as well as some of the lesser known songs from their 40 year career. The crowd handled vocals on ‘Breaking The Law’ and of course no Priest gig would be complete without Mr Halford bringing out the Harley Davidson for ‘Hell Bent for Leather’, finishing day one with smiles and ringing ears.

Day 2
The Metal Hammer stage was my first port of call on a very hot Sunday. The first band I caught was The Treatment, who had impressed me earlier in the year at Hammerfest. However, a festival setting can trip many bands up... however, just like Rival Sons, The Treatment stomped out rock anthem after rock anthem, proving again they are a band to watch.

Over on the main stage, female fronted rockers Saint Jude took to the stage; thankfully the sound had improved today. Singer Lynne Jackamann looked every inch the cool rock star, with the voice to back it up: soulful and bluesy yet with a hard edge to it. They seemed more suited to a dark smoky club than a large stage at a summer festival, but nonetheless they put on a good show. The band didn’t engage well at times and the latter part of the set seemed to drag, but definitely worth checking out.

One of the big names of the festival took to the stage, guitar maestro Michael Schenker. With temperatures reaching boiling point, this could have tipped it over the edge. A slew of guest appearances almost achieveed that: Doogie White handled vocals on ‘Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead’, Pete Way joined in on the fun for the U.F.O classics ‘Rock Bottom’ and ‘Doctor Doctor’, but it’s the next guest the crowd erupt for, Michael’s older brother and Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Shenker . There was only ever going to be one song they could do... of course, it was ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’. This received a mass clapalong from the massive crowd. It may be dated and a bit cheesy at times but it was all in the name of good fun.

Hard rockers Graveyard were entertaining the faithful at the Metal Hammer stage. With more than a nod towards Black Sabbath, they charged straight into things with galloping bass and frantic drumming ringing out. It wasn’t particularly original, but what they do, they do well. Showing they have a few strings to their bow, they slowed things down to almost a soulful ballad. Things near the end started to trail off into a jam session but with the heat becoming uncomfortable everyone seemed glad for the respite.

Coming onstage to AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ were Brit hard rockers Thunder, who were greeted like long lost friends. Reunited specially for High Voltage, the band kicked off with their 90’s classic ‘Backstreet Symphony’. A few sound problems later and the band had the crowd in the palms of their hands. Playing a hit laden set, singer Danny Bowes showed his experience of working a crowd by getting everyone to jump, clap and sing at the same time. But this band had another front man: guitarist Luke Morley pulled out some cool as you like rock star moves and riffs that sounded like they could come straight from some blues bar in America. A fist pumping rendition of ‘Love Walked In’ and ‘Dirty Love’ proved that there is plenty more mileage in this band. Based on this reception, it looks as if they can come back as many times as they like.

Full of dirty riffs, thunderous drums and full-on attitude and swagger, rock super group Black Country Communion is a band you might not have heard of, but the members have a vast wealth of history and talent between them, Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham, Derrick Sherringham and Joe Bonamassa opened up with ‘Black Country’, the following hour a blues/hard rock treat, Another stand out track was ‘Save Me’. Hughes’s voice was impressive, sounding soulful and smooth one minute and hitting the high notes with ease the next. The set ended with Deep Purple’s ‘Burn’, leaving the crowd yelling for more.

With the sound of Neurosis giving the Metal Hammer stage a pummelling, I treaded over to the prog rock stage for the first time this weekend. To be honest I’m a little bit scared of prog rock, but I am curious to check out Jethro Tull. Legend of the prog rock scene for 40 years, the band has a vast back catalogue to choose from.

The music swirled around the park as the vocals were delivered in a gentle style, like someone reading a bedtime story to a child. Frontman Ian Anderson was a live wire, moving around and dancing on one leg and playing the flute in a manner that would rival the coolest guitar player. He mocked the prog rock genre and themselves for (and I quote) “when they had their heads up their collective arses”, which amused the crowd no end. No such worry today with songs like ‘Farm on a Freeway’, ‘Mother Goose’ and the crowd pleasing ‘Aqualung’. This was much more gentle music than the other stages had on offer and at times, possibly more intricate. Finishing with ‘Locomotive Breath’, featuring Joe Bonamassa, this was a band that I may not have entirely understood, but definitely appreciated.

Final band of the weekend was Dream Theater. Straight away I was drawn in by their melodies and as the set progressed, a light show which was simply stunning blazed over the crowd. The large screens either side of the stage blended images and pre filmed footage with the live feed. New drummer Mike Mangini proved he was more than capable of drum duties, surrounded by a metal frame and cymbals and cowbells, delivering the first drum solo I had enjoyed in a long time. Influences of Rush and Pink Floyd shone through during their set whilst a rotating keyboard stand looked like fun to play with. The weird sounds that seeped into parts of songs helped to add to the mix. Though this is another band I’m not really a fan of, it is an impressive way to end the festival.

Overall, a great, diverse weekend that everybody should experience.

Written by James Smith