Roxoff Festival

The Brickmakers, Norwich, May 4

Roxoff Festival The Night Before just about left the building standing, so it’s down to Sunday to seal the deal with a full day and night of decadence, debauchery and damn fine music…

Drones

‘Are you ready Norwich?’ Drones’ lead singer Rosie Binstead demands of a buzzing Brickmakers which is already busy with folk coming to see the first band of the day. Doubtful. Because this band is bringing unbelievable throat-slitting vocals which make Taylor Momsen sound like a choirgirl, along with face-melting riffs and unapologetically feral drumkit hitting. A cymbal-shattering rendition of ‘Rehab’ fronted by Rosie’s gorgeous guttural growl shakes the Brickmakers to its foundations. Drones are firing the warning shots for what’s to come at Roxoff today. And they’re already taking victims.

For The Forsaken

Strikingly and poignantly dressed in white, lead singer and bassist Dan Hunsdon has experienced every word he sings. His fight against addiction is a constant theme in the band’s songs, but Dan doesn’t preach. He sings his soul with a gritty voice of gratitude and a healthy dose of rock god attitude too. For The Forsaken’s bass drum sets about digging a new cellar while the dynamic of Dan and his son, guitarist Jack Hunsdon is a joy to watch. Striding their way through a set including ‘Wonderlight’ and ‘Serenity’ this band are having the best time performing songs written about the worst of times, and in doing so they bring hope to others as well as hard rock to the stage.

Dead Reynolds

Ah, the infectious Dead Reynolds…  Their trademark? Charm, energy and tunes. Lead singer Rossco Cornwell is such a natural and endearing frontman. He bounces here, there, every-bloody-where, engaging the audience with his presence and personality  There’s plenty of people here today who have seen this band before, and those who haven’t leave their spot at the bar to get a closer look. Kicking off with slamming edgy rocker ‘Hurricane’, Dead Reynolds pull the pin straight away. With a pulsating beat and intricate playing, ‘Animal’ sinks its teeth into the crowd and has us dancing, despite its darkness. Set staple, Robbie Williams’ ‘Let Me Entertain You’ hits the spot, as always. Dead Reynolds are proper live entertainment.

Blind Tiger

Belting out big tunes with lungs the size of Belgium, Norwich’s own Blind Tiger throw down heavy hooks and revving riffs with so much gusto you want to stand there and salute. Rock anthem (and recent single) ‘Piece by Piece’ gets the pit moving, propelled by sharp, skull penetrating guitar solos and solid drums hit with intent. Tonight Blind Tiger aren’t afraid to give the microphone a break and let their instruments sing. The Brickmakers, however, get no rest – it’s impossible to stand still in this set.

Big Iron

A lead singer screaming and dancing around like a chicken whose grain has been contaminated with a little something extra, screeching guitars and super-sized riffs… this is the wild ride that is Big Iron. No pics of these boys in the gallery? ‘Fraid not. They don’t stand still for long enough. A video would have been a better idea. But the best option by far is to go see this band for yourself. Big Iron concoct a cocktail of classic rock, hair metal and a Darkness vibe, which leaves  the Roxoff crowd shaken, stirred and, quite possibly, never to be the same again. Utter musical madness that breaks the mould. Big Iron have recently had their van and gear stolen by the way, so defo head to their socials and help them out if you can xxx

Blake Lakes

Dark and delicious, Black Lakes smoulder their way through a bleakly beautiful set. With skin crawling intros that break hard and lyrics sung by frontman feeling every word, Black Lakes have the aura of a band who have battled demonic beasts to get to The Brickmakers, and are rewarded for their heroic slaying by the crowd, who clearly adore them. There is still fighting to be done, however, and Black Lakes use their words as weapons. ‘White Cliffs’ is one helluva tune about the hellish very real nightmare of those lost at sea, who are simply coming to our shores hoping for a better life. These boys specialise in sinister, riff smashing, vocal chord slashing songs which bleed intensity and dissatisfaction. They end with soul-searching deity doubting ‘Dead Gods’ before slinking back off into the shadows to recharge ready to fight another day.

Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters

‘Queen’ is the only word yer girl wrote in her notes to describe this set. Beth Blade embodies rock and roll. In her music, her stage presence, and, actually, by simply existing. She’s a killer vocalist, kick ass guitarist, and strong, STRONG, stroooooooonnnnnggggg woman. End of. The set? Pure, good ole fashioned rock gold. Full of engagement, emotion and good times. It’s a high octane, all killer, no filler, thriller from opener ‘Hell Yeah!’ all the way through to final song ‘Jack and Coke’. Beth and her finest men tear through a torrent of tracks that put the fire back in your belly and give permission to uncage those classic rock cravings – because tonight Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters are quenching that thirst.

MuddiBrooke

In contrast to the one word note on Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters, MuddiBrooke got a whole page of thoughts on their intense grunge/bluesey/screamer set. But it wasn’t until yer girl found herself in tears at a red traffic light a coupla days later while listening to the band that the might of MuddiBrooke’s Roxoff set really hit. Pressure cooker brain berating situation turned into song, ‘ADHD’ is a rager dropped into the running order early. ‘Float’ shapeshifts from imploring indie ballad to aggressive alt assault. ‘Devil’ is a sorrow soaked trembling cry that’s chilling to the bone. Like a bruise, it’s the band’s wide-eyed, wild vocal-ed take on ‘You Don’t Own Me’ that develops and  becomes something so raw and sore you take it with you long after the event. This is a performance of bass rattling, biting songs that blend Hole and Hands Off Gretel, sung by a voice so versatile that cuts really, REALLY deep.

South of Salem

The lights go down, cheers go up, the crypt creaks open and something wicked this way comes… Tonight honeyed voice with some of the stings left in lead singer, Joey Draper, describes South of Salem as, ‘A little band from Bournemouth’, but they are sooooo much more than that. Unhinged, unleashed and unrestrained, South of Salem sound like they are feeding off the crowd’s energy while looking like they are about to feast on their souls. A flurry of guitar duelling and lightening fast, thundering loud drums deliver the crowd their fix of heavy horror rock and roll. The frenzy starts with ‘Vultures’, blooms into a sleazy, one-life-live-it, unsettling soundtrack  ‘Static’ before detonating call to arms of the damned ‘Let Us Prey’.  All credit to The Coven too. There’s been loads of the South of Salem faithful here at The Brickmakers since the doors opened. The headliner’s lovely fans have come to support all the bands here today, not just their own. Slowing the onslaught slightly with toxically enticing  ‘Pretty Little Nightmare’ stirs the soul, as does utterly gorgeous love song for the lost ‘Jet Black Eyes’ which is one of the best received songs of the set – and that’s saying something. Because South of Salem are hotter than the fires of Hell tonight. And they take us all to Heaven.