British Steel Festival III - April 26th 2008

Camden Underworld, Camden Town, London

Some eight hours driving, a forty minute each way trip on the tube and a stroll through some of London’s landmarks on the way to a hugely enjoyable festival in the heart of the capital are just some of the memories that will stick with me after last Saturday’s excursion.

The third British Steel Festival, a gathering celebrating the famed “New Wave Of British Heavy Metal” but for me personally a chance to finally see “Lyadrive” in concert.  A band I discovered via the internet last year and have championed on more than one occasion in these pages.

Opening the festival though were “Redline“.  Honesty forces me to admit I knew of none of their songs but an enjoyable set of straight up rockers played out to a gradually assembling audience did encourage a visit to the merchandise stand where their links to “Bitches Sin” were clearly in evidence.  Suitably impressed by the live fare served up I pocketed three “Bitches Sin” discs for the princely sum of a tenner. Meanwhile a free Bitches Sin download album entitled “Your Place Or Mine 1980 - 1987” available from www.bitchessin.co.uk has also been added to the playlist since returning from the gig.

“Lyadrive” were next on and were quite simply a revelation. As feet landed on the monitors onstage, a crowd assembled in front of the stage and an atmosphere started to build.  Did anybody expect them to grasp the nettle to this extent and play such a blinder?  A glimpse at Malc MacMillan’s essential “NWOBHM Encyclopaedia” will tell you how highly regarded this band were, and perhaps how unjust it was that their début album didn’t actually surface until 1996. It’s also possible that they may share the same tour manager as Halley’s Comet - their last live appearance being 1999.  Importantly though they recognised that the festival was a celebration of a time in British music and through singer Nick John’s well placed comments they certainly endeared themselves to an appreciative audience.  He noted Maiden’s worldwide success, Mantis’s Japanese legacy and their own trip for a gig in Great Yarmouth.  They paid homage to America’s “honorary nwobhm-sters” “Riot” with a storming version of “Warrior“, nodded once again to fellow early 80s band Trespass with a blast through their own version of the classic “One Of These Days“, unleashed their own should-have-been classics like “Steal Away The Night” and “Lazerwind“, whilst showing that the engine’s till running by including new track “Black Waters Rising“.

A nice touch was original guitarist Steve Jones travelling thousands of miles from Alaska to join the band for one song, whilst the bass players swapped mid-set too ensuring seven of the band’s membership played some part in the proceedings.

Kudos too must go to Lyadrive for being the only act to have vinyl product on sale on the day, and new vinyl product at that!  Through German label “High Roller Records“, the band have just released “The Sands Of Time : Sessions 1980-82“.  An archive collection, it features some of the tracks that were re-recorded for the eventual début release “Another Time Another Place“, along with a few other rarities including the tracks that made the much sought after 1984 7″ single that ensures interest in the band has continued into the new millennium.  Extensive sleeve notes courtesy of Nick John and drummer Lee Burrows make for interesting reading and once again the band’s pleasure to have simply been part of the scene comes through. A fine release for any nwobhm collector but beware though… it’s a very limited edition!

It’s worth noting too that Lyadrive don’t seem content to rest on their laurels as a CD wrapping up their recordings since the début album “Post Millenium Blues” also premièred at the festival, details of which can be found on www.lyadrive.co.uk and on the band’s myspace page.  And just in case anyone thinks I’m biased in any way toward a band I think are well worth checking out, the post gig discussion on the Planet Rock forums were the first to mark them down as the band who stole the show… and far be it from me to disagree!

Elixir took the stage next and continued the celebration.  I’d already taken the chance to pick up a copy (the last copy I think!) of classic début album “The Son Of Odin” at the merchandise stall, and familiar with this album to some extent was happy that it was well represented.  Pacey, classic British metal with galloping riffs similar to the mighty Iron Maiden, they encouraged a big reaction and once again took the chance to promote more recent material too.  2006’s “Mindcreeper” also being the source for a few tracks with singer Paul Taylor proving the archetypal British metal front-man.  Actual song titles once again elude my memory with the exception of “Children Of Tomorrow”, but the overall impression was extremely positive and this is a band I wouldn’t hesitate to see live again if the opportunity arises.

Praying Mantis were, as expected perhaps, something of an enigma to me.  Their perfect, four person harmonies absolutely stunning yet the overall sound seeming on occasion a little too AOR-centric for me initially, especially after classic new-wave metal sounds of Lyadrive and Elixir.  On reflection though isn’t this a perfect example of how bands of an often very different sound were lumped together under a generic banner?  Mantis, Maiden, Saxon, Venom, Shy, Heavy Pettin’ etc are all included in the nwobhm banner yet are all very different in sound.  Additionally there is little doubt that Praying Mantis were roundly welcomed on the day, drawing the biggest crowd and the loudest applause. Compilation essential “Captured City” got the biggest response of a hugely popular set, and rightly so.

As if to underline the breadth of music on offer, early peddlers of what has become known as black metal, Witchfynde then offered the other end of the nwobhm spectrum with some bludgeoning heavy rock.  Pagan woman lit the candles and the band embarked on a hard hitting journey that seemed to delight the hardy survivors at the front of the stage.  I’ve got to be honest, it had been a long day for me and after five or six songs I was ready to begin the long journey home.  It wasn’t easy following what was clearly a successful show for Praying Mantis who perhaps should have been on last but from the little I saw they were making a good fist of it and a decent audience had remained to witness their performance.

Overall, a marvellous festival that actually would perhaps benefit from playing the nostalgia card a little more.  If comments on the internet is to be believed then this is to be the last under the British Steel banner.  If that is so it’s a crying shame as an evening of British heavy metal for just £12.50 isn’t the kind of offer we’re going to get very often anymore.  I had a great time and would definitely be in line again if a BSF IV were to be announced.

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BL

Festival pictures courtesy of “Wolfie”…  www.coronium.co.uk

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