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Marshall continues to find fans with its domesticated Bluetooth wireless speakers, but the Bromley 450 is something else entirely. Stablemate to the formidable Bromley 750, it packages the same party speaker swagger into a moderately more compact, and affordable, cabinet.

Design

Styled like a classic Marshall guitar amplifier, the Bromley 450 wears the company’s familiar woven mesh grille, script logo and textured finish with obvious pride. A metal control panel offers an array of brass knobs and build quality is reassuringly solid. The plywood cabinet is protected by substantial over-moulded rubber corners. It’s as rugged as they come.

Weighing 12.3kg, it isn’t a featherweight, but a sturdy carry handle helps when you need to move it around. Meanwhile, around the back is a concealed connection panel. USB-C joins stereo RCA inputs for DJ mixers or turntables, while 3.5mm Aux in/out sockets allows daisy-chaining with other Bromleys. We also get twin XLR/TRS sockets, for mics or instruments.

Fully charged, a removable lithium iron phosphate battery delivers an impressive forty hours of listening when you’re off the mains. The battery charges while in situ and can be replaced easily when required – just flip open the cover and ping it out. It’s also interchangeable with the battery used in the larger Bromley 750.

Fast charging on this Marshall speaker provides around six hours of playback from just 20 minutes connected to the mains, while a full charge takes around 3.5 hours. An IP55 rating means dust, drizzle and the occasional splash won’t spoil proceedings either, making it well suited to outdoor use.

Features

Marshall has wisely avoided overcomplicating things with the Bromley 450; There’s no Wi-Fi, no Spotify Connect, o AirPlay or no network streaming. Bluetooth 5.3 provides wireless connectivity, complete with Auracast compatibility. Firmware updates arrive automatically over the air, with alerts landing in the Marshall app.

Operation is straightforward. Alongside the illuminated red power switch sit dedicated source selection, transport controls and Marshall’s familiar customisable ‘M’ button, which here can be assigned to Low Volume, which drops the volume by 30dB so acts as a quick Mute, or Stroboscope, which gives a momentary light flash (not sure why). Brass bass and treble knobs provide satisfying tonal adjustment.

The integrated lighting deserves praise for what it doesn’t do. Rather than mimicking a nightclub laser show, which can look a bit silly, Marshall nods to live stage lighting. White and amber LEDs pulse rhythmically across the front baffle in three selectable patterns. Presets one and two are fixed, while the third follows the beat.

Helpfully, you can also charge your smartphone from the speaker, via the USB-C port.

Sound quality

There’s no obvious sweet spot because there doesn’t need to be one. Instead we get an implementation of Marshall’s True Stereophonic architecture. Inside the cabinet are two 6.5-inch woofers driven by a pair of dedicated 90W amplifiers, four 2-inch full-range drivers, each with its own 55W amp, and two 8-inch passive radiators. Music is projected from all four sides of the cabinet, so the soundstage is basically omnidirectional.

Even at relatively moderate listening levels, the Bromley 450 sounds beefy. There’s a physicality to its presentation; crank up the volume and it barely breaks a sweat. There’s loads of headroom.

The Bromley 450 invites me to turn up the volume, so I oblige. A rash move. Sabaton’s ‘Templars’ storms my listening room. Power chords bludgeoned the sofa, and I’m pretty sure you could hear the massed choir half way down the street.

Low frequencies hit hard, but they stop just as quickly. The twin passive radiators have a fast, percussive character. Running through a playlist of favourites – Thunderstruck, Poison, Holy Diver, Immigrant song – my admiration for the Bromley 450 grows with every track.

But there are caveats. This isn’t a speaker that rewards close monitoring. Up close it can sound harsh. It needs space to perform. That’s when the novel Stereophonic design earns its keep. The 360 soundfield ensures everyone hears more or less the same thing. Walk around and the presentation barely changes.

How loud does it go? Considerably, I’d say. I’ve actually heard a Bromley 450 cranked up in Camden’s legendary Good Mixer boozer, and it pretty much filled the space. It’ll do much the same in a swish apartment, just don’t park one beside your bed.

The alternatives

The party speaker market is on a tear at the moment, and JBL is making most of the running. Its best-selling Partybox 710 comes with wheels and a grab hand for easy movement, is splash-proof and features a full colour LED lightshow. Sonically it boasts an 800W output and supports Bluetooth, wired inputs and microphone/guitar connections, making it suitable for karaoke, live performance or DJ sets. However it lacks a battery, so no off mains entertainment.

The Sony SRS-XV800 is rather more staid in appearance, although it still offers a light show. Features include Bluetooth, USB playback, wired input, along with an IPX4 splash‑resistance rating. Other attractions include omnidirectional party sound, and Sony’s Mega Bass mode. Like the Bromley 450 it can operate off the mains, but battery life is limited to 25 hours.

Linkin Park, The Smashing Pumpkins and the Ramones are going to represent alternative music on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

The three bands are on the list of names who’ll receive stars on Los Angeles’ Hollywood Boulevard in the Recording category next year, alongside fellow musicians David Guetta, Lil Wayne, Sia, Grandmaster Flash, Marc Shaiman and Karol G.

The 2027 set of inductees, 32 in total, also includes actors Elle and Dakota Fanning, Kate Hudson, Idris Elba, Delroy Lindo and Sam Rockwell, plus Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and comedy duo Cheech And Chong, for their contributions to film.

Actors Pedro Pascal, David Alan Grier, Adam Scott, Lisa Kudrow, Keke Palmer and Raven-Symoné, presenter Jeff Probst and writer/producer Bill Lawrence will receive stars for their contributions to TV.

Radio host Charlamagne Tha God will receive a star in the Radio category, while actor/comedian Jo Koy, dancer Roberto Bolle and Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger will be in Live Theatre/Live Performance. Race car driver Jimmie Johnson will be added to Sports Entertainment.

Peter Roth, Walk Of Fame Selection Chairman, says that “these 32 extraordinary individuals have each made a lasting impact on audiences around the world through their talent, creativity, and dedication to their craft”.

“We are honoured to recognise their remarkable contributions and look forward to celebrating them as they take their place in Hollywood history,” he adds.

Linkin Park are one of the best-selling heavy metal bands of all time, their 2000 debut album Hybrid Theory having shipped more than 32 million units worldwide. They also won Grammy Awards in 2002 and 2006. They went on hiatus in 2017, following the death of longtime lead singer Chester Bennington, but reunited with Emily Armstrong on vocals in 2024 and released their comeback album From Zero the same year.

The California band join a select list of hard rock and heavy metal acts to have a star on the walk. Kiss received one in 1999, followed by Ozzy Osbourne in 2002, Alice Cooper in 2003, Mötley Crüe in 2006 and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash in 2012. Def Leppard had their name added to the walk last year.

The Smashing Pumpkins, founded in Chicago in 1998, have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and also won two Grammys. Led by singer/guitarist Billy Corgan, they continue to successfully tour and record, their latest album being 2024’s Aghori Mhori Mei.

The Ramones started in New York City in 1974 and released their self-titled debut album in 1976. The album, which has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA), was a seminal text in punk rock, inspiring the Sex Pistols, The Clash and others. They disbanded in 1996. In 2014, drummer Tommy Ramone, the last surviving member to have performed on Ramones, died aged 65.

Green Day, pop-punk superstars inspired by the Ramones, received a star on the walk of fame last year.

This week, Wacken Open Air, the world’s biggest dedicated metal festival, will descend upon the Schleswig-Holstein region of Northern Germany for four days of heavy metal heaven, celebrating its 35th anniversary with a lineup boasting over 150 bands. With headliners Def Leppard, Judas Priest and Sabaton overseeing a stacked bill, the festival announced a total sell-out last week, meaning 85,000+ metalheads will be let loose on the fesitval’s (un)holy grounds. Last year, Metal Hammer spoke to Wacken co-founder Thomas Jensen about how the idea for a fun local festival for friends ended up becoming one of the biggest annual events in the metal calendar.

When Thomas Jensen co-founded Wacken Festival in 1990, the idea was simple. Book a few bands, get some beers in, and invite some mates to have the time of their lives. Thirty-five years later, the idea is still the same, except those ‘mates’ have ballooned to 85,000 metal fans.

“It’s pretty crazy,” he admits, bristling with pride. “I can’t believe how much it’s grown.”

Growing up, Thomas became obsessed with legendary performances. Queen at Wembley Stadium; Led Zeppelin at Knebworth; Motörhead at Hammersmith. But the chances of anything like that coming to his hometown – Wacken, a small village about an hour’s drive north of Hamburg – were slim to none.

So, in 1988, Thomas flew out to Donington to attend Monsters Of Rock. Headlined by Iron Maiden and Kiss, the iconic festival only cemented Thomas’s ambitions to bring the music he loved to his hometown.

“It was incredible,” he enthuses. “During [David Lee] Roth’s set, you could see Maiden building their set and it looked amazing.”

A year later, Thomas and co-founder Holger Hübner started making plans to host an event. The inaugural Wacken, held on August 24-25, 1990, had just six bands – mostly local – and attracted 800 people. This year’s four-day bill in July/August will be headlined by Guns N’ Roses, Machine Head, Gojira and Papa Roach, with a crowd of 85,000.

The festival might attract seasoned headliners, but Thomas also wants to give established bands a chance to step up. Last year, they showed they were ahead of the curve by getting Korn to headline (they close Download and top the bill at Hellfest this year). Now, Papa Roach will be the next nu metal stars to get the bump up to headliner status in the 2020s.

“Papa Roach is a great one for us,” Thomas says. “The team have been wanting them for a long time, so we’re really happy that they’re finally confirmed. We also got Gojira before they’d even got the invite for the Olympics. I had no idea they were doing it; I’d been doing interviews, and had the TV on with a cup of tea and the sound off. All of a sudden I saw this strange thing – ‘Hey, that looks like a metal band… Holy shit, Gojira at the Olympics!’ I had to crank up the volume. I think it’s great.”

Over the last three decades, many bands have risen through Wacken’s ranks. Amon Amarth first played the festival in 1999 on one of the small stages. Last year, they headlined to the sight of 85,000 fans rowing in a field. When Jinjer played in 2019, their early morning slot opening the Louder stage attracted an enormous crowd that confirmed the colossal buzz around the Ukrainian band. They returned in 2023 to an even bigger crowd on one of the festival’s two main stages.

In 2004, Wacken established the Metal Battle, which invites bands from around the world to compete and earn a chance to play at the festival. And with eight stages plus sideshow entertainment, there are many other international acts in the mix – Indian nu metallers Bloodywood planned their first overseas tour around a set there in 2019.

“That’s our duty; to push the boundaries a bit,” Thomas says. “This year we’ve got Hanabie coming from Japan, Skynd coming from Australia. If you’d told me we would get these kinds of bands in 1990… It’s great just how diverse the scene is now. The beauty of a festival is being able to put all those kinds of bands together and have people discover new things as they walk by a stage.”

The Wacken site is now so large, it also takes over the neighbouring villages of Gribbohm, Bokelrehm and Holstenniendorf. It includes a post-apocalyptic-themed area called the Wasteland – complete with performers in Mad Max-style gear called the Wasteland Warriors – and a medieval village called Wackinger. There’s a farmer’s market, an outdoor swimming pool and a full metal church.

As Wacken’s profile has grown, multiple documentaries have been made – and screened – at the festival. Meanwhile, the 2024 metal comedy Heavier Trip is all about the protagonists’ journey to play there.

Thomas has seen the scene weather ups and downs, with interest in metal rising and falling – but he’s excited about the state it’s in at the moment. With bands such as Sleep Token and Ghost landing No.1 albums, there’s an influx of fans.

“There’s a lot of great festivals out there now, and I’m glad to see the development of places like Bloodstock or even some of the smaller independent festivals,” he says. “I remember when I managed Saxon [Thomas looked after the NWOBHM legends from 2000- 2016], we’d only be able to put on shows in Wolverhampton and London, that’d pretty much be it. Things are so much healthier now for the metal scene than at the beginning of the century, let’s put it that way.”

Next summer, Wacken celebrates its 35th birthday, having missed a couple of years to Covid. According to Thomas, it’ll be the biggest one yet.

“It’s going to be great,” Thomas says with a smile. “The whole point of the festival was to put on a party with our mates and listen to the music we love – and we’re still doing it.”

Wacken Open Air 2026 takes place from July 29 to August 1. For the full line-up, visit the official Wacken Open Air Website.