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Next up in the Trailblazer tent is Beautiful Freakin’ Weirdo (8). A one man psychedelic rock wizard, a fine discovery today—bringing a chaotic, wonderfully unique alternative rock edge and a wild, energetic stage presence that makes it impossible to look away.

Over on the Kilmister Stage, Welsh heavy rock titans King Kraken (9) step up to the plate and absolutely crush it. This band have been gigging relentlessly it seems for the past two years! We caught them recently as they toured with the hardest working band out there, Fury, and they’ve definitely picked up a few things on the way. They deliver a masterclass in massive, foot-stomping grooves and thunderous rhythm sections, fronted by a powerhouse vocal performance that commands the entire arena. Reminiscent of early Clutch, the grooves are infectious.

Heading back to the Trailblazer stage, we catch a fantastic set from Voodoo Sioux (8), who are their usual jovial, energetic selves, delivering great hooks and plenty of fun rock ‘n’ roll antics. Is there a more energetic and fun bass player in the country than Mario Ermo? I think not!

They are followed immediately by the highly anticipated Saturday “Surprise Band,” which turns out to be none other than US rockers Bullets And Octane (10). The tent is absolutely packed to the rafters for this, the secret had been revealed earlier on that morning. They tear through a blistering, rapid-fire set of high-octane sleaze rock with an immense amount of style and attitude, anthemic songs like Cancer California and Save Me Sorrow get the crowd joining in. 

Gene Louis loves interacting with the crowd and spends a lot of the time in the crowd! It’s a fun party and during their cover of Deep Purples Highway Star he hands the mic to a punter in the crowd who absolutely smashes it! The climax is their big fan favourite Pirates with the whole tent singing along and leaving the crowd completely fired up. It’s a brilliant, sweat-drenched highlight for the afternoon.

Back out on the Kilmister Stage, The Five Hundred (8) keep the adrenaline pumping at dangerous levels. They produce a colossal, modern metal onslaught, pounding away with aggressive precision and a ferocious live energy that has the pit in full swing.

As the evening draws to a climax, the legendary Wolfsbane (10) take to the stage to headline the Southall Lawless stage. Jase Edwards, Jeff Hateley, Steve Danger, and the ever-eloquent, eccentric frontman Blaze Bayley are in absolute peak form. Blaze is in his absolute element, exchanging banter with the crowd and leading a rapturous tent through anthems like Man Hunt and I Like It Hot. Loads of fun, bags of nostalgia, and simply great old rock ‘n’ roll played with immense heart.

Finally, to close out a superb Saturday, UK thrash titans Onslaught (9) take the headline slot on the Kilmister Stage. They hit the stage with serious intent amid a sea of smoke and heavy lighting, delivering an absolute masterclass in fast, unapologetic, old-school thrash metal. Sy Keeler is back on vocals but it’s the driving, relentless onslaught of razor-sharp guitar riffs and aggressive vocals that completely decimate the main arena. Nige Rocket is the only remaining original member but Onslaught has always been an entity in its own right regardless of who was in the band at any particular moment, but this current line up is as good as any that I (Tony) has seen.

It’s a powerfully climatic and heavy end to Day Two, a bit heavier than the regular attendees are used to, but it’s great to see a festival mix it up a bit and not rotate the same old bands. But a fantastic day, blisteringly hot, leaving everyone absolutely knackered but buzzing for the final day of the weekend!