Planet Rock - USA (2020-04)

(Antfer) #1
electrifying Who Did It. The Bridgend
rockers have stepped in at the 11th hour after
H.E.A.T. were forced to drop out due to illĥ
ness, and Shane wastes no time poking fun at
the Swedish rockers and their “meat balls and
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act, TDC’s set never wavers in brilliance from
the pummelling Breakaway to the anthemic
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Stone, which sees SKDQHKHDGWRWKHEDUPLGĥ
song and return with tequila shots for his
bandmates. Phenomenal.
An extremely tough act to follow, then,
but fortunately The Quireboys are on hand
to bring the party to Trecco Bay. Sauntering
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hand and rocking his trademark dishevelled
Geordie pirate look, frontman Spike is ever
engaging, throwing his mic stand around and
showering the audience with superlatives. By
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whole room is bouncing.
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vocalist ZP Theart recruited to their ranks,
headliners Skid Row instantly impress, tearĥ
ing through several towering tunes including

Big Guns and 18 And Life. Despite Theart
being overzealous in his relentless, expleĥ
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songs like Riot Act eradicate such minor
quibbles. Ending in style with their 1989
debut single Youth Gone Wild, the New
Jersey veterans unleash balloons into the
crowd before exiting stage right in triumph.

BRISTOLIAN SOUTHERN rockers
Sons Of Liberty get Saturday’s action startĥ
ed on the New Band Stage at the ungodly
hour of 11am. Prowling the stage while clutchĥ
ing his cane and tooting his harmonica, hilarĥ
ious frontman Rob Cooksley is captivating,
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highly cathartic. Taking us into the afternoon
are Welsh hard rockers Scarlet Rebels with
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cal hitch at the start of standout track Heal
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Wowing acoustically yesterday, the fully
electric Jack J Hutchinson LVDYHU\GLɱHUĥ
ent beast. Haunted Bones is propelled by
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basslines, is almost primal sounding. Sharing a

penchant for such heavy sounds, Liberty
Lies then dispatch a plethora of meaty songs
all bolstered by singer Shaun Richards’
powerful pipes.
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Salvation Jayne add some vibrance to
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Doe and Coney Island Baby, teeing things up
perfectly for classic rock purists Dead Man’s
Whiskey, who put their heart and soul into
their performance. Nowhere is this more eviĥ
dent than on emotionally wrought ballad
Make You Proud, dedicated to singer Nico
Rogers’ mum who was diagnosed with brain
cancer. Closing the afternoon emphatically
are At The Sun, who dazzle with the bold
grooves of Bite Your Tongue and Raise Your
Glass, which unsurprisingly goes down
extremely well with the Rockstock faithful.
Away from the live music, a highlight of
Saturday afternoon comes in the Sports Bar
where Def Leppard/Last In Line guitarist
Vivian Campbell records an episode of My
Planet Rocks live with Wyatt. Witnessing
Viv chatting candidly about his fabled career
with Dio, Def Leppard and beyond is an
unforgettable moment. SA

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Youth gone wild:
Skid Row’s ZP Theart;
(left top) Welsh wonders
Those Damn Crows; and
(bottom) The Quireboys’
gypsy king Spike.

120 PLANET ROCK

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