Rock Regeneration

Jun21

Loverocks Festival 2025 – Day 3

on June 21st, 2025 at 18:02

St Leonards Farm, Dorset

Featuring: Cry For Mercy / Tempus Frayed / Lead Feather / The Rattlebacks / Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters / Muddibrooke / This House We Built / Skam / Sari Schorr / The Commoners

We are back for day three, the final instalment of the Loverocks Festival and like yesterday we have 10 bands to look forward to. A quick check and I have only seen three out of the ten bands before, so hopefully it will be a day of discovery?! I do like my comforts and a festival like this has so many benefits, if you are an ‘older’ person like me and the thought of doing 15-20k of steps a day at a festival like Download/Glastonbury/Reading puts you off, well this festival has a car park literally a few hundred yards from the main stage and even closer if you are camping. The one stage means there is no moving around from stage to stage, you can set up a chair and relax. This gives you more energy, so if a band comes on and you feel like jumping around then you can.

This weekend I have been fortunate enough to spend time with some great friends Becky, Maria, Paul, Mikey and Lynn, along with many faces I see regularly at gigs throughout the year. We talked (probably a bit too much); laughed, cried, ate, drank and plugged that new Vocalzone throat spray (quite a lot eh Baroness!!). If you saw me at the festival constantly I was not messaging my wife or checking the football scores, I write notes so I can refer to them when I get home. (The memory is not what it once was!!)

The first band of this Saturday, the longest day of daylight of the year (it is definitely Saturday) is Cry For Mercy, who describe themselves as a powerhouse Blues/Rock trio. These guys show us some really skilful work with some smoothly delivered dual vocal deliveries, along with highly proficient musicianship. The tunes are all welcomed by the discerning crowd and they act as a perfect beginning to today’s entertainment. With tracks like “Sometime” and the beautifully crafted “Moments” and the positively smouldering “A Thing About Me” from the band’s latest album “This Machine”, the trio are welcomed with open arms by a new army of fans.

Cry For Mercy 1–2–3

Tempus Frayed from Birmingham are quite possibly the youngest band of the weekend and to be fair, within the first couple of songs they show that they can complete easily with the more experienced musicians. Their refreshing style of Pop/Rock with brightly melodic guitars and captivating vocals immediately captures everyone’s attention. Their energy and host of radio-friendly tunes grab you and don’t let go. They even have a tune that can change the weather, because as they perform the infectious “Running From The Rain” for the first time this weekend it starts to rain…only a short shower though.

Tempus Frayed 1–2

The band’s new single “Caroline” further shows the guys fine creativity, showing lots of promise for the future. With a festival like this, diversity is the best policy and we have been spoilt for choice with such great variations. A great new band, one hopefully I’ll get to see sometime in the near future.

Next up we have Lead Feather and with an amount of certainly their record collection contains all the Led Zeppelin albums. The band feature more than a passing influence from the Hammer of the Gods hard rock legends. The London quartet features the imposing Apostolos L on lead vocals with his great retro look along with Simon Hurts on lead guitar, Daniel Devis on bass and Thanos on drums.

Lead Feather 1–2–3–4

It’s a joy to see these guys revisiting this era of rock n’roll, taking it back to where it all starts. Pretty much take away Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and where would todays modern Rock music be ? With an air of confidence these accomplished musicians take us on a short journey through their own polished compositions. Their latest single “Roll The Dice” show us a thoroughly powerful vocal with some exquisite guitar work from Simon’s Sunburst Gibson Les Paul. The slower “Why” gently serenades us and is a perfect tune to enjoy in surroundings such as this.

With the clouds clearing and the temperatures shooting up to just under 30 degrees, The Rattlebacks from just down the south coast in Brighton explode brightly on to the stage. Here are five guys on a mission to impresses from the start, Cleary the heat does nothing to curtail their seemingly unboundless energy. Like a machine gun the band fire off track after track, delivered like a well oiled machine. With a host of great Rock influences their swagger and delivery is one of a band on it’s way up to playing stadiums. “Lazy Brian” uses a talk box like Richie Sambora famously used in “Livin On a Prayer”, while the blues-edged “Favourite Son” shows some shimmering creativity and we even get a blistering guitar solo within the audience (Praise the Cordless guitar flexibility)!

The Rattlebacks 1–2–3–4–5

You cannot take your eyes off these guys for a minute as so much is happening. “Dementia Lounge” is a song that should have been written a long time ago, a tune that The Rattlebacks highlight the plight of a sufferer and the effects on their family. The lyrics are powerful and take on this highly sensitive subject from a personal and emotive point of view.

Their set ends with three of the band members causing chaos in the crowd as they jump down off the stage and perform in the heart of their enduring audience. What can I say; band of the weekend on all levels, they are booked to play the Bear Cave in Bournemouth on 10th October…..these guys in a small basement venue, it’s surely gonna be an experience after this impressive showing!!

Right, time to sit down and have a chill before the next band, a can of full fat coke and a cheeky bar of chocolate (thankfully it had been keep out of the sun and had not melted) to give an injection of energy. Just a shame this camp site does not have a swimming pool as I’d love a dip right now, but then again no-one would want to see my in my Speedos.

The next band was not on the original poster, however they have been drafted in at short notice to fill in for an act that could not make it. Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters are a most welcome addition to this line-up and one I’ve been fortunate enough to see many times before. With Rock Gods Kiss and Motorhead’s Lemmy providing the fuel for their fire and the band are always firing on all cylinders.

Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters 1–2–3

Beth has a strong resolve and as a female front-woman in a mainly male dominated genre, she packs a punch with strong passionate vocal delivery and some excellent guitar skills too. Tunes such as “You Only Love You When I’m Drunk” and one of a new batch of tracks called “This Bitch Bites” shows some inventive writing inspired by life experiences. Beth’s hand-picked band powerfully and efficiently compliment this material and the positive reaction of this crowd validates their inclusion on this bill.

Continuing the momentum of girl power are Muddibrooke, a band who impressed when I saw them recently at the Teddy Rocks Festival in Blandford. As a clammer of photographers gather to catch the best shots, the band walk on stage and it seems by their welcome they already have plenty of fans in this neck of the woods. Featuring Brooke on Lead Vocals/Guitar, Anna on Bass/Vocals and Morgan on Drums the trio deposit their angsty Rock, Grunge and Punk-tinged sound.

Muddibrooke 1–2–3

Songs such as opener “Straight Jacket” and the dynamic “Adhd” show each individual’s considerable contributions. Brooke with her black striped make-up slashes across the side of her face delivers a husky Bonnie Tyler-style vocal while Anna compliments with some beautifully driven harmonisation. The instrumentation is hard hitting with songs like the smouldering “Float” and a fine cover of Lesley Gore’s ” You Don’t Own Me” thrilling the crowd.

This House We Built were here back in 2023 and the Scarborough-based four-piece return with an armful of riffs and original songs to present to the willing crowd. Now I’ve always preffered a low slung bass and Wayne Dowkes-White adopts the Paul Simonon playing style which I love. The band that also feature Scott Wardell (Guitar/Vocals), Andy Jackson (Guitar/Vocals) with Oz Ward (Drums) give us some great catchy songs like “Nobody’s Fool” with its harmony-laden chorus. This along with the alluring “Coming Home To You” and the bands emotive ballad “Fly Me Up to the Moon”.

This House We Built 1–2–3

Both tracks come from the band’s much praised debut album, which is well worth taking on a long solo drive to keep you company. These guys go down well with the crowd and it’s clear that they would be more than welcome back in Dorset anytime.

Without doubt, always one of the crowd favourites of any festival are Steve, Matt and Neal “aka” Leicester’s Skam. The three-piece already have a small army of fans and when they take to this stage they create an enviable buzz. Kicking off with “Rising Fever” the opening track from their 2024 album “From The Depths”, a lot of the crowd know their material and are already singing along. Matt’s vocals radiate out powerfully across the evening sky, along with his bludgeoning guitar solo. Bass Face Matt gets belated wishes bestowed on him as it was his birthday yesterday.

Skam 1–2–3

The trio are a groove machine that pull influences from their favourite bands and with some Leicestershire fairy dust create something special. “Fate of The Souls” along with the customary “Massacre” and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” mash-up just shows these guys firing up all onlookers.

Before the penultimate act of the evening it’s time for a food stop and it’s time for myself, Maria and Mikey to nip up to the traditional Thai Street Food van “Mama’s Kitchen”. I opt for the Vegetarian noodles with a side order of mini pancake rolls. The food was prepared quickly and tasted as good as any restaurant could deliver. I must compliment all of the food stalls, as over the weekend in these really high temperatures in their vans, they have all without a fuss put up with queues of impatient hungry people. They have delivered a high standard in a friendly engaging way…..thank you. With the belly now fully lets get back to the music!!

We are blessed to have inductee to the New York Blues Hall of Fame, the legendary New Yorker Sari Schorr in our company this evening. Her character reminds me of a young Patti Smith, with the same musical determination, energy and drive. Sari arrives on stage backed by her considerable band and as the music starts on this midsummer night, you can tell it is going to be a special set. With her angelic sounding voice and her deeply impressionable musicians delivering in all areas, the audience take in all she has to offer.

Sari Schorr 1–2–3–4

From opener “Thunder” to the landmark songwriter Robert Johnson-inspired “Highway 69” we are given a pure masterclass of the American Blues. This is topped off with a surprise cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll”, which is delivered perfectly in the band’s own individualistic way, giving one of the highlights of the weekend.

After 24 bands over this weekend it’s now time for the final act and if you look around at the backdrop of the sky turning from day to night, we are gifted with a magical display that only nature can give. The Commoners from Toronto, Canada are tonight’s headliners and strangely I have never seen them before and apart from a few listens to their Live album on Spotify, I know very little. Knowing Jim Love and his team though, their headliners are always something special and I have faith that they will deliver.

The all bearded five-piece Roots/Rock act feature Chris Medhurst (Lead Vocals/ Guitar), Ross Hayes Citrullo (Guitar), Ben Spiller (Bass), Adam Cannon (Drums) and Miles Evans-Branagh (Keyboards). The band create an vibrant atmosphere all by themselves with some divine and fully engaging performance and musical mastery. The thing you notice the most is the quality of the songwriting and creativity. Even if like me you have never seen the band before, their songs seem familiar and soon grab you from the first listen.

The Commoners 1–2–3–4

With their infectious choruses and catchy melodies it’s like the pieces of a puzzle have been put in place. With bits coming from likes of The Black Crows, Areosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Creedence Clearwater Revival, tracks include the emotive “Too Soon To Know You”, the acoustically driven tune about the struggles of life, “Restless” and the heart-tugging “See You Again” with it’s soulful harmonies. We also once again get a display of some excellent air guitar from the ever faithful and super efficient stage manager Nigel Poole who is clearly loving every minute. There is also a notable point for my friend Baroness Maria Primmer when frontman Chris gives the new Vocalzone spray a shoutout, to say she is elated is an understatement.

These wonderfully sincere and humble artists are filled with pride at the reaction and the support that the Loverocks Festival crowd gives them. As they leave the stage at the end of the set the extremely enthusiastic crowd demand more. The band dutifully return and deliver a mind-blowing version of “Devil Teasin’ Me”, where the melodic guitars light up, coupled with the infectious rhythms bludgeoning our ears with the sweet Rock music we all crave. With that the show is over, the band leave the stage and make their way to the merch tent where they stay for the next hour chatting, taking photographs and signing autographs for anyone that wants them.

What a weekend; it could not have been any better. The weather, the bands, the organisation and the socialising.

Congratulations to Jim and his Loverocks family for such a brilliant event….see you next year!!

Big shout outs to the wonderful security staff, along with everyone I managed to catch up with; Gary Mitchell, Jeff Kirkham, Ian Morrell, Sue Sothcott, Mikey Ball, Maria Primmer, Becky Crothal-Brown, Myke Gray, Lynn Burt, Carmen Lloyd and her wonderful family, Paul May, Mark Lande, Tom Kilroy, Paul & Lee Rouiller, Steve Smith, Helen Jenkins, Julia & Bob Cunningham and anyone else I have missed…..

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