Featured image: Press
Ten years in, Geordie band The Pale White sound more powerful than ever; their gritty, hook-heavy guitar music turning Manchester into their own loud, euphoric home away from home.
Manchester-based Denver County Council open the night with a cowboy-rock aesthetic and fun yet serious energy destined for bigger stages. Their set is eclectic in all the best ways: dynamic highs and lows, songs that feel heavy without ever feeling forced, and choruses built for festival crowds. The drums are a rock-solid backbone, with bass and guitar locking into instantly catchy riffs, as the vocalist pours emotion into every line. Even when there are technical blips, they keep things bright and easy with funny stage chat.
Scott Hepple & The Sun Band, also hailing from The Pale White’s own Newcastle, bring proudly messy, gloriously loud, heavy rock that grows more compelling with every song. Their longer tracks give the fuzzy guitars, driving bass, and pounding drums room to breathe, and the slow-to-heavy shifts become part of the thrill. As the set progresses, their sound oozes a vintage warmth and a classic-rock swagger that channels flashes of T. Rex and ZZ Top. Visually, they lean all the way in – flared jeans, tight T-shirts, and a lead with Jagger-esque stage presence – bringing heavy rock back into sweaty clubs one massive instrumental at a time.
Headliners The Pale White step out to a room that instantly feels like their own. Newer songs lean heavier, with big, Nirvana-tinged guitars, thunderous bass lines, and drums that glue everything together. Crowd participation is a core part of the show: from football banter, to choruses sung by the crowd, to phones in the air for the unmissable ‘Medicine’. Even minor technical hiccups can’t dull the impact of the band’s grit, drama, and chemistry, which shine through every track.
They strike a powerful balance between their calmer moments and their weightier guitar anthems, all while sounding unmistakably like themselves. Their encore lands perfectly: a fierce ‘Nostradamus’, a beautifully heavy version of ‘All I Have to Do Is Dream’ by The Everly Brothers, and of course ‘Final Exit’, which sends everyone into the night with harmonies still ringing in their ears. It’s the kind of show that’s going to keep you buzzing long after you leave, already wishing you could do it all over again.
Featured image: Abbi Draper After an electrifying start to the weekend, with temperatures slowly climbing, many lather themselves in suncream, shed their band shirts and rise from their tents to trek towards the arena. Saturday has big things incoming for the humans of Bloodstock 2026. Some pace themselves for the day and hide from the early…
Featured image: Abbi Draper After a memorable Thursday opener, Bloodstock 2026 opens its gates once again onto the Hallowed Grounds of Catton Park, kicking off day two of its 25th-anniversary celebration of metal. As the sun rises on Catton Park, festivalgoers emerge from their tents to prepare for another day of mayhem. The morning brings…
Featured image: Steve Dempsey Bloodstock returned to Derby for its 25th anniversary this year, welcoming thousands of metal fans for an extended four-day celebration of the festival legacy and its place in the metal community. With a packed bill spanning a broad range of metal sub-genres, this is what Thursday had to offer. As the…
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker Sunday may signal the final day of Truck Festival 2026, but there’s still plenty to celebrate before the gates close for another year. From rising indie stars Keyside to the long-awaited return of Rizzle Kicks, festival favourites Circa Waves and headliners The Wombats, these are the performances that define…
Leave a reply