Originally published by L.S. Media. July 27th 2010.

“Meet the new day, same as the previous day”, The Who may have sung had they been available to highlight the Classic Rock stage on day two of High Voltage. As it was there were other bands on show and in no way were the two days alike. Sure the overall theme of the festival was still there, everybody was out to have a real good time in the July sun and there were bands galore to sink your teeth into but there the similarities ended.

The mood within Victoria Park had grown from fingers crossed and let’s see to high expectation and genuine praise from a lot of the festival goers. Two of the other questions on the lips of those that were queuing, was whether the second day would reach the heights of the Saturday and what the crowd ratio would be for the two main headliners at the end of the day. With both Marillion and their very loyal fans, who were at the park in the numbers and 70’s prog superstars E.L.P possibly playing their last ever gig in this country.

Those questions could, for a while a least, be put on the back burner, for there were still lots to see and take part in for those who could attend the second day.

Beer pumps had been replenished, equipment had been tested, bands were primed and the crowd was… well they were let loose upon the park and the vast majority who were there early was for another one of the top upcoming bands, The Reasoning. The guys and girls who form this bunch of musicians are strongly admired by all those who have caught them over live the last couple of years and by the industry at large and to be honest it’s easy to see why, with their superb lyrics and laid back, yet professional attitude interlaced with a general sense of fun.

With ex Fish collaborator Tony Turrell on keyboards and now firmly entrenched in the band, Owain Roberts on guitar, the excellent Jake Bradford-Sharp on drums, the bubbly and infectiously nice Maria Owen on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Iron Maiden loving and bass player Matthew Cohen, the brilliant Dylan Thompson on guitars and vocalist Rachel Cohen who knows perfectly how to judge a crowd and give them the exact thing they don’t know that they need. By the end of The Reasoning set, it was plain for all to see that the band will be one of those talked about for the next ten years.

The band only had enough time to play four songs but what belters they were as the guys played “Diamonds and Leather”, “The Thirteenth Hour”, the stunning “Dark Angel” and the ultimate crowd pleaser “Aching Hunger” which draw a huge sing along from those in the know, Reasoning fans and Pumpkin Heads alike.

On the Classic Rock stage The Quireboys, UFO and Bachman Turner had astounded those present with their own unique sound and willingness to roll back the years. On the metal stage the fabulous Audrey Horne had chilled the blood and drove a stake through the heart of all that were to appear later on the bill.

The Progressive stage was proving to be a big draw one again and even with a quick change in the set confusing those who had been eagerly looking forward to the previous days surprise guest Steve Hackett. Instead of the gentleness of one of rocks quiet kings the audience stood through Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash and although there would have been a few dissenting voices from the crowd, I personally was pleasantly surprised to see the band on stage, not only was it a new experience for me but also a shaming one as I realized that I may have heard the album they were playing but I had never really listened to it.

Argus is quite rightly considered to be one of the stand out albums of all time but hearing it live for the first time, filled me with a stirring I hadn’t felt in my musical appreciation for a long time. Looking round for validation in my thoughts, I see other heads nodding in unison; whispers behind hands to other ears, all these little signs confirm what I thought, that this was going to be one of the highlights of the weekend so far.

The whole weekend was going well, perhaps just a couple of niggles to iron out for the following year but otherwise the bands were enjoying themselves and perhaps more importantly so were the fans.

Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash finished the set to great and genuine applause and as with the rest of the weekend, the back stage staff and crew worked like devils to get the next act on stage and on time.

Next up on the prog stage was the surprise package from the night before, looking refreshed and ready to rock. If he felt a little put out from being moved down the bill he didn’t make it show on stage, the consummate professional that he is delivered a set that included some of the tracks from this year’s album Out of the Tunnels Mouth. Joining Steve on stage were some of the musicians who had made the album one of the most talked about in years, including the irreplaceable Nick Beggs on bass guitar. Nick had learned his trade whilst with 80’s pop heroes Kajagoogoo and whilst still firmly entrenched with the band showed why he is highly rated by Steve in particular at what he does.

The only problem I have found over the years is the time it takes to get anywhere when on site, the multitude of people milling around, stopping, starting, suddenly slowing down to take in something and then wondering why you have walked into the back of them. It may have been on a bigger site than normal, it may have been the fact that there were three stages to take in, therefore Victoria Park that little bit of extra room to play with on the day but all in all to get from the prog stage after Steve Hackett’s set and wander across to the metal stage to take in a couple of more bands, including a terrific display by Opeth and then up to get as near to the main stage as possible for the eagerly awaited Joey Elliott’s Down and Outz set, including a walk on part by Ian Hunter and the return of E.L.P.

Ask anyone who battles through a crowd to try and get just that little nearer, especially if your eye sights bad and you can only just see the crowd swaying back and forth, the space you have suddenly becomes a premium. From the top of the hill and looking down back towards the metal and prog stage, all you could understand and take in was the sea of rock humanity that swept back as far as the eye could see.

Joey Elliott and his band, strutted and preened on stage and turned in a performance that suggests it won’t be the last by them, the only sour note was Ian Hunter only coming out for a couple of songs. At the time of writing it wasn’t clear whether the bands beforehand had been running late or a technical hitch had caused the set to be cut short but whatever it was didn’t appeal to Ian Hunter’s sense of humour.

Finally the time which split the crowd divisibly, on one side to see E.L.P and on the other to catch the other headliners and the one that seemed to have the most fans there for going by the abundance of t shirts, Marillion.

Marillion had done a pre festival gig only a couple of days before hand in Leamington and it was from that set that made up the majority of the Sunday night’s entertainment. With songs as diverse and wonderful as “Invisible Man” from the Marbles album, the energetic and fist clenching “Slainte Mhath” and the beautiful “Afraid of Sunlight”, the crowd that had stayed down the bottom part of the park were treated to a fascinating night and even with some hitches with the sound, nothing could distract from the bands headline act.

On the other stage Emerson, Lake and Palmer arrived on stage with slight trepidation in the crowd, would they be the band that only the diehard fans get on with, would they prove to be inaccessible and remote, especially seeing how long they have been away from touring in this country. Or would Carl Palmer inject some humour into the band and be as hands on as he is with Asia who had blown the other stage away the night before. Whatever peoples individual thoughts, and that’s what makes rock music so good, it was unfortunate to most there that the band were over hyped in their return.

Don’t get me wrong, they were tight, they played well but possibly they were, for once, not relevant to the music public at large as the crowd that had come to watch them got noticeably thinner by the middle of the set. There were still some gems played during the evening including “Lucky Man” and “Tarkus” but on the whole and listening to some of the crowd’s reactions it may have been better to swop the bands around and have Marillion play on the main stage.

The whole High Voltage weekend was one that will stick in the mind for a long time, the bands, the organisation by Classic Rock, Mama and a host of others deserve the plaudits and congratulations that will no doubt come their way but if High Voltage 2 is going to top this first ever festival then some lessons will have to be taken and learned.

What a weekend though, the music, the passion and the crowds, no trouble. Roll on next year and here’s to the beauty of rock, in all its formats, long may it live on!

Ian D. Hall