Dreamland, Margate – 26th October 2024
Festivals come and festivals go but when a new rock festival was announced that was to take place in Margate in Kent it certainly piqued my interest. The lineup was announced and there were a few bands I’d seen before and a few bands I’d never heard of, so like most festivalgoers, I set up a playlist and started listening. As the date drew closer we would learn that one of the more interesting bands, Cobra Spell, had pulled out due to Visa complications – things weren’t looking good.
I needn’t have feared. On the day, the festival worked like no other I had attended. There were two stages and the bands started promptly at their allotted times and when each one finished there was a 5-minute break in which every person in the festival could run up or down the stairs to the next stage, where the next band would start. This meant there was almost no downtime for the entire day just a constant stream of music. It worked really well.
When I forced myself to take a break from the music and step outside of Dreamland, food vans were on hand, to offer a limited but perfectly okay (if a little expensive) choice of food. However, the option was always there to step outside of Dreamland and go find yourself some food in Margate, if you wanted to go further afield, as re-admissions were allowed. There was even a fun acoustic duo, Sunset Alley, performing outside – they seemed to be playing all day long! All of the staff at the event were very friendly and appeared to be enjoying themselves as much as the attendees.
The first band to play were Circadia, a five-piece rock band fronted by female vocalist Mecia Jade. The rest of the band provided a wonderfully heavy and melodic backing for her powerful vocals and although they only had a few tracks on Spotify, I had already grown to like this band. Unfortunately, a few days after the festival, they announced that they were no more. It i’s a big commitment being in a touring band and I guess it’s not for everyone.
Circadia finished their set and it was time to climb the stairs up to the next much larger ‘Home by the Sea’, mainstage where Pryma were about to start their set.
I’ve seen Pryma a few times now they have an aggressive heavy sound and fronted by Gabrielle on vocals, They are true perfermers and great to watch. They have some very catchy songs and are all great players, and the sound on the day was massive – I would say this is the best I have seen the Herne Bay four-piece play.
Back downstairs Drones, another Kent band that I had heard of, but hadn’t been to see, were about to start in the ballroom. Drones were heavier than I expected them to be and the third female-fronted band of the day with Rosie delivering a powerful vocal. The band put on a great show all in make-up and all giving 100% to the performance, definitely worth another watch.
Doom four-piece from Canterbury, Famyne were the next band to play the Hall by the Sea main stage and they had a great sound with Tom’s Hawkwind-esque vocals weaving wonderfully around the band’s heavy riffing.
Surrey’s The Color Blind Monks, fronted by the very bouncy Phoebe Rose, put on a great show. Not as heavy as some bands on the bill but certainly worthy of a slot.
Cobra Spell’s replacement were the next band on the main stage. I hadn’t heard of Stormborn until two days previously when they had been announced for the slot but a quick Spotify session showed me that they were right up my street – fantastic vocals on top of amazingly technical musicianship. The power metal five-piece from London were, in my opinion, one of the best bands of the day and definitely warrant a second viewing. Truly a world-class band that raised the bar for the rest of the bands to follow.
The 70’s inspired fuzzed tones of London four-piece The Lunar Effect were next on, adding yet another musical texture to the day’s offerings.
Collateral then took to the main stage and I found myself singing along to most of their infectiously memorable songs. Angelo Tristan’s vocals were as good as always and the band was faultless. It’s fair to say that e them.
The Ever-popular Kent four-piece, Black Rose, was the next band in the Ballroom, putting on a great crowd-pleasing performance with some superb playing from Baz and co.
When we returned to the main stage, it was filled with Marshall stacks which could only mean one thing, Asomvel! I saw Asomvel a while back before I’d ever actually listened to them and my first impression was that they were just another Motorhead-inspired rock band. I’ve now got to know and love their music and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to watch them once again. Ralph Robinson cuts quite a figure on stage, clearly enjoying the 700 or so people singing every chorus back at him.
London four-piece Devere put on a great show back downstairs. Looking and sounding like a classic 80’s LA band and not holding back. Mike Wroe sounding and looking every inch the classic guitar hero while Sam Cassidy only managed to keep his shirt on for a few songs! A proper rock show.
Florence Black took to the main stage but were hounded by sound issues for the entire set, which was a shame as I was really looking forward to their gig. As gutting as this must’ve been for the band and indeed the crowd it was the only blot on an otherwise near-perfect festival. I guess you have to leave some room for improvement for next year!
I’m not really sure how to describe Watch Hazel, clearly heavily influenced by 60/70’s sounds and styles – they have a great look, all dressed in white, even playing white instruments and with a really tight, classic rock sound.
After a long day of awesome music, Margate’s own Ben Ward took to the stage with his band Orange Goblin, giving us a full set of classic old-school heavy metal.
Margate Rock Festival was, at least from a spectator’s perspective, a resounding success, my only hope is that it was profitable enough to return next year, I for one will be there!
Keep an eye on the Margate Rock Festival Facebook page for news of next year’s festival.