Day two of Hellfest Open Air 2017 had arrived, and the name was apt: it’s hotter than hell. At 36C (98F for those if you’re in the United States) it’s no surprise that all the sun hats had sold out at the merch stands and what was once grass and mud had turned into a fine dust that billows across the arena.
Fortunately, today’s lineup made braving the conditions well worth it. The New Roses set the tone for today’s main stage with a half-hour set of 70’s style rock ‘n’ roll. There’s not much originality or innovation here, but as a homage to old school rock, they did a fantastic job and set the bar high for today’s performers.
I hadn’t intended to see them, but the ridiculously huge crowd that Ultra Vomit amassed drew me in – and I’m glad it did! A fan informed me after that show that Ultra Vomit have been working their way through French metal festivals for the past few years, slowly becoming a must-see due to their mix of humour and impressive musical ability. The band jumped between genres, playing everything from power metal to industrial and grindcore. One moment they were channeling Rammstein in the track “Kammthaar”, the next they were sampling Gojira, and after that… they were quacking? Despite my limited French – meaning I didn’t understand most of their jokes in between songs – I couldn’t help but laugh and enjoy myself as a man passed over me crowd-surfing on a giant inflatable duck to the sound of tens of thousands of people quacking. This was certainly one of the highlights of the weekend, and I hope I get to see them again.
Heading back over to the Warzone to see No Turning Back, I ran into a couple of guys with yellow T-shirts and huge backpacks with pipes running out of them. Apparently, their job was to walk around the festival piping out beer through their hose to customers who didn’t want to go to the bar. These guys were understandably incredibly popular and I’d love to see other festivals take on this idea. I’d never heard No Turning Back before, and I wasn’t impressed with their straightforward hardcore, but by their enthusiasm and vocalist Martijn van den Heuvel’s rapid delivery and passionate crowd interaction.
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After a short break and several trips to the wandering yellow t-shirted beer angels, it was time for Steel Panther. It’s incredible that a glam metal parody band who sing about gloryholes and hookers have become popular enough to headline arenas and in some cases, outsell the bands they emulate. Their success is well-earned though; the band was incredibly tight and their humour went down well with the crowd. While their puerile jokes and sexist lyrics may not be to everyone’s taste, there’s no denying that Steel Panther are damn good at what they do.
Next, it was back once again to The Warzone for D.R.I. I’ve never had a chance to see them live before, and they didn’t disappoint this time. The pits for Suit Tie Guy and Thrasher were intense and bought up so much dust you could barely see three feet in front of you. They surpassed my expectations, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for their future tours as I would have loved a longer set.
By the time I’d made by way to The Altar, getting in close enough to see Soilwork was nigh impossible. Although the sound was slightly distorted from the distance I was at, I could hear enough to be impressed by Björn Strid’s vocal ability. In my opinion, he sounds even better live than on CD. While the new songs were good, it was 2001’s “Bastard Chain” that really upped the ante and got the crowd moving.
Moving back over to the main stage, we were just in time to see Saxon finish their set with “Wheels of Steel” and “Princess of the Night”. After forty years, the band still sound great and they certainly earned their place on the main stage tonight.
When I first heard of Airbourne, I’m ashamed to say I wrote them off as an unneeded AC/DC rip-off. A few years later, I had the opportunity to see them support Orange Goblin, and their live show quickly changed my mind. While they’re certainly not kings of originality, Airbourne put on a hell of a show – and Joel O’Keeffe is a captivating frontman. Today, he was up to his usual tricks of climbing up stages, throwing beers into the crowd and belting out some good ol’, high-speed, rock n roll.
I’ll admit that my familiarity with Aerosmith was limited to their more famous tracks and the occasional song put on the jukebox at various rock bars. They earned a new fan tonight, and I can’t wait to work my way through their extensive back catalogue. Steven Tyler is a true Rockstar, oozing charisma and looking thirty years younger than his true age. The band have a tightness that only years and years of extensive touring can create. By the time “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” and “Walk This Way” came round, the crowd has swelled and people twenty miles away must have been able to hear the sound of thousands of dusty metalheads singing along to one of the biggest bands in the word.
Topping the first day was a hard job, but with the incredible performances by Aerosmith, D.R.I, Steel Panther and my new discovery of Ultra Vomit, Hellfest’s second day did a damn good job! With only a single day left, time was moving way too fast. Fortunately, there was still plenty to look forward to on day three!
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Written By,
Olli Picken