The Dragon's Ball - Saturday

Even a few raging hangovers and the sight of a fully naked man strolling across the grass directly in front of the chalets can’t spoil the relaxed and amiable ambience floating around the site on Saturday morning, and with an even better line up promising over fifteen hours of music to look forward to, it isn’t long before beers are flowing and heads are banging once again. Which, quite frankly, suits hard-rocking newcomers Pig Iron pretty damn well, as their harmonica-led set quite rightly goes down a treat over on the Clive Aid (formally Young Blood) stage. In fact, just as it seems things can’t get any more rock ‘n’ roll at 3 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, the Satanic Sluts make another unexpected appearance, firmly brushing off any cobwebs in the crowd and raising more than a few grins along the way.



Not too long after on the rebranded Born Again stage (formerly Metal Hammer, soon to be Porshamar from 5.40 onwards – still with us?), veterans Waysted recall Tigertailz’ shenaginans the night before with a suitably polished performance that is just a little tongue-in-cheek. The longstanding brainchild of UFO bassist Pete Way, the guys draw a decent-sized crowd and make for some contrast with the gung-ho pompousness of Battlelore. Not that pompousness is necessarily a bad thing of course; if anything, theirs is one of the most impressive sets of the day, and their theatrical, Lord of the Rings-inspired power metal is the perfect warm up for Finnish folk metal hellraisers Korpiklaani – or at least it would have been if they’d actually played. A lengthy and tedious sound check makes for an already bitter crowd by the time the Finns are forced to pull out due to a missing accordion, and is perhaps the one noticeable downer of the afternoon.



Luckily, Scottish pirate warriors Alestorm are on hand to save the day, and do so with a reliably silly set that plunders mercilessly from the excellent ‘Captain Morgan’s Revenge’ album. Managing to whip up a small but infectious wall-of-death and drawing more plastic swords than a World of Warcraft convention, the likes of ‘Nancy The Tavern Wench’ and the album’s title track are lapped up by the band’s followers, and should ensure that the UK’s claim to the battle metal throne hasn’t diminished quite yet. Meanwhile, stoner rock nutters Orange Goblin are laying waste to the main stage with effortless aplomb, and soon set the tone (and the standard) for the rest of the evening. Criminally overlooked over the past decade, there can be little doubt that the London favourites will have won over more than their share of fans tonight.



No such task is necessary for Clutch of course, who by far are the most hotly-anticipated act of the day behind Black Label Society, which is made abundantly clear by the flattering reaction each and every song of their set receives. Tunes like ‘The Mob Goes Wild’ are just gagging to be danced to, and while the mob itself happily obliges, the leaders of the pack are lacking vigour to match their admittedly pitch-perfect performance. It is something that similarly affects Zakk Wylde and his crew as they take to their own headlining slot, but is perhaps only half as noticeable thanks to the nurtured and perfected stage presence that Wylde himself now commands. ‘Black Mass Reverends’, ‘Fire It Up’ and epic set-closer ‘Stillborn’ are more solid than Zakk’s own self-belief, and more than make up for the somewhat ludicrous and lengthy intro tape that precedes the show. He’s still no Randy Rhoads, mind.



With many revellers left drinking and partying long into the night without any noticeable incidents to report, it really is testament to both the organisers and the characteristics of heavy metal itself that such as event as this one can a) be put on in the first place and b) go so damn well. The music itself is more than reason enough to come to Hard Rock Hell, but the fact that such fantastic bands are showcased alongside a consistently great atmosphere and friendly staff only heightens the sense of satisfaction come Sunday morning. If anything, the only serious downside of the festival is that it isn’t yet at the stage where it can be expanded to three days, but with Hammerfest due to take place at the same venue in late April and plans for next year’s Hard Rock Hell already in place, it is comforting to know that the future of rock music’s longstanding relationship with the festival scene has been given a timely and welcome boost.

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