Call Of The Wild Festival: Day One, Lincolnshire Showground, Friday 28.05.26
We’re back on the festival circuit this weekend with a trip out to the Lincolnshire Showground for Call Of The Wild. Known for its fan-first, fiercely independent grassroots vibe, this is a beautifully compact, easy-to-navigate site. The weather forecast is scorchio!, setting an incredible tone for the crowd moving between the side-by-side main stages and the packed Trailblazer tent.
Onto the music then, and we had a massive mix of modern hard rock, heavy sleaze, and highly anticipated reunions to look forward to on Day One.
First up on the main stage is Midlands-based trio, Beggars Bliss (8). They bring a funky, bass-driven groove that does a brilliant job of warming up the early afternoon crowd. They are followed immediately by London’s Dead Zebras (8), who completely light up the stage. This is a band with a high-octane, Van Halen-inspired classic rock vibe, and they play with tons of energy and fun, and a little bit of Bad News cheekiness! Next up is festival stalwart Dean Foxx (8). Taking to the stage in his signature rockstar shades and a massive grin, the former Knockout Kaine frontman just loves being on stage. He’s a showman and loves to perform.
With the heat rising both temperature and performance wise on the main stages, we pop over to the Wolfpack beer tent to check out the Trailblazer Stage action, where the talent search is fierce. Dead Reynolds (9) deliver a crushing, nu-metal set heavily channelling early Linkin Park, which gets the tent moving early on. Back over on the Kilmister stage, we get a taste of dark, Emo infused metal from Matted (9). They put on a brilliantly atmospheric, industrial-tinged performance, and were one of the weekends discoveries for me.
First up on the main stage is Midlands-based trio, Beggars Bliss (8). They bring a funky, bass-driven groove that does a brilliant job of warming up the early afternoon crowd. They are followed immediately by London’s Dead Zebras (8), who completely light up the stage. This is a band with a high-octane, Van Halen-inspired classic rock vibe, and they play with tons of energy and fun, and a little bit of Bad News cheekiness! Next up is festival stalwart Dean Foxx (8). Taking to the stage in his signature rockstar shades and a massive grin, the former Knockout Kaine frontman just loves being on stage. He’s a showman and loves to perform.
With the heat rising both temperature and performance wise on the main stages, we pop over to the Wolfpack beer tent to check out the Trailblazer Stage action, where the talent search is fierce. Dead Reynolds (9) deliver a crushing, nu-metal set heavily channelling early Linkin Park, which gets the tent moving early on. Back over on the Kilmister stage, we get a taste of dark, Emo infused metal from Matted (9). They put on a brilliantly atmospheric, industrial-tinged performance, and were one of the weekends discoveries for me.
We stuck around for the next band up on the Southall Lawless stage as they were local Midlands lads Straight For The Sun (8). This bunch are a brilliant burst of energy for the afternoon slot. They deliver a set packed with heavy, driving riffs and a massive wall of sound that has the sweltering crowd banging their heads from the very first chord. It's pure, unadulterated hard rock played with real passion, and they lock down a fantastic groove that keeps the festival momentum flying high.
After a much needed break from the relentless sun and to refuel we got back to the Southall Lawless stage just in time to catch The Hot One Two (8), and they delivered a reliably brilliant, melodic hard rock set that the crowd lap up. The band are known for their hard hitting riff and non-stop on stage energy, and even in this heat they are relentless.
By now the bands are overlapping between the outdoor stages and the Trailblazer stage so it’s a juggling act to try and catch as much as we can, and I’m glad we popped into the tent to catch Kuro (9) who were completely new to us but blew us away with their powerful set that had influences from industrial, nu-metal, emo, horror. Think Linkin Park meets Wednesday 13.
Following on from a brilliant, melodic hard rock set by The Hot One Two, the early evening kicks off over on the Kilmister Stage with Swedish street-rockers The Chuck Norris Experiment (9) They hit the stage with a massive wall of loud, unapologetic high-energy rock 'n' roll that gets a brilliant reaction from the crowd, and they finish their set with band members in the crowd! This was one of Tony’s top picks of the weekend
Meanwhile, we head over to the Trailblazer stage to catch the headliners of the tent, Thieves Of Liberty (9). They receive an absolute hero's welcome. Utilizing a powerful guitar driven rock, they create a massive wall of riffs anchored by a powerhouse vocal performance. They have the packed tent completely engaged from the very first chord, playing a chaotic, highly energetic set that proves exactly why they earned that headline slot.
Elsewhere, back to the Southall Lawless stage for one of the most emotionally charged and highly anticipated moments of Day One—the return of Tomorrow Is Lost (8). Playing together for the first time in four years, they sound absolutely fantastic. Cass King is in her absolute element, showing off an incredible vocal range on the slower numbers while leading a rapturous crowd through bouncy, infectious anthems. It’s a beautifully nostalgic performance, and the loyal fans are singing back every single word.
Next up, the Kilmister Stage lights up for the long-awaited return of metalcore favourites Glamour Of The Kill (8), and they kick things off with serious intent. As a tight four-piece, they produce a colossal sound that gets the adrenaline pumping. Cranking through a blistering, rapid-fire set, its melodic and crushingly heavy, and played with a pent up, aggressive energy.
Anchoring the headline slot over on the Southall Lawless stage is legendary British rock veteran Myke Gray (8) (Skin, Jagged Edge). Fronted by the fantastic lead singer of The Karma Effect, Henry Gottlier, Gray proves himself to be a guitarist's guitarist through and through. He delivers classic rock riffs with an immense amount of style, swagger, and it's simply great old rock and roll, and the whole crowd is having a whale of a time singing along.
The heat of the day has barely cooled as we go into the twilight zone, the main headliners Florence Black (10) take to the Kilmister Stage to close out what’s been a superb first day. This marks a massive milestone in the Welsh powerhouse trio's grassroots journey, and literally explode onto stage with pyro that adds to the sultry heat. Their performance is an absolute masterclass in heavy, grunge-infused melodic rock.
After a much needed break from the relentless sun and to refuel we got back to the Southall Lawless stage just in time to catch The Hot One Two (8), and they delivered a reliably brilliant, melodic hard rock set that the crowd lap up. The band are known for their hard hitting riff and non-stop on stage energy, and even in this heat they are relentless.
By now the bands are overlapping between the outdoor stages and the Trailblazer stage so it’s a juggling act to try and catch as much as we can, and I’m glad we popped into the tent to catch Kuro (9) who were completely new to us but blew us away with their powerful set that had influences from industrial, nu-metal, emo, horror. Think Linkin Park meets Wednesday 13.
Following on from a brilliant, melodic hard rock set by The Hot One Two, the early evening kicks off over on the Kilmister Stage with Swedish street-rockers The Chuck Norris Experiment (9) They hit the stage with a massive wall of loud, unapologetic high-energy rock 'n' roll that gets a brilliant reaction from the crowd, and they finish their set with band members in the crowd! This was one of Tony’s top picks of the weekend
Meanwhile, we head over to the Trailblazer stage to catch the headliners of the tent, Thieves Of Liberty (9). They receive an absolute hero's welcome. Utilizing a powerful guitar driven rock, they create a massive wall of riffs anchored by a powerhouse vocal performance. They have the packed tent completely engaged from the very first chord, playing a chaotic, highly energetic set that proves exactly why they earned that headline slot.
Elsewhere, back to the Southall Lawless stage for one of the most emotionally charged and highly anticipated moments of Day One—the return of Tomorrow Is Lost (8). Playing together for the first time in four years, they sound absolutely fantastic. Cass King is in her absolute element, showing off an incredible vocal range on the slower numbers while leading a rapturous crowd through bouncy, infectious anthems. It’s a beautifully nostalgic performance, and the loyal fans are singing back every single word.
Next up, the Kilmister Stage lights up for the long-awaited return of metalcore favourites Glamour Of The Kill (8), and they kick things off with serious intent. As a tight four-piece, they produce a colossal sound that gets the adrenaline pumping. Cranking through a blistering, rapid-fire set, its melodic and crushingly heavy, and played with a pent up, aggressive energy.
Anchoring the headline slot over on the Southall Lawless stage is legendary British rock veteran Myke Gray (8) (Skin, Jagged Edge). Fronted by the fantastic lead singer of The Karma Effect, Henry Gottlier, Gray proves himself to be a guitarist's guitarist through and through. He delivers classic rock riffs with an immense amount of style, swagger, and it's simply great old rock and roll, and the whole crowd is having a whale of a time singing along.
The heat of the day has barely cooled as we go into the twilight zone, the main headliners Florence Black (10) take to the Kilmister Stage to close out what’s been a superb first day. This marks a massive milestone in the Welsh powerhouse trio's grassroots journey, and literally explode onto stage with pyro that adds to the sultry heat. Their performance is an absolute masterclass in heavy, grunge-infused melodic rock.
Packed with ferocious live energy, massive hooks, and plenty of stadium-level punch, they pound away through a rapid-fire, top-class set that takes the roof off the place. I’ve been dying to see this band for such a long time but for one reason or another it’s never happened until today and boy was I blown away, their cover of Breadfan was something special, and the climax of “Sun and Moon” left me breathless, one of the highlights of the year let alone this weekend
It’s a powerfully climatic end to Day One. Between the affordable prices, the incredibly welcoming community feel, and a line-up that perfectly bridges raw classic rock energy with modern heavy alternative, it’s a brilliant start to the weekend.
It’s a powerfully climatic end to Day One. Between the affordable prices, the incredibly welcoming community feel, and a line-up that perfectly bridges raw classic rock energy with modern heavy alternative, it’s a brilliant start to the weekend.
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