Festival: Hellfest, Clisson, France

Artists: Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, Slash, Anvil, Raven, Y&T, Tankard, Electric Mary 

Date:  19 June 2010 

Opening up the second day of Hellfest are Aussie rockers Electric Mary. Yes, the riffs are at times a little reminiscent of AC/DC (as is the least you would expect from a rock band from the land down under), but instead of going for the complete copycat approach of their fellow countrymen Airbourne, they instead take a lot of their influence from the southern rock swagger of bands like The Black Crowes, Skynyrd and Blackfoot. 

The band play well and songs from their debut album Down to the Bone sound pretty good and will no doubt please those who like their rock in a more ‘70’s style.

Starting off what will become many back and forth trips between the two main stages today, we trundle over to check out enduring German thrashers Tankard. Although relatively unknown on our side of the Channel, the band have been going nearly 30 years and have forged a career out of creating party thrash themed around zombie attacks and beer – and this is exactly what we get for the next 40 minutes. 

Songs like ‘The Morning After’ and ‘Stay Thirsty’ are self-explanatory and the large crowd lap up the alcohol-inspired thrash for the entire duration of the set and the band genuinely look like they’re having the time of their lives and frontman Andreas Geremia bounces around the stage like a madman and works the crowd like an absolute pro. One of many bands that are regulars on the European festival circuit that consistently get ignored back home, it’s performances like this which make that even more unfathomable.

Up next are California rockers Y & T. Always underrated, the band have some great songs and the two new songs they play this afternoon from this year’s Facemelter record (‘On With The Show’ and ‘I’m Going Home’) are just as strong as classics like ‘Rescue Me’ and ‘Forever’ and much like their set at Download, it’s a shame the band aren’t given longer as there are so many other great songs in their back catalogue that unfortunately there isn’t time for today (‘Midnight In Tokyo’ and ‘Lipstick and Leather’ spring to mind). 

There’s a comedy moment half-way through the set when Dave Meniketti’s mic stand fails on him and their roadie rushes on stage only to slip and fall flat on his arse much to the massive amusement of the audience. The band obviously see the funny side as well and carry on regardless, taking it in their stride and proceed to play a great set of hard-rocking numbers that prove that Meniketti is one of the most underrated classic rock song-writers of the last twenty-five years. 

Setlist: 1.Black Tiger, 2.Mean Streak, 3.Dirty Girl, 4.I’m Coming Home, 5.On With The Show, 6.Hurricane, 7.Rescue Me, 8.Forever

 

In stark contrast to Tankard’s non-stop energy or the plethora of anthemic songs produced so well by Y & T, what follows is probably the most boring couple of hours of the entire festival with two sets that drag on way too long and really fail to hit the mark. The first set is by Newcastle’s very own Raven. The band take the stage and plough through some very dated NWOBHM which fails to hold the attention of many in the crowd who dissipate to do other things before the band have even reached the half-way point. 

Raven plod along gallantly like a dinosaur on its last legs but it really is to very little avail. As the set draws to a close you begin to realise that it’s not the fact that the band play badly that’s the issue (they don’t) it’s the fact that really don’t have any standout songs and that overall, the songs just really aren’t that good and when you’ve got an hour to make an impression on potential new fans at a festival, you need good, memorable songs or an exciting live show and sadly, Raven have neither. 

After that, I was in serious need of a band that were going to come out there and blow me away with great songs and lots of energy to wake me up. Unfortunately, Anvil are not that band. The band have been riding high on a wave of resurgence since last year’s infamous documentary and as lovable as Lips and co. are with their ‘little train that could’ story there’s unfortunately no getting away from the fact that Anvil are quite rubbish. God loves a trier and one thing Lips has going for him is that he’s obviously a really nice and likeable bloke who’s living the dream and everyone can warm to the guy instantly but seriously, his band are quite rubbish. 

Don’t get me wrong, they’re slightly more entertaining than Raven given Lips’ natural gift for the gab and likeable persona as well as the fact that he can play a guitar solo with a dildo but it boils down to all style and no substance I’m afraid. ‘Metal on Metal’ is an ok song but that’s about as far as it goes really. ‘Mothra’ is incredibly bad and ridiculous (and not in the good way) and the rest of the songs amount to not much more than forgettable NWOBHM-by-numbers. 

The honeymoon period must surely now be over for Anvil and if they end up doing anything more than slipping back into obscurity then I will be very surprised.

The day definitely picks back up again with the arrival of Slash over on main stage 1. The crowd has swelled to the thickest it has been all weekend thus far in anticipation of the top-hatted legend and his current crop of musical companions. In the space of an hour we get a healthy mix of songs from Slash’s current solo album as well as cuts from his previous bands including two Velvet Revolver songs and no fewer than five Guns N Roses classics (some Snakepit would’ve been nice but it can’t be perfect!). The band don’t let up from the moment they come on stage and just as the final notes of ‘Paradise City’ are ringing out across Clisson, it’s all over far too quickly. One can only anticipate how good a full headline show from this band will be when the time comes. 

As much as Slash is obviously the focal point of this band and the reason most people are pushing to the front for a better view, the real talking point of the show is just how good vocalist Myles Kennedy is. Seriously, this guy is the best singer in rock today, bar none. It’s worth noting that only one of the 11 songs in the set was originally sung by Myles but if you didn’t know then you’d never have guessed, such is the way he is able to do all of the songs a great service and at the same time, put his own individual stamp on performances from no fewer than five different vocalists. 

All of the songs are of course fantastic but it’s on a particularly incredible version of ‘Civil War’ that Kennedy is able to take his own talents to a whole new level. This has to be the best vocal performance I’ve ever seen him do and is as good an advert as any for why this man should perhaps be the new singer for Velvet Revolver. 

Setlist: 1.Ghost, 2.Back from Cali, 3.Nightrain, 4.Rocket Queen, 5.Sucker Train Blues, 6.Nothing to Say, 7.Civil War, 8.By the Sword, 9.Slither, 10.Sweet Child O Mine, 11.Paradise City

One of the main reasons we’re here at Hellfest is for our very first live show by Twisted Sister and the band do not disappoint. They are excellent from start to finish and really give the headliners this weekend a run for their money. Opening with the one-two punch of ‘Under the Blade’ and ‘The Kids are Back’, Twisted Sister run through a best-of set with the greatest of ease and really remind you of how many great songs the band possess in their back catalogue. 

Although still possessing the pink mic stand, Dee Snider chooses not to perform in his traditional, make-up laden, over-the-top stage wear and instead opts for normal street clothes (as do the rest of the band). While this appears like an odd choice, it is one that is soon forgotten when the quality of the material itself is this good and say what you like about Dee, the man clearly bleeds heavy metal and remains a great figurehead and spokesman for the music we all love. 

Snider takes a pause half-way through the set to acknowledge the passing of Ronnie James Dio and provides a touching and funny tribute to the great man when he notices that a sizeable crowd have gathered over by the other main stage to await the arrival of Immortal and informs them that ‘Ronnie was a God to you too, and the singer of Immortal is over here watching us!’. The band then do a great cover of the Rainbow classic ‘Long Live Rock n Roll’ and dedicate a particularly emotional version of ‘The Price’ to the metal god himself. ‘We’re not Gonna Take It’ and ‘I Wanna Rock’ remain rock anthems for the ages and the atmosphere down the front is electric when the band unleash those two songs and the set is rounded off by the band’s dedication to their loyal fanbase, ‘S.M.F.’

 The band have been ‘back’ for around seven years now and hopefully they will be inspired by these great festival performances to finally give us all what we want – a new Twisted Sister album in 2011! We can only hope. 

Setlist: 1.Under The Blade, 2.The Kids are Back, 3.Stay Hungry, 4.Captain Howdy, 5.You Can’t Stop Rock and Roll, 6.We’re not Gonna Take It, 7.Long Live Rock N Roll, 8.The Price, 9.The Flame Still Burns, 10.Burn In Hell, 11.I Wanna Rock, 12.S.M.F.

Headlining this evening is the granddaddy of rock-theatre himself, the one and only Alice Cooper. It’s amazing and a true testament to the man himself that, at over 40 years into his career, he can still pull off a show like this. And make no mistake about it; this is a show in every sense of the word. What we are witnessing here is Vincent Furnier playing the character of Alice Cooper and all his different personas and as such we get very little crowd interaction as it’s almost like you’re watching hell’s favourite musical played out before your very eyes. Furnier has surrounded himself with some good musicians, most notably ex-LA Guns bassist Chuck Garric (who handles the crowd interaction to keep Alice in character) and ex-Y & T and Megadeth drummer Jimmy DeGrasso and when the curtain drops the band open with the classic ‘School’s Out’ and all of sudden we’re off on Alice’s adventure. 

It’s mostly a greatest hits set with some newbies thrown in for good measure and although it would’ve been nice to hear a few more from Alice’s arena-hugging period of the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s (no ‘Hey Stoopid’ or ‘Bed of Nails’ unfortunately) I can’t complain about the set really, especially one that is 24 songs long (one upside of no stage banter at least!). 

Throughout the set we see Alice’s wicked side (as a murderer during ‘Cold Ethyl’) as well as his many battles with his nurse and druid-like stage hands resulting in Alice being killed no less than three times on stage including being hanged, run-through with metal spikes and even a decapitation! But when Alice finally gets his own back on the evil nurse during ‘Vengeance is Mine’, you start to sympathise with the character and it becomes debatable whether or not Alice is wicked or just misunderstood which is obviously Vince Furnier’s intention. 

Just when you think the visuals are pretty much done with, Alice re-appears as a giant spider atop a huge platform and as a grand finale, we surprisingly get ‘School’s Out’ for the second time this evening and thus ends probably the best exercise in rock theatre you’re likely to see. From W.A.S.P to the Misfits, through to Marilyn Manson and Wednesday 13, Alice Cooper’s influence can be seen in so many acts throughout the last 40 years but based on performances like tonight, Alice remains the original and best. 

Setlist: 1.School’s Out, 2.No More Mr. Nice Guy, 3.Under My Wheels, 4.I’m Eighteen, 5.Wicked Young Man, 6.Ballad of Dwight Fry, 7.Go To Hell, 8.Guilty, 9.Cold Ethyl, 10.Poison, 11.From The Inside, 12.Nurse Rozetta, 13.Be My Lover, 14.Only Women Bleed, 15.I Never Cry, 16.Black Widow Jam, 17.Vengeance is Mine, 18.Dirty Diamonds, 19.Billion Dollar Babies, 20.Killer, 21.I Love the Dead. Encore: 22.Feed my Frankenstein, 23.Elected, 24.School’s Out.

Review & Photos by: Adam Grindrod

 

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