ANNOUNCING FIREFEST 2 - SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26!:
Firefest 2 will take place November 26 at Nottingham Rock City, Nottingham, UK. The line-up is:
House Of Lords . Harem Scarem . Danger Danger . Blue Tears . Balance Of Power . Power Quest . Saracen.
The second Firefest Festival takes place at Nottingham Rock City on Saturday November 26th. The line-up comprises of both old and new faces alike.
Some will be familiar to fans of melodic hard rock while others may be new to many fans out there - but all in all it is a line up that proudly represents a healthy blend of old and new.
The festival also moves 'home' with Firefest 2 moving to a more central location in Nottingham Rock City one of the premier rock venues in England.
Nottingham Rock City is a 1900 capacity venue that has played host to Whitesnake, Motorhead, Y&T, Skid Row and many more besides. In fact, if you care to trawl through the annals of rock, it's evident that more melodic and hard rock bands have played this venue more than any other venue in England.
The move should make Firefest 2 more accessible to the vast amount of people traveling and bearing that fact in mind it's also possibly one of the best venues to attend a live show. Full ticketing details will be available early next week, but as always tickets can be purchased directly from the promoters via paypal using the
fireworks.mag@ntlworld.com e-mail address.
Line-Up Details:
Saracen - Led by guitarist Ron Bendelow...one of the great 'almost made it bands' of the NWOBHM bands reunited in 2002 to release the Red Sky album in 2003. Gaining critical and commercial acclaim with Red Sky, Saracen proved to be the surprise package of Bloodstock 2003 laying waste to the stage and gaining a whole new generation of fans on the back of classic hard rocking tracks such as Heroes Saints and Fools and Follow the Piper. With a new album Vox In Excelso currently being recorded, Saracen are out to impress those who have not yet had the opportunity to catch them live.
Power Quest - a melodic power metal band with it's axis firmly in England, Power Quest are riding high as England's answer to Rhapsody and proudly claim, and rightly so, to be the best the genre have to offer. With the sophomore album Neverworld generating plaudits from every section of the music press, Power Quest have sought to take one step further with their forthcoming release Magic Never Dies - another pure melodic power metal gem in the making. Be sure to check out some home grown talent and ask yourself just why you have never heard of these guys, then, and only then you realise there is absolutely no justice in the world. Catch them now, before you have to stand half way back in a 50,000 person audience in a few months time.
Balance Of Power - Arising from the ashes of three aor bands Balance of Power first came to attention in 1997 with the release of When The World Falls Down, hailed by the music press of the day as a modern day AOR masterpiece. In the intervening years Balance of Power have toughened up their sound no end and moved more firmly into the progressive metal territory dominated by Dream Theater. They have drawn slavering reviews from none other than former Kerrang maestro Geoff Barton, lavishing praise such as prog meets metal
and for once they're British! Makes you proud to fly the flag. Given that Balance of Power have a rich and powerful history, it's with great pleasure that Tony Ritchie and co will dig into their illustrious back catalog to offer us songs from not only the debut album (still regarded as a classic aor release by many) but something from almost every album they have recorded in their illustrious ten year career. This is Balance of Power's only British date this year. Don't miss it.
Blue Tears - The self titled Blue Tears album on MCA records from 1990 remains a classic to those who still yearn for the heady days of stadium hard rock. Led by Gregg Fulkerson, Blue Tears have gained legendary status on the back of stadium shaking anthems such as Rockin on the Radio, Innocent Kiss and Thunder in the Night. Following a period of inactivity, Gregg has once again assembled Blue Tears for a new album of unreleased music titled Mad Bad and Dangerous. Gregg has agreed to bring Blue Tears across the Atlantic for their first and only European show in their history. Gregg and the band are delighted to finally make the trip to England and this will be the ONLY opportunity to see the guys who promise to rock as hard, if not harder than anybody else on the bill. The fifteen year wait is about to end when Blue Tears finally take to an English stage on November 26th.
Danger Danger - Following a hugely successful UK tour in April of 2005, they have got the taste for it. No festival (or Saturday night) would be complete without the ultimate party rock band from New York. Bruno, Steve, Ted and Rob are not only four of the coolest guys to walk the planet, but as anybody who saw them in April will attest to they are one of the finest live bands you could ever hope to see. With Ted Poley back in the band Danger Danger have not only reclaimed their crown, but raised the bar several notches making it a difficult job for any band that shares the stage with them. Promising a revamped setlist from April, D2 are once again looking forward to rocking in England. Armed with bona fide classics such as Bang Bang, Naughty Naughty, I Still Think About You, Monkey Business and Shot of Love they are truly the masters of feel good rock and roll. This is once again the D2 boys only UK gig and they simply cannot be missed!
Harem Scarem - They're coming, they're not
so the debate has raged over the past few weeks. The fact is they weren't, well until Harry and the guys were finally persuaded to play for their large army of UK fans. Harem Scarem have a been a staple of the melodic rock world over the last fifteen years and have never once failed to deliver top notch melodic hard rock. Weather it's the slick self titled release, the totally classic Mood Swings or the latter day masterpieces such as Higher or Weight of the World that whets your appetite, Harem Scarem have never failed to deliver. Harem Scarem would like to take this opportunity to thank their fans for making this happen and we at Firefest would also like to thank Harry and the boys for showing their commitment to us by agreeing to make a long trip to play . This will surely be one of the most eagerly anticipated sets of the day and with a bit of luck we'll definitely get to hear Saviours Never Cry this time
ok, you will
but try pick a set list for them
..it's a difficult job with a wealth of tracks to choose from, either way they will be one of the top attractions of the day.
House Of Lords - Finally!! For the first time since 1988, House of Lords will set foot on a British stage. Following a long period of inactivity House of Lords have agreed to a one-off European performance of their classic material. Drawing on their three classic albums House of Lords, Sahara and Demons Down, the band are fired up and rearing to go. This will be the first time since 1993 that the band have played live and they are currently working on a set list that will not only please, but blow away their long standing fans. House of Lords were one band that emerged from the whole 'hair band' era with not only their credibility, but an entire army of fans keen to hear cleverly crafted and masterfully delivered songs that simply demanded your attention. If tracks such as Edge Of Your Life, Love Don't Lie, Can't Find My Way Home, Remember My Name, O Father, What's Forever For and Metallic Blue conjure up memories of one of the finest melodic rock outfits to grace the stage, the only place to be is Nottingham Rock City on Saturday November 26th to witness the ultimate live re-union. They may even have a surprise or two in store as well
but telling wouldn't make it a surprise would it??
Full ticketing details will be available next week, but for the moment if you have any questions or enquiries then please e-mail
firefest@hotmail.com,
k_dargan@hotmail.com or
fireworks.mag@ntlworld.com and we'll do our best to answer. Tickets will be available from a number of venues throughout the UK, but we would ask that you purchase directly from the promoters wherever possible.
It's also hoped to add a Friday night pre show similar to Firefest 1. More details on this early next week, but again, please remember it will be a limited amount of tickets available for this show.
Once again, on behalf of Firefest 2, thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing everybody in Nottingham in November.
