Made of Stone Festival 2024 (Day Two) Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent. Sat 20th July, 2024.

The hotel's breakfast buffet was delicious. We noticed one of the festival's press photographers also having breakfast and Bob, being Bob, introduced himself to her. We chatted, and Louise shared her concern over last night's poor stage lighting, complaining that most of her shots of GUN were in silhouette. She recommended we check out her Instagram page to see more of her work. https://www.instagram.com/louise_phillips_photography/  

Louise in action

Now that we were no longer staying within walking distance of the festival, we decided that, as I don't drink, it would be fairer for Bob to drive in and for me to drive back, allowing him to sample the festival's many beers.

We went for a wander around Maidstone, checking out the shops around the town centre.  

For Those About to Rock, we have an apt cannon.

Already, the day's heat was building, so we sought shade in a cafe and drank some refreshments before heading for Mote Park. The queue outside the event was fairly long, but Bob knew there were two queues: one for those still to get their wristbands and another for those like us who had gotten theirs the previous night. We joined the shorter queue.

I hadn't brought my poncho because the weather forecast said it would stay dry, and I didn't want to carry a bag all day. We sorted out a round of drinks and sat at a bench in the VIP area, listening to Daxx and Roxane, who were playing over on the Phoenix Stage. 

Then it rained. 

The shower only lasted ten minutes, but it was heavy enough to make us decamp to below the awning of the bar area. Bob had his poncho with him and put it on. Fortunately, this was the only time over the weekend that he needed it.

A soundcheck was taking place on the main Inferno stage, and quickly, I realised that the VIP area was perhaps not the best place to listen to the bands as both stages could be heard simultaneously. With the festival being so small, or 'boutique', this was inevitable. The problem didn't occur, obviously, when you were in front of the stage.

Scarlet Rebels have some catchy tunes. Perhaps it was their South Wales accents, but they reminded me of a rockier Stereophonics. I enjoyed them enough to buy a ticket for their upcoming tour. Hopefully, the sound quality will be better at The Cathouse. As the first band on that stage, I think the sound guys were still working out the levels.

Then, it was over to The Commoners. I'd seen this Canadian band before supporting Samantha Fish at the Barrowlands. I'd been impressed by their performance then, and today's show was equally good. I couldn't help imagining getting out the Brasso to wipe off the verdigris-coloured tattoos from the lead singer's arms. I was standing too far back to shoot any good videos. There were a lot of tall people attending and my camera would focus on their heads and baseball caps rather than the band on stage. 

Ignore the backdrop, these are The Commoners.

I spotted a festival veteran wearing a pretty cool hat with all his wristbands sewn in like tassels. I wonder if his frequent festival attendance had anything to do with his pair of hearing aids. 

I skipped South of Salem and went to get some lunch next, choosing a turkey baguette with all the trimming, managing to drop some of the crest of my stomach bump, staining my t-shirt. The water at the sinks in the VIP toilets had all the pressure of a man with a struggling prostate, but somehow, I managed to wipe away most of the marks. 

Then I crashed. The early start and lack of sleep caught up with me, and I needed a sit-down. I found an empty half bench and politely asked if I could join the man already sitting there. He said yes, as it was a friendly place (for the most part). It felt so good to take my substantial weight off my feet. When Rivers Meet played a curtailed set due to the sound engineers' difficulty getting their equipment to work. I didn't enjoy the band as much as I thought I would, but I was tired. The crowd cleared again. 

I watched a toddler dressed in his black AB/CD T-shirt play, dance, and jump around with his mum. His joy was infectious. I realised that the kid had been to as many festivals as I had (if not more). 

Then, a large woman appeared, carrying a loaded flatbread from the Greek food stall, and plopped herself in the small gap between me and the man. She did say, 'Excuse me,' but by that time, her landing gear was already committed to hitting the bench. I shifted over as much as I could but couldn't escape the touch of her thighs, which seemed to flow like unset blancmange to fill the gap. When she accidentally dropped some of the toppings, she angrily kicked them away with her flip-flops. Her son and husband joined her, standing in front as there were no other free benches. I'll not forget the sound of her masticating while talking to them. When she rose to go somewhere, her husband claimed her spot, creating a six-inch gap between us. Ah, the relief. But she came back. Her son brought her ice cream, and I feared a Mrs Creosote moment. I spotted a man looking for somewhere to sit, clutching a loaded baked potato, and decided time to go. 

I chose to sit in front of the stage, my back supported by the barrier. Wayward Sons would be on later, and I wanted a good view. I've always been fascinated by Toby Jepson's parlance on Planet Rock, wondering if it was all scripted or if he made it up on the spot. Anyway, his band was great. I noticed that because the photographers were only present for the first three songs, the band tended to pull their favourite poses during this period, creating a slightly artificial effect. They had only just started and were already in full-blown rock-god mode. It didn't put me off, though.

Bloody Typical

I waited at the barrier after the band finished, determined to keep the same spot for Those Damn Crows. They were my main draw for attending the festival, along with GUN and Massive Wagons, and I wanted a great view. This meant missing The Warning, who, by all accounts, were rather good.  Other people hung around, too, but most wandered off. A man on crunching took the space between me and another girl. Then, a gaggle of ladies appeared and reached past him to grab the barrier. They didn't give him any space. The band were not going to be on for ages and they were right in his face. He left, feeling pushed out. I stayed my ground, even though I had a back shoved against me for most of the time. I even overheard them talking about using their elbows to make space for the others, not realising I was listening. I shot them back a 'fuck you' stare, and they giggled like naughty school girls caught by teacher. Anyway, I held onto my space at the barrier.

Those Damn Crows were soooo good. I love their songs. When Shane jumped off the stage to join the crowd, he stood right in front of me at one point. I didn't know what to do. He was looking right at me. Was he going to leap onto the step on the other side of the barrier and sing to the crowd? Was he going to jump over and join us? I then realised too late he was looking to Hi-5 me and, by the time I'd raised my hand, he'd already tapped me on the shoulder and moved on. Still, it was a moment.

Two things gutted me (but not enough to dampen my enjoyment). The first was when I thought I'd filmed the whole of Blink of an Eye, only to discover it stopped after three minutes. I must have accidentally touched the stop button when the lady beside me nudged me (I don't think on purpose). The second was when I realised my camera had started in portrait for the final song. When I flipped it to landscape it meant the whole recording ended up sideways. Sigh! Never mind. The Crows were superb, and I was floating on another high.

This time, I knew what to expect.

Let's Go Psycho

This Time I'm Ready

When Will I see You Again

We chilled in the VIP area during Wolfmother, leaving before the end of their set. None of us were into them, but they still sounded good, and the crowd was up for them. 

The drive back to the hotel was fun, as I'd never driven an automatic before and had to learn not to use my left leg. It was only a short journey, and we got back to the hotel without incident. The car's headlights revealed a rabbit on the grass. I wished I had taken the photograph just so I could label it "Rabbit in the Headlights."

PS Bob got very drunk. He doesn't remember if he saw Tyketto.

Wayward Sons Setlist:

Big Day

Feel Good Hit

Don't Wanna Go

Punchline

Bloody Typical

Land of the Blind

Fake

Faith in Fools

Crush

Ghost

Until the End

Joke's on You

Those Damn Crows setlist

Who Did It

Man on Fire

Send the Reaper

Let's Go Psycho

Wake Up (Sleepwalker)

Find a Way

Takedown

I Am

Lay It All on Me

Blink of an Eye

Kingdom of Dust

Sin on Skin

Rock N Roll Ain't Dead

This Time I'm Ready

See You Again