Rockers Through the Ages Christmas Party: Jayler, Gorilla Riot, Voodoo Sioux. KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton. Saturday 20th December, 2025

My final gig of 2025 was a wee trip down to KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, with an overnight booked at the Wolverhampton North Premier Inn. Last time we attempted this journey, my partner in crime (Bob) took ill on the way down, and we had to leave the gig early. This time, we chose our meals wisely. 

(Bad news about Tebay Services: whilst its interior refit looks great, they've decided to reverse their dog policy. Dogs are not allowed beyond the foyer. Shame they can't do the same for the children, given the shrieks emanating from the Kids' play area.)

 

We found the hotel and chose to eat dinner in the Beefeater next door, figuring anywhere decent in town would be heaving with Christmas shoppers. Then we drove in and met up with Bob's festival buddies at Jack's Cafe & Bar, opposite the venue. While at that establishment, we struck up a conversation with other gig attendees, who warned us that the street parallel to the venue was a notorious hotspot for car crime. I didn't attempt to park anywhere else and tried to put it out of my mind (fortunately, nothing bad happened).

There was a fairly long queue to get into the gig, so I missed out on a barrier spot once we got inside. I hung back, then spotted a couple of short ladies near the front in the centre, and stood behind them, ending up about three from the front by the time Voodoo Sioux came on. 

They were a big surprise. Their singer, Professor Balthazar (aka Nick Flaherty), is a curious character. A pensioner punk with a fuzzy mohawk, stage makeup and a smile like a 7-10 tenpin bowling pick up, he struts the stage in between his bouts of singing, sipping water, then spitting it out like a fountain. His voice is rather good, though. Equally odd is their bassist, Mario Ermoyenous, who twangs the strings at weird angles and grins like Dr Teeth from the Muppets. The sensible one, Jon JB Blakey, on guitar and backing vocals, is a revelation, both as an excellent singer and guitarist. He provides a solid foundation to the wackiness, as does the drummer, Nige Halford. I had expected to dislike them, but quickly warmed to their performance. Quirky but fun. 

Thank you to the band for posting this on FB for me,
as setlist.fm hadn't been updated to include any sets from the gig.

Gorilla Riot, I love. This was the prime motivator for making the journey down, even though it was only a support slot. Their gutsy, blues-infused rock is always great. Arjun, on vocals and guitar, is a cool frontman with an acidic wit. They visibly enjoy themselves as they play. They gave a rock-solid performance tonight.   

Setlist:

Wrong Side of Town
Molotov Sister,
Kerosene Clown,
Hungry Like the Wolf,
Last Hymn,
Half Cut,
Bad Son,
Dirty.

(Thank you, GR, for replying to my FB request with this list.)

Jayler are a young band going places. They've not even released their debut album, yet they've sold out a 2,000-capacity venue (also helped by an excellent support lineup). If you've seen the film The Substance, imagine Robert Plant's spine opening up to reveal James Bartholomew, and you wouldn't be far off the mark. He is a supreme talent, vocally, on guitar and harmonica. The other band members play their parts well, but James is the star (and he's not even old enough to drink alcohol in the States yet). 

Early on, I felt Tyler Arrowsmith's guitar sound was being lost in the mix, compared to when James was playing. This may have been intentional, given the musical styling, but it initially put me off. By the end, though, they were rocking the room big time. 

For such young men, they've done so well to build a following. With tours supporting Sammy Hagar and Deep Purple next year, their careers will turn stratospheric. I felt lucky to catch them again on their way to superstardom. 

Thank you, Charlie Power, for posting this on the Jayler page for me.

The next day, a weird thing happened after I posted enquiries on the bands' Facebook feeds about their setlists. Voodoo Sioux posted a picture of the setlist (Bravo!). Gorilla Riot listed the songs they played. James from Jayler replied with a thank you, then commented on a couple of my public Facebook posts, asking me to message him. 

So I did.

What followed was a bizarre conversation, obviously with a bot, making up shit in response to my questions while indicating he was upset. It provided me with an inaccurate setlist, told me someone named John in the front row had received the cake for his 50th birthday, and then told me 'he' was uncomfortable with my questioning. No shit, Sherlbot!  

I don't know if it's a fake account or if their management has outsourced fan enquiries. Either way, I won't engage with that account again.

Addendum: the fake account was deleted the following day.

Ticket Price: 2 x £15 plus £3.76 Service Fee = £33.76 from TicketWeb.

Jayler

Gorilla Riot

Band post-gig photos (from FB).

Voodoo Sioux

Gorilla Riot

Jayler

My photos (mixed quality as the night went on):

The joys of a Christmas Party 

It's snowing? Nah, foam.

Lots of foam

Waldorf and Statler approve.

An Evening with These Wicked Rivers, "10 Years of Peave, Love and Lampshades", KK's Steelmill, Wolverhampton. Saturday 12th October. 2024.

This story begins on Saturday morning and only contains half a review of These Wicked Rivers' show at KK Steel Mill.

Bob and I set off from Renfrew at 9:30 a.m., after my haircut, with me driving. Our first stop was at Tebay Services, where I had Pea and Mint soup, a dry fruit scone, and a cup of tea. Bob had the Vegetable Tagine with Sweet Potato wedges and a cup of tea (no milk). Bob felt some oesophageal discomfort but expected it to pass. It usually passes, he said. (Spot the foreshadowing).

We arrived at the Novotel in Wolverhampton just after 3 p.m. Bob was still burping and retching. I was annoyed, but not at him. The hotel said I had to pay FIVE POUNDS to park in their car park. I obviously misunderstood their website when it said it had 'private parking', expecting it to be free for guests.

We walked to a McDonald's before the gig so I could get some dinner. Bob didn't feel like eating. His inners still hadn't settled. For a place that sells Happy Meals, the patrons' faces were especially sad. Not even the chance of a Monopoly win brightened their mood.

KK's Steel Mill

We missed the venue's doors opening by a few minutes, so the stage barrier was already full, but I found a good spot on the left near the front. Bob headed to the toilet. 

I was impressed by this venue. The stage is wide and a good height off the floor. The corrugated roof is high, so it doesn't feel claustrophobic, and although pillars support this, they are narrow, so they don't block much of the view. The bars and merch areas are well laid out, too. Even the security staff are friendly. 

Darren Redick

The gig's host, Darren Redick (of Planet Rock Radio), introduced the first support act: SKAM. Bob tells me by WhatsApp that he's sitting near the gents resting. SKAM are a three-piece, hard rock band based in Leicester. I enjoyed their set even though I couldn't see much of the singer/guitarist due to a tall chap obscuring my view. The band's bassist loves his facial contortions. I appreciated how they managed to morph one of their songs into Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs'.  

SETLIST
Rising Fever
One Track Mind
Bring the Rain
Fate of the Souls
Massacre / War Pigs
No Lies

After their set, Bob was nowhere to be seen. I messaged him again, but he replied he was in the toilet again, having been sick. I checked if he wanted to leave, but he said he'd rather stay until his inners had settled down or he'd got everything up. This way, he could at least listen to the bands. 

The stage crew bring out two inflatable unicorns in preparation for The Hot Damn! taking the stage.

I absolutely loved this band. Their pop-rock songs are downright catchy. They've got a great sound, energy, and even choreography. I record the opening two numbers and their last one. I'm gutted that I can't attend their upcoming Glasgow date as I'm already busy that night.

  "Fizz Bang Crash" and "Dance Around"

"I Didn't Like You Anyway". 

The Unicorn Rider: their 'Eddie The Head'? 

SETLIST
Fizz Buzz Crash
Dance Around
About Last Night
Loud and Clear
Live Laugh Love
Merch Song
Going Down
I Didn't Like You Anyway

Bob texted me to say he was now in the First Aid section. I left my spot in the crowd to locate him but discovered he was in a private room. I stood in the bar area near the entrance while messaging back and forth as Bad Touch took the stage. We decided it would be best for me to return to the hotel to collect the car. 

So I did. I felt like a spy as I listened to my Google Maps directions through a single earbud, not wanting to carry my phone in my hand or block out all ambient sound. Heading through the city centre underpass, a dude in a tracksuit appeared behind me, heading in the same direction. I didn't know whether to slow down to let him pass or speed up to get away. He disappeared as quickly as he appeared. Maybe my puffing up my chest scared him off. The drive back was just as fun; my interpretation of my sat nav instructions took me to the wrong location, so I reverted back to my earbud and Google Maps, using my sat nav purely as a street map to confirm directions.

Bob appeared weak as he joined me outside, making the short walk to the car. He was so sorry for what had happened, but it couldn't be helped. We would have done the same thing if I'd been ill. 

In conclusion, we both missed These Wicked Rivers' fantastic performance, which included guest spots from Kira Mac, The Karma Effect's Henry Gottelier and Phil Connalane of Blackwater Conspiracy. This is the second time we've not seen the band recently—the first was at Maid of Stone, where they cancelled on the day due to a family emergency. 

Bob had a horrendous night, retching, writhing and being sick, but at least he didn't need to go to the hospital. I drove us home early the next day after breakfast (a hotel buffet, which I didn't enjoy, partly due to guilt but mainly because the pancake machine didn't work, the sausages were cold, and someone took my table when I went back up for more). 

I didn't rate the Novotel. The socket I left my phone charging on overnight didn't work. The room had a weird design with a separate toilet and bathroom. The staff could have been more friendly, too. The only good thing about it was its relatively close proximity to KK's Steel Mill. Next time, I'd pick somewhere better, with a free car park, and drive to the venue.  

I dropped Bob off at home, where he slept and slowly recovered. Later, he managed to eat something, so, at the time of writing, he was on the mend. 

Ticket Price: £22.50 (no fees) from the band's website.