The Firevolt Diaries 2024

The Firevolt Diaries – 2024

Now that the dust has settled and the euphoria has relented, I wanted to write a few words about this year’s Firevolt. Being privy to the behind-the-scenes side of the event put me in a privileged position to be able to write from an alternative perspective, to offer readers a different side, more of the nuts and bolts that goes into putting on a face melting rock festival. I want to concentrate more on the volunteer’s side, as well as my own observations to highlight just how special this unique festival is. Our many reviewers will focus on the music as they are better qualified than me to scribe about the bands that played, having more of an affinity to the type of music offered over the weekend. I have collated their reviews from various fanzines and blogs at the bottom of this review for those that want a more in-depth look.

The success of last year’s festival meant the promise of a bigger and better Firevolt, and that required a huge team effort. Not only from our esteemed festival organisers, Stret and Bev, but also from the many volunteers that have jumped on the Firevolt bandwagon over the past two years. With such a dedicated team in place, there was little doubt that success was always going to be attained.

The months leading up to the big weekend saw several people help promote Firevolt in a variety of forms. Leaflets and posters were distributed to apt places that were cemented in the rock world, and it was spoken about at many gigs and festivals throughout the country, with enthusiasts spreading the word about how this festival instantly touches your heart, and that people wouldn’t be left disappointed if they attended.

To understand some of the sacrifices and dedication that goes into it, I spoke to a few of the volunteers who have been the cornerstone since its inception.

Volunteers

It’s becoming a tradition that Stret and Bev take themselves abroad in the sun for a week or so in the weeks leading up to Firevolt - a working break to focus on all the last little details that need sorting.

But they aren’t the only ones who worked whilst on holiday. Karin Monk, who was a volunteer supervisor on site, flew back from Turkey on the Wednesday at 9:30am and was onsite by 12:30, spending two days putting together schedules for the volunteers to make sure they could watch the bands they wanted to see whilst she was away.

Lee Saunders was another key volunteer who worked on the admin side as well as general promotion at gigs all year round. Whenever she sees a band post something on social media, she always adds, ‘Can’t wait to see you play at Firevolt,’ letting their fans know they are also playing the festival to ramp up interest.

Lee is often recognised as being from Firevolt at the various gigs she goes to, not just because she wears the official festival merch to drum up interest. She states that ‘…people are the best advertisement!’ What she says about the festival is simply, ‘Firevolt… where you leave with more friends than you arrived with…we are not a team at Firevolt …we are a family. Individually we are one drop, together we are an ocean.’ It’s hard to argue with that statement. Karin, Mandy Beames (another ‘family member’) and Lee all volunteered on their own for Firestorm (as it was known back then) in 2022 and have become close friends/gig buddies since and go to other festivals together, exemplifying what the spirit of Firevolt entails.

Whilst at the festival, Karin, along with Lee, Mandy, and Skye Saunders worked roughly sixteen-hour days, setting up at 9am and looking after the bands and their riders through until 1am. Karin stated, “By Monday I was shattered but I would do it all again in a heartbeat because this festival is unlike any other I have been to. We are a family. Not just Stret and Bev and their immediate family and friends, but also the volunteers and the rockers that come and spend their weekend with us once a year. I inevitably shed a few tears on the Sunday night and Monday morning because I want every day to feel like that. There are so many memories made there each year with the bands, and with each other, so much laughter and a genuine feeling that all our hearts are beating with the same tempo.”

Janine Amanda was monumental at the gate, welcoming everyone in and relieving any issues so that festival goers and bands alike would enter the grounds with a smile on their face. She ensured the smooth running of operations, being a point of contact. Some of the issues faced that were rectified were flat tyres, flat batteries, and helping bring the bands up when being dropped off at the front gate with all their equipment. The fact she was getting special mentions off bands onstage highlighted her importance and worth. Janine clocked up 45,000 steps a day over the weekend, testament to the effort she puts in and how tirelessly she worked.

In addition to her onsite work, she helped out at the Battle of the Bands event in May, and much like other volunteers, she helped spread the word at various gigs by issuing flyers.

Janine also met her current partner, Dennis, when he recognised her from Firevolt at the Thieves of Liberty gig at The Castle Hotel. Life changing events can occur within this festival, turning life on its head… you never know what could happen and who you might meet.

Judy Forrister has been a Firevolt ever present, but this year she volunteered and said, “Volunteering at Firevolt was an absolute blast. I can’t tell you how many different tasks I did, from frantic calls to fixing the printer to working the guest bar, but it always felt like we were one big family hosting an amazing party for all our friends and family. This was my third year at Firevolt and I have made some fantastic friends that I see at so many other festivals too. I made even more this year lol!”

“There is so much that goes on behind the scenes, but nothing is too much trouble and the Firevolters themselves are so important to the organisers and the volunteers. There was a lady who told me about last year when Stret had sorted out the flat tyre on her campervan – a memory that is indelibly inked in her mind, a memory that sums up Firevolt for her. It isn’t just about the music – it’s about the experience and the Firevolt Family.”

The volunteering even stretches to having someone required to take Stret and Bev’s Westie, Reggie for a walk. Given the intensity of organising and dealing with the day to day running of the event, they don’t have time to take him out, but Chief Cabin Stew Sue was tasked with this. She looked after the cabin all weekend, making breakfast to ensure key volunteers were fed and fuelled first thing in the morning to set them up for the day, a crucial element to the festival that didn’t go unnoticed.

Rob and Becky, along with the rest of the merch team volunteers worked vigorously all weekend and hardly took a break, always having a smile on their faces and always very helpful. Rob was particularly lovely to Toby when he came to get his new hoodie, entertaining him with the bubble machine. Toby is a legend at Firevolt. He’s a young kid with a disability, confined to a wheelchair, but he rocks out more than most when the bands are playing.

There is a small core of young Firevolters that rock out all weekend, and it is refreshing to see that a new generation will grow up enamoured by this type of music. Who knows? Maybe a few will become accomplished and perhaps even famous musicians/singers in the future.

Paul Cash is one of the fundamental components of Firevolt, being one of the compère’s over the weekend. He had this to say:

“From the day Firevolt 2023 ended I got to work with promoting Firevolt 2024 on Pure Rock Fury and beyond. I ran a series of Firevolt specials on the show, put together the 'Official Firevolt Interview Show', along with creating all the Firevolt Radio adverts for the 2023 & 2024 festival. Those adverts run on every single Pure Rock Fury, along with many other radio shows and stations across the globe throughout the year. They serve as a countdown to what I consider to be the most welcoming, the friendliest, the most unique and the best Rock festival there is.

“Firevolt has an amazing atmosphere and the year-round camaraderie between the team and fellow Firevolters is something very special. We know the rock community are awesome and probably the friendliest crowd around, but Firevolt takes both of these and seemingly hits new levels every year.

“When I go to gigs in and around the Manchester area, I can regularly be seen wearing my Firevolt T shirt (occasionally a shit shirt too) to ensure it gets seen on any promo shots from that gig. It provokes a response from people who’ve either been themselves, or heard great things about Firevolt and want to attend and experience of the Firevolt Vibe they hear so much about.

“I’m super proud to be part of the amazing team. I know the hard work that goes on behind the scenes all year round, it’s not just four days of the year for us, it’s every day of every week and it’s a way of life for us.

“In my position as compère, I see a lot of things and I could tell many stories about Firevolt 2024. However, it’s best to protect both the innocent and the guilty!”

Given the Friday was Paul’s birthday, this became an unofficial ‘Shit Shirt Friday’ event in honour of one of our revered stage hosts, paying tribute to the kind of funky attire Paul wears daily, and in his sleep, I believe 😉, which he claims is ‘Made in Taiwan, worn in Milan.’ Many of us donned similar vibed holiday shirts for the day including myself. I sense this becoming a bigger thing as Firevolt progresses, providing a bit of colour to the typical black attire that consumes the site.

This is just a few of the people that I know who’ve shared their roles and experiences, and I’m sure there are plenty of others. But for these people to give up their time for the belief in such a festival is incredible. Over the weekend, people are in and out of the cabin all day for various reasons. It blows my mind as to how much goes into running an event like this. Every little detail is covered and prepared for and there are so many details to it that I can’t comprehend how Stret and Bev manage it. Not only that, but they both run on only a few hours’ sleep over the weekend before they’re up and working from around 6am.

Firevolt has developed a close-knit community of hardcore gig goers who see each other out regularly, usually at any hard rock gig going on in the North. This year there will be a wrap up party on the 2nd November for the volunteers, and a Christmas shindig on the 23rd November at Rebellion, Manchester featuring music from The Damn Truth, Gin Annie, Skam and Losing Light (tickets available from Gigantic if you’re quick).

There is a Firevolt Community Group on Facebook which fires on all cylinders. Regular posts keep the people engaged throughout the year, sharing the gigs they’ve attended wearing Firevolt t-shirts and much more. This is a group you need to join to gain a true perspective of the general feeling around the festival. It’ll tell you all you need to know, and the fact it’s growing is testament to how amazing it is and how gargantuan Firevolt is becoming. Many people from the community were at Stonedead and Rockwich shortly after the festival ended, wearing Firevolt merch, repping for the 2025 festival.

My Role

Although I don’t go to many gigs of the same ilk these days, I did find myself with a stack of leaflets, handing them out to any prospective rockers I saw at various book signings in WHSmith or craft fairs I attended across the North. I identified those donning band t-shirts or carrying a certain look that depicted the quintessential rock fan, and promptly handed them a leaflet.

One evening, a few months prior to the weekend, I found myself in Lucky 8 Rock N Blues Bar in Chorley. Talk about a bar befitting of the Firevolt aura. It was the mini bricks and mortar version, full of people who were dressed like they’d just come back from Firevolt itself. I spoke to the owners and arranged to drop off several leaflets. I wonder whether any punters of the establishment made it down?

At the festival itself, my role again was to look after the photographers in the pit (all links to photos below) alongside Dave Cyderbaby from Rock Radio UK. This was the same responsibility bestowed upon me the previous two years. Many of the reviewers conducted several interviews over the weekend which you’ll be able to find on the respective links at the bottom.

By the Sunday I found my role changed as I became Chief Raffle Ticket Seller Guy from my position at the front of the stage at each set. Much to Paul Cash and Gavin Burton’s amusement, they both honed in on this and every time I asked them to mention the raffle while they were signing off the band, they’d point to me and introduce me as ‘World Famous Author, NJ Cartner’, which became a running joke. I don’t think I’ve ever blushed as much in my life. Hopefully one day their introduction will carry some truth to it.

My role is only a snippet of the hard work that had gone into the organisation. Those names mentioned above certainly worked harder, going above and beyond the call of duty to promote and help.

The Site

The drive into the site is always a pleasant experience. The single lane runs by the River Etherow, which is surrounded by stunning woodland, where the trees overhang by the sides of the lane. I always enjoy seeing the weir, because that’s when I know I’ve arrived as it sits just outside the entrance.

I’ve written numerous things about the site from past Firevolt’s and from when I reviewed many years of Blackthorn Festival at the same location. There’s not much more to say other than it’s a stunning, picturesque nugget by Etherow Country Park, which provides the most idyllic and perfect setting for festival life. Then you have the experienced Karl and Laura Hancock running the site and bar, you couldn’t ask for two better people to oversee the smooth running of things from that side.

A few people new to the site had said they had seen pictures of the area beforehand via the Firevolt adverts, and they knew it would have some scenic parts, but they didn’t realise just how special and beautiful the whole landscape is until they arrived. You really have to see it to believe it!

What to Expect

Hundreds of people had already set up by the time we arrived, and the camper van area looked quite full. The success of 2023 and the hard work put in throughout the year seemed to have already paid off as so many people wanted to experience the Thursday pre-party vibe and be ready for a full day of hard-hitting rock on Friday.

After dropping off our stuff at the cabin (yes we were lucky enough to stay there again this year), I took a walk around to see familiar faces from past Firevolt’s. It’s always as if we’d seen each other yesterday as we greet and we cannot believe a year has gone by since we last met.

The pre-party on the Thursday is always a great evening to kick off the festival, with food also put on for the early birds. The evening starts with Bev’s Rock Quiz, where people were encouraged to band together with others they didn’t know to create fewer, larger teams and kickstart a friendly vibe amongst strangers. This year the quiz concluded with a member of each team air guitaring their way through a couple of classic rock tracks. The competition was fierce as tops were removed, people flung themselves around, and even rocked out on their knees. It didn’t matter who won, the true winner was creating an evening that warmed up the Firevolters.

The evening ended with a band playing a series of covers to further enhance the atmosphere. This year it was Ransom. Given the increase in numbers on the Thursday, roughly 500, up from 300 or so the previous year, it made the night quite lively as the energy simmered in anticipation for the first day of live music.

Once lunch time hits on the Friday, you can smell the food vendors cooking up a storm from the various stalls that consumed the area next to the Trooper Stage, catering for every diet. Chicken, burgers, Yorkshire Pudding wraps, curry, halloumi and pizzas could be detected.

The various trader stalls create a cul-de-sac at the edge of the campers to create a mini village. A variety of crafts and goods were being sold such as jewellery, pictures, vinyl, band merch, and other accessories such as hats. There was even a relaxation area and axe throwing/archery range on offer.

Speaking of the jewellery stores and axe throwing, I heard stories that many people helped Sam (Rock & Rose Jewellery) on Friday morning with a weather-related emergency. People came to her aid and helped move the whole gazebo to a more sheltered spot. They even made sure it was secure and moved all her stock, tables and boxes too.

Similar stories of helpfulness came from the axe throwing guys. One of the volunteers, Ruth Trendall, was having a nightmare getting her awning up on her tent in the wind. The guys swooped in along with another passerby and put it up for her in a matter of minutes. They also gave free sessions to all the volunteers. Stories like this are all in keeping with the Firevolt harmony.

It has to be noted for those concerned about missing bands or having to walk far between stages that Firevolt is a compact festival, where you’re never more than a few minutes’ walk away from everything you need. The two stages are only a couple of minutes apart, and with no bands crossing over, there’s never any danger of missing a set, especially with a fifteen or twenty-minute interval between each act so you can grab a drink or something to eat. Long queues at the bars are a rarity, and they offer a variety of beer choices as well as wine and spirits, all at a very reasonable price. Of course, there was a tea and coffee van for those not ready to start as early as most.

Thankfully, Whitebottom Farm managed to hold off any lingering downpour in the area over the weekend - until break down on the Monday morning when torrential rain fell. We got lucky to avoid this all weekend while the bands were playing.

But when the weather is glorious you see so many people relaxing on the grass verges outside the Big Top, or sat on the chairs they’d brought, or sat on the bales of hay towards the back that create a sort of amphitheatre setting. They sat in clusters… some with friends they’d arrived with, others sat with people they’ve just met in the last day or so. It just adds to the friendly and safe vibe that could be felt all weekend. The music really did bring everyone together.

Music Highlights

As I’ve said, I’m going to leave the main band reviews to people more in the know, but these are my own personal music highlights.

I enjoyed hearing the classics from the old bands who are reincarnated into new versions of the original act. Darren Wharton’s Renegade, returned from last year’s participation with Dare, but this time to play a Thin Lizzy-inspired series of hits that went down a storm. Hearing all the old classics like ‘Boys are Back in Town’, ‘Whisky in a Jar’ and ‘Jailbreak’ amongst many others was a moment to savour. Vandenberg, the project from former Whitesnake guitarist, Adrian Vandenberg, played a mixture of Whitesnake classics and his own concoctions. ‘Here I Go Again’ and ‘Still of the Night’ were two songs wonderfully received to cap off a fantastic day of live music on the Friday. Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons returned for their second Firevolt outing performing a completely Motorhead inspired set that sent the Firevolters wild as a series of blistering hits threw fans into a wave of rock nostalgia that honoured the late Lemmy.

I enjoyed the Saturday and Sunday early kick off with Jack Hutchinson’s ‘Jam with Jack’ sessions. He invited other musicians who fancied showcasing their own talent to come and jam with him and his band. It was a cool thing to do to warm the early risers up before a day of rambunctious rock. Jack’s charisma and chemistry with the audience was palpable as he performed some fantastic bluesy numbers and shared stories from his past.

I do have to write a bigger review about The Last Internationale. This is a band I’ve followed for about a decade now. I had a spare ticket for their gig at The Deaf Institute in Manchester eighteen months earlier, so I invited Stret to take a look. They were so impressive that night they won over our festival organiser to the point that he booked them.

Before their set, Courtney and Josh (Bev’s son and fiancé) spent the day walking around the site with a ‘WANTED’ selfie board, prompting Firevolters to have their picture taken with it. The pictures were posted onto the socials as they searched for the ‘Wanted Man’, The Last Internationale’s most famous, and epic track, with captions asking whether the individuals in each photo were in fact the wanted men/women/dogs? By the time Delilah Paz and Edgey Pires, the band’s founders, turned up, a picture was taken with them and the caption used was, ‘Found them, the search is over!’

They may have not been as well-known as other bands on the list, hence a diminished number of onlookers attending the final band in the Big Top on the Sunday, but for those that witnessed them, they were in for a treat. Merging heavy blues rock with a wailing, soulful vocal, The Last Internationale could be argued to have stolen the festival at the death with a compelling, masterclass performance. Singer Delilah Paz simply glides across the stage, and her ability to mix up howling vocals, with a more heartfelt piano interlude highlights her immense quality. She ventured into the crowd towards the end of the set and mesmerised everyone, before getting back onstage to invite several members of the crowd up with her. Scores of people took up her offer and created a fantastic image of the fans dancing and partying along with the New Yorkers to create memories that will last forever. Given that their epic and most famous song, ‘Wanted Man’ features in my second book, I took up the chance to give them copies afterwards. It was my fanboy moment!

A special mention also goes to Jayler, the first band of the day on the Trooper Stage on Saturday. They took to the stage as I was stood in my own world gazing out into nowhere. Suddenly, a blast from a guitar and a screaming vocal snapped me out of whatever was holding my attention. I turned to admire what I’d just heard in the opening riffs – only to see four young lads performing like the reincarnation of Led Zeppelin. What a cracking performance. Guitars on point, vocal reminiscent of Robert Plant, attire mimicking the past heroes. These four young lads from the West Midlands have a bright future ahead of them. My weekend pick of bands I’d not heard of before. They even unofficially closed out the festival by teaming up with Thieves of Liberty to create ‘Thieves of Jayler’ and play a series of acoustic songs on a small stage in the bar, which was extremely crowd-pleasing.

Given the whole vibe of Firevolt, how lesser-known bands get a chance to showcase their talents, and volunteers are given a chance to shine, I’ve adopted this policy for Florence Black. Lee Saunders’ daughter, Skye, spoke to me about journalism and writing as she was thinking of studying it at University. After sharing my experiences of music reviews and how someone took a chance on me many years ago, I thought I’d offer the same opportunity to a budding young journalist, so the next bit on Florence Black has been penned by Skye Saunders. Any members of fanzines reading this looking for more contributors then get in touch with her.

Headbanging, dad dancing and a chair surfing above the crowd are just some of the things that occurred during the set of Welsh rockers Florence Black at Firevolt 2024. Leading up to the set we all had high expectations that Florence Black would be phenomenal after their previous performance here back in 2022. Since the weather was on our side, we knew we would get a full set, unlike the unlucky crowd at Download this year. Florence Black’s genre attracts a diverse fan base which was reflected by the size and age of the crowd for their set. The Firevolt crowd were bouncing and that included the stage crew. However, there was only one problem with Florence Black playing Firevolt and that was that nearly all the volunteers wanted to watch their set, so we were struggling to keep everything going behind the scenes. They played a face melting set including fan favourites such as ‘Zulu’ and ‘Sun and Moon’. It’s amazing how music can uplift and bring us all together and the music made us feel truly alive and ecstatic, as I’m sure everyone in the crowd would agree. Tristan, apart from his good looks and long locks, has a voice that is so unique and powerful it sets him apart from other vocalists and enthrals listeners. His distinct vocals will leave a lasting impression on those who listen, so much so that the crowd wanted more and even festival organizer Stret agreed to send them back on stage where they played their cover of ‘Breadfan’ from fellow Welsh 70’s rockers, Budgie, which left the audience with just one question…when will the trio return?

Reflection

After Gun closed out the festival on the Sunday, Stret and Bev were invited onstage at the end, greeted to rapturous applause. They’d pulled it off again, creating a bigger and better Firevolt that continues to grow. They shared thanks to everyone involved and their love for the Firevolters who had attended, with volunteers taking a bow onstage behind them too.

It had been a monumental weekend that will live long in the memory. The bands that played, the people we shared the experience with, and the laughs we had all contributed to a few days of musical brilliance. This is one of the friendliest festivals you’ll ever encounter. I love the people that come here. Firevolters are a loyal, gregarious bunch, and it’s these types of people that keep bands going. They don’t just invest in the music and the gigs, but they invest in the merch too. It wasn’t just the t-shirts of the well-known bands you saw all weekend, but you saw a t-shirt for practically every band that played the festival, showing the importance of merch to keep a band going financially, and to help promote them.

It seems funny now that many people thought Firevolt 2022 (Firestorm as it was known then) was a hoax. The joke is firmly on them. With pre-sale camper van tickets selling out in minutes due to its success, it is becoming evident that Firevolt is fast becoming a monster and one of the must go to festivals in the rock scene.

The volunteers and staff at Firevolt are the salt of the earth, and this extends to the sound and lighting engineers who worked tirelessly for days on end. The approach to go above and beyond the call of duty is unprecedented. There’s too many to mention by name but you know who you are. It has been noted that the bands commented on how well they were looked after, and the five-star hospitality given to each one.

I’d like to thank all the press that I worked with. It was an honour seeing you at work. Having seen all of your photos post festival, you are one talented set of individuals that capture Firevolt’s spirit. If you want to check out the photos or reviews, or some of the interviews conducted in the press areas via the radio stations, a list is at the bottom:

My own final thoughts on the weekend… over the years strange faces become familiar, you then exchange pleasantries with those familiar faces, new friends are made, existing friendships become solidified! It’s the Firevolt way… it’s a family thing… a unique and unbreakable bond!

Stret and Bev both had this to say about Firevolt 2024 afterwards:

“Your face may get melted but there’s every chance it will return to normal and you will long for it to be melted again, thankfully you only have a year to wait.

There are many challenges and pressures in delivering a Rock Festival, add to that the love and respect we have for the genre, the Firevolt Army of staff and volunteers and your peers within it and it does become a truly cathartic experience.

We fight for the right for our Firevolters to party on that special weekend in August, each and every day, life is Firevolt, family, friends and 2nd jobs!

There has been much said about the Firevolt Family and the friendly vibe of the festival, this is not a spin, this is the reality of the Rock Community that has come together under the Firevolt flag and of all the pressures, challenges and responsibilities that come our way. The scariest but most rewarding, humbling and proud thing is being the heads of the Firevolt Family.

Some decisions we make are right and some may turn out to be not always be right. Some people may get what they want and some may not, but the decisions we make are always with our beloved Firevolt Rock Community in mind.

We are still you and you will always be us.”

Thanks to Lee, Karin, Janine, Paul, Ruth, Skye and Judy for their contributions to the above review and of course our hosts, Stret and Bev.