It is abundantly clear that Eddie has been a busy boy. A VERY busy boy. Not only had everybody’s favourite decomposing corpse lovingly prepared a feast of fun, frivolity and flippin’ awesome music, he also raided Satan’s own personal kitchen, stole his oven and plonked it slap-bang in the middle of Knebworth. This was EDDFEST. This was Saturday with The Almighty, Airbourne and The Darkness.
The Almighty – Airbourne – The Darkness
EDDFEST 2026 – Knebworth House – 10-11 July 2026
Words: Steve Kenton / Rhys Tagg
Photography: Manuela Langotsch
Spread over two days, 11 blistering bands and a ground temperature which was slightly hotter than the Sun, EDDFEST promised to be a scorcher of a weekend, and by jove it was.
Let’s get the criticisms out of the way first. The parking and marshalling on Saturday was difficult. This was not helped by police closing junction 6 on the A1(M), the Welwyn turn-off, in a bid to control entry into Knebworth.
Social media posts reported that the one-mile stretch near the venue took anywhere between three and five hours to navigate, with fans describing the situation as utterly shambolic. There were also unconfirmed reports from several sources that a road accident had occurred, around a third of a mile from one of the entry points.
The distance between the car parks and the arena itself was an issue for many. The various members of staff dotted about the venue, although extremely polite and friendly, struggled to impart the correct information when requested.
Some were aimlessly wandering around before eventually disappearing in what was fast becoming known as The Knebworth Triangle. Reports that the Lynyrd Skynyrd tour bus from their 1976 Knebworth gig suddenly appeared after going missing five decades ago, trying to navigate its way to the exit, were unconfirmed.
Ultimately, none of this was Iron Maiden’s nor their management’s fault. Once you were in, though, this was a truly fantastic day.
The Almighty
Kicking off Saturday’s proceedings on the main stage were The Almighty. Scotland’s finest tore the stage apart, serving up some rather fine cuts.
Despite the almost nuclear heat emanating from that glowing, round thing in the sky, Ricky Warwick and the chaps threw themselves into their work, kicking off with Power, followed by Over the Edge. Fan favourites Full Force Lovin’ Machine and Jonestown Mind then followed, gritty, punchy and edgy.
This was The Almighty at their very best, the band are incredibly tight, not a note is wasted, not a beat dropped. With Wrench, Addiction and Thunderbird flowing from the fired-up fingers of Warwick, Floyd London and Tantrum, as well as the skins of Stumpy Munroe, the band were having fun.
The final track, Wild And Wonderful, saw Ricky Warwick presented with a cake to celebrate his 60th birthday. Was it a Victoria sponge, was it a fruitcake, was it a Battenberg? Enquiring minds need to know, Ricky.
Despite the problems that beset the early part of Saturday’s EDDFEST and the sweltering heat taking hold, the mosh-pit was still pretty lively. If you were there in time to witness, this was a great start to Saturday’s proceedings.
Aibourne
No party would ever be complete without an invite for Airbourne to attend. And attend they did, in some style.
The Aussie rockers are gritty, dirty, and you would not take them home to meet your mum unless you wanted her to wind up drunk as a skunk, sprawled over a couch with her head in a bucket while smelling of shame and disgrace. They are the ultimate party band.
Kicking off a relatively short setlist with Ready To Rock, Airbourne rely on audience participation, and they did. With the temperature still a balmy 8 million degrees celcius, frontman Joel O’Keeffe procured some water pistols and started drenching the crowd. Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast and Breakin’ Outta Hell then followed.
O’Keeffe decided he was going to climb onto a crew member, while shredding like his life depended on it. Make no mistake, these guys are seriously good musicians. Do not be fooled by the goofing around.
A couple more numbers in, and then the band briefly broke into Paranoid, leading into Alive After Death, and then their final number, their anthem, Running Wild, which sent a baying audience wild.
You really cannot go wrong with Airbourne. They are straight up and down, good time rock, and with their new album release imminent, they are bound to be back in the UK with an expanded setlist.
The Darkness
The Darkness hit the Knebworth stage with a swagger that made it clear they were ready to own the afternoon. Justin strode out shirtless and tattooed, a long way from his early spandex-clad image, and the look suited him.
There was a looseness to him that felt earned, a frontman who had grown into a different kind of flamboyance, still cheeky, still theatrical, but carrying a more grounded swagger.
The band belted through their classics with the confidence of a group who knew exactly how to lift a festival crowd, especially as the final act before Iron Maiden.
Growing On Me, Get Your Hands Off My Woman, One Way Ticket and more rolled out in quick succession, each one pulling the Knebworth crowd higher. The mid-July heat only added to the atmosphere, with fans packed shoulder to shoulder, singing along and throwing themselves into every chorus.
It felt like the perfect setting for The Darkness, bright, loud, slightly chaotic, and full of people who were more than ready to be entertained.
In true Darkness fashion, they could not resist dropping a brief snippet of Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End). The moment was met with pure delight, a ripple of laughter and cheers spreading across the field as fans embraced the absurdity of hearing it in the blazing July heat. Justin quickly told everyone they would have to catch the band on tour later in the year if they wanted the full festive treatment.
Justin was bouncing with energy during I Believe In A Thing Called Love, and whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The band had the entire field clapping in unison, a sea of hands rising and falling as they pushed the song into full festival anthem territory.
They finally wrapped up with Love On The Rocks With No Ice, a closing punch that sealed their set as one of the day’s most joyful highlights.
