The final day of Maid Of Stone Festival 2025 had a lot to live up to, considering the highs of the past 48 hours. Would this fizzle out like a damp squib or reach new heights? Spoiler alert. It is the latter. Once more, we lost count of the number of times we said, “Set of the weekend, that was.”
Maid Of Stone Festival – Saturday
Absolva
First up on the Inferno Stage are Absolva, engendering enough heat through their incendiary performance to blast away any lingering dampness. It is always difficult to kick start a show early on, but there was no holding the Chris Appleton-led quartet back, and those that made the effort to see them were well rewarded by a superb, strong heads down example of classic British Heavy Metal.
If Absolva looked familiar, it is because they also go out on the road as Blaze Bayley’s backing band, who graced this festival last year. This time, it was beautiful to see them here under their own name, out of the shadows and into the spotlight and owning that stage.
This band are quite simply formidable with their dual guitar sound and a down-tuned Maiden-esque feel. A great start to the day, with plentiful queues at the merch stand to pick up the new album Justice. 
Absolva play Cart & Horses, London on December 14th as part of a larger UK and Europe tour.
Karobela
All credit to Karobela, who were drafted in at the last minute to replace Queen Horizon on the Firestarter Stage. If it is difficult to open a stage at a festival, then consider doing this with less than 24 hours’ notice. Yet the local band fitted in perfectly.
There was no evidence of nerves showing, and they quickly made themselves at home with their unique alternative heavy rock sound.
They are an interesting listen, and with lead singer Lauren Diamond, they come over with tons of sass and attitude. Sometimes heads down rock, other times more adventurous indie, they put together a great show with endless energy and exuberance.
We spoke to the band a couple of hours after their performance when they were, in their words, “still buzzing.”
“We were at a gig in Brighton and got a message at about five saying can we play. I think this was written in the stars.” Lauren says.
Although used to playing on smaller stages, and not necessarily to a rock and Metal crowd, the band were not at all phased.
“We are a bit universal in that we can fit into this niche or that niche, so that can stand in our favour,” Lauren said. “We come alive on a big stage and feed on the crowd. Our goal is to have fun. It’s all about having the time together, and the fact that the audience appeared to like us, too, was great.”
Parker Barrow
Parker Barrow brought a feel-good factor to a particularly wet point in the afternoon. They hit the stage on fire, and there was no let-up in their hard-driving bluesy southern rock.
Hailing from Tennessee, they brought that Southern charm and happiness to proceedings with a well-crafted set of hard-rocking tunes. This is a band who clearly can get down and dirty when they want, and the songs were also indicative that if the mood takes them, they could jam them out to their heart’s content.
Lead singer Megan comes over visually with a Stevie Nicks influence, all flying scarves and tambourine, yet vocally, she is a powerhouse reminiscent at times of a southern Sass Jordan.
Marisa And The Moths
Having seen Marisa Rodriguez join Sophie Lloyd on stage on the Saturday, this was an opportunity to hear her in her element with her own band and their alternative rock sound.
This is a band that does not hold back. Standard heads down rock ‘n’ roll it is not. But they are not scared to get some strong messages out lyrically, and as a front woman and guitarist, Marisa is full of energy, action and enjoyment working the stage flawlessly. 
There is a lot to this band, and they are well worth exploring further.
Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters
Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters were another last-minute draft as a replacement for Battle Born and a welcome second appearance of the weekend following their well-received acoustic set on the VIP stage the day before.
Beth came over no holds barred, with her anthemic good time rock ‘n’ roll. This is a band with three cracking albums under their belts and a huge appetite for writing great, catchy, infectious rock ‘n’ roll. With songs such as I Ain’t Got Nothing (If I Ain’t Got Rock And Roll) they had the audience on their feet and rocking out.
Beth kept up some great banter with the expanding audience, and a visit to the barrier brought everyone together. This was a totally infectious set that flew past way too quickly.
Closing out with Jack And Coke, dedicated to Lemmy, they had provided a full-on, high-class show here where they had rapidly won over the audience, who were left shouting for more. Triumphant.
Sari Schorr
In line with many of the acts on the bill today, New Yorker Sari Schorr brought a powerful blend of bluesy rock. She has a powerhouse of a voice and hits big notes seamlessly. Yet there is also a soulful charm when she shifts to the softer material.
This is a lady who has it all, and despite a microphone problem early in the set, she raised herself and fought through the difficulties, without being put off. If anything, it fired her up to produce an overwhelming masterclass in good-time heavy rock.
As an artist, Sari Schorr worked the stage effortlessly. Her outfit sparkling in the emerging sun reflected the good time vibes she was emitting, and it was clear that we were in the company of a phenomenal performer.
Sari is in the middle of a run of creativity right now. We spent some time together for a good chat where she explained that she is over in England recording an album and was heading straight back to the studio once finished here.
“It’s a new album, not the album I’ve been working on for two years,” she confirms. “I went through an incredibly creative period and started writing all these songs with an incredible production team that actually lives here in the UK. Jamie Walker and Luke Paget had a couple of really cool chord progression ideas and started to play me some riffs.”
“They had a microphone set up in case I got an idea, and I said keep going. I went to the mic and sang down the whole song, then the next, and the next, and it just went like that.
“So I cancelled everything, we got on a roll, and we have an album’s worth of material. I’ve been in a residential studio with them all week.”
Sari explained that it’s quite the phenomenon to have songs spring up in the moment, as usually the songs take a lot more crafting, like the originally intended album that has been put on pause until she is happy it is ready.
“I was lucky enough to somehow tap into something,” she said, “because I can’t explain it. It’s wonderful when that happens because most of the songs really require a lot of work.”
And her festival essential? Her Italian coffee maker. A woman after our own hearts.
These Wicked Rivers
These Wicked Rivers (or “that lampshade band” as they are known to many) returned to Maidstone, having had to pull out in 2024. From the amassing audience numbers, these were clearly one of the big attractions of the day, and they truly delivered.
With the stage bedecked like an old front room, complete with a chest of drawers, a small table and light fittings, they brought out some fantastic, humorous songs and plenty of good-time feeling.
With guitarist Arran Day high-kicking around the stage, they provided the perfect follow-up to Sari Schorr as they took the groove to another level.
Single Black Gold saw an energetic audience in full sing-along mode with the catchy chorus line, while Have A Dream brought an increasingly high-volume, high-intensity performance from the band.
These Wicked Rivers closed out the set with a rampant and triumphant Don’t Pray for Me which included a snippet of Neil Young’s Hey Hey, My My.
Tygers Of Pan Tang
As with South Of Salem yesterday, there was an unexpected act on the VIP stage, namely the NWOBHM titans Tygers Of Pan Tang. Turns out this was the first-ever acoustic set for the big cats, and we are simply not used to seeing them this quiet.
We are used to the great banter and plentiful stories, however, and this was very much in evidence here, a highlight being Don’t Stop By which doubled up as a heartfelt tribute to the much missed John Sykes.
Once over the initial shock, hearing these Metal classics in a stripped-down acoustic format was really impressive and kept the large crowd gathered until the end. This format may never happen again, so it had the hallmark of a real exclusive.
This House We Built
This House We Built switched the tempo down from the hard-driving rock and Metal that had gone before, yet rapidly won over the audience, playing songs from their self-titled album.
This was a set that was reminiscent of the ’80s and brought that summertime feel-good vibe to proceedings, with big choruses and punchy guitar work.
A cover of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice was particularly well received and saw the audience’s arms waving and swaying in the air as they sang along. 
They finished with a new song, which I believe was called I’m Going Home, which saw the audience rise as one and in full voice join with this band. They may have been an unknown quantity to many before this show, but certainly won’t be after.
The day before the show, frontman Scott Wardell was sharing with us how much he was looking forward to today, to be “four Yorkshiremen rocking out in Kent!”
Being here was also super special, as sharing the bill with Ugly Kid Joe was particularly meaningful. “Everything About You was the first song I ever played. It can’t get better than that.”
On today’s showing, I think there will be plenty more and bigger highlights to come. 
Stone Broken
This was the penultimate show for Stone Broken, who are shortly going on hiatus for a while and from the reaction to this set will be sorely missed. They have a history with Maidstone festivals, having started on an up-and-coming artists stage many years before and finishing on a high on the main stage.
They are a band that have always written strong, well-crafted songs with a heavy edge and a rhythmic groove. At times, they are a party band rocking out with the audience, at others, they have the ability to wind down and produce some great tunes.
This afternoon, both sides of the band were on show as they produced a set of pure good-time rock, which will no doubt leave much of the audience with some happy memories.
This was a resounding success, a great show, a great set, and this is a band who will be greatly missed.
Blue Nation
Since the release of their stunning album Ordinary People in 2024, Birmingham’s Blue Nation have developed quite a reputation as a must-see live act.
After being around on the circuit for a few years, their time has come, and the number of people falling in love with not just their music, but the trio themselves is growing massively.
Today is their largest audience to date, although they did play to a large crowd at 2024’s Dave Day, in honour of Hairy Biker Dave Myers. “That was different though,” drummer Nick Sharman tells us when we chat before the show.
“The music was there, but people were mainly there for everything to do with Dave and the bikes. Whereas everyone is here for the music, so that’s going to be a different energy.”
The energy of the band so far is one of anticipation, with bassist Luke Weston declaring himself “totally chilled”, leaving singer and guitarist Neil Murdoch to confess to “nervous energy.”
Who thought it was a good idea to ramp this up even further by talking about the size of the crowd and the high standards of the weekend so far? Sorry Neil!
As far as festival memories go, our conversation took an unexpected turn.
“I’ve only really been to one festival other than the ones that we’ve done,” Nick confessed, “and it’s a weird one because it’s probably memorable for the wrong reasons. I got to see Heaven and Hell and Avenged Sevenfold, then a few months later, The Rev died, and then Dio died, and that was the last gig for both of them. So it’s the only festival I’ve done, but I’m quite happy about that.”
Luke and Neil agree. “Yeah, I suggest you don’t go watch people at festivals.”
Playing at festivals is quite a different matter, however, and the trio delivered and then some. Huge riffs, the sweetest of melodies, massive numbers that took the large crowd with them every step of the way, all seasoned with their trademark banter and humour.
Luke gave a heartfelt speech about why the band support the charity Ian’s Place who help bereaved parents, and a plea to men especially to talk about mental health. Following up with the powerful song Echoes, the poignancy hits hard.
The set couldn’t have gone better. The roar of the crowd kept going long after the traditional drum riser photo call, and the queues at the merch stand afterwards were insane.
We had such a good time, we will forgive them for trying to persuade us earlier on that turmeric-flavoured Pringles existed.
Sweet
Okay, hands up if you don’t like ’70s glam rock. Thought not. This was one of those sets that was greatly anticipated by many. Andy Scott’s high vocals and distinctive chugging guitar riffs are all present and correct, and as effective as the glory days of the ’70s.
This is a band that still know how to kick up a great show. And that was what we got. Quite simply, they were probably the band of the day, if not the entire festival. After all, who has a back catalogue like these guys?
Paul Manzi is the perfect frontman for this incarnation, and with the sun now shining down on the masses, all we needed was to roll the clock back to the early ’70s and party down like it’s 1974 again.
Just ignore the ages of those who were belting out Teenage Rampage the hardest.
It has been well recorded that Andy was seriously ill, and he is still clearly recovering. Yet there was nothing keeping him away from the stage this afternoon, and the love and admiration shown by the audience were immensely palpable.
In many ways, it would be easy just to write down here the songs played. You know them all. They speak for themselves.
Let’s say that with the likes of Hell Raiser, Love Is Like Oxygen, Blockbuster, Action, Fox On The Run and Ballroom Blitz, they really could do no wrong.
There were grown men and women crying after this set, thankfully for happy reasons. This was one of those shows that will remain an all-time festival highlight. 
Empyre
Empyre are a great band playing a form of atmospheric, near progressive rock music. Delicate, thoughtful, well-crafted, they are lyrically quite dark, and the music here is more thoughtful and testing.
It’s not catchy rock. You have to make time for it to really understand the creativity behind the pieces, more complex and technical in the vein of modern prog. Gone are the three-minute rock anthems, and they are replaced with more detailed pieces, albeit well-crafted and more intricate.
That said, they are still a band who can write some fantastic melodies within the song structures, and their legion of die-hard fans were clearly enjoying themselves. Catch Empyre on tour supporting Cats In Space this autumn.
Michael Schenker
So, we come to the headliner, this German magician, Schenker the man, Schenker the master.
We knew we were heading for a good time after we briefly bumped into Erik Grönwall and Steve Mann and saw how relaxed and happy they were, and this transferred to the stage.
Producing a set that was entirely built around his years in UFO, he could do no wrong. Just go and listen to Strangers In The Night and you will remind yourself of what great tunes he co-wrote and performed on.
This was a masterclass in everything that was great about UFO. Though their time has now passed, it was wonderful to take that step down memory lane once more and hear that raft of classic songs in the live environment once more. 
From opener, Natural Thing, through Only You Can Rock Me, Doctor Doctor, Mother Mary, Lights Out and an extended Rock Bottom, it was classic after classic. In addition, there were showings of songs that UFO did not play that often, such as Hot ‘n’ Ready.
With ex-H.E.A.T. and Skid Row vocalist Grönwall, we had everything that we needed to make these songs once again stand out.
With the band returning to encore with Too Hot To Handle, which was dedicated to departed UFO members Paul Chapman and Pete Way, this was the perfect ending to a perfect day. 
Maid Of Stone: A Festival That Rocks
Now in its third year, Maid Of Stone has firmly established itself as a must-attend event for rock fans. With a wide variety of music styles covered, their festival’s reputation continues to grow.
Set to be a highlight of Festival Season, MetalTalk will have more news very soon. All our coverage for 2025 will be found at MetalTalk.net/maid-of-stone.
Tickets Available Now. For full details and to grab your tickets, visit MaidOfStoneFestival.com.
MetalTalk’s Maid Of Stone 2024 coverage can be found at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/maid-of-stone-festival-2024.
For MetalTalk’s Maid Of Stone 2023 coverage, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/maid-of-stone-festival-2023.
