The beautiful surroundings of Mote Park once again hosted one of the most essential summer events in the fourth Maid Of Stone Festival. This year there was perfect hot weather and no last-minute band substitutes or emergencies, simply three days jam-packed with enough variety to give something for every discerning rock and Metal fan to smile about.
Maid of Stone Festival – Friday 17 July 2026
Words: Liz Medhurst – Paul Monkhouse
Photography: Gina Smith
Opening the Inferno Stage, a high-energy set by Melbourne’s very own Cassidy Paris set the bar high. Having completed a full UK tour only a couple of months ago, it was a very welcome return as Paris and her band brought some thunder from down under with their own brand of classy pop rock shot through with soul.
The addition of a duet with recent touring mate Russ Grimmett of Fireheart added another layer to the set, and hopefully it will not be long before we see her back here.
Across on the Firestarter Stage, Bournemouth quartet Regional One were showing how their sound had toughened up recently, the hooks still intact but numbers like the aptly named Bedlam hitting hard. Even when technical issues derail big finish Hero, their triumph remained undiminished as the crowd happily cheered them on.
Canadian Anthony Gomes is no stranger to these shores, the blues rocker a seemingly constant present figure on the scene. With his white Flying V, red trousers, visceral vocals and good-humoured approach, incendiary songs from latest album Praise The Loud and hilarious stories about meeting the White Trash Princess of his dreams in a branch of Tesco kept everyone enthralled.
After his set, the queue for the signing tent told its own story.
DeVere are a much talked-about band at the moment, but how much traction there is in their Mötley Crϋe type ’80s glam-styled rock is up for debate. Good songs, lively stage presence, but will it truly appeal to enough people to see them lifting themselves above the retro-rock tag?
Only time will tell, and judging by the positive reaction of the crowd, they are in with a chance.
The middle of the day saw some acoustic sets over on the VIP stage. Heavy blues troubadour Jack J Hutchinson, who opened proceedings on the Sunday main stage last year, returned for an acoustic VIP slot.
Hutchinson and bassist Greg Smith ran through some back catalogue classics and new song Soul Believer, showing that acoustic absolutely does not have to mean soft, and a mighty fine groove hits the spot no matter what medium.
Later on the VIP stage, North-Eastern hard rockers Juliet’s Not Dead turned down their usual dynamic and fast-paced set to give a fairly gentle soundtrack to those tucking into the excellent rock ‘n’ roll toasties.
With the first appearance of a fiddle over the weekend, Morganway brought a little bit of country and a little bit of folk to their rock riffs, and S J Mortimer’s gorgeous and powerful vocals rang out clearly over the whole park.
Magnetic and majestic, they certainly made a lot of new friends and continue their rapid ascent.
Germany’s The New Roses are used to big stages, having toured with some of the biggest names in the business. Mixing hard rock riffs and big songs, the quintet put a modern edge into the classic sound without going the same route as others who slavishly copy older bands.
This is rock ‘n’ roll born of passion and an excitement sparked by growing up with loud guitars coming from the rooms of thousands of teenage Metalheads across the world, and at Maid Of Stone, nostalgia mixed with hope for the future.
FM were a popular main stage choice for good reason. Who could ever get enough of being taken to melodic rock heaven from the absolute masters of the genre?
Their set is a career-spanning, fan-pleasing exercise that shows exactly why they are still as in demand today as they ever were. Digging Up The Dirt, That Girl and Tough It Out blazed with a polished intensity, Steve Overland’s voice still a thing of silky wonder and their quality is untouchable.
Perfect for the afternoon sunshine, but FM are a band that can be enjoyed anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
Whilst the excellent Sam Morrow, sporting a spectacular mullet, seemingly missed all the warnings about swearing on stage, his set was nonetheless a fiery welter of blues-soaked southern rock where honesty and raw edges were king.
Another delicious helping of southern rock could be found over on the Inferno stage as the Nashville band A Thousand Horses delivered the very definition of a crowd-pleasing set.
Cut from the same cloth as The Black Crowes, Whiskey Myers and Blackberry Smoke, this was way more rock than country, with tight guitars and a massive sound. The high-adrenaline performance energised anyone suffering from a mid-evening slump.
It is not all about the maximum voltage sounds, though. Listen carefully to the lyrics, and there is a hell of a lot of depth there and more soul-bearing than you may imagine, giving the band an added dimension.
The insertion of their version of Champagne Supernova raised eyebrows. It was not bad, merely an odd fit, although performing it in the UK means that it is a guaranteed audience sing-along.
Closing out the Firestarter stage, dark blues trio Crow Black Chicken were a magnetic presence. Hailing “from the Deep South … of Ireland”, this heavy blues veered into stoner, doom and even prog at times, along with some of guitarist/vocalist Christy O’Hanlon’s fiercely funny craic.
With so many textures at times the focus was lost, but this is a minor quibble from a hard-hitting set that at times evoked the spirit of the proto Metal days.
Headliners this evening were The Temperance Movement, who returned to the stage last year after a five-year absence, and man, it is good to have them back. That tour went so well that a new album will be released this October.
New songs Always Been Love, Eat You Alive and Silverlight Blues hint at a return to a raw, natural sound, and blended well with the earlier catalogue. Always a strong live act, the band looked happy, energetic and relaxed and showed us exactly why we used to get so excited about them pre-2020.
Unsurprisingly, all eyes were on charismatic frontman Phil Campbell, whose dancing appears to be inspired by a combination of ’80s aerobics videos and those inflatable wavy-armed figures you see outside car showrooms.
No complaints though, no-one wants a boring frontman. There were some magical guitar trade-offs between Luke Potashnik and Paul Sayer, the latter fortunate to be onstage in one piece after a double head injury.
The previous evening during a small warm-up gig, he had managed to bash himself in the face with his guitar, spilling blood, and this evening had managed to walk into a metal bar before taking to the stage.
The performance was not affected, thankfully, so maybe a stronger contact lens prescription will see future dates go off without a hitch.
These very worthy headliners completed day one, with plenty more to come.
Maid Of Stone: A Festival That Rocks
Now in its fourth year, Maid Of Stone has firmly established itself as a must-attend event for rock fans. With a wide variety of music styles covered, the festival’s reputation continues to grow.
MetalTalk’s 2026 team was Liz Medhurst, Paul Monkhouse with photography by Gina Smith.
Set to be a highlight of Festival Season, MetalTalk will have more news very soon. All our coverage for 2026 will be found MetalTalk.net/maid-of-stone.
Tickets are available now for 2027. For full details and to grab your tickets, visit MaidOfStoneFestival.com.
MetalTalk’s Maid Of Stone 2025 coverage can be found at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/maid-of-stone-festival-2025.
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.
