Maid of Stone Festival – Friday. Following the success of the inaugural event last year, Maid Of Stone festival returned to the rolling hills of Kent, bringing five thousand rock devotees and a mouth-watering lineup.
Maid Of Stone Festival
Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent – Friday 19 July 2024
Friday is a warmup day, not that any more warmth was needed on what amounted to the hottest day of the year so far, with performances on one stage out of the three. This gave the opportunity to get the lie of the land and note that this was a brilliant, compact layout and incredibly well organised.
White Raven Down
Kick-off was at 6 pm sharp, and White Raven Down took to the Phoenix Stage with a bang, The Southend-on-Sea-based trio showed us the power riffs and high energy that have got them noticed over the last year or two.
Early sound issues settled quickly, and the party was well and truly started. With cuts from their latest album, Don’t Shoot The Messenger, landing well and frontman Stu Bailey putting in huge efforts to engage the crowd, this was a great start. 
Blaze Bayley
Blaze Bayley received a rapturous welcome and with good reason. Looking hale and hearty and astonishingly fit after his recent major health issues, you would never know that he underwent a quadruple bypass just over a year ago.
This was a full Iron Maiden set tonight, with all songs taken from the two albums from his tenure in the 1990s, The X Factor and Virtual XI.
As expected, he remains accompanied by the boys from Absolva, the twin guitars of Luke and Chris Appleton ringing out beautifully in the sunshine. Blaze insisted on making the crowd work, with call and responses, not satisfied until the screams were at an appropriate volume. 
It was so good to be reminded that there are quality songs buried among the lesser-heard and celebrated Iron Maiden albums, and The Clansman, Futureal, Sign Of The Cross, and Como Estais Amigos really hit home. 
Maidstone screamed for Blaze., who then proceeded to spend the rest of the weekend on site making time for everyone who wanted a chat and a photo.
Gun
Riding high with the recent success of their latest album Hombres, Gun are on ferocious form right now and make the perfect band to close the night.
Armed with some classic material that brings the Scottish outfit’s perfect mix of muscle and melody, there are few acts out there who come anywhere close.
Given that they have been a going concern for over three decades now, the chemistry sizzles and crackles in all the right places, the familial team of Jools and Dante Gizzi leading from the front. With no fuss, elaborate stage show, intro tapes or pyro, this is straight ahead and honest rock ‘n’ roll that thrills with its primal stomp and swing and stutter.
Cherry-picking the numbers from their entire career, early favourites like a scorching Inside Out rub shoulders happily with the glorious new anthem Falling, these and more become destined to stay in heads for the rest of the night.
Echoing recent stadium giants AC/DC, Gun have the same innate ability to write great rock songs as Angus’s mob, and Everybody Loves Her, Don’t Say It’s Over and Shame On You bristle with dirty riffs and attitude.
Dante’s place as a frontman has long been cemented, the charismatic singer having certainly grown into the role with passion. His brother blends cool and power, his interlocking fretwork with Ruairidh McFarlane creating sparks whilst the bass of Andy Carr and drums of Paul McManus drive the beast, the latter remarkably playing the day after having keyhole surgery. That, folks, is commitment.
While their take on Cameo’s Word Up is huge fun and gets the crowd singing at the top of their voices to the call and response section, still fresh-sounding debut single Better Days and a sledgehammer Steal Your Fire are arguably the songs of the night.
Ironically, the set is cut short due to the strict curfew when the power is turned off as the band have just started into the chorus of encore Fight For Your Right To Party, a situation the Beastie Boys would have probably found hilarious.
Smiling themselves, the band take their bows and walk off stage, the cheers ringing in their ears saying all that was needed.
Gun are magnificent tonight and long may they continue.
MAID OF STONE FESTIVAL 2024
The Maid Of Stone Festival 2024 edition will find 39 bands gracing the stage at Mote Park between 19 and 21 July 2024. Gun, Wolfmother and Mr. Big are the headline acts on what has become, over the years, a must-attend event for music lovers.
MetalTalk’s Maid Of Stone 2024 coverage can be found at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/maid-of-stone-festival-2024.
This year’s MetalTalk team is:
Photography:
For MetalTalk’s Maid Of Stone 2023 coverage, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/maid-of-stone-festival-2023.
Maid Of Stone Website – maidofstonefestival.com
