The final day of Steelhouse Festival 2026 has arrived already, and it is back to it for those who want to soak up all the music. For those who do not, bacon sandwiches and the best view in the world await.
Steelhouse Festival 2026 – Sunday
Hafod-Y-Dafel Farm, Aberbeeg, Wales – 24-26 July 2025
Words And Photography: Paul Hutchings
Responsibility for starting the final day sits with Blue Nation.
Blue Nation
Blue Nation are a three-piece from Birmingham whose name has been popping up with regularity in recent times. Their sound is ideal for a Sunday lunchtime.
Lightweight melodic rock with heart and feel providing those with hangovers the chance to nurse that hair of the dog. It is easy to see why this lot fit in.
They are not going to steal the day, but Neil Murdoch, Luke Weston and Nick Sharman do their best to fill a big stage.
LN
Many folks told me to catch the Pagan Metal of LN. So, I did. They certainly put everything into their set, and in firebrand singer Hirst, they had probably the gutsiest vocalist of the weekend.
Her intensity made up for the limitations in quality, and it was good to hear some proper heavyweight riffs for virtually the first time since King Kraken opened the festival nearly 48 hours earlier.
Shield Wall may not have the bombast of Swedes Amon Amarth, but the turbo driven sound was certainly a welcome addition to a weekend, with a slightly limp circle pit kicking up dust at Hirst’s agitated command.
It has all been done before, see Moonsorrow, Finntroll, Enisferum, Arkona, Draconian etc. But on a day when rock beats Metal, something with this much fire is welcome.
Phil Campbell Tribute
Advertised as a secret set, word has spread around the site over the weekend, and it is the biggest crowd of the entire festival that gathers at 2.15 pm. Mikey Evans and Max Rhead, the two guys behind this brilliant festival, take to the stage, something they rarely do, to introduce a brief tribute to Phil Campbell.
It is an emotional video of the late Motörhead legend playing the Welsh National anthem. A few tears are shed.
Florence Black
It is followed by uncontained joy as Merthyr’s Florence Black roar onto the stage to an enormous welcome. A raw Ace Of Spades is the nod to the Welsh Prince before Tristan, Fozzy and Perry own the afternoon with a set not dissimilar to that seen at Cardiff Castle at Blackbird Festival a month ago.
Breadfan is a no-brainer, igniting the meatier lads in the crowd to pit, before Sun & Moon closes out an epic 40-minute set.
Darren Wharton’s Renegade
It may be a glorious tribute band in many aspects, but having Darren Wharton’s Renegade in the mid-afternoon slot was a stroke of genius.
A set of classic Thin Lizzy songs delivered by one of the final members of the legendary band is going to grab the attention, and even though it turned into the Sunday afternoon singalong section, who was going to complain about another listen to Angel Of Death, Chinatown and, of course, The Boys Are Back in Town.
Inspired booking and smiles once again beam around the field.
Tyketto
Another band returning after a long absence, Tyketto are always a touch of class. In as good form as they have ever been, this was the ideal follow-up to Renegade.
Danny Vaughn remains the supreme frontman, both vocally and interactively. The band are no slouches. Guitarist Harry Scott Elliot, keyboardist Ged Rylands, drummer Johnny Lee and bassist Chris Childs have been around a bit, and together they deliver a smooth as silk set.
New songs from this year’s Closer To The Sun sound great, and when the entire arena joins in on Forever Young, Sunday’s line-up is suddenly taking the lead.
Vaughn and co also pull in a fair crowd for the final acoustic set of the day later.
Ugly Kid Joe
We have had a few bands known for one or two songs, and Ugly Kid Joe are forever going to be associated with Cats In The Cradle and Everything About You.
There is so much more about the Americans, and in Whitfield Crane they possess one of rock’s most engaging frontmen. Their set flies by and the diehards are word perfect, whilst the casual fan can groove to the likes of Neighbour and Milkman’s Son.
A band I would never play at home, they always hit the spot in the live setting. Tonight they do not let me down again.
Alien Ant Farm
Six studio albums, over five million records sold, Alien Ant Farm are heavyweight special guests. Another band known purely for a cover, the band are now into year 30.
They bring a set that is unfamiliar to many, but a surprising number are fully immersed. Tracks that you may not recognise as AAF fly out of the stage, and then they hit the winner.
Watch a field full of mainly over 40s dancing to Smooth Criminal like it is going out of fashion, and you realise that you do not need much more. In a set that opened a few eyes, it is still the classics that hit the spot best.
Unfortunately, personal circumstances forced me to leave the festival before Steel Panther. By all accounts, they went down well.
So, another year up the mountain done. We had the wind, a little rain, but mainly sunshine to support a fantastic weekend. Well done to all involved. It was a blast.
2027 tickets are already on sale. Visit steelhousefestival.com for more details. See you next year.
Steelhouse Festival 2026
MetalTalk’s Paul Hutchings is at Steelhouse Festival 2026. You can read all of this year’s coverage at MetalTalk.net/steelhouse.
You can read all of MetalTalk’s Steelhouse Festival 2025 coverage at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/steelhouse-festival-2025.
You can read all of MetalTalk’s Steelhouse Festival 2024 coverage at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/steelhouse-festival-2024.
For the Steelhouse Festival 2023 edition, click here.
