There’s no getting away from it. The drive to Steelhouse Festival is unlike any other. As The Welsh International Classic Rock Festival moves silently towards its 15th Anniversary, edition 13 throws up an eclectic line-up that caused some disgruntlement upon announcement. It appears to have grown on the fans, for there are few tickets to be had by the time we hit the mountain road, potholes and all.
Steelhouse Festival 2025 – Friday
Hafod-Y-Dafel Farm, Aberbeeg, Wales – 25-27 July 2025
Words And Photography: Paul Hutchings
Over the years, the smell of burning clutches has been the predominant scent on day one, but it seems that most of us are getting used to driving this route now.
Self-sufficient campers in their vans are already parked up the night before and are likely well-oiled already as the first campers heave their tents into the fields.
But the camaraderie which pervades this festival is here in abundance. There is a good atmosphere as gates finally open and the fans pitch their tent and have beers in the sun before heading for the arena, soaking up the vibe, the various merchandise stalls that increase year on year, as well as the inevitable charge to the bars for the local Tudor Brewery ales, a highlight for many each year. 
We also have a selection of Planet Rock presenters sharing their thoughts on Ozzy before the fun starts.
Asomvel
What better than some hard-hitting heavy rock to get the Steelhouse party started, then? Cue Asomvel, who I last saw burning a hole in the Sophie Tent in 2024’s Bloodstock. The band’s stock has risen this year with a support slot with Airborne raising their profile ahead of an autumn UK tour. 
It’s no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point music that is ideal with a pint of something cooling. Frontman Lenny Robinson, along with son Stel on drums and nephew Ralph, continue the family affair which honours the legacy of founder Jay Jay Winter.
Completed by bassist Ryan Thackwray, the band draw from their discography, although much comes from 2024’s Born To Rock ‘N’ Roll. 
Fast, aggressive and heavy, Asomvel get the reaction you would expect in these parts, where the shadow of Motörhead is never far away, given it’s a stone’s throw from Phil Campbell’s birthplace.
Plenty of fists in the air, the first heads start to nod, and the festival is well and truly off to a flyer. Good work Messrs Evans and Rhead, this was inspired.
Marisa And The Moths
There are several bands in the UK creating a big stir now. One of them is Marisa And The Moths, and on this performance, it’s easy to see why. Marisa Rodriguez is a natural and has both the photographers in the pit and the people on the barrier eating out of her hand within minutes. 
Fitting in neatly with the Steelhouse aesthetic, this is their first time up the mountain, as is the case with the first four bands today.
The Moths are a solid band, working hard to keep the music pumping, and guitarist Alez gains the first of many cheers with his taped word Ozzy on the back of his guitar. They fly through their set, drawn mainly from their latest album What Doesn’t Kill You.
The glorious weather is a huge help, allowing the band to make the most of the walkway that extends deep into the crowd. We have sing-alongs that get the audience involved, and involved they get. This is a band well positioned to move up the ladder, and given the number of shirts bearing their name, it seems they are catching the eyes and ears of the rock world. Watch this space. 
Dan Byrne
For those in the Steelhouse VIP area, a new addition in 2025 is the acoustic stage. First up is the man who is now synonymous with Steelhouse, Dan Byrne.
Three sets here last year, he runs through four or five acoustic numbers and sounds great. After a momentous 2024, he is back at it, and those present are treated to a nice little chilled set.
Marisa and Liam from Marisa And The Moths step up later in the evening for another set that is well received.
Wolfsbane
It is a heartening sight to see this band rocking it up on stage. In a recent interview with frontman Blaze Bayley, he talked about how excited he and his bandmates, Jason Edwards, Jeff Hateley and drummer Steve Danger were about playing the festival.
It showed, with a vibrant and energetic set that took many of the howling mad shitheads in the crowd back to their youth and the Live Fast Die Fast debut.
It is a solid set formed mainly from that release, and for the best part of hour, thousands are transfixed as one of rock’s most genuinely likeable characters leads the band on a charge not just through memory lane but towards the future. Blaze is predictably chatty between songs. He is a man who loves to talk after all, and he is looking well after some challenging health issues. 
If you want Wolfsbane classics, then here they are. Killing Machine, Fell Out Of Heaven, Money To Burn and of course, the sing-along to I Like it Hot are all here.
It’s warm on stage, and in the field, where beers are helping lubricate the Welsh singing. There is no way we are not getting a nod to Ozzy, though, and the band play a very carefully cropped Changes. A brave move, but it works. Wolfsbane are back, and on this showing, there is still more to come.
Wednesday 13
In recent years, Steelhouse has thrown the odd curved ball into the more traditional expectations of the line-up. Last year was Accept, and we had Green Lung and Orange Goblin the year before. In 2025, that badge goes to the gothic shock rock of Wednesday 13, who bring for many the most complete performance of the day.
They ooze swagger and bravado, and from the moment they hit the stage, it is all eyes to the front. Whilst many may be watching the band for the first time, they have a long pedigree and the hardcore on the barriers are soon singing along to Look What The Bats Dragged In.
Wednesday is a consummate frontman, unflappable in the sun, although he soon notes that they are not used to playing in the light, before getting the crowd to flip the bird at the big yellow orb.
Audience participation is essential in When the Devil Commands, whilst I Walked With A Zombie is one of the most enjoyable tracks of the day. 
It’s big, brash, over the top and as the sun slowly sets, bizarrely perfect in this stunning location. Whilst I Love To Say Fuck is never going to win the best song award, it is a final sing-along with Wednesday’s umbrella with Fuck written on it possibly the funniest thing I have seen all day.
Highly entertaining from start to finish, it throws the gauntlet down to the headliners.
The Wildhearts
It’s been well documented that Ginger Wildheart has had his troubles over the past couple of years. In 2023, his other band, The Sinners, played without him here, only his guitar at the back of the stage reminding us that he should have been here. 
Tonight, he is very much the Ginger we want to see. A vibrant, pithy, and loved-up Ginger. In this mood, he is unstoppable, and backed by a fresh band, it is a set that sees Wednesday 13 and matches it song for song.
Most importantly, he looks well, and despite a virus that causes some vocal issues, “I sound like Barry White,” he laughs at one point, this is a classic yet excitingly new Wildhearts.
Suckerpunch segues into I Wanna Go Where The People Go and Troubadour Moon. It is complete with pyro, and as Ginger acknowledges, as headliners, they must at least be a bit “professional”.
Ginger is chatty, reflective and in great spirits. He gets a warm round of applause for his advice on dealing with mental health – “the system is fucked, find your own support network and deal with it.”
New songs too, and a new album coming, it sounds and feels like a new era. As Ginger hits his sixties, and given the week we have had, it’s brilliant to see another rock legend bringing such a vibrant set to close day one.
My Baby Is A Headfuck closes out the stage for the day. We will be back tomorrow. The bar is already set high.
Steelhouse Festival 2025
MetalTalk’s Paul Hutchings is at Steelhouse Festival 2025. You can read all of this year’s coverage at MetalTalk.net/steelhouse.
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.
