In its eighth year, Stonedead experienced a first – a properly wet festival. In the past there have been occasional showers, and one memorably major storm, but these were isolated incidents, compared to this year, when it rained on and off – but mostly on – throughout.
Stonedead Festival 2026
Newark Showground – 29 August 2026
Words: Liz Medhurst / Bogdan Bele
Photography: Matt Pratt
So with the excellent showground drainage, how muddy could it get? Really, really muddy.
Unprepared trainer-wearing punters gradually developed a look of regret as the afternoon wore on and they gingerly picked out the least worst paths through. Other downsides were the undeniable reduction of the social aspect, and the need for strategic timing when it came to sampling the excellent food options. Nobody likes a soggy chip.
Still, these niggles were minor. There is no way that the rain could have spoilt the day. Bands and audience leaned right into it. Nobody cared about getting a soaking, and as always, a fantastic time was had at what has deservedly become one of the highlights of the season.
With the maestro of comperes Krusher Joule keeping us entertained with another batch of shaggy dog stories including terrible monkey behaviour, wrestling James Hetfield, and trying to outwit Don Arden, this is yet another legendary Stonedead.
Aethoria
It is pretty early in the day – 11:30 AM – when Aethoria, winners of Stonedead’s opening band poll, take the stage. Not an easy mission, as it is raining and everyone is just getting used to the surroundings.
They do not let this faze them, though, and they play an energetic set. Vocalist Mecia-Jade Holden announces that they have their debut album out, encouraging everyone to buy it, so they can eat a bit more than just beans.
Jokes aside, the East Anglian band provides those present with a generous serving of catchy hard rock that gets a good reaction from those present (more than I personally would have imagined).
Fools Gold, the title track of the new album, is a highlight, with some impressive guitar work, and so is Stepping Stone, with a very nice rolling riff. Definitely worth keeping an eye on them in the future.
Asomvel
Talk about false hope. The sun comes out for a minute as Asomvel take the stage. So do six full Marshall stacks. This can only mean it is time for Asomvel.
It is hard not to mention some similarities to Motörhead in terms of sound and vision, but this is a band that stands quite well on its own.
They are a lot of fun live, playing high-octane rock ‘n’ roll and having some firm Stonedead crowd favourites in their setlist. If It’s Too Loud, You’re Too Old basically says it all, and I cannot see any complainers on that front.
Born To Rock ‘N’ Roll is equally fun, and so is the new track Rock ‘N’ Roll In Your Blood, which they wrote only last week and saw fit to debut.
It is fun, unpretentious, pedal-to-the-Metal rock music, and it is just what the doctor ordered. They finish on a track Lemmy could have easily written, The Nightmare Ain’t Over, driven by a great double bass drum.
Before Crobot’s performance, a representative of Andy’s Man Club takes the stage for a minute to discuss what they do. It is great to see Stonedead supporting a charity that does such great work to get men to share and improve their mental health.
Crobot
The rain stops for a little bit, and this time it is the Orange amps coming out. It can only mean one thing. Crobot and their fuzz-filled riffs are about to make their appearance. And boy, is it an appearance to behold, as frontman Brandon Yeagley wears a purple sequined open shirt, completing the ensemble with gold trousers.
He is all over the stage, prowling it as if possessed, dancing, jumping, and showing his great vocal chops.
It is a great set, showing off the fact that Crobot certainly have the tunes. Supermoon, their latest record, appears in the set early on, with Foot Off, a song that has the mother of all grooves, and enough fuzz to donate to other, less fuzz-blessed, bands.
There is a lot of funk and a rhythm section with tons of groove all over those tracks, but also quite a bit of humour. At one point, the crowd is informed of the band’s desire to educate. What follows is the brilliant Me And Your Mother. You know, just in case you need an explanation of the birds and the bees thing.
Lowlife ends their set on a high note. So high that the frontman needs to sing it while climbing on the guitarist’s shoulders.
Great set indeed.
The Damn Truth
The band is already on stage, setting up, when their intro, Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit, starts playing, almost in full. And it is a portal straight into ’60s rock, visually and, to a certain extent, musically.
If you do not know them, The Damn Truth play catchy retro-tinted hard rock, and they do it in a very contagious way. Today is no exception, in what is probably the most treacherous weather of the day. That does not deter anyone, though, with rock ‘n’ roll making room early on for the absolutely epic The Willow, with Tom Schemer’s guitar and Lee-La Baum’s vocals truly shining, as they do on The Lonely.
It turns into a true and very wet singalong later, especially on the very catchy This Is Who We Are Now, which you surely must have heard on the radio. Or, if you have not, you can play it now and have it stuck in your head for a few days.
They mention having been nominated for a Juno (the Canadian Grammy) for Rock Album Of The Year. Despite not having won, it is a sign that rock ‘n’ roll is back.
Armored Saint
It is starting to heat up now. Not the weather, of course. It is still raining and getting heavier now, but the Metal is burning bright. What a treat to hear ’80s American legends Armored Saint come out all guns blazing, grabbing us by the shoulders and reminding us of exactly why they were regarded as the Kings of Metal.
Not a nostalgia band, the two tracks played from this year’s Emotion Factory Reset showed that the band have lost none of their vibrancy.
Frontman John Bush leaned right into the rain, spending plenty of time right at the front beyond the stage canopy, getting as wet as we did. As the stage crew were kept busy continually mopping the floor, the quintet were unfazed and impressively delivered the goods.
Last Train Home was atmospheric, and the crowd joined in with gusto. A dive into the pit to get up close and personal with the audience is always welcome, and the sight of Bush singing the classic Can U Deliver along with a guy in a scream mask will stay long in the memory.
Battle Beast
This was always going to be a must-see set, for Finland’s Power Metallers Battle Beast have replaced their vocalist. Noora Louhimo has left to focus on solo pursuits, and today is the first UK show for her replacement, Marina La Torraca, from Brazil.
It took precisely twenty seconds of singing before the verdict was in. What a fantastic replacement. Noora is an exceptional and unique vocalist, and Marina’s tone is different. Still, she suited the material beautifully, is immensely talented and looked fantastic in a magnificent black leather long-fringed outfit.
There were some technical gremlins before the second song, The Last Goodbye, but this was quickly sorted, and the rest of the set was flawless.
Everyone was cheering up and keeping warm by bopping about to the very best kind of cheesy Euro Metal. Their set was so much fun (you can never go wrong with a keytar), with a fair amount of grit to keep things from descending into pop territory.
Towards the end of the set, Eden was a real highlight, with the crowd singing along in a call-and-response, contributing to the many layers and driving rhythm. Battle Beast’s power thunders on unchecked.
Magnum
The death of co-founder Tony Clarkin in 2024 sent shock waves of loss throughout the community, and it was difficult to see how Magnum could continue without him. After a short hiatus, his compadre, frontman Bob Catley, announced some shows specifically to pay tribute to Clarkin.
These were such a success that the band continued, with long-term guitar tech Brendan Riley stepping into the lead guitarist position, and a brand new album is due later this year.
There is so much love for the melodic hard rockers. You could feel it in waves across the arena as the band took to the stage. Bob Catley, only a couple of weeks short of his 79th birthday, was resplendent in an embroidered velvet jacket and led the band through a selection of the most beloved anthems.
No one expects a voice to sound as good at 78 as it did at 38, that’s a given, but unfortunately something went badly wrong in the sound mix for the first few songs, to Catley’s detriment. This was a pity. However, goodwill carried the band through, and there was a definite improvement as the set went on.
The epic and treasured tracks were well chosen to celebrate the band’s legacy and indeed keep the night light burning.
How Far Jerusalem, Lost On The Road To Eternity, On A Storyteller’s Night, Kingdom of Madness, it was so good to hear these anthems. The songs are far too good to be mothballed. It was indeed a sacred hour.
Accept
A huge air of excitement gathered as the sky darkened at sunset and German Metallers Accept took to the stage.
We knew it was going to be good as the band played some UK dates this week as part of their 50th anniversary tour and went down a storm. This shorter festival set cut straight to the chase and delivered top-grade premium Heavy Metal to swoon over.
Metal Heart was the opener, Mark Tornillo’s gritty, powerful voice telling the dystopian tale that seems all too relevant today. That was quickly forgotten, though, as a confetti cannon exploded at the end, scattering bespoke Accept confetti over the joyful assembled masses.
The imposing presence of Wolf Hoffman dominated proceedings. The axeman is now 66 and looks so damn good, muscular and honed. With his Flying V, he plays so fast and yet so clean. There is daylight between every note.
The stage set was visually arresting, with the drum riser set high up above the band’s giant logo while the wide platform at the front gave plenty of opportunity for some glorious showboating, either from Hoffman alone or with a combination of band members, with synchronised moves that would make any boyband envious.
In honour of the anniversary, a collaboration album, Teutonic Titans, has been recorded, featuring a ridiculous amount of A-list guests to recreate classics from the back catalogue. One such guest is Armored Saint’s John Bush, which was super handy as he came out as guest vocalist on To The Limit.
The set continued to delight all the way through, with Pandemic and Princess Of The Dawn being particular highlights.
Proceedings drew to a close with Fast As A Shark (complete with inflatable shark in the arena), the contrast of the German folk melody blasting into the ultra-fast aggressive riff simply never gets old.
There was only one song to end on, Balls To The Wall, of course. There was a complete power failure at one point, and everything went silent. However, we all took up the slack and carried the song on from the arena until, by the sheer power of Heavy Metal, the electricity was restored, and the finale came to a suitably epic close.
A thrilling, joyful set that left at least one of our team needing a sit down afterwards.
Europe
There are bands with a glorious past. There are also bands choosing to dwell on that past, only playing the hits and making new music in exactly the same vein.
And then there are bands capable of constantly evolving, while being completely capable of returning to the most important parts of their past. That is what Europe have chosen to do since coming back to life in 2003.
Tonight’s set, a typical festival one, going through parts of their whole career, is living proof of this.
With a Joey Tempest leading them and sounding and looking much younger than his age, the Swedes show what a fantastic live band they are. They start with On Broken Wings, from their early Heavy Metal days, and throw in Rock The Night, a song other bands would easily save for an encore, second in the set.
Newer tracks, like Walk The Earth or War Of Kings, as well as the two new singles, One On One and The Cult Of Ignorance from the forthcoming Come This Madness record, sound great alongside some of their old hits, like Sign Of The Times or Superstitious.
The latter even has a passage from Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again, sung by everyone present. And speaking of everyone singing, I do not believe I need to describe Carrie. Or an Open Your Heart with Tempest on acoustic guitar, and the added lyrics “I’m not going to bed, ‘Cause I’ve been to Stonedead,” and the singer’s remark that they finally did a good song.
The whole band is in fantastic form, guitarist John Norum showing why he is one of the best in the business.
Of course, they end on an encore of Cherokee. And the inevitable song that everyone knows them for, and some people very wrongly reduce them to, The Final Countdown.
A great choice of headliner and a band that still has a lot left to say. Definitely catch them live if you can.
Stonedead 2027
Stonedead Festival 2027 is already sold out. If you want to go next year and do not have a ticket, then joining the Official Stonedead Waiting List is your best bet.
