Hard Rock Hell Spring Break 2: Pirates, Vikings and Good Times
- Katherine Nicholls
- Mar 19
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 20
Last week Great Yarmouth was treated to another visit from the Hard Rock Hell team! This time, they came armed with metal bands for Spring Break 2, a celebration of hard rock and metal music.
The fun started on Wednesday evening with HRH NWOBHM (New wave of British heavy metal) performances by bands such as Rhabstallion and Salem UK on Stage Two. This was swiftly followed on Thursday with both stages open for HRH Vault, this featured eight performances including; Ronnie Romero, Geoff Tate and Voltstorm amongst others.
Friday was when the party really started with fifteen different performances spread across two stages! Stage 1 was HRH AOR (album-orientated rock) with some truly excellent bands to enjoy.
One of my favourites from Stage One was The Darker My Horizon, they combined melodic and hard rock with banter to create an enjoyable and engaging performance, I mean what is not to like? This was their second performance of the festival and they (unsurprisingly) drew a big crowd. One of their finest songs (in my opinion) was the power ballad 'In The End', it was incredible.
My other favourite was the brilliant Cats In Space, they were extremely energetic, had a strong stage presence and the vocals soared, while the guitars roared! They were one of the most anticipated bands and I can easily see why. They worked so well together, and I was delighted to see that Damien (lead vocalist) was dancing throughout and clearly living his best life. One of my favourite songs from this set was 'Thunder in the Night', it was a great example of their versatile talent.
On Stage Two we had HRH Metal/Industrial bands which were definitely on the heavier side (which makes sense), I especially enjoyed NeonFly who were very entertaining. They knew how to interact with the audience and the lead singer started a conga line (the first time I have seen that at a gig) with audience members whilst singing.
The night ended with a final performance by Jizzy Pearls Love/Hate, they were not my favourite band of the day, but they certainly had the crowd dancing.
For those who wanted to continue partying, there was an aftershow party hosted by DeathWish, a popular hard rock/metal cover band.
Thus dawned the final day of Spring Break 2. On Stage One, we had HRH Vikings, while Stage Two had HRH Doom/Stoner bands, visitors were spoilt for choice.
The first band on Stage Two were Funeral Witch Blues from Bournemouth, they combined stoner rock with the blues which made for a smooth combination, they had a shout-out for one of their fans who was celebrating their 60th birthday, a sweet gesture I thought. I enjoyed their use of a harmonica, it worked well with the guitars.
On Stage One, I thoroughly enjoyed the first band, The Anchors, an Italian pirate metal band from London. They had a large audience and combined dirty riffs with silly lyrics (and a Spongebob cover, which really made me laugh), one of my favourite songs was 'Señor Pirata'. I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys pirate metal, they know how to party! it was their first time at HRH, but I think they will be back.
Onto my second favourite band from Stage One, Waylander, an Irish pagan-metal band. I loved their music from the get-go, a great combination of flutes, growls, violin and guitar riffs. attendees had been recommending this band to me all weekend, so I knew I had to check them out, I did not regret my decision.
One of the best things about Hard Rock Hell is the community. I had a great chat with two new members of the HRH family, Neil Mosley and Jez Jenkins who travelled down from London for the weekend. Neil especially had good things to say, "HRH, an awesome experience! A beautiful melting pot of rocktastic people, bands and staff. Everyone is so friendly, the bands are fantastic and everyone is out for a good time. Thoroughly recommended, 9/10 for sure! Rock on".
Alongside bands, you can also expect a marvellous selection of merchandise, popup shops and vinyl up for sale. Last weekend, you could find everything from Viking drinking horns to battle jackets, to wonderful crafts made by Norfolk-based company Pirate Cat Creations.
I ended up leaving with a Tarja CD from Jim Mallard and cat mama earrings (plus a matching necklace) from Pirate Cat Creations.
Overall, another great event from Hard Rock Hell! I will be back again in a few days (no rest for the wicked) for the Sci-fi Weekender at Vauxhall.
Look out for another article in a few days...
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