CALL OF THE WILD Festival 2024 taking place in Lincoln, UK is soon upon us once again. CGCM Rock Radio has been involved in the event since its inaugural run back in 2019. Covid closed it down, as that bastard did to many things, but in 2022 Call Of The Wild was back with a vengeance! 2023 was the third edition of COTW and it went off famously.
Now 2024 is upon us and CGCM Rock Radio‘s Rich “The Meister” Dillon will be attending his fourth straight. Along for his third COTW is CGCM Rock Radio‘s writer Tom Cornell and his fourth event, but second with CGCM is ace photographer Ian “Roadie” Owen. Hope to see you in that lovely field in Lincoln as well!
CALL OF THE WILD FESTIVAL
Call Of The Wild began in 2019 and now presents the fourth edition of the event kicking off at the beautiful Lincolnshire Showgrounds in Lincoln, UK. Since its beginning, COTW has always showcased massive and varied lineups. Many different genres of the scene are represented from the big headliners right down to the Trailblazer newer bands. Want to bang your head and thrash around, they have that! Want to raise your fist high in the air and chant choruses, they have that! How about laying back and enjoying some rocking groovy blues riffs, they have that too! There’s something for everyone from known names to discovering your new addiction.
But while that’s obviously the driving force, it’s more than the music at COTW. What keeps our team returning year after year is the organizers among other facets. The event is so very well run and the entire team right from festival director Raz White (and Jon, Dave and Mark as well of course!) down to the park staff are so welcoming and friendly. Another massive selling feature are the festival goers themselves. It’s all just like a huge family and COTW and its attendees have cultivated something awesome together. We at CGCM Rock Radio are so very proud to be a part of it all!
ALL THE AMENITIES (Beer)
Aside from things like ample parking, on-site camping options, plentiful washrooms and shower blocks COTW also has a variety of food vendors so you won’t go hungry. But even more important is the beer! Motorhead beer offers a variety of selections and I love it all….but better still you can pre-order a case of cans for your campsite and just collect it when you get there! Great for an international traveller who can’t carry it with them!
COTW has been short-listed for festival awards in the UK and has drawn festival goers from not just around the UK, but also Canada, USA, Sweden, Germany and more. It’s no wonder that it’s a rising star and one of the most talked about in our festival circles!
Call Of The Wild 24th-26th May 2024, Lincolnshire Showground. Call Of The Wild – Dare To Be Different.
Call Of The Wild: OFFICIAL WEBSITE / FACEBOOK
CGCM‘s Coverage of the previous Call Of The Wild‘s can be found here: CALL OF THE WILD FESTIVAL
MEISTER IS EXCITED (Some words from Rich “The Meister” Dillon)!
With a busy-as-hell lifestyle on the go, as I have, things suddenly creep up on you. Like, next week is Call Of The Wild Festival! Next FUCKING week! Where did that time go? I had all the best-laid plans of having organizer Dave O’Hara back on my video livestream music show again this year. I thought what the hell, I’ll also invite the winner of last year’s “DJ Competition” between organizers, Jon Hardcastle to join in. Head buckled down at work, bolting off to Belgium for three days for a festival and BOOM! Call Of The Wild kicks off next week and I’ve missed the boat. I haven’t even really had time to be excited….lol.
I messaged my CGCM cohort, Tom Cornell. “Hey Tom, are you set for COTW?….I just realized it’s next FUCKING week!” Tom is set and ready to go with a list of bands to check out and possibly interview. I better get going!
As I ran down the massive list of bands on the 2024 COTW, my excitement mounted. Here’s a few of the acts, in no particular order, that hit high on my target ranges…
LOZ CAMPBELL
I became aware of this young lady while attending another event in the UK. She and her band were engaging and energetic on stage serving up some of what I believe is styled as NWOCR. I don’t know but it had riffs, and choruses and had my toes tapping and my head nodding. All the elements I need and I look forward to catching Loz Campbell in not one, but two shows at COTW!
NASTY RATZ
A sleazy type band from Prague, Czech Republic. I’ve been listening to their albums for some years now, never thinking I’d be catching them on stage! New single “Wings” rocks and new album, produced by Martin Sweet of Crashdiet, on the way as well! But they clash with Haxan….why oh why have you done this to me COTW?
DOBERMANN
Italian Hard Rock band delivering catchy choruses and delicious guitar riffs. To my knowledge, they are completely DIY with no label behind them. The band’s last album 2021’s Shaken To The Core, is their best yet in my opinion. It was created with involvement from Alessandro Del Vecchio even and here everything fires on blistering Hard Rock point.
RANSOM
Another DIY band as far as I know having no label support. This UK Hard Rock band that I’ve grown to love more and more in the last couple of years brings it live and on record. They rock hard on stage and really deliver a great show. Looking forward to seeing them again and check out the single “Even Nuns Watch Porn“…..awesome stuff!
HAXAN
A trio of young ladies hailing from South Wales, UK. I have never seen them before, but their last album White Noise is still in rotation for me and songs in the CGCM Rock Radio library as well. But they clash with Nasty Ratz….why oh why have you done this to me COTW?
CONFESS
Speaking of Crashdiet……Confess is an awesome Swedish sleaze band I’ve seen a few times who always deliver. Frontman John Elliot is now also taking up the mic with Crashdiet. He’s done a great job there as well in the three shows I’ve seen, but excited to see him back with Confess! Hope they do “So What?“!
SOUTH OF SALEM
This UK band hit me hard thanks to COTW 2022. I checked out and loved a few of the songs beforehand and live they possessed such an energy. It was incredible! Packing some pyro in their bag they really blew me away. Then I caught them at an event in Belgium last year in a small club. They had no pyro this time due to the small club venue, but they pounded the crowd with an energy that left many awestruck!
WRATHCHILD
One of those bands that didn’t gain the fame they should/could have in the 80s, but attained a huge cult-type following. Resurrected now, I’ve seen them deliver a super fun and rockin’ show a few times on stage in recent years. Plus my buddy Jonny Suicide (“The Happiest Man in Rock n Roll“) plays bass, so will be great to catch up. The new single “Still Here In The Freakshow” kicks ass too!
TAKEAWAY THIEVES
Another discovery thanks to COTW! They played in 2022 and ahead of time I did my due diligence. Their song “Spider” off the album 9 absolutely earwormed its way into my brain. I played it on every radio show for months and it still pops up once a month or so! Great guys as well who really rock the stage be it at a festival or in a club (I’ve seen both).
Call Of The Wild 24th-26th May 2024, Lincolnshire Showground. Call Of The Wild – Dare To Be Different.
Call Of The Wild: OFFICIAL WEBSITE / FACEBOOK
CGCM‘s Coverage of the previous Call Of The Wild‘s can be found here: CALL OF THE WILD FESTIVAL
