And now we begin day #2 at Time To Rock Festival 2023. If you’ve not read any day #1 blogs (there are 2), then you may wish to start there. Especially if you’re looking for more of an overview of the festival maybe in conjunction with considerations of attendance in 2024?
Also, as mentioned, Friday, July 7th I split into two different blogs. Just so it was not War & Peace in length. Friday was the pre-party day with only one stage and mostly Swedish bands. Now as we get fully underway and into the heavy action of all 3 stages and therefore triple the bands, I’m going to switch my presentation. I will not go into any super depth regarding the bands here today, just a few brief highlights or words for each. Otherwise, this would take months to write and longer to read! In conjunction with this daily overview, I will publish some “Spotlight” set reviews of some of my top bands today, tomorrow and over the entire festival. In those will I write more details of that specific gig/set.
TaxiDennis, a local taxi company, was our ride to the grounds from nearby Immeln, where we have a cabin rented. Greeting a few peers in the press tent, I grabbed a coffee and prepared to capture the day on film.
Punk Rock Factory
This British punk band opened up the day. I was completely unfamiliar and really only dabble here and there into the Punk scene’s outputs. Instantly they were fun to capture on film. Lots of stage activity and presence….but somewhere in the first song my camera suffered a malfunction! It completely froze with an error message. I quickly popped out the battery and re-inserted it. Back in business. But it happened again two shots after. Tried memory card popping too! Again back in business…but only for a few shots, before it happened yet again. Switched cameras to my old one in an attempt to capture more. I soldiered through Punk Rock Factory‘s photo pit allowance, praying my camera was not damaged.
Off to Smoking Snakes on the smallest stage, The Rocknytt.
Smoking Snakes
I love Smoking Snakes‘ three-song EP and often play “There Is No Tomorrow” in my radio show! You can read a review by MetalMike71 on the CGCM website: SMOKING SNAKES – No Tomorrow (Review). I also voted in the contest, helping Smoking Snakes win their spot here on the stage. So I was looking forward to this. Disaster again! Fucking camera errors! This thing was fine yesterday….maybe it’s the heat of the Swedish sun? Anyway, switched out cams again to the smaller one to get at least some captures. Great set overall, but as a new, young band I feel they need a little more seasoning and stage persona. It all comes down to experience I think and that will come in time I’m sure. But Smoking Snakes are definitely on the right track! This a band to watch for great things on the horizon. They wrapped up with my fave “There Is No Tomorrow“.
Yesterday in conversation during a chance meeting with the production manager Martin he told me that Time To Rock had over 300 volunteers. Most of those came out of the Knislinge community. A very active town and great to see the support for this event. Folks were always around, many taking care of litter for near immaculate groundskeeping. Overall today, as expected, with the full site in swing, there were many more people on the grounds. Yet, the event still has that “coziness” to it that I can’t even describe in words. You have to be here and feel it to get it, I think. Still quite easy and quick to get from stage to stage.
Smash Into Pieces
Having the honour of the first band on the largest stage here was Smash Into Pieces. The drummer, in a light-up sort of “Scream-style” hood and mask, introduced the band before taking his seat. After switching to a completely different battery my camera seemed happy once again. However, as I clicked away it didn’t take very long to discern that Smash Into Pieces was not to my taste. It was more what I call “modern sounding” which I don’t prefer. They had a pretty good-sized crowd for them though so that’s always nice to see. But for me, it was off to the press tent.
Fish & Clashes!
As great as everything is here, not everything is perfect. And what may be perfect for one is not for the next person etc. But now we come to the second point of bone of contention with Time To Rock! The first being no Casey’s Fish & Chips….I know, I know, first-world problems! At a multi-stage event such as this, time clashes are of course expected. But here at Time To Rock, there was none of the usual 15-minute staggerings. Between the Ticketmaster Stage (second biggest) and the small stage (Rocknytt) bands were due on at exactly the same time! At least for the photographers, press officer Andreas swiftly solved the issue. We were allowed the first 3 songs on Ticketmaster Stage and then on Rocknytt, we would get songs 4, 5 & 6 in the photo pit. So all is ok in the end. The first instance of this clash starts now:
Teaze
Time to be Canadian proud. It is my steadfast belief (and yes I’m biased) that Canada has some of the best bands in the world. Here at 3 pm on Saturday, July 8th, 2023, I stood in the photo pit ready to bear witness to Teaze‘s first-ever gig in Europe! I had the pleasure to briefly meet the guys here yesterday and was excited about this. Now as mentioned at the start of this blog, I’m not detailing a lot about the band sets here at Time To Rock. However, Teaze definitely warrants a separate “Spotlight” blog of their set here. I will say here, that the boys did a fantastic job! The set was rolling along famously, the crowd with every song! Sorry to Prins Svart (which I think means Prince Black) on the small stage, but I ain’t gonna make it! Read the rest of Teaze here on CGCM Rock Radio Website: TEAZE (Spotlight Blog).
Everyone Poops
I guess I’d better discuss the facilities. I recall when I brought my friend Laura to Sweden Rock Festival some years ago, one of her highest concerns was the toilets. Understandably so too! Here at Time To Rock, I never had to wait for a stall. However, said stalls were of the “Blue ShitBox” type port-o-lets as opposed to the more upper-scale flushers at Sweden Rock. On the other hand, anytime I used one they were certainly decently clean….and that’s the real thing for me!
The Answer
Over at the main stage (Rocavaka), Northern Ireland’s The Answer got off to a late start. Damn Canadians going over time….a lot🤣. If you read the “Spotlight” you’d know🤣. I didn’t know the first song off-hand, but TBH, it’s hard sometimes to take that in while composing and clicking down in the pit. But the second took a good foothold, the catchy “Blood Brother“. After that during his address to the crowd, I heard: “… it’s been a while since we’ve been here. The good news is that you guys got even better looking!” Why, thanks for noticing, I have been working out lately😁. Next up was “Oh Cherry” off the latest album, but the drift was in and I faded away to the press tent during song 4.
Briefly Playing With Toy Dolls
Next on the roster, The Toy Dolls, more British Punk. And a direct clash with Cruel Intentions on the small stage! The Toy Dolls were fun on stage and I feel I would have enjoyed the set. However, I’m a big Cruel Intentions fan, having seen them already four times this year. And after today, still at least two more to go for seven in a year! And so, two photo pit songs for Toy Dolls and it was over to Rocknytt stage!
I Have Cruel Intentions🤷🏻♂️
Rolling up during the beginning stages of song 3, I immediately cursed the time clash! Cruel Intentions were on absolute fire! Into the pit, we trounced as song four launched. So Goddamned hard to take a good photo while your foot and head are tapping and bobbing. But they also cannot be contained! I do love this band and hoped that I hadn’t missed “Jawbreaker” in those first two songs I was at Toy Dolls!
To further illustrate where I am with Cruel Intentions, I present my “stalking” abilities. This year alone, I’ve seen them twice on MORC, then also at Call Of The Wild Festival a month later. Three weeks after that I passed by them in the crowds at Sweden Rock Festival, though I didn’t say hello. Today makes the fourth time, but not the last! HRH Sleaze at the end of August followed by Indoor Summer in Hamburg the first weekend of September! Not bad for a guy who lives in Canada…..where Cruel Intentions have never been….yet! Oh, and “Jawbreaker” turned up near the end of the set😁. I was also alerted to Lizzy Devine with his trademark backwards ball cap….this one featuring a Diemonds logo, my fave little Toronto band!
Pirate Metal, Yaaaaar It’s Alestorm
I’ve crossed paths with Scotland’s Alestorm in the past. And we’re not particularly friends, I mean I don’t love the music. Their stage show however is so much fun to witness, moreso to photograph! Today the band all sported green accents to their mostly black stage wear with a giant blow-up duck as the central focus point. I had to be careful shooting as with my shortness versus the stage height and the singer in a green tartan kilt, I may have captured more than I bargained for! I also noted that the bassist looked a bit like Daniel Dekay from Diemonds and Exciter! But maybe I’m just stuck there after Lizzy‘s ball cap🤷🏻♂️ After my pit experience, I headed to the solace of the press tent.
Do Diamonds Have Heads?
Being a huge fan of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Movement, I love Diamond Head. If not for a series of poor decisions in their youth, they would have been bigger. Thanks of course to Metallica‘s cover, they are a bit wider reaching these days. I’ve seen them a few times in a few different countries (Canada, USA, UK, Sweden etc). Today would serve as my premiere photo-capturing experience with Diamond Head. Riff master Tatler doled out the delicious grooves in top form. It will be quite cool to see him with Saxon as the final band of Time To Rock. Unfortunately, however, my three photo-allotted songs would be the extent of Diamond Head today. Damn time conflicts!
Strom
Moving rapidly, well as much as I can, I slipped away from Diamond Head after 2.7 songs. I wanted my fully allowed three (songs 4, 5 & 6) to photo Strom. Now, I love NWOBHM and Diamond Head as a part of that….and I just gave them up for Strom. I might just even love this band more. This band was one of my top 5 from Sweden Rock and you can read my little blog of their set there through this link: Strom at SRF. I can’t understand a goddamned word, but such an energy to them. Straight ahead, fist-pounding hard rock! Check out my Spotlight review of Strom for more details on their set at Time To Rock: Strom (Spotlight Blog).
Monosodium Glutamate? or MSG
At these events, the headliners are rarely draws for me. In most cases, I can see them anywhere in the world, even Toronto sometimes! Here, I’d just seen MSG on MORC and didn’t love it. That was mostly as I personally thought Ronnie Romero vocally butchered the UFO classics. Just my feeling though. Tonight it is Robin Mcauley, so I expect a lot of actual MSG as in from the McAuley Schenker albums.
Schenker himself said “Welcome” to the crowd. “Here we go, “Into the Arena”“. I found it weird to have an instrumental as your launching song of the set. But what do I know, I also don’t love instrumental so that could sway my thoughts. Over the setlist, at least half of the songs were classic UFO. Ok by me since I prefer them to anything else. And McAuley, to me, sounded volumes above Romero on MORC!
The evening’s chill was setting in, so I drifted away to collect my sweater from the press tent around the cover of UFO‘s “Shoot Shoot“. And I’m hungry so let’s get some fries, that’s cheap…..er. But I guess not when they only give you like 10 potato sticks FFS! My biggest complaint so far is the food options. Back to MSG, it’s “Rock Bottom” in full swing. But I’m all nice and warm! Solos and instrumentals apparently the flavour of the night, I chuckled as at least five spotlights illuminated Schenker. None on rest of the band. Who is he Yngwie Malmsteen?🤣
Trio Part 1 – Hellhammer
Absolutely awful lighting. A lot of backlit bright white, yet the stage front was dark. I need to get better at these lighting types of situations. I knew zero of the three songs I photoed and TBH, they didn’t impress me…..at all! As I walked away, heading for Treat on the small stage, I heard him say “Thanks for listening to 40-year-old music that nobody liked 40 years ago!” At least I’m pretty sure that’s what he said. I guess I’m with the folks 40 years ago🤷🏻♂️
What A Treat!
Kinda sucky that I had to miss the first three songs. I like Treat. I did not like Hellhammer! Anyways it was “Home Of The Brave” when we were allowed into the pit. As I exited the pit another two songs later, I swung around and into the crowd to watch the rest of Treat. “We Own The Night” and “Roar” followed. This is a great band that never got the claws in over on my side of the ocean. Too bad on MORC back in March that a freak rainstorm ruined their gear and they were unable to perform. But they’re on in 2024 so hopefully, the MORC‘ers take to them. Some horrible PA squeal/buzz cropped up, but after some Swedish discussion, we were back underway fairly quickly. During “Freudian Slip” my friend, Time To Rock‘s Production manager, Martin appeared and it was nice to watch the last of Treat with him.
Goodnight Time To Rock
What an awesome day! So many great bands today and such fun capturing the photos…. hopefully they’re not total shit! I didn’t get to hang out with my friends very much, busy from stage to stage etc. But I did meet several new folks, mostly my press peers, so that’s cool.
For now, it’s home to rest these weary feet and get some sleep for day #3!
Follow along with all of my coverage here: Time To Rock Festival 2023 Full Coverage page.
Cheers,
The Meister
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