High Voltage Festival @ Victoria Park, London

It seems to have been a never-ending wait for a 'proper' London rock festival. For us folks in the capital it was an opportunity to enjoy a two day festival but slump into our own beds at the end of the night (or early hours of the morning).

The inaugural High Voltage festival was unique, not just because of its location but because of its three specific stages. The main stage concentrated on the bigger classic rock bands, the prog stage; well that is self explanatory, leaving the Metal Hammer stage to feature bands who you often find with column inches in said magazine. The beauty of this was that you could decide to stay at one stage or visit each one knowing more or less the kind of music you were about to listen to. On top of this the site was small and cosy, meaning each stage was a mere 2-5 minutes apart, adding to the already chilled atmosphere. The tower blocks powering past the perimeter fences were a stark reminder of the closeness of the millions of people that make the city though.

Delays to the London underground meant we arrived at the site on Saturday as the BLACK SPIDERS (7.5/10) were laying down some Sabbath-esque riffs on the Metal Hammer stage. They helped wake the crowd at the Roundhouse earlier in the month as support to Ozzy Osbourne and they did the same here, but this time in the blazing sun. THE UNION (7) kicked off proceedings on the main stage with a nice early blast of classic blues rock. The combination of ex Thunder guitarist Luke Morley and former Winterville front man Peter Shoulder was always going to be interesting and 'Step up to the plate' had the crowd moving. Meanwhile FOCUS (7.5) were impressing a packed gathering at the prog stage with the intro of 'Sylvia' sending a collective shiver up the spines of all before them. ORANGE GOBLIN (7.5) were instead kicking spines on the Metal Hammer stage with a forceful blast of underground stoner metal. 'Some you win, some you lose' threatens to whip the first ten lines of the crowd into frenzy before they finish the set with another favourite in the form of 'Scorpionica'. Back on the main stage THE ANSWER (7.5) prove how they have grown over the past few years, party thanks to a high profile tour with AC/DC. The voice of Cormac Neeson soars high into the sky before shooting down onto the crowd, capturing them with a mix of Irish charm and pure classic rock. The mix of influences and sounds that BIGELF (8) manage to cram into each song on the prog stage is a pleasure to behold, 'Money machine' ending an impressive set. Missing the first half of the set from GARY MOORE (7.5) was made worse after we learnt he had played 'Over the hills and far away' first, although a nice run through of 'Out in the fields' partly made up for it... partly... Some people find the misfiring vocals of Lee Dorrian a little hard to take but today CATHEDRAL (7.5) on the Metal Hammer stage are in surprisingly sprightly form, dishing out songs like 'Hopkins (the witchfinder general)' to a happy and bouncy crowd. Nothing so far had prepared the main stage crowd for the majestic offering from FOREIGNER (9) who somehow took their poppy 70s rock and exploded it all over the High Voltage site. Kelly Hansen puts in one of the most impressive vocal displays of the whole weekend on the likes of 'Head games' before the unmistakable keyboard intro to 'Cold as ice' captured even the uninitiated. The band lifted the bar even higher with the remarkable one-two knockout of 'Urgent', along with it's perfectly played saxophone solo and of course 'Juke box hero'. With Foreigner there is never any question who is the 'main main' and when the keyboards of Mick Jones are pushed to the front of the stage we are met with the inevitable encore of 'I want to know what love is', complete with children’s choir. Today Foreigner weren't just juke box heroes, they were the best band of the festival.

One of the highlights of the weekend was always going to be the Dio tribute set from HEAVEN AND HELL (8). For some it was a little weird. The voice of Masterplan singer Jorn Lande was at times a safe bet for a Dio covers band, handling the likes of 'The mob rules' and 'I' with ease, while the smoother tones of Glenn Hughes gave 'Children of the sea' room to breath, floating over a crowd witnessing Heaven and Hell for the very last time. With Wendy Dio coming on stage for a heart-felt speech and Phil Anselmo joining both singers on stage for the 'Neon knights' finale the tribute was complete.

The UK press has had its fare share of stories about Zakk Wylde being replaced by Gus G. in Ozzy's band so it was probably a relief to most that BLACK LABEL SOCIETY (7.5) have finally played live over here this year. All in all we got what was expected from the band with 'Fire it up' and 'Concrete jungle' in particular getting things moving.

Saturday main stage headliners ZZ TOP (8) play a summer evenings BBQ greatest hits set. 'Cheap sunglasses' cannot be listened to without the gentle shaking of the head and 'Just got paid' carries on this summertime boogie into the later part of the set. Billy Gibbons rasps through 'Gimme all your lovin' with a voice enriched by a lifetime of singing to packed stadiums followed by copious amount of Jack Daniels. The Texan three-piece bring Saturday to a close in style.

Sunday looks far more packed already as the gates open and the swarms of people head towards the various stages. The shaded area near the prog stage is already full when Welsh progressive metallers THE REASONING (8) take to the stage. The weaving riffs and male-female vocals are impressive and captivate the crowd for the whole of the thirty minute set. Opening the main stage the QUIREBOYS (7.5) offer something a little different with their pub-infused classic rock. 'Hey you' and '7 O'clock' seem to make the sun shine brighter as front man Spike throws the mike stand in the air for the hundredth time. The technical problems that threaten UFO (7.5) are fortunately confined to six-seven minutes allowing them to impress the crowd with the likes of 'Rock bottom' and one of the best songs of the weekend 'Doctor, doctor'. Phil Mogg jokes how he was born nearby and how this gig can be seen as a sort of homecoming.

Over on the Metal Hammer stage HIGH ON FIRE (7) seem to have plenty of heads banging but their set becomes a little samey after a while. CLUTCH (8.5) on the other hand breeze in and deliver one of the best sets of the weekend. There is never any fuss with Clutch. It's all about the music and a forceful play through of 'Power player' kicks things into gear. Jean-Paul Gaster seems to sit a mile away from his kit while dominating 'Cypress grove' and Neil Fallon is slightly more restrained than the usual mad preacher-isms of past performances. On the main stage JOE BONAMASSA (7.5) shows why he regarded so highly by his fans and fellow musicians while OPETH (8) on the Metal Hammer stage have the crowd in their grasp due to classics like 'The grand conjuration' and 'The drapery falls'. Phil Anselmo may have had a bad throat today but DOWN (8.5) are storming. 'N.O.D', 'Lifer' and 'Ghosts along the mississippi' are blistering, causing security their first major work out of the day retrieving flying bodies from the barriers at the front. Phil Anselmo is in a chirpy mood talking to the crowd at every opportunity. 'New orleans is a dying whore' showcases the Kirk Windstein influences, turning High Voltage into a four minute sludge-fest. 'Bury me in smoke' ends the set. If the next album meets the expectations of the fans we could see Down headlining bigger stages than this in the future.

The show was drawing to an end, but before people began spilling into the streets aside Victoria Park there was a small matter of EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER (8) playing a fascinating ninety minute set. 'Karn evil 9 (pt2)' began proceedings, the light show penetrating the blackened sky making it impossible to ignore the spectacle in front of you. The lightning speed of Karl Palmer's arms when he is smacking the skins during 'Barbarian' is at times freakish while the synthesizer, piano and keyboard histrionics of Keith Emerson are the main sound byte throughout. Inevitably Keith Emerson also stabs knives into his equipment near the end of the performance.

As the last strains of ELP are heard over East London High Voltage 2011 is already being planned and it is safe to say most of the London rock community will be happy about that. See you next year.