By Bastion King
Recently, the Lincoln Showgrounds played host to the Call of the Wild music festival. For many that were attending this festival over the course of the weekend, Thursday represents an arrival day. It's an opportunity to throw your tent up, reunite with old friends and pour the first few drinks while everyone gets comfortable and settles into their new homes for the weekend ahead.
Admittedly, getting comfortable was next to impossible as the weekend's biggest challenge had already kicked into full gear as the UK hit a rather uncomfortable heatwave. That said, this festival still threw on a few bands to keep everyone entertained, even if they did perform inside a VERY warm marquee. So if you skipped Thursdays' bands this year due to the heat, not only do we not blame you, but we also have you covered.
All of today's performances were taking place on the Trailblazer Stage. To give you an idea of what this stage looked like, it was a large, white marquee, held up by big wooden poles. At one end was the stage, which admittedly was split in two due to one of the support poles obstructing your view. This pole was smack-bang in the middle of the photo pit, which meant that we had to navigate around the pole, as well as the other photographers and the metal legs that kept the barrier in place. In the middle, the sound and lighting tech booth was on a raised platform, and then towards the back, a bar and a merch tent.
Sadly, this stage was the worst to photograph on over the course of the weekend. There was no front lighting, only side/back lighting, and there was very little ventilation due to the black drapes covering the back and sides of the stage, making the smoke machine really obscure the acts that performed on stage, especially the drummers. But those are just the gripes of our resident photographer. It didn't stop the crowd from enjoying the performances. Speaking of which...
DEAN FOXX MARSHALL
Opening the evening's proceedings was an acoustic set performed by Dean Foxx Martin of FOXX. It brought quite a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere to the festival's opening day, allowing for some pleasant music to keep us going while we all tried to endure the heat.
Obviously, it was stripped back from the usual 'full-band' environment that many will know him from, but if anything, that let him shine more. His vocals and songwriting really took centre stage, and not just because that happened to be where he was sat.
The entire set had a warmth and familiarity to it that perfectly suited the evening. It also allowed any of us early arrivals a chance to ease into the festival, summoning us all to the arena like a snake charmer for metalheads, mainly so we could enjoy music, food and drinks.
By the end of Dean's set, more campers had begun to filter into the arena and begun to congregate around the few picnic benches and food vendors that had opened up. What we did notice was that there was a considerable amount of confusion over if/when the bands that were performing this evening were meant to be taking the stage. After asking around, everyone seemed to have different answers for when acts were on, and there didn't seem to be much information on the Wolfpack Facebook group, nor any of the Clashfinders we had access to.
This House We Built
Eventually, we had the next band take the stage: This House We Built. I'd be surprised if you hadn't heard of this particular band, as they've built a strong reputation within the UK rock circuit and they definitely showcased why they live up to that reputation.
Their blend of melodic rock hooks, powerful vocals and feel-good energy was a great fit for the growing crowd. Despite the heat, there was an undeniable sense of momentum throughout their set, largely carried by frontman Scott and drummer Chris.
Their set definitely got heads turning though, and we heard from a number of people in the crowd who were excited to be discovering this band.
Take Away Thieves
Admittedly, we walked into the Takeaway Thieves set, not really knowing what to expect from them, having never seen them before. They were surprisingly energetic given the heat on stage, and audio-wise, their brand of hard rock translated well, drawing a noticeable crowd to the front of the barrier. While the band's energetic approach clearly resonated with a specific portion of the audience, reactions elsewhere in the marquee felt more mixed, though I largely put this down to the heat inside there.
The band delivered a confident performance, and we can't deny the level of enthusiasm from those gathered closest to the stage. Whether they were the standout act of the evening or not will largely come down to personal taste, but they certainly managed to keep the energy levels up for the final act of the night.
The Needful Things
Closing out the night, if you don't count the DJ and subsequent music played at the end, were The Needful Things. The overall reaction to their set felt closer to a gathering of friends celebrating live music together than they did a formal festival headliner, and we actually liked that. Their set embraced a loose, jam-session-like atmosphere which definitely suited the last act of the day.
They showcased that you don't need to be focused on grand production or spectacle in order to put on an amazing performance that gets people cheering and raising their drinks in the air. If anything, I think it helped highlight the community aspect of events like Call of the Wild: good music, good company, all bound together by a shared love of rock music. All in all, a great way to lead into the first full day of the festival.
At the time, Thursday didn't feel like a mere warm-up to the rest of the festival. It's clear that the organisers put some good thought into the bands performing today and debated if they would pass the vibe check, so to speak. But in hindsight, had we known how incredible the upcoming acts would be for the rest of the weekend, we'd probably have said differently. Officially, this was the opening night of Call of the Wild. It was intended to ease everyone into the weekend.
It definitely did its job.
You'll be able to read more about the Call of the Wild music festival, including the bands we've interviewed and featured, in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we encourage you to check out the bands mentioned and keep an eye out for any upcoming live shows they have planned.
If you’d like to find out more about any of the bands playing tonight, just tap the links below:
FOXX | This House We Built | Takeaway Thieves | The Needful Things
Photography by In My Lens on behalf of Get Heavy UK. Images are not to be redistributed, reproduced, or used elsewhere without prior permission.
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