Well then, buttโฆ
WEโRE GOING BACK UP THE MOUNTAIN! ๐ฅ๐ธ
The Riff Report Blog is officially heading to STEELHOUSE FESTIVAL โ and if thereโs one festival that feels properly close to home for us, itโs this glorious rock โnโ roll gathering high above the South Wales valleys.
Forget fancy city-centre venues.
Forget sensible footwear.
Forget flat ground entirely.
This is Steelhouse.
Rock music on top of a bloody mountain. ๐๏ธ๐
And The Riff Report will be there covering the whole beautiful, loud, unpredictable weekend.
๐ด WELCOME BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN
Thereโs something genuinely special about Steelhouse.
You make the journey up the mountain, eventually reach the top and suddenly find yourself surrounded by thousands of rock fans, tents, battle jackets, Welsh flags and one absolutely magnificent stage.
Then the guitars start.
Tidy.
Steelhouse has built a community and atmosphere that feels different from the giant festivals.
Itโs intimate enough that you keep bumping into the same people.
Big enough to attract some cracking bands.
And Welsh enough that the weather can go from glorious sunshine to โWHEREโS MY BLOODY WATERPROOF?โ without warning. ๐ง๏ธ๐
For The Riff Report, this isnโt just another festival.
This is home turf. ๐ด
๐ธ WHAT WILL THE RIFF REPORT BE COVERING?
Basicallyโฆ
EVERYTHING WE CAN GET OUR RIFF-LOVING HANDS ON.
Weโll be wandering around the mountain bringing you the bands, the people, the atmosphere and all those ridiculous little moments that make Steelhouse weekend so special.
๐ค LIVE BAND REVIEWS
First and foremostโฆ
THE RIFFS.
Weโll be watching bands throughout the weekend and bringing you our thoughts from the mountain.
From the opening acts through to the huge evening performances, we want to celebrate the artists giving Steelhouse everything theyโve got.
Expect riffs, solos, crowd singalongs, massive choruses and plenty of:
โBLOODY HELL, THEY WERE GOOD!โ
And because Steelhouse has one main stage, thereโs no sprinting across a festival site desperately trying to catch two bands playing simultaneously.
Pick your spot.
Grab your drink.
Watch the bands.
Proper job. ๐บ๐ค
๐ค INTERVIEWS
Weโll also be looking to catch up with some of the artists appearing across the weekend.
We want to talk new music.
Touring.
Steelhouse.
Welsh crowds.
Festival stories.
And whatever else happens once the sensible interview questions inevitably disappear. ๐
Thereโs something brilliant about chatting with musicians at festivals because everybody is living in the same little rock โnโ roll world for the weekend.
๐ธ THE BANDS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Steelhouse has always been brilliant for discovery.
You might arrive desperate to see one of the big namesโฆ
โฆand leave talking about a band youโd barely heard of before the weekend.
Thatโs exactly the stuff The Riff Report loves.
Weโll be shouting about the established favourites, but weโll also be keeping an eye on the artists further down the bill.
If somebody walks onto that stage and absolutely tears the mountain apartโฆ
youโll hear about it from us.
๐ธ LIFE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Steelhouse isnโt just the bands.
The location is part of the festival.
There arenโt many places where you can watch rock bands while standing on top of a Welsh mountain surrounded by some absolutely gorgeous scenery.
When you can actually see it through the clouds, obviously. ๐๐ง๏ธ
Weโll be capturing the atmosphere throughout the weekend โ the crowds, the campsite, the views and those little Steelhouse moments you simply donโt get anywhere else.
๐๏ธ CAMPING CHAOS
There is festival camping.
And then there isโฆ
STEELHOUSE CAMPING.
Youโve made it up the mountain.
Youโve found somewhere for the tent.
The camping chair is out.
Someone nearby has already opened a beer.
And suddenly youโve got neighbours youโve never met before whoโll probably be your mates by Sunday night.
That community spirit is a huge part of Steelhouse.
Weโll be getting amongst it.
๐ FOOD, DRINK AND FESTIVAL FUEL
Watching rock bands all day requires serious nutritional planning.
By which we obviously mean:
โWhereโs the nearest burger?โ ๐
Weโll be checking out whatโs available around the festival for those moments when your body finally informs you that beer and guitar solos donโt technically count as a balanced diet.
Coffee will also be important.
Very important.
Festival mornings are cruel things. ๐โ
๐ MERCH, TRADERS AND THE INEVITABLE T-SHIRT PURCHASE
Every year we tell ourselves the same thing.
โWe donโt need another band shirt.โ
Every year that statement lasts approximately seven minutes.
Weโll be checking out the festival merch, band shirts and traders around Steelhouse.
If you see us walking around on Sunday carrying enough merchandise to open a small shopโฆ
Mind your business. ๐๐ค
๐ค THE STEELHOUSE FAMILY
More than anything, we want to celebrate the people who make Steelhouse what it is.
Because this festival has developed a proper community around it.
You recognise faces.
You bump into people from previous years.
Strangers start conversations about bands.
Someone offers you a drink.
Someone else helps with a tent.
And before you know it, youโre standing together singing your lungs out.
Thatโs rock festivals at their absolute best.
Weโll be chatting with festival-goers, sharing stories and capturing that brilliant Steelhouse spirit throughout the weekend.
๐ฑ FOLLOW THE RIFF REPORT FROM THE MOUNTAIN
Weโll be sharing plenty of festival madness across The Riff Report Blog and our social channels.
Expect photos.
Videos.
Quick reactions.
Band highlights.
Behind-the-scenes moments.
Festival updates.
And probably several increasingly sleep-deprived posts as the weekend progresses. ๐
Then weโll be bringing everything together with our full coverage from the festival.
๐ด PROUDLY WELSH. PROUDLY LOUD.
Thereโs another reason this one means so much to us.
Steelhouse is Welsh.
And so are we.
The Riff Report was built to celebrate rock and metal culture with a distinctly Welsh flavour, and having a festival like Steelhouse sitting high above the South Wales valleys is something worth shouting about.
This is our scene.
Our community.
Our mountain.
And weโre bloody proud to be covering it.
๐๏ธ STEELHOUSE โ WEโRE COMING BACK!
Get the tent ready.
Charge the power banks.
Find the waterproofs.
Pack the sun cream too because Wales enjoys keeping everyone guessing.
And make sure thereโs enough caffeine to resurrect us every morning.
Because The Riff Report is heading back up the mountain.
Weโll be there celebrating the bands.
Supporting the artists.
Talking to the fans.
Capturing the atmosphere.
And bringing you as much Steelhouse Festival madness as physically possible.
STEELHOUSE FESTIVALโฆ
THE RIFF REPORT IS COMING! ๐๏ธ๐ฅ๐ค
See you on the mountain, butt.
YESS MUN! ๐ด๐ธ
