📍 Hafod-y-Dafal Farm, Ebbw Vale, South Wales
📅 20 August 2011
🎉 The beginning of the legend… One day. One stage. One mountain. Many riffs.
Steelhouse Festival 2011 was the humble but mighty origin story – a one-day event, put together by a group of passionate music fans who dreamed of creating a proper hard rock festival in the clouds above Cymru. It was intimate, loud, a little muddy, and the start of something truly special. 🤘🌧️
Here’s the very first Steelhouse lineup that brought rock ‘n’ roll to the mountain for the first time:
🔥 Steelhouse Festival 2011 Lineup
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🎤 Tigertailz 🐯💄 (Headliners)
Welsh glam-metal heroes and cult legends – full of swagger, sleaze, and hometown pride. “Love Bomb Baby” turned that field into a proper 80s party. -
🎸 Heaven’s Basement
Already making serious noise in the UK scene, they brought wild energy and blew the roof off the open sky. -
🎩 The Quireboys
A perfect festival band – all whisky-soaked charm, rasping vocals, and crowd singalongs. “7 O’Clock,” “Hey You,” and big grins all around. -
🛠️ GUN
Scottish rockers with hit after hit. They had “Word Up!” echoing down the valleys like a battle cry. -
🎶 Skindred (acoustic set) 🏴☠️🔥
Yep – Benji Webbe and co. brought a stripped-back set to the first Steelhouse. No Newport Helicopter this time… but plenty of passion and punch. -
🔥 Black Spiders
Fuzzy, filthy, no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll. “KISS Tried to Kill Me” had heads banging in unison. -
🖤 Hand of Dimes
The first of many appearances – frontman Nev MacDonald’s vocals soared over the mountain air like a dragon’s roar. -
🛣️ Fireroad
South Wales pride in full effect. Heavy, heartfelt, and right at home on the mountain.
🏁 Legacy of 2011 – From Grassroots to Greatness
Steelhouse 2011 proved that:
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Yes, you can build a rock festival on a Welsh mountain.
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Yes, fans will hike for riffs and glory.
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Yes, it was the start of something magical.
No massive stages. No pyro. Just proper bands, passionate fans, and a field full of belief. 💛
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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