“Crows on the Mountain – A Steelhouse Rock’n’Roll Takeover”

By The Riff Report Blog – where the mountain meets the madness 🤘🏴

Steelhouse Festival has a habit of creating legends, but every now and again, a band becomes the mountain itself. Enter Those Damn Crows – Bridgend’s finest riff-slinging, stage-dominating, crowd-surfing rock warriors – whose journey from opening act nobodies to Sunday night closers is the stuff of Welsh festival folklore. 🏔️🎤

So grab a pint (or five), because we’re flying headfirst into the full chaotic, glorious history of the Crows at Steelhouse! 🦅💥

🥁 2016 – First Flight: Opening the Festival Like Absolute Animals

Back in 2016, the Crows rolled up the Steelhouse hill with more dreams than roadies. They were the Friday openers – the warm-up act, the “are people even through the gates yet?” slot. But did they treat it like a filler set? Did they heck. These boys went full throttle, turning an early slot into a battlefield of riffs and roars.

Crowdsurfers? ✅

Circle pits? ✅

The first appearance of that Crow family banner waving from the railings? ✅

They weren’t just opening the show – they were announcing their arrival. And Steelhouse took notice.

“We didn’t come here to make up the numbers,” Shane Greenhall told fans, voice ragged from screaming. “We came to f***ing take over.”

Spoiler: They did.

🎸 2019 – The Return: Bigger Stage, Louder Caws, Crazier Crowd

By 2019, the Crows had soared higher – now midday marauders with a stronger following, tighter set, and even more of that Cwmbran-meets-Kraken-energy. Shane was working the crowd like a festival preacher, Ronnie was destroying his drum kit like it owed him money, and the setlist? All killer, no filler.

Highlights included:

“Blink of an Eye” igniting the front row into full mosh mode Fans singing every single word back like it was a national anthem The band’s first official Steelhouse merch sellout (you couldn’t get a Crows tee for love nor lager by the end of the day)

🎤 2022 – Even the Rain Couldn’t Stop Them

Oh boy. 2022 was biblical levels of wet. Rain? Horizontal. Mud? Everywhere. Spirits? Still sky-high.

Those Damn Crows battled through the swampy mountain like rock ‘n’ roll Vikings, refusing to let the weather get the better of them. Shane jumped the barrier mid-song to sing with the fans. No stage ego. Just unity, sweat, and soaked jeans.

“Only in Wales, mun, could a monsoon make a gig more memorable.” – Actual quote from a fan who slipped face-first into a puddle and still said it was the best set of the weekend. 💦🤘

⚡ 2023 – Saturday Night Co-Headliners – One Step From the Top

Now we’re talking. 2023 was near-headliner status, and you could feel it in the air – the anticipation, the hype, the sheer volume of Crows merch dominating the arena like a black-feathered army.

This was their statement set:

Pyro. Lights. Lasers. A surprise acoustic moment that had the whole mountain silent (until they exploded again) Shane bringing up a kid from the crowd to sing with him – cue the waterworks 🥲

This wasn’t just a band anymore. This was a movement. The Crows were Steelhouse heroes – just waiting for their crown.

🏆 2025 – The Mountain Belongs to Them Now

And then… it happened.

Sunday Night Headliners.

Steelhouse 2025.

THE CROWS CLOSED THE FESTIVAL.

From Friday openers to the main event. It’s like going from opening act at your local pub to headlining GlastonBARRY. This wasn’t just a gig – it was a homecoming.

Shane flew on stage like a rock’n’roll banshee.

Ronnie’s drum solo shook the merch tent three fields over.

There were fireworks. Literal ones.

Tears. Laughter. Pint cans flying through the air like confetti.

Even the mountain was vibrating.

“We were here in the beginning… and we’ll be here ‘til the f***ing end. This is OUR mountain!” – Shane, before tearing into “Send the Reaper” like a man possessed.

The setlist was wall-to-wall anthems, from “Long Time Dead” to “Who Did It”, with a mountain choir screaming along to every chorus.

Oh, and the crowd? Not a single person left early. Not even the dads in soggy denim vests. 🤘

🎬 The Legacy of the Crows at Steelhouse

Those Damn Crows didn’t just play Steelhouse.

They claimed it.

They turned rain into ritual, opening slots into sermons, and a sleepy Sunday night into a rock resurrection.

What started as a chance gig in 2016 became a decade-long love affair between band and mountain. Now, in 2025, they’ve reached the top – and they’re not coming down anytime soon.

🖤 Final Words from the Nest:

To every fan who’s waved a flag, screamed a lyric, bought a hoodie, or crowd-surfed to “Rock ’n’ Roll Ain’t Dead”…

You built this with them.

The Crows fly because the fans flap too. 🦅

So here’s to Those Damn Crows – the band that turned Steelhouse into their personal rock cathedral, one riff at a time.

Tidy, mun. Just tidy. 🎶🔥

Want more mountain madness?

🧾 Read all our Steelhouse 2025 coverage

🎟️ Still buzzing? Grab 2026 early bird tickets here: https://www.steelhousefestival.com/tickets/

📸 Tag us in your crow pics: @theriffreportuk

#CrowsOnTheMountain #ThoseDamnCrows #SteelhouseTakeover #TidyAsHell