Topping the bill there could be no other band than the mighty Saxon, the Barnsley legends wearing the crown on what promises to be a day never to be forgotten.
Bringing metal to the masses since 1977, the quintet has truly changed the face of music and flown the flag high for home grown steel in front of global audiences numbering millions in the past four and a half decades or so. Kicking down doors with their seminal first four album run, the band have turned out consistently high quality and thrilling releases throughout the years and with the latest brace of albums ‘Carpe Diem’ and ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation’ receiving some of the best reviews of their career, they’re only getting bigger and better still.
Led by the ageless Biff Byford, a man whose voice defies all natural laws and is stronger than ever, the outfit will be bringing a career spanning selection of anthems and skull crushing rocket rides to Stonedead, bringing the thunder as only they know how. With Diamond Head’s iconic Brian Tatler having joined the fold, adding to the firepower created by Biff, Nigel Glockler, Nibbs Carter and Doug Scarratt, Saxon are firing on all cylinders and ready to take on all comers, their place in history assured.
Whilst the band may crush in the studio, as attested to by their twenty-six incredible album releases, it’s in the live arena that they’re peerless and each show is a celebration of all that’s great about Heavy Metal. Putting all their blood, sweat and tears into every show, few bands on the planet work as hard as Saxon to put on a spectacle of sound and light that will fry synapses. Kings of what they do, no-one leaves one of their gigs feeling any less than thoroughly entertained and elated, the surge of adrenaline felt as they tear into songs like ‘Wheels of Steel’, ‘Never Surrender’ and ‘Sacrifice’ an unbeatable constant since their nascent NWOBHM days. With Saxon headlining, this will be the best Stonedead yet. Are you ready for the heavy metal thunder?
Heavy metal icon, multi-platinum songwriter, and pioneering guitarist K.K. Downing comes to Stonedead Festival with his band KK’s Priest.
A founding member of British hard rock and metal titans Judas Priest, Downing helped bring harmonised lead guitars into the mainstream and co-wrote timeless hits like “Living After Midnight,” “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin,” and “Breaking The Law.” MTV declared Judas Priest the second “Greatest Metal Band” of all time (only behind Black Sabbath). During Downing’s 40-year tenure, Priest sold more than 50 million albums, with his aggressive musicality and distinctive Flying V guitar influencing generations of guitarists to this day.
You can’t keep a heavy metal legend down, and although it’s been a decade since guitarist and songwriter K.K. Downing departed Judas Priest, he was never really going to retire. It was only a matter of time before he reclaimed the spotlight.
Ugly Kid Joe is an American hard rock band from Isla Vista, California. The band’s name spoofs the glam metal band Pretty Boy Floyd’s name.
With a reputation as one of the best hard rockin’ party bands on the planet, Ugly Kid Joe are guaranteed to make you smile while you dance and punch the air. Originally formed in 1989 in California, the quintet has countless tours under their belts, opening for the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard alongside numerous headline jaunts.
With the worldwide hits ‘Everything About You’ and Harry Chapin cover ‘Cats in the Cradle’ thrusting them fully into the public consciousness, it was a non-stop rock ride for the quintet as they played all over the globe.
With a string of much-loved albums packed with barnstorming rockers and a reputation as one of the best live acts out there, Ugly Kid Joe are going to be a band that everyone will love.
Emerging from the explosion of heavy metal that began in the early ‘80s, Doro Pesch has been tireless in her devotion to the metal cause for four decades. In 2023, she celebrates 40 years of active service, with two special anniversary live shows and, most importantly, a brand-new studio album that looks certain to be regarded as one of her best.
DORO’s campaign of heavy metal heroism began in earnest back in 1983, with the recording of Burning The Witches, the debut album by WARLOCK. Still in her teens, DORO was immediately recognisable as the consummate metal front woman, with a powerhouse voice and endless charisma. Plus, the music she made kicked a ridiculous amount of ass. DORO’s big breakthrough came in August 1986 when WARLOCK performed at the Monsters Of Rock festival at Castle Donington, with SCORPIONS, MOTÖRHEAD, DEF LEPPARD and OZZY OSBOURNE also appearing. The first woman to perform on the Monsters Of Rock stage, she sealed her iconic status at that very moment, and has never looked back since.
In 2022, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, having already received an Echo, the Metal Goddess Legend Award in Las Vegas, the Legend Award in England and Germany, the Angel Of Rock Award in England and awards as the “sexiest woman alive”, among others. She has also been voted Best Female Vocalist in Spain for 30 years in a row, and was inducted into the Hall Of Heavy Metal History in the United States. Thanks to an unwavering work ethic and dedication to the metal cause, DORO has performed over 3,000 concerts in more than 60 countries.
DORO will celebrate 40 years of heavy metal magic in 2023, both with the release of Conqueress – Forever Strong and Proud and two exclusive live shows: in Düsseldorf, DORO’s home town, and a top-of-the-bill spot at Wacken Open Air. As she and her loyal band have proved beyond doubt over the last few years, the stage is DORO’s natural habitat and the fans are the inspirational blood coursing through her veins. Armed with one of the most diverse and explosive records of her career, she arrives at this impressive milestone with the wind still in her sails. You can’t kill rock ‘n’ roll, and you definitely can’t stop the Conqueress. Forever strong and proud! Long live the Metal Queen!
With their 2019 album Paradigm, ECLIPSE took quantum leaps both in terms of sound and audience sizes. Before the release of the first single off Paradigm the band was headlining club tours across Europe along with gigs in Japan and Australia. When the album was released the band took off at a new trajectory to a large degree fueled by the band’s biggest hit to date, Viva La Victoria. Since then the song has generated well over 25 million streams, significant radio airplay as well as being featured at some of the biggest sports events around the globe.
As touring came to a grinding halt by the end of February 2020 the band kept busy releasing a triple live album, playing pay-per-view streaming gigs and squeezing in shows during brief periods of lifted restrictions including playing at Belgium’s Alcatraz Festival in the summer of 2021.
In October 2021 ECLIPSE recorded and released Wired. The album charted in several European countries including Germany, Sweden and Switzerland which also shows on streaming services where they have grown to make ECLIPSE one of the biggest rock bands in Sweden today. In February 2022 the band was able to travel overseas for the first time in over two years and played the Monsters of Rock Cruise in Miami and as restrictions were being lifted in more countries around the world the band’s 2022 touring schedule quickly filled up with large festivals in the Nordics and the rest of Europe as well as playing as the very special guest for MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.
ECLIPSE ended 2022 with a tour of Japan and kicked off 2023 with an Australian tour and they also returned to the Monsters Of Rock Cruise together with TESLA and EXTREME by popular demand, playing a co-headlining tour across Europe with the old friends in H.E.A.T. in the fall as well as sharing the stages with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE, HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, POWERWOLF and GENERATION SEX among others in the summer.
The single/video The Hardest Part Is Losing You was released in early September along with the new album Megalomanium.
With their seventh album Are You Listening, Bonafide‘s visit to Stonedead Festival is a UK exclusive!
Bonafide was formed in Malmö, Sweden in 2006 by singer and guitarist Pontus Snibb. The mission: to play hard rock as it should be played, true to its roots in electric blues and early R&B.
Bonafide was immediately picked up at concerts with Deep Purple, Europe, Status Quo, Y&T, The Quireboys in numerous arenas and theatres. Bonafide’s song “Fill Your Head With Rock” was named by Classic Rock Magazine as one of the best songs of 2011. They have since toured many laps around Europe and have been praised time and time again for the unmistakable energy and sound delivered on stage.
On “Are You Listening”, Bonafide has once again worked with demon producer Chips Kiesbye (Hellacopters, Sahara Hotnights, Sator), just like on their previous most acclaimed record “Somethings Dripping”. The album also contains a duet in Scanian, “Snacket”, together with Nisse Hellberg.
“It doesn’t feel like this band has been going for over a decade and a half. On the first album I wrote and recorded everything myself and my only ambition was to get the record out. Many members have come and gone over the years and it’s been one heck of a ride. I’m proud that Bonafide is still here and rocking!”
– Pontus Snibb
The Bites are a band primed to drop jaws with their monster hybrid of breathtaking garage rock rhythms, gargantuan choruses that stay in your head for days, an unashamedly retro style and, above all, their dedication to creating party-starting vibes at their gigs. For The Bites, every show is an excuse to party!
Their debut album ‘Squeeze’ resurrects the style, hop and swagger of early rock’n’roll, displaying the no-nonsense attitude of The Hives, and is divinely inspired by the sheer recklessness of Mötley Crüe.
No 80’s throwbacks, The Bites were founded in 2019 by ever-effervescent frontman Jordan Tyler, as he watched his profile on TikTok blow up with over 2.2 million views of his classic rock covers, so he felt compelled to complete a line up with the addition of LA drummer and producer extraordinaire Mark Hylander. The duo are joined by guitarists Dustin Coon and Jono Richer, and bassist Zack Currier to round out the sound.
“We built this band on authenticity. Everything we do, from the songs, to the stage, to the way we dress, is just genuinely who we are and how we operate. We don’t have to try or go out of our way to be rock and roll, we just do what we do and the end result is vicious,” Jordan testifies.
File under and for fans of: Greta Van Fleet, Dirty Honey and The Struts.
Tailgunner are here to put British Heavy Metal BACK on the map!
From the shores of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Motörhead & Saxon, the spirit lives on! No compromises, no apologies – Just pure Heavy Metal – the band you’ve been waiting for, ready to carry the torch!
Launching in 2022 the band are a blitzkrieg in the Metal scene playing two UK headline tours, both boasting sold out shows before signing to Fireflash Records, brand new offshoot of German behemoth Atomic Fire (Helloween, Michael Schenker, Opeth) all coming after just six months together.
Hand picked by Metal legend KK Downing of Judas Priest fame, the band opened for KK’s Priest just a week before their now critically acclaimed debut album ‘Guns For Hire’ was released in July 2023, becoming the first debut album by a British Heavy Metal band to reach the charts since the glory days of old.
“Remember the name!” – Metal Hammer
“Pure Heavy Metal, a delight!” – Rolling Stone
“Hire these guns, whatever the price! 10/10” – Fistful of Metal
“The best new live band in the country!” – Rockflesh
“More bite and energy than any band in recent memory.” – Blabbermouth
“Tailgunner are a revelation in British Metal.” – Metal Talk
Founded in Cambridge in 2017 by bassist Nick Blackburn, lead guitarist Nick Manners, and drummer Joe Chivers, The Hot One Two is a hard rock quintet boasting the swagger of 1980s greats and souped-up with punchy modern metal riffs.
In 2018 The Hot One Two attracted attention from local festival circuits and radio shows such as BBC Introducing, which quickly established them as mainstays in the UK New Wave Of Classic Rock (NWOCR) scene.
With the addition of charismatic frontman Simon West and veteran guitarist Kev Baker, The Hot One Two achieved escape velocity in 2019. On the heels of successful singles and their debut EP ‘Come Whatever May’, the band signed a deal with TowerRok Band Management, Booking and P.R. in 2022. Soon they were performing in front of larger crowds and knocking them dead with their catchy old-school foundation and supercharged modern sound. Building upon their tight and energetic stage performances, The Hot One Two have worked extensively with Kris Barras at Ignite Productions and Zak Muller at Studface Productions on music and lyric videos that accompany their releases, as well as moving into creating their own.
During the pandemic, while other bands worried or went by the wayside entirely, The Hot One Two wrote and self-produced the aptly named 2022 EP ‘Unrestrained’ featuring their flagship single ‘Bleed On Me’ to immense popular and critical success. These guys are on the ascendency and are truly the ones to watch as the smoke clears; as evidenced by the fact that FireVolt Rock Festival 2023, created a special, ‘One’s to Watch!’ slot for them at this year’s festival, and the band blew the roof off!
And that’s just the beginning! The Hot One Two are performing up and down the country with festival slots under their belt at Call of the Wild, FireVolt, Hard Rock Hell – Sleaze, SOS, SavFest, Hard Rock Hell – 16, Planet Rockstock and a tour with Dead Man’s Whisky; and still more, to be announced. Between live gigs, they have been releasing singles with accompanying music videos, each one relating to one of the seven deadly sins. Starting in March with the release of Planet Rock’s track of the week, The Fray (wrath), followed month after month with a new release, culminating in the band’s debut album ‘Superbia’ (pride), on November 10th
The album received critical acclaim, culminating in the award by New Wave Of Classic Rock’s (NWOCR) of #1 album of the year for ‘Superbia’.
2023 has been a breakout year for the charismatic Cambridge outfit so stay tuned for 2024 live dates and an amazing year ahead!
The man who says F**k a lot, returns for 2024!
With a life and career that puts Krusher amongst rock Royalty, Steve “Krusher” Joule is a UK based designer, broadcaster and DJ.
He started his career in 1976 as a freelance designer working on album sleeves for numerous rock acts. In 1982 he became Art Director for Kerrang!
He’s designed album sleeves for Iron Maiden ‘Live After Death’, Ozzy Osbourne ‘Diary of a Madman’, ‘Speak of the Devil’ and ‘Bark at the Moon’, Hawkwind ‘Live ’79’, Gary Moore ‘Dirty Fingers’ and ‘Live at the Marquee’, Japan ‘Tin Drum’ and Black Sabbath’s ‘Born Again’.
Between 1998 and 1992 Krusher became the host of ‘Power Hour’ the UK’s only terrestrial TV rock show, which in 1992 changed its name to ‘Raw Power’ and was voted best TV show in the Kerrang! Readers poll in both 1992 and ’93.
He’s MC’d many an event and festival since then and is always good fun at parties…
