Following a year off for the obvious reasons in 2020 and then a shortened event in 2021 the celebration of bands, bikes and booze (in different orders for different people) that is Chaos returned at full strength for this 17th happening over the last weekend of June in 2022.
Day One
As is fairly usual things started off a bit more relaxed as people began arriving and setting up their tents in the festival camping field with possibly the best view in the world overlooking Les Hanois lighthouse and Australian folk singer Maryen Cairns opened proceedings in The Peace Tent.
Meanwhile youngsters Aktung had the unenviable job of kicking off the main stage and did so with an unrefined but promising set of grungy blues covers and originals.
Despite seemingly being short a member they sounded good and frontman, another Aussie apparently called Elvis, showed himself to be a great new guitarist on the scene with some real stage presence and a good voice when they hit in the right songs for it.
Things somewhat peaked early when it came to all out extremity as Of Abscess And Amputation unleashed their brand of death thrash on the unsuspecting souls gathered in the main tent.
As brutal and no nonsense as ever they sounded terrific (and terrifying) on the big stage and through the bigger PA with more of the dynamics in their songs being obvious than in the past making for an enjoyable set for those of us who like that sort of thing, though the timing of their position on the line up felt somewhat at odds with what was around them.
Back in The Peace Tent, following a somewhat impromptu appearance from the Ten Toe Hobo, along with Squirrel in this case, the afternoon well and truly became the evening as Kiya Ashton and The Folkadelics took to the stage.
I think this was only my second time seeing the band at full strength and their development was evident with the spirit of the songs, originally performed solo by Kiya, given a whole new aspect while remaining true to their initial intent and delivered in a suitably relaxed fashion as the set build to enormous climax drenched in (of all things) wah-fiddle.
The live music in The Peace Tent then concluded with a clearly elated Its Own Animal on stage surrounded by his full array of electronic paraphernalia to deliver a set of his unique brand of what I can only think to call ‘folk house’ (but that far from does it justice).
While the tent had emptied somewhat when he started his mix of good natured chat and increasingly ‘banging’ (in the parlance of our times) tunes all delivered with a mix of sequencers, drum machines, live keys, guitar and vocals, soon had it busy again as people started moving and really getting into what he had to offer that was all terrifically groovy and a perfect way to prepare for the DJing skills of The Mr Men to follow into the night.
The music on the main stage continued with young rockers Sonic Bomb and some fine rockabilly reinvention from Silverados before Jersey metallers Demise Of Sanity entered the fray.
As always the quartet were a force to be reckoned with and their style of powerful and heavy power metal with a modern twist gets better every time I hear it and this was no exception.
Sam Delanoe is a terrifically charismatic frontman chatting to the crowd between songs and holding them in the palm of his hand during the ragingly pagan (this is a good thing) songs.
After a song about Ice Giants dedicated to his late grand mother, possibly an odd choice but it seemed to fit the mood, they closed with a storming cover of Metallica classic Seek & Destroy that was something of a high point of the day.
Fresh off the release of a couple of new singles prog metallers Watercolour Matchbox we’re clearly in a buoyant mood and sounded astonishing in the bigger festival setting.
While the intricate use of backing tracks to elevate their sound may lead to less spontaneity than some bands the sheer talent on display overcame this with ease and they held the crowd enraptured for an hour or more.
I’m not sure if there was a lot of new material getting an airing here or just the bigger sound made it all sound fresh but, either way, the whole performance was terrific with the vocal and guitar harmonies really standing out but also some choice heavier moments thrown in too.
My highlight came with their song The Wall but it was clear for many their rendition of Toss A Coin To Your Witcher was a big moment and they closed the first night on a powerful high confirming them as one of Guernsey’s top bands.
You can see my photos from the first day of Chaos 17 on my Facebook page by clicking here
Day Two
After a great ending to the first night it was clear that, as ever, Saturday was Chaos’ big day as motorcycles lined the main field for the bike show and the music was set to build toward the double headline, one-two punch, of local heroes Teaspoonriverneck and South Wales’ own Dub War.
The day was clearly divided in two around the bike show but, with the news that a rather key member of the local music scene had returned from holiday with a case of you know what, things got off to a slightly shaky start but the organisers pulled things together and the show went on.
Having been unable to play with his band the day before due to travel issues Lee Burton got the main stage underway with a set of fun, suitably hungover, acoustic punk rock tunes spanning covers of the likes of Rancid and Billy Bragg to self penned numbers mixing that fine combination only punk rock can manage of serious politics and puerile humour, so we got a song about Jersey’s former chief minister John Le Fondre, excellently called John Le Fondles Himself.
During Lee’s set the inevitable rain arrived (thankfully it didn’t last long) but it did mean his performance was somewhat interrupted by some of the games usually taking place outside but this did bring more into the tent so youngsters Darker Shade did start out with a decent sized audience.
With a good energy the band played a mix of modern rock and metal covers that showed a lot of potential with even a cover of Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name hitting the right spot and I could see them being ones to keep an eye on as they get some more shows under their belt.
Over in The Peace Tent the day began with the fun, if slightly surreal (so perfectly in-keeping), sounds of the Ad Hoc Recorders with everything from the Muppet Show to Final Fantasy and, especially for here, Thomas The Tank Engine themes in their repertoire, all played on a startling array of the woodwind instruments.
They were followed by an acoustic set from Dan Ashplant before Sophie Duncan made her Peace Tent debut with a great mix of covers and original songs spanning her own amusing observations to the likes of Nirvana and Alanis Morissette making for one of the low key highlights of the weekend despite the interruption of a rather potent cloud of smoke from the burnouts taking place outside.
After that we were treated to some fun and games with Johnny-O and some bubbles from Guernsey Bubbles before the music kicked off again in earnest with The Nightmares.
While maybe not a band one would instantly think of being one for The Peace Tent they seemed to fit right in with frontman Callum in particular clearly getting the vibe of the venue.
Playing with the usual great energy that puts their own spin on something combining The Jam and Bruce Springsteen they quickly set the tone for the evening to come.
With a new drummer behind the kit The Honest Crooks felt like they’d not missed a step, despite a quieter time than usual over the last couple of years, and showed why they are a regular highlight here as they got the tent packed.
Along with their usual mix of covers and originals, which got many singing along, a few newer songs made it into the set which is always promising and with a few ‘shoe-ies’ thrown in for good measure they kept the positive spirit going in fine fashion.
Carrying on in The Peace Tent (I’ll get back to the main stage shortly), next came visiting artist Beat Cleaver who was unlike anything I’d ever seen before as he combined vocal sounds (like beatboxing but even more) with synth-like controllers to create huge improvised tunes that kept the crowd in the dancing.
He was joined at points by a few local contributors, including fiddle player Andrew Degnen and Squirrel on flute to make for something truly unique and, as he pointed out, not something you’ll ever be able to hear quite like this ever again, making for something truly impressive and spectacular before the live music was rounded off by Yas who kept the dancing going before DJs Alex Psymons and Flexagon continued into the night.
The evening got going on the main stage with The Erberts who brought some great vibes to restart musical proceedings and, while many pointed out they look like a band who’d be more at home in The Peace Tent, they still sounded great on the big stage.
Coastal Fire Dept followed and, having made a big thing about this being their favourite show of the year, definitely seemed to be in the spirit of it once they settled down after a slightly wobbly start.
With some new songs finding their way into the set it’s clear the northern parish grungers are driving forward like few others and they attracted a crowd from the start which just kept growing to a big finale of Molly’s Lips and School (though news that’s broken since the weekend suggests there may well be changes afoot within the band).
Jersey pop rockers FlashMob have made something of a home for themselves on Chaos’ big stage and that seemed to be just the case again here.
While I didn’t catch the entire set, what I did included their ridiculously huge Queen medley, which was a sure fire crowd pleaser, and then an extended rendition of The Kinks’ You Really Got Me that saw most of the band head off stage to distribute cocktail umbrellas into the drinks of the assembled masses, marking a triumphant outing before it seems frontman Sam Delanoe is heading away from the islands so their gigs will likely become fewer and farther between.
And then we got what was, for many (myself included), the most anticipated band of the weekend as Teaspoonriverneck returned to the stage for the first time since they supported PigsX7 two and a half years ago.
Focussing their set list largely on their self titled debut album, with a couple from follow-up Craft Of Lisia, it seemed as if they hadn’t missed a step as they opened with George followed by the likes of Motorway Roadkill, Ribschacksupertwang, The Ballad of LB, Gideon and of course Eaten By The Devil.
Steve Lynch has, if anything, grown even more as a frontman during his time with The Electric Shakes and it just added to his presence here while Jon Langlois’ fuzz guitar remains a force to be reckoned with and it was terrific to see Brett Stewart unleash his full power behind the drums for the first time in a long time.
Throughout the audience were singing along to every word with head banging aplenty to the groovily hard rock ‘n’ roll before a full mosh kicked off later in the set all marking my highlight of the whole weekend and whetting the appetite for more – so hopefully it’s not another 30 months before we see them again.
After something a break while seemingly the entire on stage set up was reset, including the addition of a hand cranked air raid siren, Dub War arrived on stage, fresh from an appearance the night before at Glastonbury, with a genuine barrage of noise.
Mixing elements of rap, reggae and punk the first part of the set certainly felt like an all out assault which, while undeniably impressive and fitting of their name, felt almost so overwhelming it was hard to engage with.
As it went on though the grooves began to come to the fore which, along with the immense presence and charisma of frontman Benji Webb, became captivating and engrossing so it was no surprise that they were called back for an encore and ended Saturday night on a massively powerful note.
You can see my photos from the second day of Chaos 17 on my Facebook page by clicking here
Day Three
My third day of Chaos began (as has become tradition) with Cramps O’Clock in The Peace Tent, before things began proper, with me ‘DJing’ an hour of music by The Cramps, which you can find a full playlist of what I played on Spotify by clicking here.
After that things got more chilled out, as is also tradition on the Sunday afternoon, with Damo (sometimes of Fly Casual) beginning things with a mix of original songs, including some going right back to his early days, along with a few covers, which was something of a change from his usual style.
A particular highlight came with his version of Somewhere In My Heart by Aztec Camera and by the end of the set I was left thinking it would be great if we got to hear him more often.
The relaxed tones continued with Bordeaux Blue who’s jazzy blues was perfect for the Sunday chill out vibe.
Having seen Ernie Roscouet play solo or with either Andrew Degnen on fiddle or Glenn Holmes on guitar it was great to hear the more full band (though Glenn was missing due to a clashing gig elsewhere), but regardless the addition of Andy’s fiddle and Paul’s bass took what Ernie usually does and just elevated it, so we got a great mix of songs and stories that I could have easily just sat and listened to all afternoon given the chance.
The quieter atmosphere continued on the main stage, likely to ease things in after the night before, with Phil Capper opening proceedings with his always well delivered folk revival stuff before we got some mellow electric blues from Joe Corbin and acoustic grunge (if such a thing exists) from Coastal Fire Dept’s Ollie Goddard.
While the so-called ‘Olym-pissed Games’ were taking place in the main field, and so the main stage took a break, the live music continued in The Peace Tent with the modestly named Llewellyn The Great.
Made up of the members of Savage Sons, with Josh Davies dded on the drums and Adam Powell switching to lead guitar, they increased the energy and volume with a great set of their own brand of driving, heavy blues rock.
Eponymous frontman Llewellyn Van Eeden brought a great charisma to the performance and, while a little ramshackle in places, their energy held it together when needed making for what felt like something of a lost gem of the weekend.
Grace And Elliott took things back to the relaxed and semi-acoustic feel by going even further than most and dragging the Peace Tent’s sofa onto the stage before delivering a set that was as fun and engaging as they’ve ever delivered, if a little less precise musically in places.
This didn’t matter though as it very much matched the mood and, along with their own songs, they also brought us their version of a Gregory Harrison number and Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) with the help of Squirrel on drums, all making for a fine performance.
Multi-instrumentalist Charles Stenner was up next with guitar, piano and mandolin all coming into play across a set of largely indie folk feeling songs, highlighted again by his own The Wickerman (Iron Maiden this was not).
Later in the set he was joined by Marcus Meredith for a ‘rap’ track that, in every way, shouldn’t have worked, but did and was great fun continuing the mood of the afternoon.
The live music in The Peace Tent was then brought to a close as we headed into the evening with the Ukuladeez.
While somewhat depleted in number for this outing they still brought their usual sense of fun to proceedings, highlighted by a newer song about the delights found on the Guernsey Ebuy Facebook group, particularly the posts that start ‘sorry, not selling…’, rounding off another fine year for the festival’s second stage.
With evening approaching the main stage cranked back into action for three more acts, starting with Toby Falla.
While clearly exceptionally talented and well practiced at his Ed Sheeran-like acoustic guitar looping style, it felt somewhat out of place here with just one person on such a big stage and his whole performance felt rehearsed to such a point he would be able to deliver this anywhere regardless of audience response or type of venue, which made it feel a bit disconnected, but with the audience rather small this would never be an easy slot.
Having seen Llewellyn The Great in the day The Sasquatches looked rather familiar as they took to the stage, just with a slight rearrangement of instruments but, with Adam Powell now on lead vocals they rocked their way through a fine set of covers.
Mostly drawing on the heavier end of 60s and 70s blues rock, with the likes of Hendrix, Cream, Zeppelin and Sabbath all in the mix, they added a few songs from past original project Blacksmith that upped the energy in the tent as a few more of those still standing so late on a Sunday began to make their way in.
While last thing on the Sunday at Chaos may be a challenging time to play as many have left the site by this time ahead of returning to the real world the next day, those who stuck around this year were provided with a real treat as The Pips hit the stage with the kind of energy usually reserved for a Saturday night.
Firmly establishing themselves as the most exciting new(ish) band on the Guernsey scene at the moment they weaved their way through a surreal expedition of indie pop that took in everything from beat poetry to grunge while frontman Elliot Albert Orchard owned the stage like a kind of hybrid of Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave (thanks to Andy Le Poidevin for help with that comparison).
While the audience may not have been huge The Peace Tent crew had made their way across and those still present seemed firmly onside with the band making for another highlight moment of the weekend that left people calling for more as the particularly noisy and ‘experimental’ Meat Song brought the show to a close and rounded off yet another great festival that overcame a few challenges over the weekend to leave some strong moments and memories like only Chaos can.
You can see my photos from the last day of Chaos 17 on my Facebook page by clicking here
Tommy Girard 