There’s no debating it, Chaos indeed came of age this year as, for the 18th time in 19 years (after missing 2020 due to you know what) the Greenman MCC’s music festival and motorcycle show took over the fields on the Pleinmont headland at Guernsey’s southwestern most point.
In the days and weeks leading up to the event there had been much discussion that, on paper, the line up maybe wasn’t as inspiring as some past years’ with a few expected names missing and a large number of tribute bands on the bill.
Maybe part of this at least was more down to the Guernsey music scene at present than anything else and, let’s be honest, sometimes there’s nothing more fun than joining in with a band in having a great time with some songs you all know.
Anyway, that said, let’s see how it all went down for me…
Day One – Friday 23rd June
Arriving at the site in the late afternoon it was already busy with many motorbikes lined up down the centre of the main field and the new, more solid looking, main stage tent in its usual position while the campsite in the next field was also already busy and many were gathered around The Peace Tent where the chilled dub beats that mark its usual between live act sounds had already begun, and we’ll head back there shortly.
The live music got going on the main stage though with newcomers Lateralus.
Named after a Tool song their particular musical direction seemed fairly predictable but, as they began with a storming version of Motörhead’s Ace Of Spades followed by spot on rendition of Rush’s Limelight, it was clear there was more to them than versions of the LA band’s prog metal oeuvre.
As the set went on we got some Porcupine Tree, Queens Of The Stone Age and, yes, some Tool, as well the first of several takes on System Of A Down’s Ariels, all of which set a high bar for what was to come and made for an early highlight of the weekend.
The fun nostalgia, that was to be a key part of the main stage line up for the Friday night, continued with Democracy Manifest delivering a set of all System Of A Down tracks (giving us our second take on Ariels and the third I’d heard recently after Honeycub covered it a couple of weeks back as well).
While frontman Jimi Brown was struggling a little with his voice following two festival weekends back to back over the previous two weeks and a recent UK tour with Stormbringer, he still did a great job and his always infectious energy helped get the audience singing along too this string of the Los Angeles’ Nu-metallers top tunes.
The rest of the band weren’t far behind Jimi and it was clear all were having a great time and it was good to hear these songs live again as they got the audience up for it and bouncing early.
The first of Chaos 18’s visiting bands, Jersey four-piece 88 Bunkface, were next and kept the late 90s vibes going with a set based around pop punk and such from that era.
With the likes of Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Lit and more they were fun and energetic on stage in just the right way for the kind of music (inappropriate jokes included).
Highlights came with an original song I didn’t catch the name of and a great version of Goldfinger’s take on Nena’s 99 Red Balloons, complete with the verse in German, before they closed with the always impactful Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit, leaving me eager to see them when they next make the trip over.
Over in The Peace Tent meanwhile the first act I caught was the intriguingly named Big Beans.
Coming as a surprise to many the group comprised Mike Meinke, Charlie Sherbourne and Andrew Degnen and they played a selection of the first two’s songs that were perfectly suited to relaxing on the warm Friday evening.
Unsurprisingly, once word got around exactly who was in the band, they drew quite a crowd and, really, did exactly what you’d expect of them, but that was no bad thing, as they established a vibe for the acts to follow.
After making a return to the stage after a decade away on the BBC Introducing Stage at the Guernsey Together festival China Aster made their Peace Tent debut.
Again taking the form of Joshua Moore adding vocals and live guitars to backing tracks constructed along with Oliver Marson, he seemed somewhat more nervous here than his two other outings since his return but, none the less, sounded terrific, with many commenting quite how good he sounded with a nostalgic twist on a modern electronic indie sound – think a kind of queer pop disco colliding with Joy Division and The Smiths with a hint of Pet Shop Boys.
After a storming Peace Tent debut last year, The Nightmares returned with their newly solidified line up firing on all cylinders.
The band’s raw energy and huge charisma hooked the audience early and kept them there for the duration as working class mod anthems battled with belligerent punk rockers and Springsteen like everyman story songs.
They may seem like an odd fit for The Peace Tent on paper but they really seem to get the atmosphere and vibe leading to one of their best shows yet that was hot and sweaty in just the right ways with The Rudeboy providing a massive highlight.
Back on the main stage I caught a few songs from Van Holmes, Guernsey’s new Van Halen tribute, featuring Glenn Holmes on lead guitar.
I’ll admit Van Halen has never really been my thing and I only caught two or three songs here but what I saw was fabulously entertaining with the whole band (completed by Rich Klein, Dave Hatcher, Darren James and a collection of improbable wigs and trousers) getting into the spirit of it all to great effect.
It was back to the 90s next with Steve Against The Machine who sounded even tighter than when I’ve seen them in the past.
Luis Morais was star of the show as he embodied Tom Morello’s guitar playing in astonishing fashion with the rest of the band not far behind and bass player Dan Keltie impressing particularly having really moved on since his days in Jawbone, all of which really got the crowd going.
The final live act in The Peace agent for Friday was Its Own Animal (aka Garry Minto).
With his full rig of synths, drums machines, loopers and more, Garry drew a crowd into the tent across his set and was terrific in his own right while also acting as a great bridge between the live bands and DJs to follow.
There were a couple of points where nerves seemed to be getting the better of him but he pulled it all back together to get people moving with the more ‘banging’ side of his repertoire.
There was a headline double whammy of sorts on the main stage starting with Guernsey’s favourite AC/DC tribute, Back In Vraic.
These guys are never not fun and this was no exception as they embraced the big stage and big show feel with frontman Tom ‘Shinfo’ Domaille, in particular, owning the stage, but the rest of the band were starting to get more involved than they were in the past too.
With the biggest crowd of the day they felt like a perfect band for a biker party, which is what Chaos started out as, and they had many singing along to all the Aussie rockers’ hits you could shake a stick at, and they even had their ‘special guest’ for Whole Lotta Rosie making for a great show all round.
The second part of the headline double came with Chaos regulars Maiden Guernsey, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
Sometimes they are a band that can be fun but a bit sloppy and loose in their delivery but when they really want to they can tighten it all up, and that’s what they did (for the most part) here, but without losing the infectious fun.
Frontman Stace Blondel is something of a Breda fuelled dynamo, getting both the band and crowd going right from the start and barely standing still as he did a remarkable job adding his own spin to Bruce Dickinson’s vocals.
The rest of the band fed on a combination of this and Ozzy’s always impressive and powerful drumming to create something idiosyncratically their own but also true enough to the Iron Maiden originals.
Powerslave was a particular highlight tonight with many marvelling at Scorch’s guitar solos while the ending one-two punch of Hallowed Be Thy Name and Run To The Hills brought the first day of Chaos 18 to a roaring climax.
Day Two – Saturday 24th June
With the temperature already reaching impressive levels on site the second day of Chaos 18 began with The Space Pirates Of Rocquaine making their (long overdue) debut at the festival.
Despite the early slot the well known five piece drew quite a crowd into the main stage tent and delivered a set at the more up beat and, for wont of a better word, heavy end of their folk-pop-rock repertoire setting a high energy tone for the day.
Given recent changes in the band it was interesting to see Tim Corbett add electric guitar to his range of instruments (along with mandolin, ukulele and acoustic guitar) and I look forward to seeing that side develop as it gave a slightly different twang to things here.
Set time clashes meant I missed Drunken Promises performance (apologies to them and any others I didn’t catch over the weekend) but I did get a chance the last few songs from Alderney four-piece Gone Tech.
Playing a range of classic rock covers (I heard some Lenny Kravitz and a medley of Johnny B. Goode with some AC/DC) they played with a terrific energy despite the increasing heat on stage and are certainly a band I’d like to see again.
In The Peace Tent the first act I caught was Katja Martin whose unique banjo songs sounded very nice with originals as well as a cover of a Bob Dylan song providing the highlights.
She was followed by Jon Shaban, a newcomer to the island but one who has already gathered quite a reputation and this was my first time seeing and hearing him.
With hints of Laura Jane Grace from Against Me! (albeit in a somewhat previous incarnation) his brand of solo acoustic rock managed to be both upbeat but relaxed enough for the warm afternoon.
Some of the songs he suggested he was more used to playing with a full band but they sounded spot on in this format and, when combined with his easy and fun stage presence, made for a highlight set of the weekend.
A visitor from the other side of the Atlantic came next as Jacob McCurdy took to the stage and delivered a nice set of Americana tinged songs but I have to admit it was this point in the day that the heat really started to get the better of me so my concentration on his performance was something less than it might have been.
Never the less it’s always good to hear a new voice and there was certainly a lot to like across his set.
Following a bit of a break while the burnouts took place and, thankfully, didn’t add too much extra smoke to the already stuffy atmosphere in The Peace Tent, Clameur De Haro took to the stage.
This was my first time seeing ‘The Clams’ in quite some time and I’m very glad to say not a lot has changed.
The six-piece band mixed their own songs with a few choice covers, all in their version of bluegrass, and a good dose of fun that was, by their standards, delivered in remarkably slick fashion.
While they might usually expect to get a few people moving or engaging more directly the on going high temperatures were meaning the audience were somewhat sedate but they were clearly enjoying it all and, if I’m honest, I have even more admiration than usual for the bands getting on stage and performing in the conditions.
With the bike show done and prizes in a range of categories awarded (and certainly there were some impressive vehicles out in show) the music began again on the main stage with Foxy Stoat Seeks Pig.
Along with having one of the best band names currently on the Guernsey scene the quintet have cut themselves quite a niche for their covers of 90s, grunge-era, classics all while keeping their tongues firmly in their cheeks.
Led by Stace Blondel, who was once again a non-stop ball of energy despite the heat, they set a tone for the evening of music to come while acting as something of a link to the previous day’s nostalgia trip.
Nostalgia was far from my mind as SkySkrapers took to the stage attired in matching track suits and with drummer Barney playing under an all white, luchadore style, mask.
From there he and Charlie Holmes confounded and delighted in equal measure as they took us on an instrumental journey through just what a bass guitar and a drum kit are capable of creating from raging, tumultuous riffs to subtle soundscapes and everything in between.
Hot off the heels of their latest single release, Headphones (if there’s any right, the song of summer 2023 in Guernsey of not further afield), The Erberts took to the stage in The Peace Tent.
While the music they played had the same combination of surfery cool and driving blues that has made their reputation, and was clearly appreciated by the audience, there’s no denying the stifling heat on the stage somewhat effected the whole performance as their usual relaxed demeanour seemed rather more frayed than usual, but nevertheless the music was great and caught the summer evening vibe perfectly.
The final act I caught in The Peace Tent on the Saturday was Kiya Ashton & The Folkadelics (apologies to Tantale) who from the off clearly intended to make their mark and certainly did so.
Taking their already established sound mixing Kiya’s indie folk songs with a kind of psychedelic rock, they sounded huge with the young singer leading her ‘band of boys’ like a musical field marshal on their epic adventure which culminated in a gloriously heavy psyche extended instrumental that welcomed in the energetic evening to come.
Jersey regulars FlashMob were next up on the main stage to really kick things into a higher gear with their mix of pop rock covers and ridiculous stage antics, which included a stuffed pigeon, an inflatable shark and more.
With frontman Harry Sutton back in the fold since I last saw them, the five-piece tore through their set and were terrific fun with an almost dual frontman approach now thanks to Sam Delanoe’s performance and, I’ll be honest guitarist Sam Mezec and bass player Martin Powell aren’t far behind and I’m pretty sure if he weren’t behind the drums Matson would be just as energetic too, all making for a storming performance.
The fun continued next as The Bensons made their return to Chaos for the first time since their infamous and hugely entertaining ‘gay bikers’ (for wont of a better description) outing back in 2007.
Taking to the stage in Orange, American prison-style, overalls they launched into their set of genre confounding funk rock as if they’d never been away mixing longtime favourites with new songs and even throwing in a mid-set costume change with new outfits harking back to some of their past dressing up adventures.
While the audience for them maybe wasn’t as big as long standing fans thought it should have been it was clear they made their mark on the newcomers while those of us who remember the, from back in the day simply had a great time but, with the new songs and their massive energy, this was far more than a simple nostalgia trip.
After some classic hard rock fun and funk rock surrealness Saturday night at Chaos closed with a double header of ska punk from regular visitors Spunge and Guernsey’s own The Honest Crooks.
Having last played the festival in 2018 Spunge hit the stage with the feeling of a long awaited visit from old friends and, early, on set out their aim to give us a more coherent show than their last visit (though I’ll admit my memories of that are of another great time, if one that involved a lot Jagermeister).
As the blasted through their fantastic repertoire of tunes they got the crowd skanking along whether they remembered their previous visits or not and belied their 25 years together with an energy to put many less experienced bands to shame.
Big songs like Skanking Song, Ego and their take on J. Geils Band’s Centrefold went down a storm in the crowd and it wasn’t long before a bottle of Jäger made its way to the stage once again.
Unlike their last visit this simply seemed to spur the band on leading to a triumphant conclusion with Roots and Kicking Pigeons providing highlights that made for a classic Chaos set that went down a storm with the crowd whether they were new to the Essex band or long standing fans.
Following Spunge was going to be no mean feat so The Honest Crooks approached it in the best of ways, intent on having a great time and continuing the fun vibes.
With their back catalogue of songs well known to the Chaos crowd the four piece did just that with more than a few numbers leading to singalongs and yet more skanking.
Not trying to out do the previous band could easily have made this an underwhelming close to the night but instead it solidified the positive atmosphere that permeated the whole event making for a highlight performance of a slightly different sort.
Day Three – Sunday 25th June
With the temperature having mercifully dropped somewhat overnight I headed up to Chaos 18 for its final day early for my usual turn as the Cramps O’Clock DJ in The Peace Tent which followed the Damaged Disco in it’s aim to baffle and entertain those in varying states of disrepair who’d been on site overnight.
Following that it was over to the main stage though for the return of the Sound Guernsey Battle Of The Bands which saw eight under-18 bands take to the stage over four hours with the aim of winning the rather nice looking Chaos trophy and a slot on next year’s main bill.
Aviation were up first and continued very much where they left off at the recent Sound At St James show, impressing with an interesting choice of covers and a positive energy while also being in the unenviable position of setting the bar for the other bands to follow, which always feels a little unfair but let’s not get too into that now.
Ultimately though they delivered another solid set and are certainly one of the young bands worth keeping an eye on as they develop.
The somewhat more established Bonnie And The Others followed and were certainly impressive.
Having recently seen bass player Ruairi and singer Amri play as a duo it was good to see them with the rest of the band and, compared to other young bands, they used a dual lead vocal to great effect while also featuring some great musicianship.
Next band, Dislocation, brought a much more punky approach to things, particularly in singer and bass player Alex who seemed confident beyond their years when it came to rabble rousing attitude.
As with most of the bands this afternoon their selection of songs was a good mix slightly beyond the norm of younger bands in recent years, and a cover of Wet Leg’s Wet Dream, delivered well, certainly won them extra points with me.
Winners of the Thirst music school battle of the bands earlier in the year Truelove And The Rejects came next and, it was around this point that it struck me quite how good Guernsey’s young bands have become whether they’ve come through one of the music schools like Thirst or SOPM or are more self-motivated.
There were moments in Truelove And The Rejects set where they felt slightly under rehearsed but, when they clicked they really did and again showed a terrific musical talent.
As Life Support, a band I had no prior knowledge of, began their set it was hard to escape that they seemed somewhat out of sorts but had a strangely engaging, almost surly, energy reminiscent of many bands at the height of nu-metal.
As the set went on the reason for their slightly off performance became clear as it emerged they were short a guitarist, but they left me hoping to catch them at full strength at some point soon.
Having opened the festival on Friday Lateralus were back with a similar set and, while their choice of songs was equally as interesting and they certainly sounded good, they were maybe just a step off compare to the previous set (that’s what a weekend at a festival will do for you).
That said this still put them firmly in my top three of the eight bands taking part as they owned the stage in a way rather unlike any of the others.
Sharing a guitarist with Lateralus, but with a somewhat more crowd pleasing outlook, were Awakening.
Having last seen them at the School Of Popular Music battle of the bands last autumn they had progressed strongly since then and got a great reaction here with a great combination of serious musicianship with an accessible choice of songs and a good on stage demeanour.
Final band of the contest were Fuse, another band who played the recent Sound show at St James, and while slightly more rough around the edges than Awakening, brought a more edgy energy which appealed to many.
Along with another good choice of songs as they reached the end of their set there was a sense that the contest really was now between the final three bands, though all had done a very good job.
As the votes were counted, to add a different twist, and try to keep things fair, the scoring was done by the other bands taking part and not the audience, the general discussion seemed to be between Lateralus, Awakening and Fuse.
In the end, and by only one point, it was Awakening that took the top spot but more than anything the afternoon served to show just how good the younger end of Guernsey’s live music scene is right now (if only we had the venues able to support young bands like we used to – though of course those that can are doing a fine job) and Dislocation and Life Support both made an impression so I look forward to seeing them again.
As the main stage took a break for the traditional Sunday afternoon ‘silly games’ out in the field (which are brilliantly entertaining in their own right), I headed back over to The Peace Tent where the music continued.
As I got there Hollie Thorne was on stage with John Sealey adding extra guitar and electric piano to her already impressive songs, making for some sounds perfect for a relaxed and sunny Sunday afternoon.
As ever Hollie sounded terrific and, as the set went on, she was joined by Kiya Ashton, with whom she has collaborated a few times, adding extra backing vocals that just heightened the already very good songs even more.
Folk trio Blue Mountains followed, and it’s been quite some time since I had the chance to see them live.
With a range of instruments from guitars and fiddles to mandolins, banjos and even an Appalachian dulcimer, they had an instantly relaxed demeanour on stage which, in this setting, had the feel of almost being sat in their oversized front room and, even when their songs touched on the darker side of things, they fitted the overall atmosphere of the day excellently.
The next act came with something of a sense of anticipation following their debut outing opening for Jesca Hoop last May.
Since then Gregory Harrison & The Bare Minimum have been hard at work taking some of their leader’s solo numbers and building a band sound behind them, as well as working on some new songs too.
From the start they had a huge energy and began with the newer songs which brought a real sense of freshness to things.
Mixing hints of folk with rock ‘n’ roll, indie and hints of jazz and alternative, their sound was instantly infectious with Greg as focal point but Ash Jarman adding some great backing vocals (when not blowing on the horn) and new addition Charlie Sinclair adding further backing vocals and some fine piano work.
As the set went on and we got to the more familiar material that found a new life with the electric bass of Elliott Mariess and drums of Claire Mox powering it.
This burst of energy was just what was needed as we headed into Sunday evening and felt like a statement of intent for the band, so I hope it’s not another year until we see them again.
As has become something of a tradition the final band of the weekend in The Peace Tent were the Ukuladeez (and friends).
As they began with their song about the island’s coastal car parks (featuring the excellent lyric ‘it’s not dogging if no one’s watching’) the mood and tone was set and rolled on from there, with the band’s amusing but pointed songs going down a storm and raising plenty of laughs as they explored everything from Jammy Hands(?) to the problem with French boyfriends, buying and selling items on Facebook and more.
With plenty of smiling faces the Ukuladeez closed The Peace Tent in great style, including a cameo from the stage’s organiser playing the Otamatone on a couple of songs.
This just left a couple of bands to round off the main stage as a stronger wind began to blow across the site.
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Disasters were first of these and this was my first chance seeing them in this form, and I liked what I heard.
With a slightly ramshackle look and feel, their brand of garage rock ‘n’ roll was delivered with a fun and enthusiastic energy heightened by the inclusion of saxophone and organ from Garrick Jones.
Unfortunately it was at this point that I had to tap out as hay fever got the better of me (apologies to Aktung who were still to play) but, never the less, my Chaos 18 was rounded off on a positive note making for what felt like one of the most fun and relaxed editions of the festival yet, and long may it continue into its newly found ‘adulthood’ without losing its youthful, enjoyable and, at times, irreverent spirit.
Tommy Girard 