Looking Back on Knebworth House and the Launch of Sonsiphere

Review by Mark Taylor
Photos by Moonshayde

The Sonisphere Festival is a travelling circus of rock which routes itself around Europe. Now in its second year, those who attended the Eastern European shows were treated to the big four of thrash (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax). We weren’t to be so lucky in the UK, but who can argue with such headline acts such as Alice Cooper, Rammstein and Iron Maiden.

Click through for the rest of the story of Sonisphere UK, Day One

The grounds of Knebworth House are engraved in rock history. It was here that the Allman Brothers played their first-ever show outside the States. Pink Floyd have headlined here twice – in 1975 and again in 1990. The Rolling Stones attracted over quarter of a million rock fans in 1976 and Led Zeppelin played their final open-air shows here in 1979. It was also here that I saw Freddie Mercury perform his last-ever concert with Queen (although we didn’t know it at the time).

My first visit to Knebworth was also my first time at a festival, back in 1985, to see the re-formed Deep Purple on a very rain-soaked, muddy day which is filled with some glorious memories. Twenty-five years later I’m back on this hallowed turf to witness the second Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth.

Day One on the Friday doesn’t see any any action until late in the afternoon, which gives us plenty of time to travel up, get the tent set up, and open up some much-needed alcohol (only to get me in the festival spirit, of course).

Disaster was to strike early, as one of my camping partners for the weekend, Tina, was given a bottle of Jack Daniels as a present. Problem was, she dosn’t drink Jack, so I duly offered to drink it for her. One bottle and lots of drunken rants later, I was firing on all cylinders and ready to rock and roll baby!

There were many smaller stages scattered around the festival site, but today I was only going to focus on the Saturn Stage (one of two major stages with the other, the Apollo stage, opening up on the Saturday).

Dutch prog goth rockers Delain opened up the proceedings with fine symphonic sounds featuring the operatic voice of the photogenic Charlotte Wessels. Songs like ‘April Rain’ win them a new host of fans today.

From Holmgard and beyond come Finnish folk metallers Turisas who bought their battle metal to the masses dressed in animal skins and with faces painted in red and black. A highly entertaining set.

Europe, fronted by the ever youthful Joey Tempest showed Sonisphere how they can rock with new songs from their latest ‘Last Look At Eden’ album, but it was the eighties hits of ‘Rock The Night’ and the parptastic ‘Final Countdown’ that got everyone singing along.

Gary Numan was a surprise addition to this bill, having gone to a more industrial sound in the recent nu-metal times. The biggest cheers came for ‘Cars’ and the set-ending ‘Are Friends Electric’ show Numan what it is that we really want to hear.

Surprisingly, this was Alice Cooper’s first headlining festival appearance in the UK since Reading Festival back in 1987. He was the star of the show back then and can still repeat the trick all these years later. Opening up with ‘Schools Out,’ it was time to rebel and party. A whole host of greatest hits plus lesser-known album tracks delivered in fine pantomime fashion.

Breaking out of a straitjacket only to be beheaded on the guillotine, everything about Alice’s breathtaking performance was pure theatrical art.The perfect headline act for an opening evening. I partied all the way throughout this set. which set the tone for the weekend.

I had such a good time that I totally forgot that I had VIP backstage access, and instead of partying with the A-lists went back to my tent with my friend Jim, where a bottle of wine was waiting for me, and talked complete nonsense into the early hours. A great night.