The Radcliffe Civic Hall is perhaps the most unlikely and unassuming venues for a Rock festival ever. From the outside, this looks like any other leisure centre or events hall that can be found in any given town across the North of England. Looking at the adverts on the way in, it further asserts the illusion that this is just an ordinary building; there's events for everything from Weight Watchers meetings through to a small, independent Pro Wrestling show that will be setting up hop here in just a few weeks time. However, despite its appearances, this is the home of one of the most exciting Heavy Metal festivals in the UK, and has hosted it for the last eight years. I'm talking, of course, about SOS Festival. Having been once before, I know how great this weekend is likely to be, and the calibre of bands on offer. And luckily, this year is no different.

July 17th

Day one is a short, yet packed, bill which helps to get people warmed up for the rest of the festival. This is the first Friday that this festival has been held on, and this first instance is definitely one to remember. Not long after seven, KILL OR CURE take the stage, and perform very well. This local act pull out all the stops, and have a palpable stage presence. Their brand of intense, powerful Hard Rock really gets the audience warmed up.

VICE are easily the best band of the day, however. They are incredibly energetic onstage, get the crowd riled up and moving very well, and their razor sharp, Thrashing Metal assault helps to set a lofty bar for the rest of the bands to reach performance wise, a bar that few match and even fewer surpass over the course of the weekend.

OBZIDIAN likewise go down well amongst the gradually growing crowd, and bring a great level of aggression and ferocity to their stage show, something that transfers well to the audience, who seem to absorb their energy feed off it. If festival goers weren't suitably pumped by this point, they definitely are now.

COLLIBUS sound absolutely powerful, and their set, in particular the vocals, sound epic. It's easily one of the highlights of the first day. They play a much more aggressive kind of Heavy Metal, with thick, catchy Thrash-inspired guitar lines that have you immediately hooked.

Headliners TRIAXIS make a triumphant return to the festival with a reinvigorated stage show and new material. The tracks from their latest album, "Zero Hour", go down well alongside their established classics, and they practically make the stage their own. In conversation with them the next afternoon [insert link to interview here], they mentioned that they consider Manchester to be one of their biggest fan bases, and the audience really help drive this point home with their response. It's an amazing end to an amazing first day.

July 18th

This is a festival where sometimes the acts of the Acoustic stage outshine some of the acts on the main stage. STEEL THREADS are one such band; catching both of their sets on the Metal Nation Acoustic Stage, the crowd are treated to something that is not only unique from the rest of the line up, but also incredibly good. Apart from a string breaking towards the end of the first one, their set goes extremely well, and goes down well with those lucky enough to witness them.

THE AMORETTES hit the stage shortly afterwards, and end up playing one of the most energetic and powerful sets of the whole day. Their Hard Rock and Punk hybrid sounds really great, and they play with a confidence that can only be achieved by someone who knows they are doing what they do well.  Next up comes Austria's GARAGEDAYS, who are likewise full of energy and swagger, and similarly hold the crowds attention throughout their whole set. The heavy, dirty Hard Rock they peddle sounds great, and they glide through their set expertly.

 Just as French Metallers GANG played their first UK set at SOS last year, FIREFORCE take the stage to play their first show on these shores in their career. It's clear that they're excited, and are reveling in the moment at what is a monumental moment for both band and audience. Their stage show is clearly marked by a strong ACCEPT influence, and suits their ferocious, melodic Power Metal down to the ground.

By the time that AVENGER hit the stage, the crowd has grown significantly, and the Geordie five piece are greeted with a heroes welcome. They launch into their set, flying through fan favourites and under-rated classics alike, and throw a vast amount of visceral energy and ferocity into their live show. Vocalist Ian Swift comments that every time they come to Manchester, the audience raise the bar and give them a great reaction, and tonight is no different.

Easily one of the other high points of the day comes, once again, from the second stage. Luke Appleton and WIZZ WIZZARD put on a really great acoustic set, comprising of several different elements, most notably WIZZ's own material, a cover of "Last in Line" by DIO, and a hair-raising rendition of URIAH HEEP's classic "Lady in Black". It's one of those shows that the crowd and performers are both fully capable of throwing themselves into.

By the time BLAZE BAYLEY  hits the stage, the room is absolutely packed. The show, which I can only describe as epic, stands as one of the best times that I personally have seen BLAZE. Having witnessed him playing not only on the Acoustic stage last year, but also to a packed, sweaty crowd in the Grand Central, it's interesting to see how well his live show translates to a significantly larger stage and audience. If anything, this set illustrates that the man who fronted WOLFSBANE and IRON MAIDEN can adapt to all environments, and put on an excellent performance regardless of whether he's playing a pub or a large, well established venue. The man is, in short, a true performer who can wrap the crowd around his little finger.

July19th

The third and final day of the festival is opened with great acts on both stages; on the Dean Hocking Stage, we've got FEAR ME DECEMBER, who play an interesting and hard brand of Rock music. It's a great start to a great day. Charlotte Hackett, playing on the second stage, is absolutely great. Playing a mix of covers and her own material, both of her sets go down very well with the early afternoon revellers.

One of the best aspects of SOS is that they showcase some of the best local acts to a large and eager audience. TEN BY TEN, with their powerful, Groove-laden Metal, hit the stage and leave a great impression. Blending Grunge, Rock and Metal, this band don't have to do much to get the crowds attention. With Bluesy guitar lines, tar-like Bass lines and killer vocals, it's clear that these guys have something to offer, and hopefully it will take them far.

SKARLETT RIOT practically steal the show. They stand out quite a bit from the rest of the festivals line up, and initially seem to have issues getting the crowd moving. However, by the end of their set, they've definitely won the crowd over, including myself. This is the mark of a great band, in my opinion. Anyone who can head into a show and win people over by the end of their set is doing what they do extremely well. Their set goes off without a problem, and it really helped me to fall in love with live music again.

Liz Owen, an incredibly talented local singer/ songwriter, is another festival highlight. Her music is not only incredibly technically proficient, but also catchy beyond belief, and this is definitely not lost on those watching her two sets.

TYSONDOG, returning after storming SOS last year with both their set and record deal with Rocksector Records, are just as excellent as they were last year, and receive a fitting crowd response. They put on an absolutely amazing show, flying through their set and wowing fans and spectators alike with their great, NWOBHM inspired music.

After much delay, the headliners FURYON are quickly ushered onstage to an ecstatic audience. Despite all the difficulties that have befallen on them in getting to the festival, which has resulted in them being over an hour late, they completely own the stage, and stand head and shoulders above even the most impressive of acts that have graced this stage over the course of the last three days. Matt Mitchell's vocals soar, and he struts around the stage confidently, like a twenty-first century answer to the legendary Robert Plant. They are completely on form, and their set isn't dull for a single moment from start to finish. Collectively, the band play this show, to around two hundred people, with the same passion and enthusiasm that you'd expect to see from a band headlining Wembley Arena. This is the perfect end to a fantastic weekend.

This is my second time at this festival, and it's even better than the first time I was there, something which is no small feat. The much more intimate atmosphere makes it a great festival, and often allows bands and fans to interact in a way that you just can't get at much larger festivals. As always, there's plenty of great bands and hidden gems that have made this a weekend to remember. I'm thoroughly looking forward to returning for my third time next year.

Over the course of the weekend, the festival was working towards raising money for The Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs to children suffering from hair loss due to cancer treatment. This involved a sponsored haircut, which saw one young boy donate 12 inches of his hair to the charity. If you would like to donate either money or hair to the charity, you can do so at the following websites:

Little Princess Trust - A charity to provide real hair wigs for children suffering hair loss

https://www.justgiving.com/littleprincesstrust