Irish rockers Trucker Diablo have the honour of opening this prestigious festival and they do so with their  wholly outstanding new single Kill The Lights. The high energy, full power rock is the perfect way to get this Festival underway.

Sadly, roots/Americana artist Elles Bailey has had to pull out due to losing her voice, but a quick switch around has ensured a high-quality festival with Dan Byrne taking to the stage to perform an impromptu acoustic set, and his messages of a speedy recovery to Elles creating a wonderfully heartfelt moment in the arena. Oli Brown & The Dead Collective provide an entirely ethereal atmosphere with tracks from their records Prelude, Prologue and Epilogue translating wonderfully to the big stage.

Continuing to manage the disappointment of Elles Bailey’s absence, Toby Jepson performs a Little Angels acoustic set with tracks such as Young Gods , Boneyard, Don’t Pray For Me, I Ain’t Gonna Cry, Womankind, Kickin’ Up Dust and Too Much Too Young providing an unexpected but hugely welcome addition to Steelhouse.

King King just bring their sheer class with their unique brand of blues. As well as moments of smooth and melodic guitar runs, front man Alan Nimmo also provides moments of a full-on blues rock attack.

Headlining tonight are the Bernie Fest All Stars. Blues guitarist Bernie Marsden was a huge fan of the Steelhouse Festival and there's something wonderfully poignant about tonight's performance which includes guest slots from Thunder’s Luke Morley, Toby Jepson, and Chris Buck. Thiis is an evening to celebrate all of Bernie's music which of course borrows heavily from his achievements with Whitesnake. Although Bernie is sadly missed, tonight's performance is firmly a joyous celebration and what we are given is a full on, high energy and uplifting set from some of the most gifted artists of the last two generations. 

It’s another bright start to the day and perhaps surprisingly following last night’s afters how rock disco, the  arena is already busy as Zac And The New Men take to the stage. That said, their laid-back mid-tempo brand of rock is proving to be the sedate intro needed today to and is warmly welcomed. It is also the band first festIvsl and an opportunity that was bestowed upon them by the festival organisers, Max and Mikey following a chance encounter in a local bar.

Creeping Jean bring the sheer power and flamboyance and the dual vocal delivery of Oliver Tooze and  Tom Elliot is the perfect alloy, and they absolutely look the part in their ‘70s styling.

Local band James and The Cold Gun cold prove what an incredible band they are. The jewel in their crown is surely bassist Gaby Elise. Yes, she’s stunning, yes she can play but it’s the sheer otherworldly performance that has the arena hypnotised. She's loving every second of being on that stage and the whole crowd feels it.

South of Salem brought everything to their Steelhouse, performance: their music, their production, and their absolute passion. They also brought their own version of Motley Crue’s Nasty Habits which provided the most pleasant of distractions.

Female three-piece The Warning bring the whole Festival alive with their energy, bringing a dazzling show. Vocally there’s something really special here too with bass player Alejandra Villarreal providing pitch perfect harmonies to her sister Daniela’s primary delivery.

As you would expect, there is a special kind of welcome that greeted Phil Campbell and The Bastard Sons. Of course, they are Welsh natives, but the spirit of Motorhead and the torchbearers of its legacy resonates deeply with the Steelhouse crowd. Tracks such as (my favourite 2) are absorbed in equal measure as Motorhead favourites Brazil and We Are The Road Crew and of course Ace Of Spades. A cover of The Sex Pistols God Save The Queen proved itself to be a crowd favourite, and a special moment was where the band paid tribute to Bernie Marsden by playing a cover of a Motorhead cover, Heroes.

Fresh from playing the European Festival circuit German metal titans Accept make their way up the mountain. With a backdrop replicating the band’s latest album Humanoid their set is comprised of the perfect balance of this record and career classics. Their set is quite simply ‘80s bombast and a perfect example is their balls-to-the-wall delivery with the band machine-gunning the crowd in unison. We love it!

Justifiably headlining tonight are Skindred, the band who have recently sold out Wembley arena. Frontman Benji Webbe is a master at working the crowd. Occasionally draping the Union Jack from his mic stand, the set is punctuated with Van Halen’s Jump nd Nelly’s. It's Getting Hot In Here.  The naturals from Newport can do no wrong. The crowd absolutely feel their authenticity.  Tonight’s set is about community, about family and about us all being together, and it's a wonderful way to bring the day to a close.

The weather continues to behave and today is absolutely scorching! Cassidy Paris made the journey all the way from Australia and as one as the sunshine she brought the glamour and her gorgeous passionate vocals, reminiscent of early ‘80s Pat Benatar. Like I Never Loved You is also an opportunity to show What a great guitarist she is. Here I Am, another track from her debut album New Sensation, provides a gorgeous piano intro leaving her vocals proudly exposed. An absolute class act and a wonderful band to kick off the final day of this fine, fine Festival.

Making his third appearance at the festival, Dan Byrne is an absolute star and this time he brings his stellar band. Incredible vocals and just a wonderfully cool vibe, Dan is an absolute joy to watch. Set closer Death Of Me provides a particularly poignant moment.

 Planet Rock’s Paul Anthony welcomes Jared James Nichols to the stage with the phrase “ What this man can’t do with his fingers...”, And the guitarist would go on to leave everyone mesmerised. Easy Come Easy Go seems Jared playing the guitar with his elbows and Down The Drain just brings the most impassioned blues performance. Jared makes his way up the stage walkway with the coiled guitar cable stretched to the max and it’s a ‘call and response’ opportunity with the crowd with Jared playing notes so beautifully quiet, an excellent example of how this man makes his guitar sing.

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, The Commoners with their roots-drenched brand of rock bring an incredible performance. With a set list focussing heavily on their latest album Restless, tracks such as Shake You Off and Devil Teasin’ Me bring a justification to fan comments that they are the natural successor to The Black Crowes, The latter track providing an opportunity for gorgeous harmonised guitars. The Way I Am is a track about never feeling good enough, but it’s also proves itself to be a hugely empowering track. Find A Better Way is a great up-tempo track to close this Southern flavoured addition to the festival.

New York’s The Last Internationale frontwoman Delila Paz, despite temperatures in the mid-30s, has insisted on taking to the stage wearing full leathers, yet, and there brief conversation with a festival goer about the surprise heat And the shock of seeing ‘a light in the sky’. Delila dances across the whole stage so passionately throughout the whole set except for the moment she makes her way into the crowd To sing with the most passionate of fans residing in the very pit of Steelhouse. The icing on the cake for this amazing performance is the welcoming of Billy Sheehan to the stage to play the last song Freedom Town. As the band take their bows, The crowd repetitively chant back Freedom!

Living Colour bring the funk to Steelhouse. As well as playing crowd favourites such as Love Rears It’s Ugly Head and Cult Of Personality, The band set is made up of interesting and surprise covers of songs such as Cream's Sunshine Of Your Love and Led Zeppelin’s Rock n Roll but there are of course no complaints from the Steelhouse massive. Iconic bass player Doug Wimbish with his ‘techinical meets cool’ approach proves themselves to be the star of the show.

The new album Ten from Mr Big has had a phenomenal response. However, it's 1991’s Lean In To It phenomenon that the band had chosen to draw many of the songs from tonight. Tracks such as Daddy Brother Lover Little Boy, Alive & Kicking, Green Tinted Sixties Mind and To Be With You Are delivered with passion and go on to prove why this band is absolutely one of the best in the world. The Rocky theme introduces Paul Gilbert's wholly outstanding solo and Billy Sheehan takes lead vocals on the track Shy Boy, taking us back to when he was with David Lee Roth.

Headlining and closing the festival is The Almighty. It's inconceivable to think that this is only their fourth gig in 31 years. Their music is timeless and so is the loyalty of their fans. The original lineup consisting of Ricky Warwick, Floyd, London, stumpy Monroe and Andy ‘Tantrum’ McCafferty presenter set that shows why they genuinely are one of the very best UK bands. Tracks such as Free ‘N’ Easy, Crucify, Sin Against The Lights, Jesus Loves You and Addiction all sound absolutely timeless And it feels like the band have never been away. A particularly powerful moment was the performance of Little Lost Sometimes And Ricky’s message that we can all feel down and depressed but we must reach out and talk to someone. Amen to The Almighty!