Next week, thousands of people will descend on Mote Park once more for the third iteration of Maid of Stone. Looking to be its biggest and best year, we’ll also be back for our third year in attendance. Everything I heard about Maid of Stone’s maiden year was well warranted when I attended last year. Shortly after its first year in 2023, the common phrase I heard was: “It’s good to have music back at Mote Park!”
And after 2024, it’s easy to see why people thought that. As the spiritual successor to Ramblin’ Man Fair, the organisers have taken its DNA and put their own stamp on Maidstone in only two years. As someone who never attended Ramblin’ Man, it meant attending without any pre-conceptions, other than what our own Bracken told me as they were there in 2023. They’ll be back for their third year to take photos whilst I watch bands and throw some words together. If you see either of us about the festival, say hi, we don’t bite (provided I have enough caffeine in my system).
The festival is set to look a little different this year with them dropping from three to two stages but Friday has been revamped from a “warm-up” day to a fully-fledged day which will be as packed as Saturday and Sunday. The arena is a comfortable size, allowing a few thousand to enjoy themselves but with enough space to walk around freely and not feeling like you’re hemmed in; you can get across it in a couple of minutes with the campsite a short walk away, as is the car park. So it’s not like the big boys of Download and Bloodstock where it takes an age to get anywhere and leaving the arena for any reason becomes its own odyssey.
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With the revised setup to the stages, the Inferno Stage plays host to some of the best and brightest names in the classic and modern rock world with headliners Dirty Honey and Joanne Shaw Taylor on Friday, Black Stone Cherry on Saturday and Michael Schenker on Sunday. It’s fair to say Maid of Stone aren’t messing around with their top billing acts. Meanwhile, the Firestarter stage is all about the next generation of bands, many of whom we’ve featured on our pages. And the best of it – there’s no clashes which means you can flit from stage to stage and see every band. As for who I’m looking forward to, I’ve picked one band from each stage on each day for a half-dozen picks you won’t want to miss yourself.
Friday
- Dirty Honey (Inferno Stage – 21:45) The second of the night’s co-headliners, they’re an absolute force in the live arena. Their continued ascendancy is unsurprising, the young band are flying the flag high for raw, gritty, blues-powered classic rock through a dynamic live show which is all about the music.
- MuddiBrooke (Firestarter Stage – 16:30) We’ve been covering this trio since day one. Much more alternative than a lot of the bands appearing over the weekend, their grungy wares always go down excellently at festivals and with their debut album ready to go, I’m sure we’ll get a couple of previews alongside their staples.
Saturday
- Ugly Kid Joe (Inferno Stage – 19:10) Honestly, this might be my most anticipated band this year and I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up being the best band across the weekend. Having never seen them at a festival, you just know it’s going to be wall-to-wall belter from their catalogue by one of the most entertaining and energetic bands on the live circuit.
- Kim Jennett (Firestarter Stage – 14:40) Ms Jennett has been doing great things under her own name the last couple of years. She played an acoustic set last year in the VIP bar and wowed a couple of my music industry mates with her insane vocals. Now she’s back for a second year with her full band – it’s sure to be electrifying.
Sunday
- These Wicked Rivers (Inferno Stage – 16:15) Having pulled out of last year, it’s only right they’re back since they have unfinished business. Plus, how cool is all their stage accoutrements, which look like they’re straight from your gran’s living room, going to look on that big stage?
- Blue Nation (Firestarter Stage – 18:20) The last time I saw this power trio was at the Flapper in Birmingham in 2019 when they blew Florence Black clean off the stage when they both opened for The Virginmarys. Last year, I heard them at Just Push Play whilst slinging merchandise for MuddiBrooke and they’re now an even bigger force. So my hopes are rather high!
Not only that, you can expect all your usual traders to buy new clothes, trinkets, jewellery, as well as feed and water yourself with most festival foods you can think of dotted across the arena. Last year I indulged in some great gyros and curry (the latter of which was specifically whilst I watched Wolfmother take every millennial present down memory lane). Of course, I would love to see my two favourites, Bunnyman’s Chow, and The Rock and Roll Toastie Co., but if that’s the only thing missing, it’s barely a niggle. From memory, bar prices were reasonable with a great selection and for those of you, like me, who are coffee fiends, there was an excellent stall selling top quality hot drinks and sweet treats.
Whilst you may be attending a festival for the bands, it’s the people who make it and there’s an incredible atmosphere in the arena and campsite. Part of that is down to the staff and volunteers who always have a smile on their face. But it mainly comes down to the punters. This isn’t the type of festival which attracts the person who uses this as their entertainment budget for the year. This is full of your hardcore music enthusiasts, those who are just as happy to sing along to “I Hate Everything About You” as they are to be discovering their new favourite band at the Firestarter stage or even making sure they’ve got a good spot to watch one of their favourite up-and-comers. Everyone’s decked out in their tour t-shirts and it certainly won’t be ones from Guns N’ Roses’ and Iron Maiden’s recent visits to these shores. You might see the odd one but it’ll be all about the bands who have appeared across the previous Maid of Stone line-ups and other bands who would fit in well and have yet to make their debut.
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And essentially, that’s what makes Maid of Stone special. It’s the blending of where old meets new. Whether it’s classic sounds by young upstarts, the horizon-expanding modernity, or household names proving why they became so popular in the first place, there really is something for everyone. The new wave gets to rub shoulders with icons and vice versa and it’s all about that one thing which unites everyone in Mote Park next weekend whether you’re in a band, a punter, in the industry, or the team who makes it all happen – passion.
We’ll see you there!
Maid of Stone 2025 takes place on 18th-20th July 2025 at Mote Park in Maidstone.
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