Greyfox Conspiracy + Leadfeather - The Anchor, Wingham Saturday 24th January 2026

Musically, they’re as Zeppelin as it gets, and I mean that as the greatest compliment. But vocally, Apostolos L has more in common with David Coverdale at his full throated best, even throwing in the odd swooning “oh baby” for good measure. His voice erupts with startling power on opener ‘Danger Zone’ and doesn’t let up thereafter. Blessed with a look as strong as his voice, he’s a proper, old-school, tambourine shaking frontman, complemented beautifully by guitarist and founder Simon Hurts. 

With just one EP to their name at the moment, we’re treated to stellar renditions of all 6 tracks during Leadfeather’s set. ‘Roll the Dice’ is worthy of special mention, one of the finest rock songs of 2025, nodding to the aforementioned Zeppelin but also to Deep Purple with a lovely bit of call and response between L and Hurts, the former’s vocalisations being met with squeals of guitar from the latter. ‘Shoot for the Stars’ sounds equally colossal, grooving like a beast thanks to some particularly funky lines from bassist Wilson Zaidan. 

A decent helping of new material slots in nicely; ‘Wild Child’ is particularly memorable, not just because Hurts switches out his Les Paul for a 12-string (also adorned with trademark feather!) but because Thanos’ drumming is very reminiscent of a certain Mr. Bonham, never going quite where you expect. Unapologetically retro, there are several references to the greats, riffs from Hendrix and Sabbath sneaking their way into proceedings. In terms of influences, these lads have chosen all the best ones - what’s not to love? 

Headliners Greyfox Conspiracy certainly have a striking look; Decked all in black, there seems to be a loose uniform of boots and chains, a military jacket here, a waistcoat there. Centre stage, charismatic leader Greyfox Growl (aka Rob Cooksley) makes an immediate impression, eyeballing members of the audience and pointing his finger as the band tear into the fast-paced ‘Freight Train’. And they’re loud, really loud, the heavy thump of Darren Richards’ Rickenbacker bass giving some serious oomph to proceedings. 

Cooksley jests that the collective age of the band is about 360… I’m assuming that’s an exaggeration, but by how much, I can only guess! Despite their advancing years, they’re a fairly new band, debut album ‘Preacherman’ released just last month. We get to hear most (all?) of it tonight, and the emphasis is on no-nonsense hard rock with easy to remember choruses that can be picked up quickly. ‘Twist of Fate’ is pleasingly reminiscent of AC/DC with its stomping riff, ‘Crazy Horse’ gloriously unhinged with Cooksley’s wild vocal. 

Their set is a lot of fun, Cooksley disappearing at the start of ‘Preacherman’, returning with a bible in hand, and venturing into the audience to dish out blessings, placing his hand upon various heads (not mine, he takes a look and shakes his head, I’m clearly a lost cause!). The song itself is wonderfully dynamic, Cooksley’s snarl of a vocal alternating with a thundering guitar assault in the opening verse. A riotous ‘Fire and Gasoline’ seems familiar, but that’s because it’s a song written by Cooksley when he was part of Sons of Liberty. He says that Greyfox do it better, and it’s hard to argue. It’s a great song with an irresistible hook, delivered here with energy and style. 

At just £11 a ticket, it’s baffling to me that this event isn’t sold out. I’d happily pay quite a lot more to see either band again. Get both bands on your playlist and turn up the volume, there’s great new music out there if you know where to look. 

Danger Zone/Queen of the Night/Silvertrain/Silver & Feathers/Higher/Roll the Dice/Why/The Answer/Wild Child/Shoot for the Stars/Troubled Man

Freight Train/I’ve Got Your Back/Renegade/Lord Have Mercy/Branded Man/Twist of Fate/Fire and Gasoline/Time Will Tell/Preacherman/Crazy Horse/Into the Great Unknown