Phil Campbell & the Bastard Sons + Black Roze - The Booking Hall, Dover Friday 13th June 2025

It must be a challenge to join a band made up of family, but it seems that frontman Joel Peters has successfully injected new energy since taking on vocal duties in 2022. A towering hulk of a man who looks the part with his tattooed arms, monster beard and dark glasses, he’s certainly a presence and engages well with the crowd, encouraging one particularly “noisy c**t” (his words, not mine!) to shout as loud as possible before the band will play their next song - the ensuing bellow is something to behold! And when we’re told to raise our middle fingers and shout “f**k you Tyla Campbell” at the bassist, we don’t question why, just obey.

It’s that kind of show; loud, sweaty, sweary and soundtracked by a band who are as tight as you would expect from men who have spent their lives together. Unsurprisingly, Motörhead is in their DNA, from the frantic, almost punk like energy of ‘Hammer and Dance’ to the slow menace of ‘Dark Days’. If it’s frustrating that the Motörhead numbers still elicit a bigger reaction, you’d never know; there’s a sense that these lads enjoy playing them as much as we enjoy hearing them. And really it’s hard to notice a separation as the adrenaline blast of ‘Going to Brazil’ and anthemic ‘Born to Raise Hell’ slot in between the band’s own ‘Step into the Fire’ and Phil’s ‘Straight Up’, a song written with Rob Halford that feels befitting of the Metal God. 

Dispensing ‘Ace of Spades’ as early as they do seems bold, a song stitched into the very fabric of hard rock history and sung so loudly we threaten to drown out the band (well… maybe not quite!). But, as Lemmy was keen to remind us in his lifetime, Motörhead did have some other pretty good songs too, a few of which find their place in the encores. A thundering ‘Overkill’ is as relentless as ever, a showcase for Dane Campbell’s drumming and the perfect finale to a set that is both thrilling and relatively brief, a full throttle assault that barely pauses for breath. 

It says much for Black Roze that the venue is already pretty packed out in time for their support slot. A band who have built a reputation locally as one of Kent’s most reliably hard rocking acts, front-woman Viixen is their trump card, a captivating point of focus who gives her all to every performance. Tonight is no different, her snarling vocal at turns powerful and abrasive. Guitarist Baz is an equally dynamic performer, fulfilling the role of guitar hero with impressive solos that delight this adoring crowd. Theirs is a sound that feels influenced by the NWOBHM (complete with lovely galloping bass courtesy of Steve Rankin), albeit with a sleazy edge. This group recognises the importance of a great hook, ‘Give Yourself to Me’ boasting a memorable riff and the kind of chorus that I’m still trying to shift from my head several days later. New single ‘Afterparty’ brings the set to a raucous close, an appropriately joyful celebration of the hedonism synonymous with heavy music. But it’s the lyrics to ‘Kix’ that perhaps sum the band up best, a group who truly seem to get their kicks from rock and roll.