JodieBowie hosted the brand new Southampton rock festival at the 1865. This is hopefully the first of many and she did a sterling job of getting the best new bands along with a living legend into the perfect venue.

The festival kicked off with Bournemouth band 27 Days who did a fantastic set. One of the highlights was their cover of I Believe in a Thing Called Love which showcased the great vocals of frontman Jordan. Next up came The wicked Jackals, whose energetic set went down well. Their high octane cover of Nut Bush City Limits was superb.

Southampton band the Outlaw Orchestra get better every time I see them and this was a brilliant set. Front man Dave has a great mix of stories that have the crowd enthralled and musically they are wonderful. Highlights for me were the brilliant Back To Georgia and Burn The House. Pete the new banjo player has fitted right in and adds another level. The crowd were on their feet throughout the set. They are in Bournemouth soon so go and catch them live. Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters burst onto stage with confidence and the tracks from their debut album Bad Habit went down well. Beth not only has an incredible voice, she is a great guitarist. One to watch out for.

Stop Stop were next up, full of riffs, banter and talent.

The iconic Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders, Ted Nugent, Dead Daisies) needed no introduction. Sheer talent and what a voice! From the second he was on the stage the crowd was his. He interacts with the crowd so everyone felt part of it. He was as happy off the stage playing in the crowd as he was on it.

If Marco doesn’t have us singing or clapping along we are finger clicking. Micky Crystal on guitar and Kyle Hughes on drums are the perfect combination to Marco’s out of this world bass skills. Viva La Rock and Hey baby were my favourites of this set.

Bigfoot are on their farewell tour, just nine dates left now. Musically, they are one of the best I have seen and Sean’s vocals are incredible. How a band this good are calling it a day is beyond me. Fingers crossed they will reconsider.

The next band up were just the best British band to have formed over the past few years, Those Damn Crows. They are going from strength to strength and their debut album Murder and the Motive is a must-have. It was clear most of the people in the venue had the album and Shane’s request to raise the roof with Blink of an Eye was easily completed. Rock ‘n’ Roll Ain’t Dead was another track where the audience was as loud as the band. The next album is going to be one to watch and hopefully these guys will be selling out arenas soon.

Headliners were Massive Wagons, just off an arena tour with Lynyrd Skynryd and Status Quo, where they were outstanding. Another completely brilliant British rock band who again will be selling out arenas in their own right soon. Baz is a brilliant front man and the perfect end to a great night.

More please, Jodie, and soon.