Waiting for the Roar
Motorhead legend Fast Eddie Clarke returns to Donington with the revitalised and reanimated Fastway, the group he spawned after leaving Motorhead back in the early 1980s. There's a disappointingly small crowd early on in their set but you could forgive many festival goers for not realising who they're missing, especially as they clash with Dream Theater and Evanescence.
Unsurprisingly Fastway play blues based rock in an upbeat style and as you'd expect Eddie's guitar is very much to the fore. It's clear early on that he can still cut it as he throws in an early solo out of what else but a Marshall stack. Vocalist Toby Jepson (formerly of Little Angels) really impresses, sounding not too far removed from Robert Plant he's a good classic rock front man. He interacts with the crowd well and cajoles Eddie into a series of smiles.
Blues rock can get very tiring very quickly but the combination of Fast Eddie and Jepson keep it moving along well. It's a good performance but the material they peddle can only have limited appeal; for many in the tent tonight though it's all immaterial, this is Fast Eddie Clarke, no Fast Eddie, no 'Ace of Spades'! Nuff said.