Switzerlands Gotthard pull off a solid set.
Switzerland's Gotthard were not a band I had heard of before they were announced for this years first Bloodstock Open Air festival, understandably so as this was their first UK show in 15 years! I went in with an open mind and left feeling impressed at this bands performance, a set that can be defined by the word "solid".
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Want to know what Gotthard sound like? Think Bon Jovi meets Aerosmith meets modern metal hooks. It sounds cringe-worthy, doesn't it? Luckily this was not the case at all. Singer Steve Lee provided great vocals in the style of Steve Tyler without sounding cheesy or over the top at all. Underneath these superb vocals were hook-laden guitars provided by guitarists Freddy Scherer and Leo Leoni which although were not attention grabbing for the entire set still provided the audience with entertaining melodic tunes.
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The band had great energy and enthusiasm on stage and it was obvious that they enjoyed playing with one another and to the audience, which of course created a great impression with the audience. A massive factor in Gotthard proving enjoyable was the impression they created with the audience; an impression of a fun loving band who just want to rock the hell out.
Overall this was a strong and enjoyable set, definitely not the most memorable or quality set of the weekend but it displayed no weaknesses strong enough to damn it and it was quite a fist-raising fun set taking one all the way back into the 80's. The only weakness is that it is hard to think of the band outside of their obvious influences and the bands that are similar to them; Gotthard's set will not be remembered years into the future as a bastion of originality. This may have been Gotthard's first UK show in 15 years but undoubtedly they will have created a good enough impression to come back for more.
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 11 available.