I recently attended the first ever Monsters of Mock Festival in Derby. As a big fan of hair metal, when I saw it get announced me and Stu just had to go! We got a deal on a hotel thanks to some googling quite last minute so we could have our first weekend away together, without the step-kids, or any other family. We've done lots of family trips but nothing with just us, so we were looking forward to it!
Badge and necklace - Sugar & Vice
After a minor car accident on the way there (not our fault, and thankfully we were both OK), we finally got to the hotel and got changed. We both decided something glam rock was in order, so of course I went for leopard print and Stu went for a Skid Row t-shirt I had modified for him. We figured we would walk to the venue, then find somewhere near by to eat. We found a traditional Irish pub called Ryan's Bar, which unfortunately has no website I can find. They had an amazing list of burgers, with a lot of veggie burger options which sold me straight away. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced, I think we paid about £6-£8 each in total. It was proper, homemade burgers, and so delicious.
My love in Ryan's
We then finally headed off to the venue, The Spot in Derby. This was a new location for me, and it was really great. A good size, quite big but also intimate, and the stage was a good height.
Surreal Panther opened the gig, doing their best version of Steel Panther's special brand of rock. They were, as they always are, absolutely great fun and really got the gig started off to a rocking start. Jamie Fowkes the singer really knows how to amp up a crowd and has such an incredible vocal range. I just wish they had a longer set! Far too short and they deserved longer. Thankfully they will be back at Yardbirds soon!
Surreal Panther stole my boyfriend!
Next up was The Darkmess, a Darkness tribute, who well.....I hatw to be negative on this blog but they totally killed off the vibe that Surreal Panther had worked so hard for, and were terrible. The place went silent and their set dragged on way too long. Honestly, if I had been running MOM that night, I'd have found a way to cut the set short when I saw what they were doing to the crowd.
Thankfully, Pout at the Devil were up next and they totally made up for the mess that had been on stage before them. Me and Stu went right up the barrier and sang our hearts out. SO much fun and we danced our asses off. Love seeing them live and I can't wait to see them again! All those years I lived in Norwich and couldn't go to gigs, and I could have been seeing these guys! Pout at the Devil cover a wide variety of hair metal, from Poison, to Bon Jovi to Whitesnake and everything in between, awesome!
Last up were Hotter than Hell, a Kiss tribute. They certainly look the part, and had pyros and everything, but after Pout at the Devil they just seemed lacklustre, and the venue quietly emptied. I felt bad for them, because they were okay, but Pout at the Devil should really have headlined.
While there were some low points, we still had a great night and I really hope that there is a second MOM, I think the likes of Poizon and Subhuman Race would work perfectly for the bill!
Much love,
Kitty xxxx
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