Firefest: Between Melodic Rock And A Hard Place

On October 18, legions of melodic rock fans from around the globe will descend on Nottingham Rock City for the 10th anniversary of Firefest, a unique music festival whose Eye Of The Tiger spirit has overcome huge obstacles to keep AOR alive and kicking in the UK. After the recent announcement that next year will be the festival's swan song, the anniversary promises to be a bittersweet celebration for both its altruistic organisers and passionate followers.

To understand the battle Kieran Dargan and Bruce Mee faced when they began Firefest, one needs only to look at the genre's decline. Twenty five years ago, melodic rock bands such as Journey, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard sold out stadiums and shifted albums by the tens of millions. Then, the '90s dawned and a combination of socio-political factors and shifting trends brought darker times. The end was nigh for fun loving rock bands as Kurt Cobain and pals rendered them anachronistic embarrassments.

In spite of all that, the music actually never died out. Grunge merely shaved the scene of casual hangers on, leaving an underground fanbase of pure blooded AOR disciples needing a place to worship. Between 1993 and 2002 a festival known as The Gods served that purpose. Founded by Mee and Mark Ashton, who also ran AOR label Now & Then Records, the idea was to provide an event that featured a variety of their acts.

In 2004 - two years after The Gods ended - Mee and Dargan tried to resurrect it, but ran into problems with Ashton. Difficulties working together led to the duo continuing by themselves and changing the festival's name. Firefest was born, only with a slightly different concept.

Where The Gods had been a label showcase, Firefest's independence meant they could pick from a wider range of bands. “We didn't want to be beholden to anybody, we just wanted to pick a line up we thought was great irrespective of whether a band was signed to one label or the other,” Dargan said.

In May 2005, Bradford played host to the inaugural Firefest, featuring a potent cocktail of American and European bands such as Firehouse, TNT and Soul SirkUS. To say this was a baptism of fire would be an understatement. “It was a huge learning experience and the only way I can describe it is that it's like being thrown in into a 40ft pool of water as a baby and being told to swim,” Dargan said.

Yet, six months later Firefest 2 was staged at its now regular base, Nottingham Rock City. Why do it again after so much hassle? “We got the taste for it and realised there was the appetite from the fans for another show,” Dargan said. “People were excited there was something new out there presenting a different set of bands than The Gods.”

By the time Firefest 3 rolled around in 2006, they'd built up a healthy reputation, putting lessons learned into practice. “A lot of mistakes were made in the early days because we didn't know what we were doing,” Dargan said. Mee added: “The actual running of the show has got easier. We have a wonderful team of people helping us, and every year gives us more experience.”

What makes the team unique is that no one gets paid for working at the festival. It's all for the love of the music, as there's no money available. “If we were to start paying people we wouldn't be able to operate, and if you saw the costs just for hotels and flights this year you can throw the bones of £60,000 at that,” Dargan said.

Financial difficulties have plagued Firefest since its inception, with the lack of outside investment a key factor in their decision to call it quits. “We're an extremely small festival compared to Reading and Download and lack the major commercial clout a big whisky brand's financial input would bring,” Dargan said. “We took a hell of a pounding in the first two years and lost a lot of money, but have clawed it back to a fairly level state. It doesn't really make money and if anything is left over it goes into the kitty for the following year.”

Another hurdle is booking the groups. “Trying to persuade bands to get on a plane and fly to the UK to play one show is a challenge. Some are receptive and some see it as too much hassle,” Dargan said. “We try to keep it melodic hard rock, whether that's keyboard driven AOR or heavier stuff like Dokken. If you're too diverse that's when you start to run into problems.”

One thing Firefest excels at is coaxing bands out of retirement for one last hurrah. The organisers work tirelessly to track down groups who've dropped off the radar and convince them the festival is genuine. Such persistence was a factor in Firefest's biggest coup, the reformation and subsequent resurgence of Britain's greatest AOR band, FM.

Their appearance was a glowing endorsement of Firefest's reputation within the genre. “FM had loads of offers, with ridiculous pay cheques, that they felt weren't right,” Dargan said. “Merv [Goldsworthy, bass] checked with people who said we're above board, and the excitement when he said 'we're going to do it' was fantastic. They always say without us they'd never have come back and be doing what they're dong.”

Fast forward six years and Firefest 10 is almost here. With headline performances from Harem Scarem, Hardline and a Legends act featuring Graham Bonnet, Eric Martin and Bobby Kimball - alongside younger bands like Eden's Curse, and W.E.T - it should be a cracker. When quizzed on whether they dreamed they'd reach ten, Dargan proclaimed: “Not in a million years!” Looking back, Mee feels their struggles have been worthwhile. “We’re really proud of what we've built, that we've engendered such love from the fans and artists and done our bit for the music we love,” he said.

Firefest is special for the performers too. Legends guitarist Tommy Denander has played festivals all over the world, but it's still one of his favourites. “It's hard to beat the whole atmosphere of Firefest,” he said. “Everyone knows how great this weekend is gonna be and they hate missing it.”

W.E.T singer Jeff Scott Soto will be returning for his fourth show and praised the festival's appeal. “I see fans there from Europe, US, South America and even Japan. It really has become a global phenomenon,” he said. Eden's Curse founder Paul Logue sums it up: “Being a melodic rock fan, you don't get the opportunity to see many bands within our genre live. To get them all in one room over a three day period is our equivalent – on a much smaller scale – of Donington.”

The icing on the Firefest cake for many, though, is the legendary camaraderie. “Because it's a smaller festival it’s more informal, and the fans really get to know each other and make new friends,” Mee said. “And many of the bands mingle with the fans, which is something you don’t usually get at larger festivals. It really is one big happy family atmosphere at Firefest.”

This bond runs deeply between the organisers, musicians and audience. Bound together by their shared devotion to an exiled genre, they form an insular circle that keeps the music they love alive. This was evident in 2008, during the festival's dramatic climax.

It was billed as the final Firefest, but following Firehouse's headline set Dargan jumped on stage, grabbed the microphone and declared the show would go on. “It was apparent from the hundreds of emails, text messages and phone calls that this had become bigger than any of us had thought,” he said. “We started seeing people taking a 10 day vacation from America and Australia around the show. When you've got people coming from 30 odd countries you have to sit back and go, 'wow'. We'd no idea it was going to get to this level."

Unsurprisingly, the announcement that Firefest will finish in 2014 has left its fans in a state of mourning. Within 24 hours a Facebook page had been created called 'Phoenix From The Firefest Ashes', whose goal is to find someone else to continue the festival. Whether that will happen remains to be seen, but in typical fashion the fans have supported the organisers' decision, aware of the strain they've been under.

It's clear that running Firefest has taken its toll on Dargan. “I feel immense pressure to deliver every year and it's not through bad organisation,” he said. “It's about worry, stress and making sure everything goes right. It's been 10 years of my life in between a day job and it's very difficult to afford the time that goes into running the show.”

Although their audience has gotten younger, Dargan believes that the genre itself will remain on the margins. “At this stage it's destined for cult status,” he painfully admitted. Mee added: “It was the media embracing Bon Jovi and Europe in 1986 that created such a huge movement back then. Until the media embrace a new band playing our music, it will always remain underground.”

Dargan also blames the fat cats. “The biggest problem is record companies who want instant success, instant turnover and aren't willing to invest in bands to become career artists,” he said. “Def Leppard still sell nearly 200,000 units a year of their Greatest Hits. They've a healthy back catalogue because the people who signed them said 'we can develop this band but it'll take time'.”

Even with extra investment and exposure, Denander doesn't feel things will change. “It will never sell huge numbers again and the biggest proof is the Rock Of Ages movie with Tom Cruise, because not even all of that promotion could get the wheels to spin faster,” he said.

The cruelest irony is that a resurgence in the genre's popularity would cheapen the Firefest experience. History shows that the death knell for any scene is mainstream recognition. From punk to grunge, hair bands to Britpop, once a genre achieves commercial success, trendy sheep jump on the bandwagon and destroy its authenticity. While that scenario would deliver major sponsors and allow the organisers to book bigger bands, it would shatter Firefest's family spirit.

Regardless of the genre's future, Dargan believes Firefest has achieved more than they ever thought possible, making it a good time to walk away. “The one thing we don't want to do is see Firefest slip down the rankings to two days at a tiny pub in a little town with five bands each day that nobody has heard of,” he said

Firefest has been christened the 'Church Of Rock N' Roll' by its organisers, and there will be thousands of fans praying for a change in fortunes over the next 12 months.

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