Frontiers Rock Festival: this is how the 2025 edition went
“Famolo sobrio”, they recommended in Rome, referring to April 25. But not as a joke, they replied from Trezzo sull’Adda, about thirty kilometers north-east of Milan. After six years of absence, who meets again? The Frontiers Rock Festival! That, for non -experts, is nothing more than the live showcase of the most prolific such label on the planet Earth: the frontiers, with headquarters – for our immense fortune – in Naples. The cars and campers parked outside the Live Club arrive from all over Europe: Swiss and German plates in quantity, then France, Holland, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania … We are at a country festival. Three days of rock and hard rock, with a few grated metal, for a line-up that includes sacred monsters and new promises.
Day 1
To open the dances, the Swedes of Fans of the Dark, who left the Scandinavian cylinder in 2020 with the homonymous album with horror background, followed by Suburbia (2022) and Video (2024). Alex Falk’s voice does not miss one and closes the half hour of the show with a legendary cover (from their ep cover me): “In for the count” of the Balance (1982). Sold out audience, beer that starts to scroll already from the early afternoon, and the smiles of those who are not in the skin for waiting for the next acts. The menu of the day has in store the equally Swedish art nation and the Swiss Shakra, before entering the history of rock with the Germans Bonfire. However, they present themselves without Hans Ziller (health problems, sob), founder of the band – none other than in 1972. Then they were called cacumen, but the juice does not change.
T-shirt chapter, which in these cases is a far from negligible element. Those officials of the Festival disappear within two days (but if desired they are still on sale on the frontiers website), but it is among those of the participants that there is fun. Bands present excluded, you see a lot of Journey, Toto, but also Heat and Survivor. Then there are goodies such as Shadow King, Atlantic and even Aviator, British cult band in activity between 79 and 80, their album of the same name is unanimously considered a classic. At the evening fall – hear, hear – we pay none other than the Canadians Honeymoon Suite, first in Italy in over forty years of activity, seven studio albums and various platinum records. They are cheering old successes such as “New Girl Now” but also very recent pieces such as “Find What You’re Looking for”, from their Alive (2024). And rockers appreciate, applaud, and enjoy the show.
But immediately afterwards there is a surprise, and not of the particularly pleasant ones: Toby Hitchcock, Singer of the Pride of Lions as well as one of the most gifted rumors of the hard rock scene, climbs on stage and confesses the unwillingness: he got up with the vocal strings on strike. I can’t believe the series … Then everything happens. Jim Peterik (just that of the Survivor), the other soul of the Pride of Lions, takes on the role of Lead Vocals with Hitchcock who initially makes a mutual scene while jumping like a crazy on the one hand to the other of the stage. Piece after piece a half miracle seems to be partially putting Toby’s uvola partially, which recovers part of the scene until it appears on stage … Robin Mcauley. With texts in hand it gives manifrafts on survivor classics that culminate with “Burning Heart”. All very bizarre but it is the beauty of the live baby!
Last but not least, Asia. The original formation, which arose in 1982, counted John Wetton, Geoff Downnes, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe. Millions of records sold, concerts across the globe, awards and a place in the prog-rock Olympus. Today he remained down, surrounded by musicians (Virgil Donati on drums, just to name) absolutely able to collect the ASIA inheritance. So here is “Here Comes the feeling” (Asia, 1982), “Wildest Dream (idem),” The Heat Goes On “(Alpha, 1983) … Fortunately, here they do not arrive, and you go happily and happy with the next day.
Day 2
Casomai was still someone convinced that this is a genre reserved for the Gen X sector, yet another denial is called Chez Kane. Welsh, born in 1990, enthusiasm and sympathy to sell, and a voice that hypnotized YouTube, where his covers made proselytes, before going out with two unreleased albums. On board his net stockings, he bounces from one point to another of the stage together with his very young band, showing off goodies such as “Powerzone” and “Rocket on the Radio”. Notice to do it on purpose, to follow in the setlist, Danny Rexon arrives, the one who discovered and launched it in the frontiers circuit, as well as leader of the Scandinavians Crazy Lixx – now rocker navigated who do not deny even this time. Pyrotechnic show, as per the script, including horror curtain with mask from Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) and Mannaia on the notes of “XIII”.
But it’s time for FM. Fourteen albums for forty years of British rock, signed by the always unmistakable voice of Steve Overland: look as a good boy and a great desire to sing and play – try again about his thousand parallel projects (Overland, The Ladder, Shadowman …). Difficult to say if he is happier or rocker in front of the stage. Of course, the affection of the live club for him and his band is unchanged and absolutely reciprocated. You can see and hear: there is no song (“That Girl”, “Tough it out”, “Someday” …) without the loud choirs of an audience that seems an integral part of the band. With your hands low, the best concert of the day.
Arduo collect the witness of the FM, but the Swedes Treat – who in the way of history are certainly no less (are around from 82 and 86 they opened for Queen in Sweden) – they succeed in sailing between battle horses such as “Get You On The Run”, “Changes”, “World of Promises”, and songs from the last album (The Endgame, 2022). The finalon has been signed Winger, sacred monsters around for forty years now without any need for presentations. Suffice it to say that their “Seventenen” has invoiced 53 million streaming. Not pizza and figs. But it will be that voices of divestment are running, it will be that Kip Winger for a while seems to have started to a career as a classic composer, it will be that tonight the six ropes of Reb Beach just didn’t want to know – replaced by Malavoglia with a Stratocaster -, it will be what it will be … but it was not their best concert. For heaven’s sake, they are professionals as few and as such they behaved. But let’s say the truth: something was missing.
Day 3
At three in the afternoon the differently young audience reaches the expelled, look at zombies and batteries in the red area. The charge of the excellent 47th Crystal (from Gothenburg) and the Serbs The Big Deal is of little use: the dark circles remain. The stratospheric voice of Ronnie Romero begins to have an effect (his cover of “Separate Ways” has made no few people skip), and the former Krokus Marc Storace – born in 1951, but definitely more in the bubble than us rocker in the room – does not make the tension go down. But to really open the adrenaline tap is the navigation Robin Mcauley (72 years old and don’t hear them). A Greek rocker patrol launches a flag of the unforgettable MSG and Robin on stage, a world is fun. Of course, it is in an immortal piece of the McAuuay Schenker Group who wishes the goodnight: “Anytime”, with the public in charge of the choirs. After all, who does not know it by heart?
Then a man who should be deeply studied goes on stage: because understanding how, at 64, one can have Mike Tramp’s physique and energy is something that only science could try to explain. Perhaps the clean air of Denmark will be, who knows. The White Lion vocalist pulls behind all the Live Club for an hour, rattling everything that was legitimate to expect: from “Little Fighter” to “Lady of the Valley”, passing through the damned current “When the Children Cry”. Then here they are. From Toronto, fresh again album – the sixteenth, Chasing Euphoria – and what an album. Ladies and gentlemen: Harem Scarem. There is very little to say and a lot to get excited. He ran 1991 when the fanzines from all over the world shouted to the miracle for the exit of the CD of the same name – at the time almost nowhere to be found in Italy – and the same for Mood Swings two years later: pure melodic hard hard.
The rest is history. A bizarre story, with changes of name (for three years they made themselves called Rubber), of sound and everything that a band can change. Except to go back happily on his steps. Almost 35 years later, here they are on the Trezzo stage to churn out great classics (“Stranger Than Love”, “Honestly”, “Distant Memory” …) and new singles. If it weren’t a guitarist, Pete Lesperance would be a magical piper – listen to believe when he puts on the door of the instrumental “Mandy”. Harry Hess’ voice is still a joy for the ears, but he is not the only one to sing: Cassidy Paris duet with him on “Death of me”, then Darren Smith (Drummer) launches into “Sentimental Blvd.”. We could stay here to listen to them for another hour, but like all the spells too this ends at midnight or so. The grand finale arrives in the form of an encore – in great demand – with one of the most iconic pieces and, again, terribly prophetic: “No Justice”. Exhausted, happy, perhaps even a little incredulous, we delight in the middle of the night humming …
Freedom Burns Forever in the Holy Sun
It leads US Into a Battle That’s Never Won
Whatever I take
Or whatever i give
Doesn’T Seem to Matter Anymore
When there’s no justice in the world
