- Dawn Osborne
- Jul 26
- 11 min read
Updated: Jul 28
EDDFEST
Knebworth Park (Stevenage)
10-11 July 2026
Maiden does not let a crowd down, ever.
Hats off to Eddfest for incredible organisation and attention to detail! As Eddie recommended in my welcome documents, I got the specially laid on coach, and traffic was not a problem, we arrived early. Security was passed through without incident. Bravo to the festival for allowing each punter a bottle of water till they sorted themselves out at the Maiden themed bar. It was easy to get into the ground with plenty of time before the show and, if you were not hugging the barrier from the off (plenty were), there was so much around the site to entertain. This made the festival a unique and special place where fans could concentrate on Maiden matters all day if they wanted. The chance to see Maiden sets, stage props and relics at the ‘Infinite Dreams’ Museum, to celebrate with Blaze Bayley, Stray, Airforce, Gypsy’s Kiss and other bands with a Maiden connection, to get exclusive merch and to do all the Eddie themed funfair attractions, as if you were in an alternative Maiden universe, gave this festival a special character unlike any other I have ever experienced. You could have spent the whole time in ‘Maidenville’, even if you were not there to see the bands on the main stage, which of course we were.
I also loved the back to basics, original-Donington-style of the Festival. The main features being one main day, only one stage with bands on at any one time and only a handful of bands in total, but the provision of supreme quality, not quantity. The site was compactly organised with no long walks needed, but was still able to take the crowds. They couldn’t have known it would be quite so hot, but all these features of the organisation and the site made the weather so much more manageable, with a chance between bands (if you were not hugging the barrier) to get under a tree and get a drink or an ice cream to cool off. Security were also attentive to those on the barrier spraying them with cool water or giving out glasses of water to drink. Despite the ridiculous temperature, north of thirty degrees, I saw no casualties. Everyone looked happy and able to cope with the heat with the thoughtful range of facilities on offer. The hottest festival I have even been to I am sure, for more than one reason!
What a great day for Ricky Warwick of The Almighty to have a sixtieth birthday, opening for Maiden at Knebworth!
What a great day for Ricky Warwick of The Almighty to have a sixtieth birthday, opening for Maiden at Knebworth! With only time for nine songs, there was no time for messing about. They’d had at least ten months to think about this day since they were announced as part of the bill, and they attacked the stage with the monumental track ‘Power’, no warm up necessary! They stuck to repertoire from 1989 to 1994, with most tracks (four) from their most well-known first album ‘Blood, Fire And Love’. The Almighty were acutely aware this was a Maiden audience. There’s no self-indulgence and they are looking to connect with the crowd and involve them in any way they can to get the party started. Warwick instructed everyone “to jump up and down, and if you can’t do that bang your head, and if you can’t do that raise your fist in the air, and if you can’t do that, blink! Just move!” With their combination of traditional Metal and Punk, The Almighty are really heavy. It could be the new technology, but I think they are heavier than the old days and, unlike a lot of bands from the late eighties, their lyrics were never cheesy and have stood the test of time. Some people who didn’t see them last year might have been surprised by the inclusion of ‘Thunderbird’ in the set, a track from the first album, but which has been rarely played till last year. It featured a noticeably Lynyrd Skynyrd ‘Freebird’ style guitar solo from Andy “Tantrum” McCafferty, albeit much heavier. Floyd, ordinarily on bass, who had been standing on the drum riser to see the crowd right to the back of the arena, donned an acoustic guitar for crowd favourite ‘Wild And Wonderful’. But don’t be taken in from that comment, the song was as heavy as Motörhead in parts tonight. The band still play super-fast, age cannot wither them it seems. Ricky was about to launch into his announcement for the last song, when he turned in surprise as does the crowd, including me! Floyd, who usually stays quiet as a mouse, pipped him to the post with a booming interjection, getting a cheer for Maiden’s fiftieth anniversary, and then another when he announced that it’s a special day for Warwick, when on came the cake and candles. It was indeed a birthday Warwick will never forget. The crowd helped him sing the song to the end. Warwick finally shouted “We are The Almighty! This is ‘Free ‘n’ Easy’. Up The Irons!” as they delivered their other best known song with a bevvy of blistering guitar solos. Certainly not a bad start (as we English say with our usual understatement).
Next up were Airbourne, the band from Australia. Known as complete party animals, their set revolves around not only their AC/DC-style relentless Rock, but also a hell of a lot of beer! Frontman Joel O’Keeffe (one of two brothers, Ryan O’Keefe being the drummer) threw half pints at the audience in the first three songs (while the photographers were still in the pit with a fortune’s worth of camera equipment) and he was soon marching into the crowd banging a “tinnie” on his head to become a human fountain of spurting ale. He had not forgotten, however, precisely who everyone has come to see, and when he addressed the crowd he said in his delightful antipodean dialect “We’re all here for one reason, Iron Maiden!” Rather appropriately, given the heat, a beach ball was being passed around the crowd. It would be an insignificant detail except for the fact that it really did serve to bring the party, giving the crowd another way to involve themselves other than clapping or singing. The band never stayed still: headbanging and swirling their already soaking wet hair. Joel did a couple of sky high jumps, always managing not to land on any equipment or band mates. He got on his knees with his guitar in veneration and you could see he meant it. They understand the Metal tribal mentality well and Joel referenced patches on battle vests as a crucial part of “keeping songs alive”. When he realised he had five minutes to go he stopped to play monumental riffs from ‘Paranoid’ to honour Ozzy. He paid tribute to the Iron Maiden road crew who have apparently unpacked 198 trucks to make the festival happen today. Next he declared “as long as you’re alive and we’re alive, Rock ‘N’ Roll will never die!” Apart from their fantastic stagecraft and relentless energy, it was easy to see why their commitment to Metal as a lifelong lifestyle made them a perfect fit for today. The crowd honoured them with a chant of “Airbourne, Airbourne, Airbourne”, a demonstrably simple, but unmistakeable mark of approval.
I cannot understand their lyrics which are apparently ancestral Mongolian tales of derring-do. But they look and sound so spectacular
And then for something completely different: the UNESCO recognised band The Hu (coming from the Mongolian word for human, and also a reference to the Hünnü who were ancient nomads). A few years ago this band received “The Order Of Genghis Khan” from the Mongolian state for their role in promotion of Mongolian culture around the world. By the use of the now infamous technique of throat singing and traditional instruments such as the spectacularly decorated Mongolian lute and horse head fiddle, they transcend time and distance by combining their Genghis Khan style of dress with undercut hairstyles and top knots that would not be out of place at a modern Metal gig. They could be fifth century or twenty first! Sadly, I cannot understand their lyrics which are apparently ancestral Mongolian tales of derring-do. But they look and sound so spectacular, I cannot look away. The band and the crowd find a way to communicate beyond “Are You Ready!” And “You Rock! Thanks so much!” when the band and the crowd join forces to shout “Hu, Hu, Hu, Hu”! At the end of the show lead throat singer Galaa says “We love Iron Maiden. We love England”, and they came together at the front of the stage to greet the crowd with their blue-flagged battle standard. Maiden have always written of battles of all kinds and the deeds of men. Again it was easy to see why The Hu, representing the best of traditional masculinity, were asked to play today and support Maiden on long tours. They chime very well with the theatrical side of Maiden and the timeless nature of Metal.
And then my personal favourite of the support bands, The Darkness: the band of the Hawkins brothers, Roger Taylor’s son Rufus, and Frankie Poullain, the man with the most unusual image in Rock! They recently ruled the Monster Of Rock Cruise when frontman Justin Hawkins jumped into the swimming pool during his guitar solo and, there is no doubt that he is capable of stealing any show, anyhow, anywhere. Whilst wildly irreverent and individualistic, he is also incredibly English with a good sense of what is, and what is not, cricket. Today there were no real stunts beyond the admittedly pretty eye catching, upside down scissor legs handstand and Frankie Poullain’s cowbell, and there is no doubt, that although Justin is capable of sucking all gasses known to man out of the entire universe, today out of respect for Maiden he decided not to do something that everybody would talk about as the defining event of the day. Instead The Darkness let their music do the talking. Apart from two songs from the new album, ‘Rock And Roll Party Cowboy’ to start and the catchy ‘Walking Through Fire’ (with the audience marching and turning in participation, being instructed to “smile like no one shat in your sandwich ever”), it was a greatest hits set including a few verses of their Christmas song (!). The only exception was Led Zep’s ‘Immigrant Song’ with its iconic riffs. (Led Zep played two legendary concerts at Knebworth in 1979). As he left Justin informed the audience that it’s 23 years since they last played Knebworth when they supported Robbie Williams, and today they got to support Iron Maiden and it feels so good. He is right to point out that this is another exceptionally historic day. Justin you were so well behaved!
He is right to point out that this is another exceptionally historic day. Justin you were so well behaved!
Iron Maiden, as Joel of Airbourne said “the reason everyone is here”, finally arrived. Being the fifth band, not fifteenth, really helped the crowd to keep their energy in this heat and the audience and band are both still able to give everything they have. Bruce Dickinson, in particular, is still running to all four corners of the stage and Janick Gers is still hopping around like a sprite.
The band are still on their ‘Run To The Hills’ tour and the setlist is pretty much the same, apart from the insertion of ‘Infinite Dreams’ (referencing the Museum here today) instead of ‘The Clairvoyant’. I love this set list. It contains my favourites, including ones that they haven’t been played regularly in other tours such as ‘Run To The Hills’ and including long ones, such as ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ and ‘Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’, that have been omitted in a lot of tours in order to get more songs in the set. Since there is not really any such thing as a half-assed Iron Maiden fan (every single one is a die-hard!) they will all be familiar with the vast majority of the show, having seen it at least once, if not every date the band have done. There will be those who have, no doubt! Part of seeing Iron Maiden live is precisely the ritual itself. The familiarity of the songs and Eddie the mascot is the main point. No one is ever going to be bored for a millisecond, even if this is their two hundredth show. The use of the on screen graphics has only intensified the experience. In an arena as big as Knebworth with so many in attendance, reportedly fifty thousand, luckily not everyone wants to, or can, stand on the barrier. There are thousands at the back with their deckchairs chilling out, watching their favourite band, having as much beer, food and ice cream as they can manage. The big screen experience enables everyone, no matter how far back, to have an intense audio visual experience to match the monumental songs that they all know by heart. It also enables the band to underline the emotions and the stories of the songs. It has, no doubt, allowed their show to become even more amazing! Traditions are still strong. Eddie came on in person, not just in digital form, to slaughter the band with his tomahawk, and there was liberal pyro for real stage effects, but real and virtual can complement each other, and do.
The band were sounding great tonight. Maiden does not let a crowd down, ever. The guitars in particular were on fire
The band were sounding great tonight. Maiden does not let a crowd down, ever. The guitars in particular were on fire, building the drama in songs like ‘The Trooper’. Steve Harris eyeballed all the fans and tailgunned them with his best personal attention, and Dickinson brought all his theatricality to enhance his performance with atmosphere and intensity. Bruce’s voice sounded full of tone, but I did notice in ‘Number Of The Beast’ that he was singing in a lower register, still sounding great, but not getting up quite so high. I thought nothing of it, and in ‘Infinite Dreams’ he sounded just like himself and did hit the high notes. I noticed the lower register, but it in no way spoiled the show, he still sounded world class. In ‘Powerslave’ he produced deep long strong notes and powerful vibrato. Above all he was chatty between songs, not seeming to seek to have to save his voice with a long intro to the incredible ‘Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’, ending with “this is what not to do if a bird shits on you”. The mystery of the lower notes was revealed at the end, however, when Bruce apologised for his voice, saying he was recovering from the Spanish Flu. Well if that was his “recovering from the Spanish Flu” voice, then we can all see while he is still top of the tree in a highly competitive world. The spectacle of the band Eddie, plus the new stage show, the titanic nature of the songs, the elite class musicianship, and the feeling you get when a band that loves their fans and all fifty thousand of them love the band back was all there, making the day truly special. And finally, even the weather, just like Justin Hawkins, behaved perfectly. OK, it tried a little too hard to keep us warm at times, but there was no doubt that the cloudless sky, so rare in an English summer, also made the day seem charmed.
It will be interesting to see if Eddfest becomes a regular English event, or they will take it progressively all around the world. My hope would be both, two dates, one at home, one away, just like the footy the band loves. Even with Spanish Flu the band slay, and retirement like mere mortals does not seem to me appropriate, ever! From the look of the band they agree. Having said that, I am dreaming of seeing them back at Knebworth! We can but have infinite dreams!
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Review & Photos: Dawn Osborne
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