Holmfirth became the epicentre of rock ‘n’ roll when a Californian band flew in to a true rockstar welcome.
Four piece blues rockers Rival Sons made a dramatic touchdown onto the pitch of Holmfirth Cricket Club today on a specially-chartered helicopter.
Flying in from Manchester over the Peak District, they chose the rural town’s Picturedrome as the place to kick off their world tour.
And even the wind and drizzle could not dampen their spirits or indeed their heavily coiffured haircuts and moustaches, despite being used to much sunnier climes in their home city of Long Beach near LA.
The band were there as part of a drive to bring their rock vibe to smaller communities and were greeted by members of the cricket club, Picturedrome owner Peter Carr and even two dogs, including Newfoundland Shelby, from Holme.
Speaking inside the clubhouse, where members of the club had put on a proper Yorkshire spread ahead of the gig, guitarist Scott Holiday, said: “We’re really excited to be here.
“It’s so different to the usual venues that we play in, it’s great.
“It means we can play a set that feels more personal while getting to discover the town and meet its residents.
“We played at a similar venue a couple of days ago in a tiny village called Andermatt, in Switzerland.
“The ride over here was great too– there was unexpected snow on the tops and we even flew over a part of the Peak District where we had recorded a video for our song Face of Light, so it was nice to return.
“On top of that, the cricket club has put on a lovely spread for us, although I’ve not had chance to test out the pork pies yet.”
The band were then taken on a tour of the town, which saw them stop at the Cafe at Penny Lane and The Nook, where they will stay the night after playing to a sold out crowd.
They will spend Wednesday and Thursday recording a new music video high up on the surrounding moorlands before taking to stages in Britain, Europe, Brazil and North America.
Talking about their rise to success since they formed in 2009, bassist Dave Beste said: “We’ve been really lucky and have lots of highlights.
“Playing at Wembley last December and opening for Kiss and AC/DC are definitely some of them.
“We’re just glad that the UK has accepted us into its rock ‘n’ roll family.”
Holmfirth Cricket Club secretary, Bruce Jakeman, said: “It was a very unusual offer for us and I never thought we’d see a band flying into here.
“I can’t say I’d heard of them before but I’m looking forward to going to their show tonight."
