The Almighty – Mote Park, Maidstone – 19th July 2026

The Almighty – Mote Park, Maidstone – 19th July 2026

Review by Robert Corich

The Almighty have always occupied that gloriously untidy territory somewhere between hard rock, punk attitude and good old-fashioned Celtic mayhem. At Mote Park they delivered a reasonably comprehensive set and, importantly, a performance far more convincing than their appearance at Ed Fest a few weeks earlier.

At Knebworth they never really seemed to get the big-stage equation right. Perhaps it was simply a stage too far — big pun intended.

Mote Park, however, suited them considerably better. They looked more comfortable, focused and, ultimately, more like the band I know.

Power kicked things off before Jonestown Mind, The Unreal Thing and Over the Edge set the tone. Addiction, Takin’ Hold, Wrench, Jesus Loves You… But I Don’t, Full Force Lovin’ Machine, Sin Against the Light and Devil’s Toy followed, with Thunderbird, Little Lost Sometimes, Destroyed, Wild & Wonderful and Free ’n’ Easy completing a solid run through the catalogue.

And then there’s Ricky Warwick. I can never quite figure out whether he’s Irish, Scottish or some other Celtic persuasion — perhaps he doesn’t know either. That chameleonic act: Pict your choice.

Whatever his precise Celtic coordinates, he was clearly more at home here than at Knebworth, fronting the band with authority and plenty of attitude. The heavier numbers carried the weight, while the punky swagger that has always been part of The Almighty’s DNA remained firmly intact.

Mote Park suited them. A spirited performance and a timely reminder that sometimes a stage doesn’t need to be enormous to make a band sound almighty good.