Steel Over The Solent

Steel Over The Solent A full day of NWOBHM/Heavy Metal in Portsmouth, UK

🚨 We're delighted to announce the absolutely incredible QUARTZ as the final band to be added to the lineup for STEEL OVE...
05/01/2026

🚨 We're delighted to announce the absolutely incredible QUARTZ as the final band to be added to the lineup for STEEL OVER THE SOLENT!

⛓️THIS COMPLETES THE LINEUP FOR STEEL OVER THE SOLENT 2026!

🔥Quartz date back to the early 70s and are considered one of the forerunners of the NWOBHM movement! They hail from the home of heavy metal, Birmingham, and had 3 studio album releases in QUARTZ, STAND UP AND FIGHT, and AGAINST ALL ODDS!

🗡️They've played Reading festival in 77, 78, and 80, amongst multiple incredible support slots such as with Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Saxon!

💎Currently formed of original members Mick Hopkins, Malc Cope, and Del Arnold, they're joined by Geoff Bate on lead vocals who sang on their 1983 release AGAINST ALL ODDS!

🎟️Tix available from the Wedgewood Rooms website, or in our b!o, currently ~40% sold out and still selling fast, so don't wait about too long to get your tickets for what is sure to be one of the absolute highlights of the NWOBHM/Heavy Metal calendar year.

🦑 I've been seeing more and more AI posters for gigs and festivals, so I wanted to go over the artwork decisions and pro...
15/11/2025

🦑 I've been seeing more and more AI posters for gigs and festivals, so I wanted to go over the artwork decisions and process for Steel Over The Solent, I will never use AI.

🔔For Steel Over The Solent, I wanted a striking design that encapsulated the location and vibe of the event, and I commissioned Jack ( ) to help me with this vision!

🐙One of the initial ideas was for a Kraken (as Portsmouth is a coastal town) attacking a landmark in Portsmouth to help tie the design in with the town. A few ideas were floated around, the initial sketches showing the kraken attacking the HMS Victory, the oldest commissioned warship in the world (which is housed in Portsmouth's historic dockyard), as well as attacking the Spinaker tower, an iconic part of Portsmouth's skyline.

⛓️We decided to drop the Spinaker tower from the design, but then to balance out the image Jack suggested inspiration from a classic Judas Priest poster design by adding another guitar to the right hand side.

✨Jack then began the process of inking the design, we went through a few colours combinations but settled on the green/brown colour combination.

💎Jack also designed the logo, which I think matches the vibe of NWOBHM/traditional heavy metal incredibly well (straight line logos forever).

🔥Finally, I did the layout of the actual poster itself, the background used is actually an image of the sea and then I did some Photoshop magic (used the opacity slider) to blend it in better, and the final result excellently shows of the incredible art from Jack.

🌊Also, The Solent is the stretch of water between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, for anyone who was wondering what the name is referencing.

🔥ANNOUNCEMENT for STEEL OVER THE SOLENT!✨We're adding the phenomenal WYTCH HAZEL and TOLEDO STEEL to an already stacked ...
26/09/2025

🔥ANNOUNCEMENT for STEEL OVER THE SOLENT!

✨We're adding the phenomenal WYTCH HAZEL and TOLEDO STEEL to an already stacked lineup, with WYTCH HAZEL being your HEADLINERS for the evening!

⚔️WYTCH HAZEL have been a powerhouse since their first debut in 2016, prelude, and just recently have released their fifth album, LAMENTATIONS, to an uproarious fanfare, and we're absolutely honoured to have them here in Portsmouth to headline our magnificent event!

💎Sounding like "a parallel universe where the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal happened 600 years earlier", Wytch Hazel are sure to see this night off with a tremendous bang!

⚔️TOLEDO STEEL have been a raging force since Thier first EP in 2013, and recently released their second album HEADING FOR THE FIRE, which builds upon their fantastic melodic metal sound, and the incredible vocal work from Rich mixed with their new dual guitar attack these guys are sure to blow you away!

⚡Still two more bands to announce!

🎟️⛓️‍💥 Tix in b!o only £35!

🦑Next band announcement is TOMORROW! 26/09✨After that we've only got two more to announce and it's a full line up!💎More ...
25/09/2025

🦑Next band announcement is TOMORROW! 26/09

✨After that we've only got two more to announce and it's a full line up!

💎More information about the day will also be revealed in the future as plans are put into place and we start to finalise what will be an absolutely ESSENTIAL day in any NWOBHM/Heavy metal fans calendar for 2026!

⛓️Tix in b!o, selling fast!

✨INFORMATION POST✨⚔️Here is a bunch of stuff that should aid your journey to STEEL OVER THE SOLENT 2026💎Feel free to ask...
13/09/2025

✨INFORMATION POST✨

⚔️Here is a bunch of stuff that should aid your journey to STEEL OVER THE SOLENT 2026

💎Feel free to ask about anything I might have missed in the comments

💥NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR STEEL OVER THE SOLENT 2026!⛓️I've got heavy metal music in my blood, and I'd like to give it to y...
13/09/2025

💥NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR STEEL OVER THE SOLENT 2026!

⛓️I've got heavy metal music in my blood, and I'd like to give it to you, if I could!

⚔️That's right, we've got the incredible holocaust_nwobhm coming down, playing their sensational album THE NIGHTCOMERS on full!

⚡Founded in 1978 by John Mortimer, Heavy Metal was a new concept in those days and they made history with their first release in 1980 as the 12" single "Heavy Metal Mania" was the first commercial release to feature the term "heavy metal" in the title! The song is a definitive metal anthem!

💎2026 marks the 45th anniversary of NIGHTCOMERS so the band is excited to celebrate this with shows featuring the album in its entirety!

🎟️⛓️‍💥 In bio!

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The Wedgewood Rooms
Portsmouth
PO40JW

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