Published on 1st January 2026

The Rock Crafthouse in East Street hosted the inaugural Heavy Horsham event in December, headlined by local alternative metal band Rogue Awakening. AAH caught up with the band to hear about their journey and hopes for a new music scene in the town…

ROCK ROOTS

Life can be tough for a metal band. Even this evening, playing to a modest crowd in a Horsham pub, there are reminders that the genre doesn’t conform to societal norms. You can see it in the expression of passers-by pressing their faces against the window, bemused by scenes of head-bangers in ripped denim and studded belts; you can see it too in the look of unease on those who get as far as the bar before slinking away to a place devoid of blokes in eye-liner. The three bands scheduled to perform have even been asked to delay their show by an hour and a half to avoid upsetting those attending a Christmas works function held upstairs.  

It seems a touch unfair, especially as two of the bands and their fans have travelled a distance (London and Eastbourne, respectively) to be here. Yet, the bands and the audience take it in their stride. By the time headliners Rogue Awakening take to the stage, it’s 10:15pm. Yet the night has already been a success, thanks to the boundless energy of opening act Re:O – fronted by Japanese singer/songwriter Rio Suyama – and Eastbourne-based rockers Chub, who won over the crowd with occasionally puerile yet frequently entertaining anthems such as Microwave Dave. A lively yet good-natured group of metal fans bumped and jostled in the mosh-pit all night long.

Tom Corrigan, rhythm guitarist in Rogue Awakening, said: ‘Chub helped create the Eastbourne Music Collective and have been building a rock and metal scene for original bands there. We would love to establish something similar in Horsham. We received strong support from Horsham Rocks in organising this event, but nonetheless, it’s difficult to find venues for heavy rock in town. The Rec Rooms – where we once played – has closed, and The Malt Shovel was also a great supporter of live music. There are few options left, so we’re grateful to The Rock for giving us a chance to play. Our hope is that we can lay down roots, so that we can bring bands from across the south east to Horsham.  

‘As well as supporting established bands, we can give opportunities for up-and-coming acts such as Re:O, helping them establish a fan base. We hope this idea will snowball and that we can organise Heavy Horsham every few months, if there is enough demand for it.’ 

WYLDE THINGS

Rogue Awakening rose from the ashes of Covid, based around a friendship that formed on a school playground. Kimberley Voice was already an experienced vocalist, having previously enjoyed success with Damn Dirty Humans. However, Tom had only played guitar in the confines of his own home. With their children attending the same school, the two started talking about their musical interests and Kimberley convinced Tom to form a band. 

Ollie Day, also from Horsham, joined as lead guitarist, having previously played with Crawley-based rockers Half Heroes. After initially working with another drummer, the Rogues recruited James Morgan, who has also played in a covers band, Dirty Love. The newest member is bassist Zakk Virdee. Zakk was named after Zakk Wylde, lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, as his dad is a huge fan of Ozzy and Black Sabbath, even playing in a tribute act. Zakk first saw Rogue Awakening as a fan, before taking the chance to join the line-up.  

When it comes to writing, they work collaboratively, building songs layer-by-layer. Kimberley said: ‘Any member can bring an idea to the table and we work on it together, so there’s no defined songwriting structure. However, most ideas start with Ollie, as he’s a superb guitarist. Once we have the guitar structure, we introduce drums, bass and rhythm sections and develop layers. I tend to take the lead with lyrics. There are elements of pagan folklore and spirituality in my lyrics, as they interest me and influence us as a band. However, I also write about mental health and femininity. I’m very proud of our most recent release, Remain Untamed, which highlights the importance of women living their lives free from the shackles of male control. 

‘Being a female in a metal band can be challenging, as it’s a male-dominated genre. It isn’t unusual for me to be the only female in the room, as most rock musicians – not to mention sound engineers and technicians – are men. Being a female-fronted band gives us a different dynamic, especially as I’m not a “shouty” vocalist. For that reason, people struggle to place us within the genre.’ 

MELODY MAKERS

Although proudly heavy, melody and decipherable lyrics form the heart of Rogue Awakening’s output. In 2023, they released an EP, Feed Me Fire, complete with a tongue-in-cheek video which sees them playing the role of an evil band tricking a businessman into becoming a sacrifice to the Pagan Gods. This was followed by singles including The Hunter, Bloodflow and Little Death, which further cemented the band’s reputation for catchy, fantasy alternative metal with great solos. 

Ollie said: ‘We have a wide range of influences, but growing up, I loved hair metal bands like Guns N’ Roses and that interest later led me to bands like Bullet for My Valentine and Trivium. While our sound is based in heavy, guitar-driven music, it’s still built around a melody, as that’s what we love. We also introduce some fantasy elements, taking inspiration from role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons, and these influences are evident not just in our recordings, but also our videos and live performances.’ 

The band continue to release singles, with Remain Untamed – the most recent release – notching up over 10,000 streams on Spotify. They reached new audiences with a Live Lounge performance on BBC Introducing Sussex too.  

Kimberley said: ‘Performing in the Live Lounge and being interviewed on BBC Radio was a great experience. Presenter Melita Dennett is very supportive of local music and gives opportunities to bands that wouldn’t normally be heard on the station, so we’re grateful to her. We played four songs in a BBC Studio, which was surreal. It felt like an endorsement – that somebody had recognised us as a good band with songs worth hearing.  

‘Next year, we would love to play some bigger shows, perhaps even festivals. We have performed at Guilfest before, which is a great event and gave us good exposure. Last year was spent rebuilding with a new line-up, with Zakk and James joining the band. Now we are more settled, we would like to record new material. While we’ve been releasing singles to maintain momentum, we’d love to record a full album eventually, although that takes time and investment.

‘As for Horsham, we are trying to create a local scene. We know a lot of rock and metal bands that would love more opportunities to play in the town and – as we’ve seen tonight – there is an audience that isn’t being catered for elsewhere.’

WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright