Live Review : RADAR Festival on July 4th 2025

Friday at RADAR Festival 2025 begins in suitably unhinged fashion with openers on the second SNEAK stage Mother Vulture. Their chaotic, hair-whipping, guitar-slinging madness sets the bar absurdly high right out the gate. Their vocalist hits some glass-shattering banshee-like highs, but there’s gravely harshness too - scraping and snarling in all the right ways. It’s like The Fall of Troy jamming with Counting Crows during a Royal Blood soundcheck, and somehow it all just works. Wild, theatrical, and very, very fun.

From controlled chaos to precision-pop, Cologne’s Floya open the main Kerrang stage and immediately draw attention with their pared-back setup of guitar, drums and vocals, with the bass pounding from the tracking. It’s jangly, bright, and fresh, like Walk the Moon filtered through Resolve’s powerful yet emotional clarity. There's definitely a Novelists-lite vibe in the more sensitive moments, and the vocalist’s tone is exceptional - beautifully clean, dynamic, and engaging. Whether it’s heart-on-sleeve balladry or bounce-along optimism, the songwriting never dips. We all agree the festival has opened with two absolute belters.

Tropic Gold maintain the momentum with a heavy-but-hooky sound reminiscent of Thornhill, Thrown, and Northlane. Another stripped-down trio, they deliver layered groove and grit. The guitar tone crunches in all the right ways and the drums absolutely stomp. But it’s the vocals that elevate - versatile and emotive, without leaning too far into either angst or aggression. They’re definitely on our radar (no pun intended) now and ones to watch.

Lake Malice are next up on the main stage and bring some chaos of their own - but this time it’s the dancers from Kaos Kreatives. As always Lake Malice are an irresistible fusion of metal, tech-metal, punk, pop, and electro-rock, all wrapped in a uniquely catchy sound. On stage, Alice’s vocal versatility shines bright, effortlessly shifting into smooth, velvety clean tones from raucous harsh vocals. Unfortunately, the dancing detracts from the vibe I feel, and the sound mix is a mess in which the nuances of the tracking vanish, Blake’s guitar is inaudible, and it feels more like theatre than the feral dynamism we’ve come to expect. Things improve after I retreat to the back of the hall. By the time we get to ‘Stop the Party’ there are seven dancers in total on stage, and if nothing else it’s a dazzling, fun and energetic spectacle. Still, I’d rather leave the dancing and leaping to Blake and let the music breathe.

Avralize, however, aren’t holding anything back. German tech-metalcore with bounce, flair and an absolute avalanche of stage energy. They stay impressively close to their recordings but somehow manage to be even more manic and engaging live. There’s a Landmvrks and Ashen vibe running throughout, laced with expressive synth and brilliantly cheesy saxophone tracking. It gets funky, then groovy, then blisteringly heavy, especially in the final throws where they let rip with full deathcore vocals. Tight, vibrant and totally infectious, they are easily one of the best acts of the day.

As Everything Unfolds fight through an early mic failure, but Charlie handles it like a pro, proving once again that her stage presence matches her vocal power. Think a techy, muscular Paramore with added swagger and bounce. Their lighting, bathed in pink and blue, suits the lively and dynamic tone and while the drums remain overpowering in the mix the band still manage to shine. They’ve been through a lot, including the loss of their drummer, since I last saw them but the feelgood factor of their music remains intact.

Cyan Kicks, all the way from Finland, arrive dressed for drama, and the Eurovision-ready synth-metal sound confirms their pop-rooted sensibility. It’s polished and professional but feels detached. Between the heavy reliance on backing track and the seemingly vocoder-drenched vocals, there’s little bite underneath the glitter. Part Blood Command, part Battle Beast, it’s decent but doesn’t quite land.

As December Falls lean unapologetically into their pop-punk roots, delivering a set that’s slick, confident, and undeniably polished. The sound is crisp, the performance tight, and the energy consistent throughout. There’s a clear Paramore-core influence with big choruses, crunchy guitars, and emotionally charged vocals, all wrapped in a glossy, Americanised finish. Everything is executed with slick precision, but it’s all a little too safe. The crowd though is engaged, but it’s missing that one standout moment that lingers after the lights go down. Still, for hook-laden, high-energy pop-punk it’s a solid showing. Just one that could use a little more grit or surprise to elevate it from good to great.

Future Palace bounce back from a previously underwhelming showing at Rebellion, due to illness, with a much tighter and more impactful performance this time round. Future Palace’s live sound is anchored by a deep, bass-heavy core, with punchy kick drums delivering a powerful, industrial feel - reminiscent of KMFDM, though with a lighter touch. Layered synths enhance the atmosphere, yet notably, there’s no obvious presence of extra vocals or guitars in the backing track. Emotion and heaviness are locked in, and a surprise guest appearance from the As Everything Unfolds vocalist Charlie adds a welcome edge. Great stagecraft and even sharper execution.

And then Zeal and Ardor. Oh my, where to even begin. Part black metal invocation, part Deep South spiritual ritual - this is genre alchemy in its most absurd and sublime form. Hoods, howls, and hellfire; they sound like what would happen if Sleep Token, Dillinger Escape Plan, and a death metal barbershop quartet all fought over the same preacher mic. ‘Death to the Holy’ is staggering, and the way they weave chain-gang chants with crushing blackened riffs and haunting atmospherics is unparalleled. Bluesy tech-metal, post-metal, gospel-core? Whatever it is, it’s brilliant and totally unique to them.

Ghøstkid follow with a mix of the chaotic energy of Electric Callboy, the control of Red Method, and the dark theatricality of Marilyn Manson. Their sound itself is a blend of industrial-laced verses and soaring, gothic-esque choruses that sit heavily in pop-metal territory. The guitar work draws from classic nu-metal, with that unmistakable mid-scooped tone, but the overall mood is more brooding than celebratory. It’s hard to get a handle on what’s actually happening a lot of the time musically though. Equal parts confusion and charisma, maybe, but the set feels more like a puzzle than a performance.

Closing out the night is the retro-futurist blast of Carpenter Brut. They deliver a neon-drenched set straight out of an 80’s cyberpunk fever dream. Imagine the crazy chaos of the video game Hotline Miami mashed up with the moody dystopia of the film Blade Runner. Every pounding track is presented through a haze of strobes, synths, and slasher-flick aesthetics. It’s loud, lurid, immersive and completely infectious. The stage glows in deep reds and electric blues perfectly in sync with the pounding synth and blasts of beats to move and groove to. Every beat feels like a punch to the chest, and the crowd, bathed in flickering light, moves like a single entity caught in a digital storm. It’s a sharp switch-up from the rest of the day’s lineup, but a welcome one. Bold, theatrical, and gloriously over-the-top. Carpenter Brut create a world as well as a great end to the first day of the festival.