Sunday morning and it’s raining, a lot. This doesn’t affect the festival though as it’s indoors, and the lovely people at the venue even put on breakfast for the somewhat soggy campers. Let’s be honest, everything is better with bacon, right? (Veggie options are available!) Being indoors, rain cannot stop play and before we know it it’s lunchtime and the main event is kicking off.
Read MoreSo after the "help I’m melting" desert-fest of last year, there is a distinct feeling of business as usual about this year’s Bloodstock. Whilst arid festivals are probably an unavoidable truth, this year mother nature very much behaved herself and provided what can only be described as almost perfect festival conditions. Even the drizzle on Sunday morning that seemed intent on embedding itself in actually dissipates before it manages to dampen any spirits.
Read MoreAre you bored with modern metal? Does everything sound to you the same? Do you hunger after something with more complexity and emotional depth? Well my friend the answer is simple, the answer is Bossk. This is prog metal for a dystopian world. It takes what is usually euphoric and optimistic artform and dials up the fear, loathing and pessimism. But don't be expecting dark, dank introspection. This is widescreen Odyssey of biblical proportions. An immersive journey into the dark confines of the soul.
Read MoreBloodstock 2023 is almost within touching distance. We can almost hear the sound of illegal bins being crashed together. We can almost taste the ridiculously expensive burgers. We can almost feel that tingly excitement in the air. It's Christmas for metalheads and it's almost here. But first we have the annual excitement of deciding who we should invest our time going to see. Well, we at ROCKFLESH are here to help. It's time for our annual countdown of 30 bands you must see.
Read MoreUnderstandably we are all a bit confused. Friday feels like Saturday, Saturday like Sunday and Sunday like an excursion to the surface of the sun. It’s also hot, dusty and really busy. Any inclination that the Bring Me The Horizon day would see a lull in attendance is soon knocked on the head. The place is jumping and jiving from the get-go and the sold-out signs on all the BMTH merch makes it clear that they are not making up numbers as we wait for Metallica Part 2.
Read MoreThe phrase “Scream for me Donington!” is ubiquitous in heavy metal’s lexicon. One of the joys of this weekend is watching the obvious pleasure that uttering those words gives to almost every musician playing the event. The fact that it coupled with the refrain “I’ve always wanted to say that” tells you everything about the importance of Donington Park not just to British heavy rock but to the whole scene in general. We may be celebrating Download’s twentieth incarnation, but the reverence given to what is essentially a second-rate racetrack shows that adulation goes back much further than that.
Read MoreThe level of respect and admiration within our world for cellist Jo Quail is frankly quite astonishing. Her midday appearance on main stage attracts a larger audience than any of the three headliners. The atmosphere is one of silent reverence, interspersed by an almost fanatical outburst of appreciation when she reaches the end of each of her three pieces.
Read MoreLast Hyena are another Bristolian outfit pulled into Arctangent's gravitational field. Their take on maths/post-rock is laid-back with an almost loungecore lethargy. There is no urgency at play here and to be honest, there does not need to be, they are the first band on and we have a whole day in front of us. Their proggy-like inclinations fit beautifully with their audience’s hung-over state. Very much music to do (a liquid) breakfast to.
Read MoreOne of the Arctangent's beauties is the way that the stages are scheduled. On one side of the site the Arc and Bixlar stages alternate, as do the Yokhai and PX3 stages on the other side. It's all exquisitely organised so that if you are suitably focused you can see around 15 bands in one day, without any clashes and without walking far at all. Our journey through Thursday starts with Traps on the PX3 stage.
Read MoreArctangent is very much the thinking person's metal festival. It's a wonderfully eclectic argumentation of all those "difficult" bands that operate at the fringes of our world. Every act and subgenre that your mainstream Maiden fan would considered as being "odd" is represented here this weekend. Compared to Bloodstock’s beer and amphetamines fuelled masses, this is a much more refined and even cerebral audience. This is not just metalheads with degrees, this is metalheads with doctorates and plethora’s of letters after their name.
Read MoreWhen it first hit social media pages back in March, most people thought Firestorm was either a wind-up or a scam. You see, if you are a fan of the current crop of new wave of classic rock acts, then this provided a mouth-watering line-up that put bigger setups (with bigger budgets) to shame. All that was before anyone had even seen the venue. Whitebottom Farm is set within Etherow Country park just outside Manchester and is awash with meandering walks through some amazing greenery and scenery. For a festival, it is perfect, as it manages to combine panoramic views with an intimate area.
Read MoreIt’s Steelhouse Sunday and the weather has cheered up which in turn cheers the crowd up too. We start with Merseysiders Ashen Reach and I know who they are this time (in joke!). They are not bad at all, I like them quite a lot. They do melodic alt rock and remind me a bit of Papa Roach.
Read MoreActually it’s kind of day 2 because those of us in self-contained campers are now allowed to drive up and get settled on the Thursday night. No facilities, no bands, just a chance to chill with your mates and celebrate most of us getting our various vehicles up the mountain without mishap.
Read MoreSaturday starts rather drizzly and the first band up are Mother Vulture. They are heavy blues and I was prepared not to like them but wait, what’s this? They have the worst pants ever but they move, they dance, they fall over - it's all a bit mental but it's also kind of fun. Musically they're average but visually they are superb
Read MoreIt’s Saturday morning, the last day, excitement, and mixed feeling that it’s almost over fill me, but no time to ponder because it’s band time. My first band is the heavy metal band Defects and just wow… it’s 11am and they are on full form, with energy, brutality and a few songs in they open up a circle pit. It’s rude not to, so I join in, nothing like a good pit to start your day off as you mean to go on; Defects and the crowd deliver.
Read MoreFriday morning it’s sunny, warm, and humid. Refreshed from yesterday, I plan my day, my first band of the day is a London-based band Chapter and Verse. A good size crowd has formed and off we go. A few line-up changes since I saw them last, but the lead singer’s voice is still as good and unique as I remember. It’s difficult to place them, they are rock but an odd mix of a lot of different sounds and it works.
Read MoreAfter almost three years, many rounds of crowdfunding and a few community grants that kept it all going behind the scenes, it is great to finally be back at 2000trees. This medium-sized festival has five main stages, plus more pop up and busking stages than you can shake a stick at. After all this time you would think I would be out the door waiting at the gates, but in typical fashion I am running late. First impressions is that the security is very relaxed. You are no more than 3-5 minutes’ walk from camping where you can set up without getting your wristbands, but I dutifully collect my wristband and the included merch bundle before setting up.
Read MoreAfter a stellar end to it’s first day, Mangata Festival kept up the momentum on the main stage with Mortal No More. I had it mentioned to me by a couple of friends prior to their set that Mortal No More are definitely a band worth checking out, and they were absolutely right. Mortal No More offered a mixture of Nu Metal, Alternative and Post Hardcore and comparisons can be made to SOiL, Deftones, Limp Bizkit and even a little dose of Tool to boot. The standout moment for me however had to be their performance of the song ‘Bleed’.
Read MoreFor myself, and many others, Nottingham is considered the beating heart of the UK Metal Scene. Situated a mere stone’s throw away from the hallowed ground that is Donington Park, home of the Monsters of Rock & Download Festivals, it can be considered as no surprise that there is such a rich passion for all things heavy metal in this part of the world. This is evident by the absolute abundance of new talent rising the ranks of the East Midlands metal scene, every Friday and Saturday night the best in new talent can be found playing at the Tap N Tumbler or The Sal, two of Nottingham’s finest Metal Institutions. For me, the line-up that Mangata Festival presents is a love letter to this East Midlands metal scene
Read MoreWell, that's went blooming quick. No sooner has it all started than the final day is upon us. But it is all good. The sun is still shining, there are still some alcoholic beverages available to purchase (it's cider but any port in a storm) and we have a brace of bands to watch. The first port of call is Bristolian symphonic metallers Control The Storm. Given the price of fuel these days they must have blown their appearance fee in the first track as there is an awful lot of pyro present.
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