By DJ Astrocreep, Josh Bicknell and Jase Walker
Such was the intensity of the action at this year’s RADAR that, as our original reviewing duo recovered from the first day’s beatdowns we had to send for reinforcements, which meant our resident scouser hot wheeling down the motorway (well, the railway line, actually) to propel himself immediately into the thick of the action…
It’s a step up on to the main stage for local progressive rockers VMBRA, who are moved from the same slot on the second stage to open up proceedings there. Some people are dancing away, plenty more heads are bobbing and it’s clear that they are having an impact on the people that are in early. The crowd grows decently during their set and the sound is really good after a song or so, as a couple of tweaks are made to add the emphasis where needed. A good showing by a talented act. (DJ)
Somehow, I’ve been fortunate to avoid a hangover after leaving Satan’s Hollow in a bit of a state. After getting myself ready and grabbing a pint to kick the can down the road a bit I’ve arrived in time to catch my first draw for today, Air Drawn Dagger!
This synthy emo act from Sheffield have been on my radar (ha ha) for a long time now and after dropping a pretty great album recently, even moreso! Mic stands adorned with flowers, the three-piece kicks things off to a pretty solid turnout for stage two. I do wish the low end was a bit punchier similar to yesterday as it does make the band sound a bit thin but other than that it’s decent and they’re coming across super well.
Rocking a similar musical vibe to the likes of Vukovi, the three-piece are putting as much as they can to get a crowd that is probably still a bit sore from yesterday moving. Their singer has no fear jumping into the audience as a mix of showmanship and the fact that her in-ears are fucked. The audience has a chuckle along with her because she’s forgotten that her setlist is up on stage but gets stuck into their cover of ‘Omen’ by The Prodigy and gets a circle pit going to boot. This is the sort of ingenuity I love seeing with bands, roll with the punches and make a show despite the challenges. This isn’t just ‘Omen’ apparently, leading into a medley of Britney Spears’s ‘Toxic’, all the while being right in the middle of the pit! Great show! (JW)
Over on the main stage, Pintglass brought low-end punishment and cheeky charm to the Sneak Energy Stage. Their beatdown hardcore was as heavy as expected, but the vibe stayed light-hearted, especially when frontman Spencer asked punters what their trades were mid-set.
It was classic Pintglass: tongue-in-cheek bravado layered over some of the nastiest riffs of the weekend. No walls of death, no theatrics, just pure bounce, brutal tone, and a band clearly having fun. It hit hard without taking itself too seriously. (JB)
It’s nasty, sludgy hardcore, taken straight from the concrete mixer of a big build and boy, do they revel in it. The shouts of “geeza” ring out throughout the set, as do the party and pint calls, while the blast beats and punishing riffs pound out alongside. They’re not an easy watch, but still very worthwhile. An excellent set! (DJ)
Next up today is Oceans Ate Alaska, these have had a bit of a tumultuous time over the past few years so it’s fantastic seeing them take up a great slot on this year’s edition. They kick things off and the sound isn’t particularly great, the bass is barely audible, the drums are incredibly loud, and the vocals seem muffled which is a bit disappointing.
They’re clearly putting a lot of effort into the show so it’s probably not specifically their issue but given how other bands have sounded on the main stage so far, it’s a bit flat unfortunately, well, except for the intermittent bass drops. The random fart SFX sound was pretty funny though! And now it’s the snoring SFX thing? What on earth?
I suppose I at least got ‘Hansha’ out of the set, but this unfortunately has not been the one for today. I’m a bit bummed about this because I do genuinely love this band but there’s just so much that this set didn’t meet and I’m left a bit deflated. (JW)
I’m actually quite disappointed by OAA, to be honest. The growls and musically, the band are good, but the clean vocals are genuinely poor and akin to walking past a karaoke bar at 3am, when everyone has had far too much to drink to hold a note. It’s a pity, because the riffs are chunky, but it is bad enough to actually affect your enjoyment of it all. (DJ)
Novelists proved their staying power with a sharp, emotionally charged set that felt anything but routine. Though visibly worn from festival season, guitarist Florestan Durand and crew locked in tight, delivering a dynamic performance full of control and intensity. Camille Contreras impressed with clean melodies and venomous screams alike, especially on the crushing ‘Heretic’. Their polished sound carried real weight live: passionate, punchy, and expertly paced. Novelists don’t just perform; they had the crowd in the palm of their hand. (JB)
I’m hugely impressed how massive Novelists’ sound is. Cinematic, arena level metalcore, maximizing their sound in a manner that just screams bigger stage needed (every pun intended). Lots of energy, ability and stage charisma, wrapped up in a ball of extremely approachable music, whilst both the clean and rougher vocals are an absolute treat. A great set. (DJ)
Arch Echo up next, bringing tasty jazz fusion jams to RADAR. A bit of a rocky start as the guitars cut out from the main PA speakers right after they start which kneecaps the sound a lot and drowns them out amongst the drums and bass. I’m really trying to enjoy these because I’m a huge Arch Echo fan but whatever’s happened to completely turn off the guitars has put a massive damper on my experience here because they’re such an integral part of their sound but there’s literally nothing coming through the speakers from them.
Sadly, I feel like if I’m not actually hearing the full band then it’s pointless sticking around because the sound work for these is absolutely shocking and does Arch Echo a massive disservice. Fortunately, before I gave up entirely it got somewhat fixed and I can actually hear them a bit better but not totally. At least I’ll get to see these again shortly as they’re running with Intervals on their support slot so there’s always next time. (JW)
Intervals dazzled with a fluid, expressive set that blended technical mastery with genuine groove. Aaron Marshall led his instrumental crew through slick performances of ‘Alchemy’ and ‘Mata Hari’, drawing huge reactions with every bend and time change. The musicianship was faultless, but never sterile, these songs breathed and moved. For guitar-heads, it was pure gold; for everyone else, it was still hypnotic. Intervals didn’t need a vocalist to command the room; the fretwork said it all. (JB)
Instrumental prog seems to be becoming a bigger thing and it’s bands like Intervals that are a huge part of that. Taking time to talk to people and address the crowd, it’s an absolutely flawless display of genuine musicianship and ability. Well-rehearsed, tighter than a nun’s proverbials and just so in tune, their guitar harmonies are borh uplifting and somewhat reminiscent of older computer games, lifting you back to a much simpler time. A fantastic show and it’s nice to hear them announce a full upcoming tour later this year – they’ve probably picked up a lot more fans here. (DJ)
Taking up the mantle of finale today on the main stage is Normandie! It’s no secret that I’m a gigantic fan of these and even after seeing them barely a couple of weeks ago in Haarlem, I’m super happy to catch them again so soon! Opening with ‘Overdrive’ to a reasonably busy room that I hope doesn’t discourage them too much but given the circle pit that’s kicked off I don’t think the crowd that’s still here gives much of a fuck anyway! I mean for myself I’ve got nothing to lose at this point so I’m all in to wreck my voice and have a great time.
‘Serotonin’ and ‘Flowers For The Grave’ as followups, the crowd audibly follows along the vocal melodies and throws beach balls around all over the place too. Looking around by the early midpoint it’s looking like the initial sparseness towards the back as thoroughly filled out and Normandie are in full flow and amazing it to a solid turnout by now which is heartening to see.
In a bit of a divergence from their Haarlem show, they go with ‘Renegade’, always nice for a bit of a change between different shows! I take a quick look around to see what the rest of the crowd is doing and there’s barely anyone who isn’t jumping around or screaming the words back to the band. Whatever tension there was for Saturday night has truly evaporated, and the people here tonight are fully on board with making the most of the evening. Normandie are truly a shining example of the best fusions between metalcore styles and pop sensibilities; you just don’t get it better than this by many others.
The darker and more brooding melodies of ‘Hourglass’ capture the attention of the crowd out of their incessant pitting and madness for a brief moment, but I know the peak that’s coming that’ll cause chaos. Sure as hell and just like clockwork the breakdown hits and the centre of the crowd becomes a frenzy, it can’t all be light singalongs, eh?
‘Colourblind’ is another surprise for me in the set as well, really getting my way in experiencing more Normandie stuff from around their back catalogue! I feel that we’re approaching the end and I just don’t want this to finish now, I genuinely cannot get enough of this band! ‘Blood In The Water’ gets the last bits of energy out of the crowd but we’ve still got two last songs to smash before it’s the true end. ‘Hostage’ and ‘White Flag’ finishes the set and closes up Saturday at RADAR festival.
Many things have happened surrounding today but for what it’s worth, this has been another great entry in the festival’s books. (JW)
- Photos by Charlie Bluck/Claire Alaxandra/Coal Poet Media/likeanao. Courtesy of RADAR.
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