An early start after a late night of being Hagrid in work sees me take in some of the finest doom and stoner bands forging a name for themselves at the moment, under the umbrella of APF records and curated by Manchester’s Stonebaked Promotions, who ran the Sniff The Riff festival we covered a year and a half ago, again priding themselves on having no band clashes. The short train hop across done, it was time to take in some neck breaking musical delights.
Opening stage two are War After War, who get 20 minutes to show their stuff, so launch straight into a blistering set of stoner with a decent crowd building up by the time they come towards the set, something good to see when they are on so early after doors. The Mexican wave of banging heads in front of me is testament to the riffy goodness of their set and a quick ‘Thank you!’ marks the end of their tight set.
Oxfordshire four-piece The Grand Mal are celebrating a half decade of existence this year and do it in some style today. They are clearly at ease on stage and their groovy rock has more than a few of the same elements of Clutch across their career, which is certainly no bad thing in itself. Dave on vocals has a rather engaging presence, while his musical backing are equal parts tight, talented and thunderous, a great mix, which goes down well with the ever-expanding crowd.
Norfolk sludgecore act A Horse Called War bring us back to the second stage with a more brutal assault on our senses than the previous couple of acts. The five-piece take great delight in grunting, shrieking and screaming at us while building an unholy wall of noise and while this doesn’t seem to be everyone’s thing, there are more than a few around me who are definitely into their sound. There are definitely more elements to their writing than just sludge, with what seems like some hardcore and horror influence to their creations in the tones and vocals used to inspire that sense of unease in the audience. They work well together, one slight hiccup apart, and it’s a well-played set from one of the less stoner orientated acts on today’s bill.
Three-piece stoner punks Trevor’s Head try to give us an insight into what’s in theirs with a set that encapsulates a few different sounds in their writing, with a fuzzy rock ‘n’ roll and the odd bit of psychedelia. While quiet initially, the crowd grows well during their set and reacts well, with plenty of hard-earned applause the filler between songs. The pace is fairly relentless, while even the slower track or so is led by a fairly driving bass line, highlighting their more punk side, while the vocals go between gravel and melodic at times, combining to make a rather appealing sound. The odd slip apart, it’s a well-played set that goes down well.
Kingston-Upon-Hull might not be known for too much musically, but that’s surely on the change with hardcore sludgers Mastiff. A ferocious live act with a mind battering assault on the senses and fuck me, if they haven’t brought their A game today. They may be, in their own words, ‘a miserable band from a miserable city’ but they seem hell bent on letting out the frustrations of that on us all today, with the cheers and applause scant reward for what is such a punishing set. The crowd love them, I love them, even Lisa at Hold Tight! PR loves them – and she’s not so easily pleased – and today shows exactly why. I’m not sure the acclaim they earn is gonna cheer them up any, but as long as they keep churning out such monstrous riffs, I think we will all be happier for it.
After a quick food break, which means I unfortunately miss Stockport’s Under on the second stage, it’s time for Mancunian five-piece Barbarian Hermit to keep the flow going with their gratuitously groovy brand of stoner. They’re as riffy as ever and their fuzzy goodness emanates out from the stage with an almost mind-altering effect on us all, undoubtedly causing some whiplash amongst the gathering in front of them. The crowd is continuing to grow and are clearly into what Barbarian Hermit are putting out with plenty of body moving starting to happen amongst the throngs. They continue the good work from previous sets and show why they have attained the attention they get, great set.
Gandalf The Green are a band I’ve managed to miss a couple of times when supposedly catching them live, so it’s a relief that I finally get to do so today and the juxtaposition between their more laid back and in your face approaches is as good live as I had previously hoped. The rhythmic bass is mesmerising, with the sea of heads around me nodding as one the perfect example of how hypnotic their riffs are. The fuzzy psychedelia acts as a good respite from the earlier maulings of Mastiff and co, almost lulling is into a false sense of security from what is upcoming, showing another job well done.
Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight may not exactly roll off your tongue, as names go, but it feels quite fitting when you’re assaulted by their space sludge sonic attack! The London- based act are a new one to me, but their name had me mark them down as one of the must-catches of the day – something I am quite glad for after this performance. Rolling fuzz for bass, sludgy vocals and drums that veer towards Blues and heavier at times combine to make a strong sound, continuing the mesmerising parts Gandalf the Green had previously brought to the party. Equal parts Black Sabbath and Sleep seem to be prevalent in their sound, mixing to create a highly enjoyable, well-rehearsed live performance.
A bit of change in style as Leeds thrashers Redeye Revival are our penultimate second stage band for the evening and bring with them some pretty punky riffage. Heads nod, bodies move and even a couple of air guitars come out to celebrate the pace and power of the Yorkshire and most of their set is past before I even realise, which is probably the clearest indication of how much I enjoy it. It’s a bit jarring with the sudden genre change at first, following the previous couple of more psychedelia and such orientated acts, though this quickly wears off, as much for myself as the rest of the crowd. A well-played set.
Battalions are a band I’ve caught before on a few occasions – funnily enough, at Stonebaked Promotions’ Sniff The Riff a year and a half previously for the first time – and they still have more groove than a particularly funky ‘70s disco. The Kingston-Upon-Hull stoners may introduce some pretty heavy vocals to combine with their groove-laden hard rock but they fit the bill perfectly for the showcase today and the way everyone around me takes straight to them is a clear indication of how well they are regarded, rightfully so. They are certainly more in the Eyehategod breed of stoner but their billing is penultimate band for the main stage is just right, giving them ample audience to showcase their ability and ridiculously tight performance to.
Following Battalions was going to be a hard ask, but Nottingham’s own Widows have shown their skills around these parts on many occasions before. The numbers visibly take a dip but those that stay are both well rewarded and very happy to take the ensuing auditory assault with pleasure. Widows still have plenty of their swagger and groove, but the reduction of the crowd is a crying shame, as this performance deserves a lot more. Second stage headline is a highly suitable slot, given their current standing, though their ability shows we can expect even more from them in future. An enthusiastic set to an appreciative, if reduced, crowd.
Pist are the band to bring the day’s festivities to a close and I have to admit to being underwhelmed. Their set is tight with good musicianship but their big step towards a more blackened sound is not my personal thing. Looking at it from a neutral point of view, it’s an interesting step to take and one that may pay off well for them – there certainly seems to still be some enthusiasm from the repopulated crowd for their new sound, so I have no qualms in saying that this is more of a personal preference rather than anything in terms of the band’s performance tonight. Fellow Über Rock contributor Jonny Bakes – sat next to me as I compose my notes for this – is clearly into this change musically and it’s the only time we disagree on any of the bands on the day. What a day it has been, though, with the various APF bands doing themselves justice. A well-played set to complete a well compiled day of aural delights.
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