By Jase Walker
Day two of RADAR and my knees are already starting to scream at me for standing up too long yesterday but I’m not ready to quit just yet because we’ve got another massively stacked day to get through!
Opening up the main stage today is Modern Error and I’ve made sure to secure myself a spot right at the front to get my fill of them. ‘Truest Blue’ kicks in and I’m already going for it and I feel like Saturday has properly started, especially as its followed by ‘Error Of The World”, great stuff. With them blasting through their set, their synth heavy sound comes across incredibly well even right at the front barriers and I’m running the risk of losing my voice first thing in the day but I wouldn’t have it any other way. They’ve had a fantastic turnout for this early in the day too and they absolutely deserve it, they put so much hard work into their live shows and work tirelessly to keep their appearances going. Saturday is off to a good start.
Next for me today is Harbinger, this London tech death outfit are progressively getting bigger shows and seeing them on this stage makes me damn proud of these lads! The moment that double bass pedal kicks in, it’s time for some serious business and I’ve made sure I’m just out of the pit firing line to protect my pint. Dylan most definitely channeling some Will Ramos when hitting those filthy gutturals which provokes the crowd into a frenzy right behind me! A monstrous set that fully compels the audience to go wild and get some aggression started in the pit, worthy of such a huge stage and no doubt we’ll see them climb the ranks towards the top over time.
After eating the fastest gyros of my life, I ran over to the second stage with some pretty sticky fingers to catch Tiberius. Rarely ones to pull punches with their live performances, these Scots are out to blow people’s faces off and then fuck with them in the process as they’re no stranger to getting the crowd involved whether they like it or not. Rapid fire fun is their identity, whether it’s the music or their live performance, they’re rarely ones to stay still much and move every bit as much as their riffs imply. Chris and Grant decide it’s time to start getting stuck into the crowd and leap in to direct the crowd on how to dance, no qualms about it at all and nobody in this crowd is safe. A Tiberius show is every bit as much about enjoying some fast, riffy metal, as it is about laughing at the often absurd shenanigans that these guys pull during their shows. They’re an immensely entertaining band and every live show they put on puts on full display their devotion to showmanship, silly yet outrageously well honed.
- Following their set, I had the chance to grab chat with the Tiberius guys:
Another bit of a break that’s absolutely needed as my legs creak, it’s time for a bit of a sit down while Pupil Slicer unleashes their cacophony of noise and screaming on the main stage. A fair crowd has gathered to witness the chaotic, noisy and frenetic style of Pupil Slicer. Ever haunting throughout the set, the division between the older and newer material is pretty cut and dry with the older material being more frantic and mathy vs the newer material that comes closer to blackgaze. The newer material sounds bloody fantastic especially in this venue, washing across the room like a warm breeze before piercing it with harsher segments. It’s a shame that the crowd, although a decent turnout, doesn’t quite seem fully engaged, or at least is trying to take in the onslaught of noise as seeing Pupil Slicer for the first time can be quite an experience. However as we move to the end of their set, they’ve absolutely won over the more static people in the audience, top job by Pupil Slicer.
Sticking by the main stage and ready for the overdue and eagerly awaited return of Australian progressive metalcore outfit, Thornhill, I can feel the anticipation in the air as they’re due on. I had some concerns based on the last time I saw these but they’re instantly put to bed the moment they start, they sound fantastic and that intense, droney sound they have cuts right through. People are wasting no time getting stuck into shoving each other around and going wild, a much deserved response to these guys. ‘Coven’ sounds bloody gigantic, the second the riff hits the pit widens ever further as more and more people join in. The crowd is absolutely losing their collective minds to this set, the pit is gigantic, crowd surfers are coming over the top constantly and the room is completely packed. As for me, this show is everything I could have possibly wanted it to be, it’s reinvigorated my love for Thornhill and I don’t doubt I’ll be rinsing their discography on my flight home on Monday.
More main stage action with synthwave favourites of mine, Perturbator. Complete with full production rigging and no doubt a very bass heavy sound. Starting with ‘Excess’ and shivers run up my spine immediately, this live show is really something to behold. The sound they’ve got going for today’s show is shaking every part of my body, all the way from my legs to the back of my neck, the bass is oppressive but man it makes for a hell of a show. The gigantic pentagram lightning rig going through various patterns as the show goes on is every bit as memorable as the music itself, I don’t know anything like it. I keep having to remind myself that I need to take at least some notes for this but I’m a bit too busy getting caught up in dancing like a lunatic, I suppose that might say more about my enjoyment of the show than anything else though. By this point I’ve ended up with a full on dance party and I’m a proper sweaty mess so honestly I think that sums it up. Danced a bunch, had a great time, and Perturbator are awesome.
After a quick breather outside and a renewed pint, I need to make good on my promise to Kaan to get to Heart Of A Coward. With some new material out that is for lack of a better term, angry as fuck, I’m gonna get my ears around one of the premier British metalcore acts. I’ve had to go pretty far back because this room is pretty damn busy and I can see an overwhelming amount of movement in front of me as well as a pretty constant stream of crowd surfers! The new songs go so unbelievably hard live as well, the riffs are pounding and Kaan sounds incredible on both cleans and gutturals, no doubt about it, Heart Of A Coward are here to lay waste to RADAR and looking at the chaos down the front it’s exactly what they’re doing. The sound mix is outstanding as well, every single little nuance of the guitar work is crisp, no muddiness at all. Each scrape, each harmonic, each palm mute chug is heard with incredible clarity and each part of the band is exactly where it needs to be.
I might resent the people at the front of the crowd for still having the energy to go this hard at this point in the day, I’d love to get a bit closer to witness this chaos firsthand because it looks like a ton of fun. A favourite of mine, ‘Hollow’ goes down a treat as well, I swear I’ve seen more legs in the air than I have arms, really making the security work hard tonight. I’m already spying future shows I can catch these at and it looks like I’ll need to make a specific point of seeing them again because this is absolutely not enough for me. I want more, and I am going to do whatever I can to get it because this was a stunning set!
And finally, to close out Saturday, one of the most bizarre acts I’ve ever seen, Igorrr. Nothing like finishing a prog festival day with a bit of blackened breakbeat baroque-core but there you go. I had some doubts about them taking the headline slot over Perturbator but those are immediately put to rest right as they start because this show is absolutely bonkers. The sound is thunderous and with their vocalists mixing aggressive gutturals and legitimate Opera singing against a chaotic backdrop of drum and bass and black metal it all adds up to a pretty insane show. Oh yes, don’t forget random bits of chiptune being thrown in during some baroque, as you do. The intro to ‘Downgrade Desert’ is unmistakable which eventually gives way to the slow, inexorable main riff, I really can’t overstate how incredible this sounds in such a massive venue like this.
‘ieuD’ the first song I ever came across from Igorrr that immediately cemented my love for this bizarre act clearly gets the crowd going mental down the front, massive banger. Igorrr jumps back and forth with little warning between chaotic intensity and softer parts with a focus on the operatic vocals. One moment a sweet melancholic solo piece, the next you’re in a runaway train down a hill, the brakes are fucked and you’ve got a cliff edge in front of you with an eldritch horror set to consume the landmass you’re on anyway. Approaching the last bits of the set, ‘Cheval’ and its juxtaposition of accordion vs blast beats sets the tone for the more unusual parts of their sound but I can guarantee I know what everyone’s waiting for. If you know Igorrr, you’d know it, ‘VERY NOISE’ wraps up the bizarre set and Saturday is at a close. Sunday next!
- PHOTO CREDIT: All photos © Charlie Bluck/Eleanor Hazel/RADAR Festival. All copyright remains with the respective photographers.
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