By Jase Walker
Nothing fixes a hangover quite like a Gregg’s pasty and Relentless, just as well because my day is kicking off with The Five Hundred.
Kicking off with their latest album opener, ‘Black Dogs’ and going right for the throat in spectacular fashion, these riffs sound incredible live in a way that a recorded version just can’t quite get across. The low-end grooves thunder through every corner of the main stage hangar, the bass, rhythm and bass drum are fantastically levelled and delivers every chug with a real gut punch. I don’t shy away from being of the mind that the bass guitar should be very much heard and felt and looks like The Five Hundred adhere to this too, it’s proper meaty!
It’s fantastic that I get to see these up close compared to the miles back I was when I saw them at the Download Fest’s Doghouse a few years back. Armed with the bangers from ‘A World On Fire’, it’s kicked this hangover out massively. Seeing their vocalist belt his lines out with unwavering ferocity, doing every song the justice it deserves is overwhelming. Seriously if you want to see one of the UK’s best upcoming metalcore acts, don’t sleep on these, superb stuff.
After a quick chat with the Vexed crew, I’ve nipped back to the second stage to support my buds in Blind Summit. You want some fat riffs, tasteful bass playing, smooth drum grooves and powerful vocals? Blind Summit has that in spades. I’ve seen these guys live a ridiculous amount of times but this is standing out as legitimately the best performance they’ve ever put on, both bass and guitar are thunderous, drums punch right through and the vocals soar right over the top. They’ve got a huge crowd as well, the second stage area is packed out right to the back!
The Manchester based prog metal quartet have come across as confident and self-assured, they must know they’re onto something here with the sound they’ve got since their last EP. The delivery of each song, draped in atmospheric synths and grinding, laboured groove breaks culminates in a fantastic show. Looking around I can see members of other bands on this weekend absolutely gobsmacked by the performance as well, Blind Summit have smashed it.
Later on it’s back to the main stage for another favourite of mine, THECITYISOURS! Another fine example of the UK metalcore scene that fuses pop into their vocal and melodic songwriting. Every hit of the bass drum is felt in my head, chest, and through my feet on the floor. Nothing like a band that knows when to lift you up with a singalong chorus and absolutely crush you with their verses. Each song is dripping with melodic hooks, each with its own clear identity and feel. There’s no lack of movement here either, each member stomping around the stage and jumping along all the way through.
Thecityisours exemplifies what I love about the ÜK metalcore scene at the moment, high energy live shows, great sound, and influences from all kinds of music. The end result is a band that ticks all the boxes for me, music that provokes a response that’s equal parts aggression and joy. Despite being a last-minute addition due to another band pulling out, they’ve been a pleasure to watch again, and I won’t hesitate to tell anyone to check them out.
It’s now our time for second stage headliners for Saturday, Vexed! If you’ve not heard of these before, you really shouldn’t sleep on one of the ÜK’s most brutal and fast rising death metal bands! To say they’re terrifying live is a bit of an understatement. Some of the lowest tuned grooves you’ve ever heard mixed with Megan on vocals screaming relentlessly, makes for an insanely heavy show. The second stage area is packed as well, a lot of movement being seen around the crowd just looking for an excuse to start kicking the shit out of each other.
It doesn’t take long for the pit to open up, it’d be rude not to have a bounce around and I gladly oblige. Each song as thunderous as the last, the pits been going mad for almost the entire set and I’m panting a bit after running around in it so long, worth it though. I’m having a great time in this crowd, wouldn’t be so sure about the inflatable pink flamingo being tossed around mind, it’s looking a bit sorry after a few songs. I’ve spent almost the entire show in the pit and it’s been amazing, It’s been heavy, thunderous and above all, compelling. Vexed deserved this headline spot.
And for the end of the day sets today, one of my absolute favourite bands, The Ocean. I’ve not managed to see a full set for these for a number of reasons, so getting to see a fully extended set from these is going to be a treat. It bothers me a bit when I see their guitarist doing some vocals, but I can barely hear it above everything else. This doesn’t last for long and now I’m lost in the midst of their thick, heavy, thunderous riffs. An atmospheric band in the extreme, incredibly loud and thick with grinding energy.
Despite the lead singer being in a chair following his recent accident, he’s here and delivering their lead vocals. I’m happy he’s able to do this considering the pain he must still be in! The Ocean are enigmatic as far as prog metal bands go, I don’t think I know of any band that sounds quite like them. They’re almost doom-esque in their music in some parts, slow, pounding, and grandiose in their delivery. In some parts their lead vocalist even gets up with a crutch to deliver some lines, that is for lack of a better way of putting it, metal as fuck. For reference if you didn’t know, their singer managed breaking both legs on their US tour earlier this year.
The lighting choice by The Ocean is something I’ve seen quite frequently recently with a number of bands. It definitely adds to the atmosphere of the show when the lighting is almost entirely behind them, as if to keep the focus on the music rather than what the band themselves are doing. I bloody love it, a number of prog bands seem to be doing this now and despite me having quite a large focus on the stage performance since I love theatrics, there’s something about being able to close your eyes and get lost in the music which is oddly calming. Considering these were by a wide margin my most looked forward to act of the weekend, they have absolutely delivered an incredible set. Everything I love about The Ocean was made so much stronger, they’re prog but with an emphasis on a thick sound, and that’s exactly what they delivered. I’ve finally seen a full set from The Ocean and it was worth every single second of my time, immense.
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