No Play Festival 2024 comes at a perfect time—hovering right on the cusp of summer’s end and autumn’s first cool breeze. Held across three venues in Liverpool centre, it provides a fittingly chaotic yet immersive experience, with acts ranging from brutal hardcore to dreamy post-hardcore, all set against the backdrop of dimly lit rooms filled with the buzz of underground music culture.
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Bloodstock Festival, more than any other, promotes and showcases best new and rising talent. 2024 was no different and ROCKFLESH managed to watch a number of impressive bands across both the New Blood and EMP Stages. Here's a short summary of some of the bands that stood out to us, and for many of these acts you can find interviews (HERE) and live photos (HERE) on our site as well.
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Bloodstock Festival 2024 is set to showcase an impressive array of rising talent on both the New Blood and EMP Stages. From the ethereal sounds of post-metal to the raw aggression of hardcore and thrash, this year’s lineup promises a diverse and electrifying experience. Here's a look at some of the bands that have stood out to us here at ROCKFLESH and we think you should checkout.
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RADAR Festival 2024 at the O2 Victoria Warehouse is a vibrant and diverse showcase of progressive and alternative metal/rock acts, featuring both established names and rising stars in the genre. The festival not only covers progressive/technical metal and rock though, it also pushes those boundaries and often breaks them with genre-spanning and unexpected acts that positively challenge the way we look at music and performance.
Read MoreRADAR Festival 2024 at the O2 Victoria Warehouse is a vibrant and diverse showcase of progressive and alternative metal/rock acts, featuring both established names and rising stars in the genre. The festival not only covers progressive/technical metal and rock though, it also pushes those boundaries and often breaks them with genre-spanning and unexpected acts that positively challenge the way we look at music and performance. Much like we saw with Tech-Fest UK, at the heart of RADAR is that sense of building a genuine community.
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RADAR Festival is almost upon us for 2024, and if you haven’t already got a ticket then now is the time to grab one! The festival not only covers progressive/technical metal and rock, but also pushes those boundaries and often breaks them with genre-spanning and unexpected acts that positively challenge the way we look at music and performance.
Read MoreRADAR Festival 2024 at the O2 Victoria Warehouse is a vibrant and diverse showcase of progressive and alternative metal/rock acts, featuring both established names and rising stars in the genre. The festival not only covers progressive/technical metal and rock though, it also pushes those boundaries and often breaks them with genre-spanning and unexpected acts that positively challenge the way we look at music and performance. Much like we saw with Tech-Fest UK, at the heart of RADAR is that sense of building a genuine community.
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The final morning of the festival sees us welcomed by local favourites Where Oceans Burn. The band is growing from strength to strength and there are elements of grunge, tech-metal, and groove metal throughout.
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We all went hard on the Friday, but that doesn’t stop us getting to the venue nice and early to make arrangements for access and interviews on the Saturday morning. Modern Error are led by the Pinchin twins on vocals and guitar, and are an early treat.
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RADAR Festival is only in its third year, but already it’s attracting some massive names in the prog/tech scene. It’s also changed location this year from Guildford to Manchester, and a nightclub to a full-blown venue in O2 Victoria Warehouse. Eager and excited, we get our passes and make our way down to the press area. We eventually find it down in the basement of the adjacent building, and are immediately greeted by some familiar faces.
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It’s the final morning of the festival but we’re still ready for even more tech-metal. We’ve plenty of press logistics to work through this morning, but we make sure we don’t miss one of the bands we’ve been most eagerly awaiting, Karmanjakah. Having chatted and watched this young Swedish band at Sweden Rock (here) earlier this year, we knew what a special and perfect-for-Tech-Fest set they would produce.
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Despite everyone going hard on the Friday, there’s no lack of appetite for more tech-metal…and more drinking. We make our way to two interviews with Vexed (Here) and Harbinger (Here), before making our way to the stages to be met by the energetic Monasteries. They continue to offer us their unique take on experimental deathcore, which is deliciously vicious and ferocious.
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We wake up early, roll out of the tents and make our way to the press area to grab a coffee and prepare for a full day of live bands and interviews. We start the day with Cavekiller, complete with Hawaiian shirts, and Glower offering us some hardcore tinged metal.
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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again - UK Tech-Fest is more than a festival, it’s a family and a community. That feel of returning to a place you know and people you care for when you pass through the entrance and pop your wristband on. It’s always been welcoming, inclusive, passionate and dedicated to its punters. Those who hold it dear often say the festival community has changed their lives, and it’s no understatement for many. It’s a celebratory yet sad edition this year though. Whilst we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival, it’s also been announced as the last UK Tech-Fest in this iteration.
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Matt Fraser and Johann Wierzbicki of ROCKFLESH report on the 30 years anniversary of the Sweden Rock Festival in Southern Sweden which happens every June. The 4 days festival was a true gem to experience. We tried balancing work and pleasure and although a sound problem with a GoPro means we lost a lot of footage, we hope you will find something of value in this motion picture. Until the next festival, rock on!
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We start the final day early on with an incredible interview with Sammy Urwin from Employed to Serve. A truly great guy from an awesome band. There’s also a chance for us to do some uploading and admin before the bands start playing, and it’s worth noting that both 5G and 4G networks perform admirably throughout the festival, not just for the press but for all punters, ensuring seamless connectivity. Too often you go to a festival in the UK and can’t stay in touch with friends and family to meet them.
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The third day arrives with a sigh of relief as a breeze graces us with its presence. It's a welcome breeze, although it does play havoc with the sound at times. Nonetheless, to be fair, it’s been noticeable that all the stages boast excellent sound. We snag an interview with the incredible hardcore legends Raised Fist before making our way past H.E.A.T. to catch Vended on the Blåkläder Stage. Griffin Taylor’s vocals undeniably bear a striking resemblance to his old man's, not just in style but also in phrasing and vocal melodies. Still, he and the band are carving out their own path and making a name for themselves, not just riding on the coattails of their family ties.
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The second day kicks off with a jolt, courtesy of Self Deception. Flashbangs explode, flames dance, and a cloud of red and white smoke engulfs the stage. Electric Callboy and Ice Nine Kills vibes fill the air, and glitter balls twinkle above the stage. The bass player, clad in pink dungarees and a woolly bucket hat, goes wild, bouncing around with infectious energy. GG6 (previously of Amaranthe) graces us with guest vocals on ‘Elysium’, and the crowd loses their minds to the brilliant ‘Psycho’.
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The journey is a long one with the early start (3am from the house), but we finally make it from the North West of England to just outside Sölvesborg in the southern region of Blekinge, Sweden. To be fair our trip is fairly painless, with a decent flight to Copenhagen, train to Sölvesborg, and the festival shuttlebus to the site. Once we get there everyone is mega friendly and helpful, and it’s no ordeal or fuss sorting our press accreditation and campsite access. There are a few campsites dotted around nearby the festival site (but none included in the festival ticket), but we plumb for the nearest and craziest in Camp’n’Rock.
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Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal extravaganza that takes place just outside the town of Sölvesborg in the southern region of Blekinge, Sweden. The festival delivers the perfect mix of classic rock, hard rock, metal and other related genres. Moreover, the festival organisers pay particular attention to creating an exceptional overall festival experience, and every year they aim to improve the level of comfort for all the punters, not just those in VIP. As the organisers themselves say; “Joy and community lay the foundation for ‘the spirit of Sweden Rock…simply that people get on well together here, help each other out and socialize with both known and unknown people…enjoy the music, indulge the atmosphere and hang out with the brothers and sisters that we simply call the best audience in the world.”
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