There is a conspicuous absence of Black Metal on this year's bill. We lost Dimmi a number of months ago and the absence of a european contingent means that we are without our usual mid afternoon bill fillers of corpse paint adorned scandinavians (I have an abiding memory of dark funeral almost baking to death in their armour in the glaring midday sun back in 2013).

However if you move beyond the main stage and look to Sophie and beyond, you will find some signs of a buoyant British Black Metal scene (and before you start shouting I'm not including Cradle of Filth as Black Metal. As the great Andrew O'Neil once observed they have the very own genre entitled "Whatever the fuck Cradle of Filth are doing now"). Agrona embed their brand of symphonic Black Metal with a distinct air of Celtic spirituality. Its atmospheric, swirling and full of poise and purpose. There is also Necronautical, using a cinematic take on the generic to get really philosophical on our bottoms. And then we have probably the dark heart of British Black Metal, Manchester's very own Winterfylleth. They have replaced all the dubious satanic imagery with British paganism, creating anthemic odes to the rural identity that we have left long behind. They are both veterans and pioneers, tirelessly pushing forward the boundaries of what Black Metal is and putting a very British aesthetic on the genre. So if you like your Metal like I like my coffee (ie black) then there are some highlights from these very shores to be found.

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