We all knew it was going to be a moment of pure joy, but words cannot adequately express the ecstasy of finally being back in a room with such a wonderful group of people and such an excellent line up of some of the finest UK metal bands.

Badgerfest’s opening day arrived in with a bang... that bang being John Badgers foot on the bass drum of the kit.

First band on the first night was always going to be a daunting prospect for anyone, but Badger and the Mushrooms storm the stage with an unexpected confidence and ease. Featuring a line up of local metal titans, they blast their way through an array of hits. Think Foo Fighters, Ozzy, Rage against the Machine, and top it all off with complimentary badger masks and giant inflatable balloons. A set of covers can go one way or the other usually, but thanks to the expertise and quality of The Mushrooms the opening set goes off into Outer Space. Bang, zoom, straight to the moon.   Excellent fun, and very much looking forward to seeing them again in December. 

Manchesters own BruteAllies lit up the stage (literally – that’s a cool hoodie my friend) next with their incredibly heavy brand of death and thrash. There was a moment the vocalist screamed without the microphone next to his mouth and I heard him clearly above the chaos of the instruments, rendering me dumbfounded momentarily. If you like your music with that edge of brutality, these guys are definitely for you. 

Things take a darker turn when Grief Ritual make their way to the stage, having engaged on an epic quest from the South West up to Badgerfest. This is loud on another level, with lashings of misery and aggression. The frontman is simply menacing, looking like he might jump over the barrier and deck me at any moment. It’s an incredibly effective performance that leaves a lasting impression on the audience, as the pits start to open and the heads start to bang. 

One of the stand out sets of the weekend belongs to Basement Torture Killings as they toe that fine line between utter genius and complete insanity. Billing themselves as Snuff Grind, if you like your metal with a touch of the theatrical flair then these guys are right up your street. One decapitated teddy bear later, we’re left with ringing ears from big riffs and an even bigger voice. 

A change of pace ensues with  Agvirre, diving into the depths of post modern black and delivering an incredibly intelligent and thoughtful set. There’s an almost unsettling passion in the frontman’s performance, with his back to the audience for the majority of it. Agvirre have won masses of adoration before from a previous ROCKFLESH writer and continue to go from strength to strength. 

The night is rounded off by Foetal Juice who are quite frankly, terrifying and fun in equal doses. Like being on a ghost train on magic mushrooms. Not that I’ve ever done that. *guilty cough* The audience go crazy for their death/grind; there’s beer and teddy bear body parts everywhere. 

I limp out of the Bread Shed sweaty and exhausted… and then remember I’m coming back tomorrow. 

Brutal.