Fresh off the back of a hugely successful Metal 2 The Masses campaign, No Play Festival offered a chance to capitalise on the revival of the Liverpool Metal Scene. Situated in the shadow of Evertons new Bramley Moore Dock stadium, the Invisible Wind Factory provided a setting for bands from all over the country and beyond to prove their worth across 2 rather contrasting stages.

Opening proceedings on the main stage was Angel Number who brought to the table their own version of the highly popular synthwave sound that has slowly been embedding itself in Metal over the past few years, but adding their own euphoric, pop like twist in a genre that is typical dark and brooding. Their tracks had a great flow and groove and at times were exceptionally catchy, all of this backed by a rather impressive vocal performance that on occasion bordered on outstanding. It was a fantastic start to the day and one that set the tone for what would be a fantastic day of music.

My first venture downstairs to the incredibly small Guillotine Stage was for Manchester’s Lure In. I first saw Lure In back in February at Satan’s Hollow and was instantly impressed by their scrappy, energetic and insanely fun performance, however they were slapped on a bill that may necessarily have complemented their style on the night. The Guillotine stage however was a perfect stomping ground for a band like Lure In. They took the energy and fun of their Satan’s Hollow show and increased it 10 fold for a Liverpool Crowd that was incredibly up for it, despite it being so early in the day. Lure In’s music operates somewhere in between Hardcore and Punk, incorporating some offbeat vocals, scrappy guitar tones and at times, crushing breakdowns. Whilst I was impressed with Lure In the first time I saw them, this performance was simply next level, with a setting that this time truly complemented them. The sky surely is the limit for them and I have no doubt they’ll be able to conjure a devout following further into their career and become a true staple of the north west scene and beyond.

Back upstairs, the next performance was from Gen and the Degenerates. Prior to No Play Festival, I compiled a list of bands who I deemed “must see” and G&TD were right up there. Those who know me know how much i love Punk music so I was obviously extremely excited for this performance. It hit every expectation and then some. G&TD probably took the crown for the most fun performance of the day, providing a setlist of insanely catchy, clever and at times brilliantly tounge in cheek songs that still manage to cover some serious themes and topics. The band themselves were extremely energetic and captivating and was a true, authentic representation of what punk in 2023 can considered to be. G&TD where definitely an early highlight of the day, and I can’t wait to catch the band again.

The next band I caught downstairs was Death Goals. Prior to them taking the stage, it was clear that Death Goals had a serious following and probably had the largest crowd of the downstairs stage up to this point. Death Goals are frantic, destructive and meticulously constructed hardcore that provided raw energy and a destructive yet deep tone despite only being a two piece. The crowd reaction to Death Goals gave the impression that this band have already obtained a cult following, whether that be through their captivating sound or through their raw, relatable lyrics that cover a range of serious topics such as Mental Health, Homophobia and the idea of Masculinity. They surely lived up to their popularity and gave a seriously impressive set.

Superlove are next on the main stage with their own take on Pop Punk. In it’s simplest form, Pop Punk is easy to get right. All you need is a huge catchy chorus, group vocals and relatable lyrics. Superlove have this formula nailed down however do so in a way that is uniquely their own. This isn’t some cookie cutter pop punk that you see all too often but is instead a love letter to the genre that takes styles and elements from a range of different bands and in short is pretty impressive. In my running between stages I was unable to catch every single song of theirs, however what I did catch was enough for me to want to listen to them further after their set and since then they’ve had a place in my Playlist and have been getting played quite a bit in the days after the festival. 

Going Off were quite a hard band to pigeonhole. On the face of things they’re a run of the mill Hardcore band, but they gave the impression they are so much more than that. There was elements of Suicidal Tendencies and Biohazard in there, but some of their riffs reminded me a lot of what you’d expect on a Nu Metal release, vocals that at times were almost Black Metal influenced and a visual identity that was just pure punk. What they did guarantee though was that they were impressive. As was the theme of the Guillotine stage, they were clearly booked to absolutely destroy the place. Whereas the main stage offered the singalong, lighter side of things. The basement was just a pure underground pit, where the “too cool for upstairs” gang lingered all day. Just like every other band down here, Going Off were received like champions and showcased one of the more intense sets of the day. 

Higher Power are a band that I’ve seen a few times in the past 12 months, once supporting Alexisonfire and twice supporting Enter Shikari. I instantly connected with their Infectious groove and unique vocal performance however have yet truly been able to consider them a band I have serious love for despite them seemingly ticking all the right boxes for me. The performance at No Play was somewhat similar to the two performances I have seen from them this year on Enter Shikari’s residency tour. They construct songs that are led by mightily impressive basslines and the crowd at the Invisible Wind Factory lapped this off and gave the band a genuine amazing response. By now the venue had reached the type of capacity you would expect at this point in the day. The room was filled out but not sold out but despite this, everyone who was in attendance were seemingly aware of Higher Power and what they’re about. 

Graphic Nature are a band which is on the tip of everyone’s tongue recently as a result of their trademark blend of Hardcore and electronic. They truly harness the power of the windbreaker in the tiny basement of the Invisible Wind Factory and absolutely level the gaff. Not a single person is stood still and the consistently energetic crowd are still two-stepping and throwing themselves around the place even this late in the day, a feat which shouldn’t be scoffed at. Despite being a brutal, aggressive performance, I also found this to be a deeply personal and connecting experience too, with the band tackling the issue of men’s mental health and the idea that people are allowed to struggle and they are allowed to speak up about it. This part of the set came deep from the heart and it truly conveyed the idea that music, especially that of metal, hardcore, punk etc.. Shouldn’t be an “us vs them” thing, it should be a community, a coming together of people who are passionate about a mutual idea or notion and I found this to be an extremely heartfelt and emotive part of the set. Graphic Nature are a band that I will be trying to catch when they are next in town.

Vukovi, despite being Scottish, garnered the response that wouldn’t be too dissimilar from that of a hometown hero. They easily received the most impressive main stage response of the day and it was easy to see why, because they were just fun, plain and simple. Every word of every song was passionately relayed back to them and you could see from the bands faces how much this meant to them. Musically I was reminded a lot of Marmozets, with little bits of Paramore thrown in there. Songs such as ‘La Di Da’ and ‘C.L.A.U.D.I.A’ are absolutely incredible and provided possibly the largest singalong potential of the day. Vukovi definitely justified their high profile billing and made a lot of new fans on the night. 

Conjurer have become somewhat ROCFLESH Royalty over the past few years. They are a band we have covered on multiple occasions and have always been seriously impressed us with their consistently crushing, atmospheric performances. Conjurer are a band that truly know how to take their audience on a sonic journey that never once gives us time to breathe or collect ourselves. There is very little in the way of talking or banter, it is instead song after song, however this formula is quintessential Conjurer in which the music really does do the talking. Every passage is refined within an inch of its live, every vocal line has the power to shake the foundations of the room they are playing in and by the end of the set, every jaw needs to be picked up off the floor. There’s a reason Conjurer are so well received here at ROCKFLESH and it is due to sheer hard work and consistency. They truly are a band that seem to go from strength to strength with each subsequent performance and I can’t wait to see where the road takes them next. 

Yonaka proved their worth as the nights Headliners with an impressively professional performance, evocative of a band that knows their shit. Their unique blend of soft and heavy songs that one could argue are almost pop tunes despite having elements that would not look too out of place at the Download Festival. They conduct themselves with a natural swagger on stage and seemingly know how good they are without it coming across as being arrogant. Looking at the amount of Yonaka merch around the Invisible Wind Factory, it was obvious to me that a lot of people may have just been here for Yonaka and every other band performing on the day would be considered a bonus. It was easy to see why they were such a draw aswell. They were fun, Infectious, had a catalogue of exceptional songs and had the polish that you would expect a headline calibre band to have. In the space of just over an hour, Yonaka proved why they could potentially bother the higher billings of a festival like Download and I wouldn’t be surprised if they just go from strength to strength off the back of this performance. 

Prior to the opening of the doors of No Play Festival, the team posted on social media about an after party consisting of just one performance from “Liverpools Biggest Band”. Through their select wording, it was incredibly obvious that the band was going to be Loathe. Despite being a worst kept secret, it was still exceptionally overwhelming that a band with Loathe’s merit were about to play what was essentially a floor show in the basement of a Liverpool Night Club. I couldn’t help but feel exceptionally lucky at this prospect and the anticipation was eating me up all day. Loathe are a band that I have my own personal stories about. I have had the opportunity to see Loathe 6 times, however due to numerous different reasons, I have only ever been able to catch them once out of the 6. In a selfish way, I felt like I was being rewarded for all the times I have missed out on them as this opportunity is not one that appears all too often. Loathe have long since outgrown rooms of this size. When they did take to the stage though, they took things to a new level. Loathe’s back catalogue is nothing short of incredible and truly encapsulates the age old cliche of taking the listener on a journey. Loathe didn’t fuck about though, launching straight into ‘Agressive Evolution’, a song that operates on their heavier side of things and what an opener this was. In just two notes, the room was sent from an air of anticipation into a warzone, there was no bystanders in this room, everyone was involved and despite being into the 12th hour of No Play Festival, the audience managed to scrape together their last bits of energy to give Loathe the homecoming heroes welcome that they truly deserved. There are no words to sum this performance up, this isn’t a performance in which I think the finer, technical aspects need to be reviewed or picked apart, it instead felt like a treat for those who decided to take a punt on a fledgling festival giving their best effort to create a new annual staple on the admittedly lacking Liverpool Summer Schedule. Loathe are a special band to me and this performance will go down as probably being one of the most special, unique performances in which it was a true privilege to witness. 

Overall, No Play Festival was a monumental success. Sure there were some aspects that were lacking, food options were limited, weather meant the closing of the outdoor third stage and there was a schedule problem that impressively fixed itself by days end, however for a small festival giving it their first go, you can’t help but admire and be impressed by the team who surely worked hard to put something like this on. 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Loathe, Yonaka, Conjurer, Vukovi, Graphic Nature, Higher Power, Going Off, Superlove, Creak, Death Goals, Love Is Noise, Forager, Gen & The Degenrates, Lure In, Happydaze, Knifebride, Angel Number