Live Review : Voodoofest on October 19th 2024

Tonight is something of a bittersweet experience. Yes, it’s a carefully curated evening of local and international bands to delight and entertain us, but it’s also the last-ever show from headliners King Voodoo. After several years of touring, including with some pretty big names, the Lads From The Vood are going their separate ways. It won’t be the last we see of the individual members but for now, it’s a farewell party. King Voodoo being the band that they are means that farewell or not it will be a hell of a party!

Live Review : Bloodstock Festival 2024 - New Blood & EMP Stages

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.

Live Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 11th 2024

And just like that it is Sunday and the big yellow ball of heat in the sky is doing its best job to burn us all to buggery. It's 2022 all over again, including those joyful yelps from the crowd when any cloud cover is forthcoming. Needless to say everything is all a little more laid back today as a collective lethargy emerges from the heat.

Live Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 8th 2024

In years to come, 2024 will be known as the year Bloodstock came of age. It's previously spacious set up for the first time ever feels consistently busy. The step up to a stable and constant 20,000 capacity feels very obvious in the sheer amount of people around the place at any given point, but it is still dealt with with Bloodstock’s usual level of finesse and honesty. This was the year that Bloodstock no longer felt like a small concern.

Live Review : SOS Festival in Manchester on July 7th 2024

The bar for the day is immediately set very high with Wailing Banshee opening Sunday’s shenanigans. Blessed (at least for the time being) by the weather gods, this fine young metal troupe pull an appreciative early crowd lured by the sound of their traditional metal approach, the band capitalising on the time they have to maximum effect.

Live Review : SOS Festival in Manchester on July 6th 2024

Luna Marble kick off the first full day of this year’s SOS Festival and despite the heavens opening the moment they hit the first note, they don’t let little things like inclement weather dampen their enthusiasm or performance. Delivering a thoroughly engaging groove laden, psychedelic performance both in musical and aesthetic terms, theirs is music suited to the blissed-out Summer’s Day that we should be experiencing were it not for the vagaries of the English climate.

Live Review : SOS Festival in Manchester on July 5th 2024

Traditionally the beginning of July marks the halfway point in the year, however modern traditions denote it’s also time for SOS Festival. This year is the 15th edition of this annual celebration of rock and metal music in North Manchester, an independent festival run by Lynne Hampson, Mark Appleton, Luke Appleton, Chris Appleton and an army of loyal volunteers.

Live Review : Call Of The Wild Festival on May 26th 2024

So here we are at the final hurdle, and even a slew of breakfast margaritas are not breaking through the very British weather y. We have sunshine, then showers, then sunshine, then thunder and lightning with a touch of hail – you know that song “four seasons in one day”? Well, that was Lincoln showground on the final day of the festival.

Live Review : Call Of The Wild Festival on May 25th 2024

Saturday arrives and the weather is threatening us with rain. However, with the spacious layout of the arena and the fact that the bar is in a tent, impending downpours do not dampen the spirits of the attendees

Live Review : Call Of The Wild Festival on May 24th 2024

There are some things in life that are inevitable. Never mind death and taxes, the important thing is that the open-air festival season in the UK gets going in May no matter what the weather brings. For some of us that means a trip to the badlands of Lincolnshire and a weekend in the company of Call Of The Wild Festival. Since 2019 this tenacious little independent festival has somehow clung on despite the pandemic, and as I park the Moho up and crack the weekend’s first drink I can’t tell you how glad I am to be back.

Live Review : Springfest at The Waterloo Music Bar in Blackpool on April 20th 2024

It’s April, the sun is shining and we’re back in Blackpool and that can only mean one thing. Springfest is back in town for a second round, with another impressive roster of bands old and new carefully curated from across the UK rock scene.

Live Review : Damnation Festival on November 4th 2023 (Part II)

Damnation 2023 is immaculately curated. This is not random bands thrown into some form of inconsistent order. Real thought and consideration has actually gone into who follows who. The entire day works as some sort of cathartic emotional journey, taking you from spiritual highs to desolate lows.

Directly following the astonishing Julie Christmas with Downfall of Gaia is a genius move. Whilst there are real differences between the acts, they share a common DNA strand of emotional resonance. It seems weird to pin this on black metal, but Downfall of Gaia is music to make you cry.

Live Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 13th 2023

And just like that it’s Sunday and that great stretch of metal that was laid out before us, has now just shrunk to a single day. But what a single day and how many blooming people have turned up to join us! From the get-go, the place is heaving and it feels very obvious that the site has reached its 25,000 cap.

Live Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 12th 2023

There is a wonderful sweet spot about the Saturday morning of a festival. You have been there enough time to bed in and become familiar with the surroundings, but it is all yet to become a slog. Also, there is the delicious realization that you still have two days to go. Ambrius have the honour of kicking off proceedings on the Sophie stage and prove to be an interesting and enticing mix of power and progressive metals.

Live Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 10th 2023

So after the "help I’m melting" desert-fest of last year, there is a distinct feeling of business as usual about this year’s Bloodstock. Whilst arid festivals are probably an unavoidable truth, this year mother nature very much behaved herself and provided what can only be described as almost perfect festival conditions. Even the drizzle on Sunday morning that seemed intent on embedding itself in actually dissipates before it manages to dampen any spirits.

Live Review : RADAR on July 30th 2023

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.

Live Review : Tech-Fest on July 1st 2023

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.

Live Review : Tech-Fest on June 30th 2023

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.

Live Review : Tech-Fest on June 29th 2023

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.

Live Review : SOS Festival on June 30th 2023

SOS Festival has moved since last time I was able to attend it, and now takes place at Whittles in Oldham. This gives them better staging, but overall slightly less space, and I’m still undecided on if this is a good thing or not. On the plus side,: there is a cheap bar, a food van, plenty of merch space and even room for a couple of traders. The minus is that o