Interview: Sam Mansfield of Offalfest

Interview: Sam Mansfield of Offalfest
Interviewed by: Patrick O'Reilly

As Offalfest 2023 fast approaches, we chat with festival organiser Sam Mansfield of Rancid Offal Promotions.

The Razor's Edge: Please introduce yourself and tell us how you came to be putting this festival on and how you got into Slam and BDM.

Sam Mansfield: My name is Sam Mansfield, and I am the founder of Rancid Offal Promotions. Offalfest mainly came about from seeing all these amazing festivals pop up around Europe and the UK and sitting at home with way too much time on my hands trying to make a dream festival line-up!

After that I realised I was in over my head running this on my own so I enlisted the help of the only other person I know could effectively run this with me and that is where Jack Evans from Unusual Horror came to join the Rancid Offal Family.

As for getting into slam and BDM I've always grown up listening to music that's been “out there” I guess compared to everyone else I grew up with. When everyone else was into pop, I was into metal, when I met friends into metal, I was into deathcore, when they liked deathcore I liked death metal, and then I discovered slam and BDM off the back of that and my tastes became even more “distasteful” I guess is how people would put it [laughs]

The Razor's Edge: I imagine putting on a festival of this size is a logistical nightmare, and I know there have been problems with the festival being postponed a year, talk us through that and how difficult it was to get this festival on, also how did you overcome these obstacles and any others that occurred?

Sam Mansfield: Initially we aimed to have the festival be one day split between two stages at a venue I've always wanted to attempt that idea at. Zero clashes and a good spread of brutality. Well, that was the start of me making a dream line-up and seeing what the chances of booking it would be as a “what if” project, turns out I actually would go and try it against all better judgement.

The logistics originally weren't an issue, but as time drew closer to the fest date that's when things fell apart, capacity numbers changed at the venue, so bands dropped out or there was issues getting visas, so that's why we postponed initially and found a bigger venue, but now we've had to condense to one day and one stage. With a few other bands having to pull out and a local replacement being made we now have the line-up you see currently!

The Razor's Edge: Can you say a few words about each band and why you picked them for this festival?

Sam Mansfield: I can try without waffling on too much [laughs]

Fifteen bands and a lot to say about each individually, so let's start off with Necrotoxic, the amalgamation and Maggot Erotica, Necro Toxic I have placed on a few line-ups before but originally Offal was their first ever show! Maggot Erotica was a band I stumbled across on Facebook a while ago as a suggested follow, I'm a firm believer in reaching out to the underground and new starters and trying to get them on shows because it's the only way new talent is found! Dawn of Animosity and Embolectomy are the next two bands on, they are really good friends and when I was putting this together initially, I wanted a good mix of friends bands to help give them a platform to excel at what they do! Both bands bring crushing riffs.

357 Homicide was a no-brainer in my opinion and they were a band I wanted at the festival before they even started playing live! Coprocephalic Mutation is my own band, this placement was being used to announce and show off our full band line-up as a five piece, bringing three new members in and upgrading the band from being a two-piece backing track band. After us is Spawned from Hate and they were another band that I wanted back in Manchester after it being a while since I'd seen them last! Amazing riffs, great band if you love pinch harmonics and Dan [Phipps - also a member of The Razor Edge writing team] is an amazing frontman bringing that hardcore energy! Also, a big shoutout to AWB Productions, Dans YouTube channel and Facebook page as he is videoing all the bands sets!

Visions of Disfigurement were also another no-brainer, you can't have a Manchester death metal festival and not have V.o.D., they know what they are doing, and they do it well! Septic Congestion are a Danish band and great friends of mine also, who have never played in the UK before and when I first pitched the idea, I asked them straight away to play! Next is the last addition to the festival and that is the mighty Goreinhaled! I have been trying to get them into Manchester for a while now since their return and after a few fall throughs and issues we managed to get them on our festival!

Iniquitous Savagery are just pure brutality, uncompromising death metal and one of my favourite bands in the UKDM scene. VxPxOxAxAxWxAxMxC (Vaginal Penetration of an Amelus with a Musty Carrot) are goregrind legends! They are a very cultish band, they have a very dedicated fan base and as far as I know it's been a while since they last played in the UK! Next up are Crepitation bringing crazy wobbly beeping vocals and, of their own admission, “pyar knob’ed riffs”, and if that doesn't intrigue you, I don't know what will. Twitch of the Death Nerve, much like Iniquitous, are just bringing sheer technical and uncompromising brutality, one of the best Death Metal bands in the UK. And last but not least Guttural Slug who we managed to pull playing 'Megalodon' in full for its 10-year anniversary!