Live Review: RADAR Festival 2024 - Saturday
27 July 2024
Words & Photos: William Mawdsley
We kick things off strong with Brighton based 4-piece Tribe of Ghosts over on the Sneak Energy stage. The group provides us with an early afternoon helping of industrial laced metal perfect for clearing away any lingering Friday festival hangovers as the songs flow between heavy and haunting effortlessly. The group have only gone from strength to strength since we first caught them on the New Blood Stage back at Bloodstock 2022 and if the preview from the forthcoming album that we are treated to as a set closer is anything to go off we can’t wait to see where their journey takes them next.
Next up on the main stage it’s time for Kyros to bring some sparkle to proceedings. The opening synths of ‘Esoterica’ instantly throws out 80s disco vibes but with a rocky-er undertone. This disco vibe also manifests itself in the group’s visual staging including singer/keyboardist Shelby Logan Warne sporting a spectacularly sequined blazer. It was fun to see the use of the rarely utilised headset microphone allowing Warne the freedom to flow about the stage occasionally with keytar in hand for good measure to join in with a set of synchronised dance moves with the other members. Although heavily synth based, Kyros aren't afraid to crack out a little chunky riff here and there making them a perfect fit for the Radar stage and despite the early slot the group have managed to draw quite the crowd.
Of course the party continues over to the Sneak Energy stage with our next act of the day, Portsmouth based electro-metal-dub-core superstars Seething Akira. The last time we saw this fun bunch was their fantastic main stage appearance at last year's Bloodstock but seeing them again in a more intimate setting is another experience entirely. The opening call of ‘Punishment Instructions’ to ‘raise your fingers up’ sees middle fingers throughout the packed room raised high, and although lyrically angry and heart felt the music of Seething Akira cant help but lift your spirits and your feet off the floor. The club-like energy is electric and the band seem to be having a whale of a time. With a measly 6 members plus personalised stage dressing packed into the small space the group are practically spilling out into the crowd. A circumstance that vocalists Kit Conrad and Charlie Bowes take full advantage of, using the stage’s catwalk as their own personal dance pad.
Back on the main stage London metalcore outfit Ithaca turn the heavy dial way up. Potentially the most intense main stage showing so far this weekend, the quartet blast through a 40 minute set of helpings from their latest album ‘They Fear Us’. The harsh hardcore edge to the music lends to the bands intensity while the big metalcore choruses backed up by some fantastic clean vocals make them a great fit for these larger scale stages.
Hailing from Chico, California, post-hardcore troupe Hail The Sun are relative newcomers to the UK live scene with vocalist Donovan Melero explaining this is only their second time playing in Manchester. But the group clearly aren't letting that deter them, far from it, as they burst into opener ‘Maladapted’ and don’t let up for the remainder of the set. The guitar work and drums are fast, energetic and catchy. Merlero’s high vocal style cuts clearly above it all, playfully teasing the edge of screams but with an unmistakable emo twang. With RADAR as the jumping off point for their current UK tour supporting The Fall of Troy (more on these later) hopefully it won’t be too long until we see these guys again on this side of the pond.
Heading back to the main stage it’s high time for another dose of british metalcore this time courtesy of RADAR alumni Heart of a Coward. No strangers to a festival set, vocalist Kaan Tassan quickly sets the ground rules for the next 40 minutes “[RADAR] we’re here to warm you up and we have one rule. Bang your fucking heads!”. Needless to say the crowd response is strong with head banging and circle pits a plenty throughout the set. The band runs through track after track like a well oiled machine showcasing why they are a staple of the British metal scene.
And of course at no point during said set did the band request anything suggesting a wall of death and of course the crowd most assuredly did not partake in anything resembling a wall of death because that would definitely, absolutely be against the rules.
The Sneak Energy stage is bustling by the time we’re making our way over to catch nu-metalcore rising stars Graphic Nature. With the brand new album ‘Who Are You When No One Is Watching?’ still hot off the presses, the group are clearly a hot ticket for many. If not drawing one of the largest Sneak crowds of the weekend than most certainly one of the wildest. The band's reputation for a fierce live show precedes them and despite vocalist Harvey Freeman admitting to not being vocally 100 percent they deliver an A+ performance that's still raw, passionate and aggressive, joined briefly also on vocal duties by Sam Kubrick. At some point during the chaos Freeman even ends up taking the show to the fans jumping down and taking command of the pit.
As if to remind us what kind of festival this is, it's high time things got back to being a little freaky, timing wise that is. Long Island mathcore quartet Car Bomb are a fantastically discordant burst of chaos leaving more than a handful of perplexed audience members in their wake, frantically searching for the beat to bang their head to. The frenetic blast beats and cutting guitars are relentless throughout and for how brutal and abrasive the display is it's all pulled off with a shockingly relaxed and laid back attitude from all 4 members.
On a similarly discordant note all be it of a slightly lighter tone it’s Washington post hardcore trio The Fall of Troy. It was a lot of fun to finally catch this group live as RADAR is the only Manchester date on the band’s current tour around the UK with Sneak Stage mates Hail The Sun. The group’s return to UK shores has clearly been very much anticipated with a strong crowd turnout.
Excited murmurings of Dirty Loops anticipated return to RADAR have been circling all day in the lead up to today's special guest slot. The audience turn out alone clearly demonstrates the love the RADAR crowd has for the Swede's pop-jazz-fusion antics with a packed room ready to get down and boogie. The set is straight up a party from start to finish with the band taking us through a collection of original tracks and a number of covers including a very funky rendition of Justin Bieber's ‘Baby’.
The opening volley of Conjurer's ‘It Dwells’ hits like a sledgehammer and we go from there. The Rugby lot start as they mean to go on, pummeling the audience with their blend of sludge laden doom with bursts of frantic blast beats and bass heavy riffs. Bassist Connor Marshall as always leading the audience in round after round of intense heasbanging, whipping that neck down as low as possible in a way that seems to engage his entire body.
Its loud, its heavy and it's the perfect way to wrap up today's stellar lineup o the Sneak Energy stage
Progressive metal icons Tesseract round out the day’s incredible lineup with the 5 piece coming with the promise of spectacle and they delivered in full. A fully decked out stage is shrouded in hazy atmospheric lighting and a full laser show to boot. The group have pulled out all the stops to make this appearance something truly special with the announcement of Choir Noir as an addition to the lineup it certainly adds a whole new layer of gravitas to the soundscape.
Adorned in cloak like garments and theatrical face paint vocalist Daniel Tompkins is a force to be reckoned with, commanding the stage effortlessly with his trademark vocal prowess. Fans are treated to a number of surprises throughout the set with the live debut of tracks from Tesseract’s latest album as well as the full groovy outro of ‘Nocturne’ being played live for apparently the first time in full. Security are put through their paces with waves of crowd surfers and its safe to say that after tonight’s showing there’s no arguing that Tesseract deserve any less than a headline slot in the future.
Photo credits: William Mawdsley
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