Sunday @ Hevy Festival
Port Lympne, Kent, August 6th- 8th
Saturday at Hevy Fest saw explosive performances from Dead Swans, Fucked Up and a headline slot from manic metal heads Gallows. Sunday had a lot to live up to and Ross Timms was there checking out which bands could step up to the mark.
To emulate the grandeur of the Saturday bands, Bury Tomorrow were going to have to pull something special out of their collective bag of goodies. The notion of today being the day of rest, flew out of the sweatbox of a tent as the intro to ‘Confessions’ began the wind milling exchange between the masses. ‘These Woods Aren’t Safe for Us’ displayed their dense mixture of intense hardcore and superb melody as Dani Winter-Bates’ gargling vocals gave their set its usual brutality. Complemented with Jason Cameron’s customary clean cut croons, which added a sense of inherent balladry to Bury Tomorrows unique live sound, perfectly displayed in their epic departure ‘You and I’.
Progressive metal monster’s Sylosis were up next to deliver some thrashy shreds, and impressive musicianship but couldn’t live up to Bury Tomorrows previous brilliance. Canterbury took to the main stage with their pop-rock infusions, but struggled to transfer their insanely addictive hooks off their albums to the big leagues.
Throats made the Red Bull Bedroom Jam tent their own for the brief thirty minutes that it was blessed by their bewildering escapades. The energy that the youngsters oozed out of every orifice was seldom seen elsewhere during the weekend, as the tiny marquee was set alight with their blazing hardcore.
Throats
After a half hour wait for Despised Icon, punters frustrations were tangible in an around the Rock Sound tent but were released in a giant onslaught on one another in what was the Montreal six-piece’s last UK show.
The only northern voice to grace our ears all weekend came in the form of The Plight’s vocalist Alistair Mancrief, who’s Yorkshire tones welcomed everyone to cram back into the Red Bull tent to get a taste of their ballzy metal groove. ‘Ball and Chain’ was an inevitable foundation of their set since its unexpected appearance in the recent Lucosade adverts, yet that merely got the ball rolling for a band with plentiful amounts of prowess on stage for their tender years.
Crowd participation reaches its pinnacle during the Big Apple’s Polar Bear Club, as their addictive punk-core guitar riffs and insatiable lyricisms blend seamlessly with a plentiful offering of ‘woah’s’ to create a party atmosphere not seen before inside the tiny Bedroom Jam tent. Jimmy Stadt’s range comes into full focus during crowd pleasers ‘Burned Out In a Jar’ and ‘Chasing Hamburg’ with the contagious lyrics balanced intricately with the gravel soaked vocals of goliaths ‘Most Miserable Like’ and ‘Living Saints’.
How Sepultura are still going has baffled even the most faithful of fans in recent years. With only the guitarist surviving the mammoth line-up changes, everyone is aware they’re not the same gargantuan of Brazilian talent they once were. However, few can argue that they are still an unrivalled niche in the metal market, bringing with them a chaotic jungle sound that continues through their hour set with train like momentum.
Derrick Green’s visible annoyance at being dumped on the second stage began to fade and instead the band put on a show worthy of their credentials. Chaos AD’s notable monster ‘Refuse/Resist’, was compiled together with fresher anthem ‘Convicted in Life’, both depicting drummer Jean Dolabella’s ever superior stick skills.
If there’s a song that collectively embodies metal music in all its glory and exemplifies what Hevy was trying to accomplish this weekend it would have to be brute that is ‘Roots Bloody Roots’. It was the inevitable festival finale, and a fitting one at that.
By Ross Timms
Tags: Bury Tomorrow, Canterbury, Hevy Festival, Polar Bear Club, Sepultura, Sylosis, The Plights, Throats
