Reports back from the festival have been great, the venue were happy with over 200 people in attendance and the standard of the bands has set the bar high. so much so I'm currently under pressure to put together another one. I'm hoping to include bands from surrounding areas and really build a scene in our home town as well as include some out of town specials along the way so if you in a band or just want to be involved you can join our facebook group and keep up to date with news of upcoming events, just click the link below
https://www.facebook.com/groups/402132949835001/
If you missed shame on you!!! but don't worry you do have a chance to redeem your metal points by attending our next event around October time.
Breeding Violence
From our home town the lads started the afternoon with a set of original metal, combining a mix of heavy breakdowns and crushing low tempo growls the lads set the tone for the festival by wiping the crowd into head banging fury.
It was apparent that the lads were a little nervous to start however the nerves soon dissipated and you could see the lads loved every minute as they converted a lot of new fans.
Renegade State
Next up brought Renegade State, a predominately hardcore band reminiscent of Hatebreed and influenced by a lot of the american groove metal. They started their set with a whisper of Drowing Pools "let the bodies hit the floor" which then in turn caused the first moshpit of the day.
The lads produced a strong set on the day and although the band are still in the early stages of getting their shit together you can definitely see a bright future ahead for the lads.
Side Show
For me one the highlights of the day, Side show have in the past worked with me in the studio and although I'm biased I find that the lads get better every time I see them. They were a bit nervous on the day as they were down a bass player but Jason stepped in on bass and vocal duties.
They may have been down one member but that didn't stop them putting on one the most powerful and fantastic shows I've seen yet, in fact although there were only three of them on stage they were able to sonically output more than some of the 5 piece bands on.
The lads had put together their set well by not stopping for air in between tracks which I thought worked quite well however my only criticism was I felt that this separated the audience a bit from participating in the show, if the lads had broke up the set into smaller chunks this would have given me a chance to clap my ass of more.
Pay for your Sins
Pay for your Sins have been good friends with Sa-da-kO for a while and during this time we have seen a slight line up change. Ryan has only been with the band a short while but its really given the lads a chance to think about their show, think about their sound and return even stronger than before.
The lads had commented on stage that they had played at the fox n goose a lot recently however every time I see them they convert fans left right and centre.
This was there first appearance after a lengthy battle of the bands which involved quite a bit of controversy on facebook and it was apparent that the lads had something to prove and they did by totally destroyed the afternoon.
Defeat Retreat
Not many people know this but Defeat Retreat are a local band that recently disbanded, before the band split up they were due to support Carcer City in Liverpool. They were kind enough to reform for this special one of performance at my own request.
Although slightly unrehearsed the lads gave an energetic show that projected pure aggression, with a mixture of djent and tech metal fused with low end grooves it is instantly apparent that these lads have some thing totally unique working for them.
It was a total pleasure to see the lads enjoying every minute and I personally hope the lads will return for future shows.
The Torn Prince
This was The Torn Princes forth gig in Southport, the Ormskirk lads are hard working and have spent the last few months touring across the North West. They have currently taken time out of touring to work on their forth coming EP and this was their last show for a while.
Their music is a dark mixture of aggression and speed culminating in a sonic assault which is unrelenting, not bad when you consider that the lads have only been together for a short amount of time.
Driven Overboard
Its been awhile since these lads have been in their home town, the lads have been working hard on their forth coming album and had pretty much got of the plane from a mega lads holiday in Malia just days before the show.
It was instantly apparent the lads were glad to be back and the crowd loved every minute, not only did the crowd sing along with all the words, they were throwing themselves all over the place which then culminated in a full on bouncing session.
I have to say it was a total honor to follow these guys and they truly did warm up the crowd for us even if Sponge has given me nightmares about his sexual deviance while on his holidays............Beast!
Sa-da-kO
Don't worry I'm totally not arrogant enough to review my own band but what I can say is that this entire day was a total honor for us to put together and it left me with a feeling that there is a dedicated music scene in Southport that a lot of venues over look or just don't deliver what they actually want.
What next.......
Well for us we're off to Bloodstock next week, if your there dont forget to pop by and grab a beer with us, we are performing on the Sunday and we are having our set recorded live by the same chaps that have just released the Devin Townsend " by a thread" DVD. If you can join us that would be swell if not don't worry we'll be back with one last show before we release awakenings but more about that next week.
\mm/ thanks again guys \mm/
Simo
sa-da-ko
