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Festival Reviews
Festival Review: Hevy Festival 2010
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 17 August 2010
So, the 2010 Hevy Festival has left lots of people talking, mostly in a positive fashion, though some not so. But, being a festival very much in its infancy, and having had its line up criticised a little last year, it felt that this time Hevy’s organisers really picked up their game, not least with the coup of having a headline set from Glassjaw. An extra special coup given that this festival is TINY.
So tiny was it that the campsite had to be extended several times to accommodate everyone and at one point I was contemplating going tentless due to there being literally no space to put one up!
Upon arrival all bags were thoroughly searched and there was a strict no re-entry policy, not even to collect the rest of your beer(!), which left many people struggling with massive loads in the August heat. Despite this hindrance, and once a tent space was finally located, a quick wander round revealed the stages were well laid out and the campsite handily right next to the main arena. Little things like awesome calzone pizzas and being situated next to a wildlife park (which the full price tickets including entry to) all added up to many smiling faces, a very friendly atmosphere and an all overall great weekend.
I’ll have to interject here, before my recall of the Saturday, by letting you in on the fact that Saturday went by far too quickly in a slightly tipsy haze. Don’t tell mum. But it did leave me with memories of enjoyable sets from eaststrikewest, Blitz Kids, and Twin Atlantic. March Of The Raptors are a very promising band, but this wasn’t their best performance, and Deaf Havana’s show is visibly suffering since the departure of screamer Ryan. Whilst lead vocalist James has a fantastic voice, the songs just don’t feel the same now and the lack of the second vocals throws the timing out now and again.
Sucioperro have come a long way since the release of 2009’s ‘Pain Agency’, and the Scots will walk away from Hevy safe in the knowledge they’ve just made a lot more fans further down south. Sure the parallels to Biffy Clyro are a little much at times, but it seems hard for Scottish bands not to be compared to them these days, especially if JP Reid – lead singer of the band in question – is the other half of Marma Duke Duke, alongside Biffy’s Simon Neil, but these are easy enough to see past and through to a band that offer a lot of excitement in fairly stale indie-rock scene of late.
Lesson one: if you’re near the front while watching Trash Talk and vocalist Lee Spielman comes down to the barrier, be on your toes. Lesson two: if he starts swinging the microphone in wide circles over the crowd, duck and cover. One unlucky fan learned them both in one swift crack to the head. Trash Talk are a true hardcore band and aren’t here to fuck about.
And thus, day one of Hevy was closed by Watford hardcore merchants Gallows. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by them, having been witness to their explosive live shows in excess of ten times in the last couple of years. Because although energetic and frenetic as always, it seemed a little something was missing from this closing set. The cover of The Clash’s ‘I Fought The Law’ was a treat, though.
Sunday started with sore heads, rasping voices, a bacon sandwich and high expectations. It’s easy to see why comparisons to American bands like Four Year Strong and New Found Glory tend to follow Me Vs Hero around. But it’s also easy to see that these boys are going to go far, kicking off the Sunday with a set filled with the kind of massively catchy hooks and singalong choruses of which bands twice their age would be envious. With two singles currently hitting screens regularly on channels like Kerrang!, Scuzz and Lava, as well as their debut album on the way, Me Vs Hero are a band you can expect to see much higher up on festival bills this time next year.
UK metal merchants Bury Tomorrow are another up and coming band who already sound very accomplished and are sure to draw comparisons to US counterparts like Killswitch Engage or Atreyu. But they play songs from their debut album ‘Portraits’ near perfectly and the audience laps up every second.
I checked out Napalm Death with no real knowledge of their material, but a much deserved respect for what modern music owes to them and an intense curiosity to witness frontman Barney storm through their performance in his own distinctive way. I found it so entertaining that I managed to miss the start of Polar Bear Club, arriving just in time to see ‘Living Saints’ setting bodies flying all over the packed tent. It was a set full of passion (from both the band and the fans) and one that leaves noses bloodied and ankles injured (and that’s just one friend of mine), but purely out of over excitement, rather than any aggression in the pit. It’s doubtful that PBC would ever be main stage material at any UK festival, but they sure know how to handle headlining a smaller tent.
Speaking to many people beforehand, the majority said they were choosing to leave Polar Bear Club early so as not to miss the start of Glassjaw’s set. Luckily I had the benefit of knowing better than to follow suit for two reasons – the likelihood of the Long Island boys starting their main stage headline set bang on time being rather low and the fact that Polar Bear Club are a much more entertaining live prospect.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m a big Glassjaw fan and Daryl Palumbo is still one of the most captivating frontmen on the scene – but for a few reasons their sets as of late have failed to deliver quite what you expect from the band. Perhaps it’s the lack of mid-set banter, or the fact that they play so many new songs that the crowd have never heard, which tends to dull the buzz that fan favourites like ‘Pink Roses’ or ‘Tip Your Bartender’ stir up in the pit. Whilst sounding fantastic, it’s hard for the audience to really get into music that they’ve never heard before and this is easily visible in the near stationary crowd at times.
Just as their Hevy set really gained momentum towards the end, the band left the stage. Vain cries for “one more song” were met after a few minutes by Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ blasting through the PA. That’s right Hevy fest – Glassjaw are a band who do what the fuck they want and you just got Rick Rolled, as I believe the kids say.
Still, it was a very tight, huge sounding set that left a slightly bitter taste in the mouths of most casual fans, but at the same time set tongues wagging as bodies trundled back to the campsite.
And you can’t help but get the feeling that that’s exactly what the quartet intended… SK
