Rabidfest 2022
Independent festivals really are the alternative live music scene’s glue right now. Having the freedom to form any line-up of their choice comprised of both established bands and being able to offer up chances to lesser known acts who are looking to carve their way into the fold makes for some very appealing, thrilling and diverse line-ups.
The promoters are then able to enthusiastically and with no hidden agenda bring these exclusive and crucial events to their hometown and their local metal community. They can even go that one step further and use their event to also help raise awareness and funds for a charity of their choice – and this year the Rabidfest crew chose PACT (Parents and Children Together) as their worthy cause.
Rabidfest have been integral to Oxford’s scene for a good few years and we are treated to the focus of one stage – sponsored by Devolution – at a central and accommodating venue (The Bullingdon on Cowley Road, Oxford) with no less than 20 acts for a two day metal extravaganza.
Here’s how it went….
Saturday 5th November
Slay Duggee
Seeing a bunch of guys walk across the venue at 1pm in full dog suits complete with heads then climb up onto the Devolution stage to open up today’s proceedings is truly a sight to behold. Dragging up members of Pulverise and Shell from Moshville Times to guest vocal on ‘Stick’ was genius. Energetic, crazy, anarchic fun from the canine themed Slay Duggee, we’re involved before we even know what we’re getting involved with as we hear “We’re going to have a rhombus pit”. Erm….what? It’s children’s songs as you should never have to hear them. They may just be the dog’s bollocks.
13 Burning
There’s no mistaking the influences of this band, even with the drummer wearing an Iron Maiden t-shirt. This is classic British Heavy Metal through and through, but it could be argued that they’re more Blaze era than Bruce or Paul. ‘No Surrender No Retreat’ sounds like it could come from Powerslave or ‘Piece of Mind’. “This song is dedicated to the war in Ukraine, let’s hope there’s peace soon”.
Disinherit
“Can I have less vocals please?” For a singer that screams into the mic, it’s an unusual request. Disinherit who hail from The Midlands simply ooze aggression, and are very clearly technically competent musicians. They have a huge sound both on stage, and off as the singer makes the most of a wireless mic in the crowd. Having recently released a new track ‘Pleasures Defective’ and accompanying lyric video from their forthcoming album this was the perfect opportunity for us to catch the guys live for the first time and can categorically say that this belligerent and robust set was one of the highlights of the day.
The Grand Mal
“Give me some fucking bass drum.” Its good old fashioned hard rock and roll and by god these local Oxford lads do it well. Comprised of members of Desert Storm, Wall and Mother Corona they are a well versed outfit who do not disappoint. Using today’s red light bathed early performance as an album launch for new record ‘The Grand Mal ll’ out now on APF Records the band seem incredibly hyped to be playing new material to eager punters. Vocalist Dave-O is his usual spirited cocky self and leads the band into glory as every song gets lapped up morsel by morsel from the crowd. Excellent set and excellent things still to come for the band.
Pulverise
“This song’s about kittens and unicorns”. Yorkshire rap metal may sound like a strange combination but Pulverise bring it with them and slay the crowd. The band have unrivalled energy on and off the stage and it is a fine moment to see the northerners bring their flavour down South to win over a few new hearts. Vicky Reader on drums is an absolute force and makes herself known both musically and physically as she stands up to peer out into the crowd wherever she can. Vocalist JoJo gets down onto the floor whilst rapping, growling and flailing her dreads around bringing back a younger member of the audience to the stage to head bang and show the upcoming generation how it’s done. It’s a beautiful unison moment. It’s unique but doesn’t seem out of place when the band bust out a very competent and animated Cypress Hill Melody and Pulverise finish on a high having clearly made a positive impression.
Sulvain
Things are slowed down massively for Northamptonshire’s Sulvain and their grunge tinged metal. They’re good but it’s just not the right music to follow their predecessors. As a four piece they are incredibly competent and clearly enjoy and love the sound and vibe that they produce together but their set here seemed a little disjointed in places. There were shining moments and peephole glimpses into who Sulvain are when the vocalist really let go and the skilled band gave us their own nola inspired stoner sound. The guys are releasing their debut album ‘Sulvain’ by the end of November so do keep an eye out for that.
Alunah
Looking like they just walked off the set of a Woodstock documentary this is a strange but beautiful amalgam of stoner metal and 60’s hippy rock. It’s an ethereal combination brought to life by singer Sian Greenaway’s amazing vocal range. The Birmingham band are all business and doom riffs and play to a subdued but happy crowd who are enthralled by the sounds resonating from the stage. Having released their ‘Strange Machine’ album earlier this year on Heavy Psych Sounds Records it’s an excellent opportunity to air more recent material to this Oxfordshire crowd.
Footprints In The Custard
“Stop throwing dicks at me”. No holds barred, Manchester’s FITC are a band who just secrete fun and frolics. Their music is infectious their lyrics ridiculous and they always get a crowd going. It’s hard not to stare back at them with a mile wide grin and get swept up in their preposterous antics. A band member donning a mankini, songs about being horny ‘The Horn’ and ‘My Granny’s A Gusher’ all make your spit out your pint and then dance like a lunatic. Incredibly entertaining and just the right band to ease us into the evening segment of the festival now that the beers are truly flowing.
Krysthla
“Fuck it, let’s kill ‘em all”. It’s high energy and crushing brutal metal from Northamptonshire’s Krysthla who really get the crowd pumped up and moshing from the get-go without so much as breaking into a sweat. They are a welcome break from the silliness and less serious acts who have warmly graced the Devolution stage today and we’re able to just settle in and witness some straight up visceral force with the five piece. Frontman Adrian literally towers over the crowd, rumbling and roaring like a man possessed, cementing why they are always a crowd pleaser, proudly flying the flag for the underground and clearly loving every minute of this performance.
Discharge
Back in the early 80s it looked like punk was over. New Wave was taking over and punk was becoming pop friendly. And then along came Discharge. Ferociously fusing old school punk with the burgeoning thrash scene- hardcore was then born and Discharge became a glowing beacon of what was to follow. Their fans are still punk at heart to this day and the Rabidfest crowd seethes and snarls with energy as the mosh pit gets more violent after each song. Frontman Jeff “JJ” Janiak prowls the small stage making eye contact with anyone who dares to stare back whilst Tezz and Bones team up to provide the guitar wall of sound. Discharge headlining was a huge kudos to the festival and they close the stage to glorious applause and fist pumping from the whole room.
Sunday 06th November
Bring The Onslaught
The staccato of the double drum kicks drives this band onwards. It’s incredibly early on a Sunday afternoon in a very wet Oxford as the rain spills from the sky and into the streets, and heads are still being nursed from yesterday’s shenanigans when the band take to the stage. Anyone looking to clear their hangover were probably not helped by the ear splitting loud and angry screaming from the stage to begin the proceedings. It’s a noisy one – but Bring The Onslaught have fully awoken us and successfully kicked off day two.
Public Execution
“We’ve got about 19 more songs left”. The band is aptly named as it sounds like there’s a murder being committed on stage. Made up of ex members of Black Skies Burn, Negative Thought Process and Trading Hands this trio are here to blast your ears off. It’s lightning fast and frenetic, blending filthy grindcore and hardcore punk into an angry maelstrom. “This is a song about paying £6 for a £5 show. It’s £5 you cunt”. The banter in between the set just ties this performance together nicely and they may well be a band who the Rabidfest Team have billed today to see just how ‘extreme’; the promoters can go with their bookings in the future.
Elimination
Blackened thrash metal with an emphasis on the thrash. It’s a classic sound that’s unchanged since the first Slayer album came out. Armed with flying Vs and hi-top trainers the band launch into their collection of tunes to a crowd who know exactly what’s coming up due to the solid and uncompromised thrash formula. There is an underlying tinny sound which unfortunately rips through a few of the songs and becomes a distraction but a decent set all round by the guys.
Wall
Wall is the side project of the Cole Twins – notoriously known for their other band – Desert Storm. The local Oxfordshire drummer and guitarist duo put on a showcase of doom laden stoner progressive instrumental tracks back to back with zero crowd interaction, that is until they announce their about to play the last song. It’s genuinely amazing what you can achieve musically with just a guitar and drum and bathed in red light the crowd just stand in appreciation watching the pair jam real hard.
To Obey A Tyrant
Its death metal o’clock for To Obey A Tyrant who were announced just 48 hours prior as the replacement to Draconian Reign who unfortunately couldn’t make today. The Bournemouth lads step to the stage with a fuck ton of swagger and pent up energy that has clearly been stored and contained for this Rabidfest performance. It’s our first time of witnessing the guys in the flesh and holy fuck they are a sight and sound to behold. Crushingly heavy, tight as a ducks ass and absolutely relentless. It’s a joy to witness Brandon at work as he remains centre stage and pulls every gurgling, throaty, guttural, roar, scream, and squeal from his vocal arsenal while the band are a whirlwind of talent and dynamism. Definitely a climax of the weekend!
Bleed Again
Brighton metalcore at its finest, they sound great and clearly have some hard-core fans in the crowd as James Dawson gets handed a can of beer mid set. It’s a welcome refreshment as he’s literally giving his all on stage. A late start though causes some bad vibes as they’re told to cut their set short, but that’s the price they have to pay for starting 5 minutes late on a day when every band so far has been early.
Harbinger
Were back to some chaotic death metal as the mighty Harbinger with new vocalist Dylan Alves take to the stage in a whirlwind. Like a shot of Jägermeister which is always welcomed when you may be flagging – these boys awaken us and provide that second wind we might have needed. This is definitely the day for the heavier more brutal bands of the weekend and it also shows in the swelling of the mosh pits too. Harbinger utilise the small stage to full effect as they head bang, interact and sing every word back to the crowd who are lapping up the mutual appreciation. It’s a beautiful moment and a superb set.
Desert Storm
Getting to witness the doom sludge masters Desert Storm play a hometown show is never disappointing and tonight is no exception. The room is the busiest it’s been and everyone has eagerly moved forward to the barrier. It’s probably the best crowd of the weekend so far and as this is the final live show that guitarist Chris White will ever play, it’s a fitting one for his touring retirement. We are informed of a new album due out 2023 which is met to a large cheer and applause and its face down game on as the band work strategically through their no bullshit just riffs and grooves to soothe set list.
Red Method
The industrial metallers start as they mean to go on as a pack of feral wolves that need to hunt and when they don’t feel the crowd is active enough for them there’s only one solution, join the crowd. Red Method constantly put on an incredible show both in sound and visuals and frontman Jeremy can’t stay on the ground for very long as he leaps his way through the set, hangs off the rig and at one point even using the drum kit to launch himself in the air. Matching his fluidity is keyboardist Stefan who is a frenzied whirlwind unleashing cathartic aggression and additional vocals which stitch the show together perfectly. Tonight the ranks have changed somewhat with Lew Berl (Dishonour The Crown) standing in for bass duties and the powerhouse that is James Perry (This Is Endless/Onslaught) on the drums who both seamlessly blend in as if they’ve been a part of the furniture for a while. The band prove time and time again that they will adapt to any crowd, to any size stage and to any genre and do it to such a high standard that it’s genuinely almost impossible to fault them. Red Method are everything you want in a high octane performance and it’s been an undeniable pleasure to witness them here again at Rabidfest.
Divine Chaos
They’re an imposing force on stage, in no small part to the towering Jut Tabor who orchestrates the crowd by sheer physical presence alone. That said it’s the last band on a Sunday night – band number twenty to be precise – and the crowd are starting to look a little tired after their overzealous workout with Red Method. It doesn’t stop the dedicated head bangers at the front though who have waited all day for this headlining moment and though a slight change in the line-up tonight might not have gone amiss due to the expected energy that Red Method bought prior – the band do a triumphant job of closing the stage on this year’s festival.
With the organiser’s early announcement that the festival has already secured and rebooked the venue for next year’s event taking place on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th November 2023 – it’s a date for the diary that everyone should be penciling in!
We’ll absolutely see you next year!
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Review by Nickie Hobbs & Mark Bestford
Photos by Mark Bestford