Hammerdown Festival is undergoing significant changes this year. It is taking place in two venues, Chalk and Dust, located just off the seafront. With the addition, the festival will feature a total of 36 bands over the weekend, with performances scheduled to follow each other directly to avoid clashes. Next year the festival will move outdoors for the first time. We hope for better weather compared to this year, as the weekend is currently under a weather warning. Fortunately, the storms held off during the performances and the only thunder we heard was from the stages.
Hammerdown – Saturday
Sero open up the festival on the second stage in Dust, there’s a reasonable crowd for them and the sound bodes well for the rest of the day as they rock out. First band on the main stage is Chvpters and realistically it’s their relative fame that puts them this low on the bill, they could easily have been further up. A good mix of alt-rock that could take them places. Cages For Preachers put on a great set, plenty of growl’s doom mixed into what could otherwise be a fairly generic metal sound. It elevates them into quite an interesting band to listen to. Lots of energy from the singer as well. Bluesy doom goodness. The Hellfire Club are up on the main stage in Chalk. This hard rocking band put on quite a show, there’s almost a punk feel to them. It’s a great show from this very local band. Definitely one to expect to see again on the AOR circuit. Karmen Field are determined to be remembered. With the guitarist and bassist both sporting excellent beards and dresses you aren’t prepared for what is a fantastic show. The lead singer has amazing stage presence and holds the audience captive. Great metal band. One Last Day put on a hard rocking show that includes a cover of 3 Days Grace’s Everything About You. It’s old school thrash metal time from Eulogy. Big guitar riffs and big vocals. Listening to the vocalist singing they could easily double as a Metallica tribute band. Land Captains put on a phenomenal show that blows the audience away. Flawless performance from the whole band and the singer has enough rasp in her voice to put Lzzy Hale to shame. It all ends on a high as inflatable bananas take to the sky and are launched into the crowd. Ransom put on a good set from an old school metal band. The singer has a lot more energy than you’d expect, shows that heavy metal music keeps you young.
Gypsy’s Kiss probably hold a unique position in metal, being Steve Harris’s first band. They sound nothing like Iron Maiden though, having their pre-punk roots in the metal of the early 70’s. Too early to be NWOBHM and too late to be Black Sabbath. Enquire Within bring some noise to the festival, and they’re certainly noisy. They pull all the head bangers forward and set them loose. The Hot One Two are great fun, all the way from Cambridge. It’s good old fashioned sleazy rock and roll. Until 9 carry on the heavy music down in Dust, hard to believe a 3 piece can produce so much noise. Neonfly certainly have the most playful frontman as he toys with all the photographers in the photo pit. It helps that they also sound great and put on a show for the crowd as well. Phoenix Lake may not be as heavy as the rest of the bands in Dust, but they’re certainly charismatic. It’s well worth the journey from Nottingham for them as the crowd shows them their appreciation. Demon are the first of the NWOBHM bands tonight, and they show that they still have what it takes to rock out. Dave Hill might be the only original member but the band look like they’ve been together for decades. Exist Immortal are a man down but it doesn’t stop them. It’s the closest to a mosh pit so far with plenty of head banging going on. The energy in the room seems to increase as the set goes on until, there it is, the circle pit opens up. With 2 guest vocalists there’s plenty of energy on display. The band finish up in usual style as their guitarist crowd surfs into their final song. Tygers Of Pan Tang close out the night, the second NWOBHM band of the night. The latest incarnation of the band has original guitarist Robb Weir holding the band together. Lead singer Jacopo Meille is in a playful mood and there’s an infectious enthusiasm from the whole band. They’ve come to enjoy themselves and the crowd certainly enjoy them as well.
Best of the Day
With so many great bands on it’s not an easy choice, but due to such a phenomenal show it goes to Land Captains who simply blew the audience away. From powerhouse vocals to driving riffs there’s just wave after wave of energy coming from the stage. At one point the singer comes out holding a giant gong, it looks almost too big to hold but she succeeds and it gets bashed a few times. All the energy builds to the surreal moment at the end as they launch into their single Banana Phone, while also launching several giant inflatable bananas into the crowd. The crowd absolutely love the gimmicks as much as they love the music and the air above everyone’s heads is filled with bananas being launched from one side of the room to the other. The band might be completely bananas but the crowd simply goes nuts for them.
Hammerdown – Sunday
Leave No Witness open the second day and it’s a much louder start to the day that is guaranteed to shake the cobwebs out. Pity anyone who is still hungover from the first day. Inair put on a highly energetic show. These lads from Reading have come to enjoy themselves and it shows. Monochrome are the Bristol M2TM winners and it’s easy to see why, it’s like a bomb has just gone off in the venue. Lead singer is an explosive powerhouse on stage with vocals to match any metal vocalist. Glass Grave from Brighton put on a phenomenal show. The singer is on and off the barrier throughout their set. They’re going to be a hard one to beat today. Apathy are just brutal, easily one of the heaviest bands of the day. Sypha are another local Brighton band. Despite their young age, they show great stage presence and sound great. When the entire band is wearing corpse paint you can already guess what’s coming. Horrenda don’t disappoint as a noise that sounds like a thousand pigs being slaughtered comes from the singer. They’re so heavy they manage to break the sound after the first song. It’s soon back on and the porcine murder continues. Struck/Down are quite frankly fantastic. The entire band is full of energy and it was only a matter of time before someone went onto the barrier. Recall The Remains never disappoint. It’s amazing they stay on the stage, especially as their singer has a love of hanging off anything he can reach.
Crushed By Waves absolutely crush the main stage. It’s a great set that get the crowd going and by the end of the show the singer can’t stop himself from running into the crowd to continue singing. Hell Can Wait but the band can’t. It’s more shouty goodness in Dust. Bleed Again show why they’re so popular with the local crowd. When the circle pit starts before the band even walks on stage you know it’s going to be good. It’s like a tornado has hit as the pit continues song after song. Waterlines start off asking “has anyone seen a hand grenade go off in a jam jar?” It’s one of the bounciest bands of the weekend with their take on rap metal. In Search Of Sun immediately sense a challenge, the bounce off is on. Could they be the party band of the weekend? Harry seems to think so from the barrier, the atmosphere is “contagious”. The Five Hundred seem out of place in Dust today, they put on a good show, but it’s nowhere near as heavy as the rest of the day’s line-up. Dream State pull off an amazing show that doesn’t just have a circle pit, it has a circle pit running round a wheelchair. Phenomenal energy on and off stage. Raised By Owls have to be one of the most chaotic death metal bands ever. Songs about celebrities, drinking and debauchery. I’m sure the lyrics are hilarious, if only I could understand them. They certainly put on a show and they’ve managed to keep enough of the crowd to fill out Dust. The Raven Age close out the festival in style. It’s a great show by them but by now the crowd has thinned. It’s back to work in the morning and anyone still standing clearly used up the last of their energy in Dust. They finish the night with devil horns in the air and smiles on their faces. Until next year.
Best of the Day
Ireland’s six-headed beast Horrenda didn’t just take the stage – they desecrated it. Cloaked in corpse paint and mystery, delivering an experimental black metal sermon that felt more like a confrontation than a concert. From the outset, their performance was raw, chaotic, and deeply atmospheric. Not long into their set, the power cut out completely. But rather than derail the moment, it added to the tension. Within minutes, Horrenda were back, more focused and more furious. Vocalist Outis spent much of the performance on the floor, back turned to the crowd, channelling anguish through shrieks, snarls, and guttural roars. It was a visceral display. A little unorthodox, unnerving, yet oddly magnetic. Behind him, the band built a dense wall of sound: sharp, dissonant guitar and relentless drums. These guys stood out for their rawness, unpredictability, and sheer presence. Not everyone will get it – but that’s precisely the point.
Best of the Weekend
Jessie has only been singing with Dream State for a few years now but it’s hard to imagine them with anyone else. She’s a powerhouse on stage and has a chameleon like vocal range, able to sing, growl, and scream in equal measure. It’s not long before she gets the circle pits going, but the crowd still manages to surprise her as she calls for the crowd to split into 2 halves to see a wheelchair in the middle of the crowd. It doesn’t faze her though as she calls for the circle pit to run around the wheelchair before then coming out to sing from the centre of the crowd. It makes for a memorable moment that will remain with everyone for years.
Review: Mark Bestford & Nickie Hobbs
Photography: Mark Bestford – Alienation Photography – https://www.facebook.com/Alien8n
Saturday Gallery
Sunday Gallery
