The 2nd Annual Regain Fest is set once again to bring a day of heartwarming charity efforts and an array of intense underground metal acts. It’s a combination that those outside of our culture may find incongruous, but for those impacted by the story that inspires the event, it represents the strength and fortitude we can find within heavy music, a light to guide us through the darkest and most testing times in life.
Ahead of the festival, which takes place at Sanctuary, Burnley, on Saturday 13th September, we sat down with the organisers at KRN Promotions so they could tell their story.
** Readers are advised that this interview contains discussions of bereavement. **
Please introduce yourselves and tell us about your story and the thought behind Regain Fest.
“We are Krispy, Nath and Rob. On the 28th May 2024, Krispy and Nath’s daughter, Regan, was stillborn at 27 weeks. It was a healthy pregnancy until 26 weeks, when movements became reduced. After 4 days in hospital, Krispy was discharged and told she’d have weekly scans, and they would discuss delivering Regan sooner if they thought she was in danger. Less than 48 hours later, she was back in the hospital being told the worst news a parent could ever get.
We wanted to raise awareness and help raise funds for the charities that were involved in helping us after we lost her. Stillbirth isn’t spoken about very often as it is seen as a taboo subject, but it happens more than people realise.
In September of 2024, we decided to do an all-day metal gig at Trillians in Newcastle to raise much-needed funds for the Sands charity, raising over £4,000.
For Regain Fest 2, we have taken it to our regular venue at Sanctuary Rock Bar in Burnley. This year, we want to raise money for the incredible Remember My Baby charity. They are a volunteer-run group that travels the UK to take photos for families who have lost a baby to help give them precious memories. We are beyond grateful for them taking our Regan’s photos, and we treasure them.”
I’m sure you’ve got endless highlights from last year’s Regain Fest and plenty to look forward to this year, but are there any artists in particular that stood out for you last time and any that you’re excited for this year?
“Last year, the bands that really stuck out for us were Swarms, Dwelled, Karma’s Puppet and Semprus. All the bands that KRN have had on before and will have on again, all talented musicians and lovely people who we class as good friends.
This year, we are excited for Thrashatouille headlining as it’s Rob’s band. Rob is a very good family friend and co-owner of KRN; he is Regan’s godfather. We’re also looking forward to having Exhumation and INHERITOR, both absolutely incredible bands. We’ve been quite diverse with the line-up for this year.”
The occasion is, of course, not without its sombre backstory, but it must be an incredibly bright silver lining and grant a great sense of achievement for you guys, knowing that you can raise so much money for charities close to your hearts, spread much-needed awareness and also bring the metal community together all at the same time?
“I’ve always been able to count on the metal family when I’ve needed it. When I said I wanted to put on an all-dayer in Regan’s memory, we had a few venues and a massive list of bands emailing us to help so much so that we have plenty of bands for future Regain fests. As people will have been seeing a lot of negativity in the metal scene over the last few years, this is something massively positive, and it shows that there are good people out there, not just the bad.”
Other than attending the gigs you put on, what can people do to support the causes you advocate for?
“If people aren’t able to attend the gig, we have a JustGiving donation link which we’ll put below if people want to donate. Also, sharing the event around is a massive help, which we appreciate. Most people find out about shows by word of mouth, as social media isn’t the greatest these days.”
Is there anything else you’d like to mention or raise awareness of and are there plans for Regain Fest 3 being discussed?
“Anytime! Thanks for reaching out to us and covering our day in memory of Regan. We just want to thank people for taking the time to read this and for supporting us with what we’re trying to achieve. As for Regain Fest 3, we are currently on the lookout for another venue. We want to travel to Regain Fest around the UK to raise awareness in every area, so if anyone has a venue we can use for next year, drop a message on the KRN Promotions page on Facebook or Instagram.”
Links for Regain Fest’s 2025 tickets and JustGiving page are available below.
