FESTIVAL PREVIEW: UK Tech-Fest 2019
Since 2012, UK Tech-Fest have grown into one of the premier events on the UK festival circuit. Whilst it doesn’t boast the grandeur or mainstream appeal of the bigger rock festivals like Download or Bloodstock, by specialising in the best that tech metal, prog, death metal and hardcore has to offer, UK Tech-Fest targets and captures a niche within the metal sphere. Since it started, the festival has boasted impressive lineups year in, year out and 2019’s event is no different. Ahead of the festival kicking off tomorrow, we breakdown this year’s billing, giving you the insight on who you should see!
Typical to their competition, Thursday offers punters the chance to get warmed up for the main course through a pre-party lineup of some quality bands. Influential guitarist Jon Gomm headlines the early bid pre-party whilst homegrown favourites JONESTOWN, THE HUMAN VEIL and KARYBDIS will get the crowd moving through their respective brands of musical ferocity. Denmark’s HANGING THE NIHILIST‘s goal to break necks will surely be achieved whilst POLARIS, who seriously impressed supporting ARCHITECTS this year, will further boost their appeal on our shores with what we can expect to be one of the standout sets of the day.
The pre-party is impressive enough, but the main course of UK Tech-Fest menu is utterly appetising. American death metal icons DYING FETUS have been brutalising stages since 1991 and their headlining set on Friday evening will be monstrous to say the least, MONUMENTS hit the coveted headlining slot on Saturday, giving fans a first chance to witness Andy Cizek fronting the band since the abrupt departure of Chris Barretto on Monday, and Sunday’s co-headlining package of LEPROUS and VILDHJARTA is a match made in heaven.
Elsewhere, the festival impresses with a billing of glistening talent. BLACK TONGUE‘s sub-headlining set prior to DYING FETUS on Friday is utterly disgusting and earlier sets from ANNOTATIONS OF AN AUTOPSY and ABHORRENT DECIMATION on the Line 6 Stage is so gargantually heavy, we fear for our bodies surviving the brawl. Aussie shredders PSYCROPTIC and Canadian tech-wizards ARCHSPIRE will blow minds and drop jaws with their respective sets on Saturday and Sunday, very much sticking to the festival’s ethos, TIME, THE VALUATOR hit UK Tech-Fest on the back of last year’s stunning How Fleeting, How Fragile and THE INTERSPHERE and 22‘s expansive musicality will dazzle and impress.
Across the entirety of 2019’s lineup for UK Tech-Fest, there is talent on offer. From the bands offering a thundering boom of savage death metal to the glistening progressive technicality, each band offers something slightly different to their peers, but still sticks to the essence of what the festival stands for. More impressive, is that UK Tech-Fest is populated by a vast number of UK talent. PALM READER, VALIS ABLAZE and FROM SORROW TO SERENITY all headline the festival’s second stage, the Fireball Stage, whilst GODEATER, HARBINGER, MASK OF JUDAS, CARCER CITY, SERTRALINE, BORDERS, RED METHOD and more populate the bill; showing that UK Tech-Fest certainly commits to promoting homegrown bands.
Year after year, UK Tech-Fest steals the hearts of those who love their metal on the technical side and 2019’s festival looks set to continue this trend. With so many bands to see as well as a range of awesome afterparties and workshop activities, UK Tech-Fest will be one of the events of the summer festival season. We’ll see you at Newark!
UK Tech-Fest takes place at the Newark Showground on the 4th-8th July 2019.
For more information on the festival like their official page on Facebook.
