FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Radar Festival 2019
The UK is certainly something of a hot-spot for technical and progressive music. For the past six years, Nottinghamshire’s UK Tech-Fest and Somerset’s ArcTanGent have acted as the two key flagship events, delivering a dazzling, annual display of some of the world’s finest acts. Despite these two festivals still being very much in the ascendancy, 2019 sees the emergence of a brand new competitor: Radar Festival. Set to be held at Guildford’s Corner House, this two-day, two-stage affair will present a lineup to rival even the best of the best. Attendees can expect a cherry-picked selection of some of the scene’s most revered acts, a series of unmissable, one-off masterclasses, a handful of wild after-party events and just to top things off, there’s even a ‘secret act’ due to appear on-stage on the Friday evening.
Friday
As the first of two packed days gets underway, rising tech sensation UNPROCESSED will add to the summer heat as they grace the festival’s second stage. Offering an array of fast, techy riffing and epic choruses, the German act will no doubt send the festival into full swing, aptly setting the pace and tone of the weekend in doing so. With what is likely to entail comparable energy levels, local (Brighton) act TOSKA will headline the stage later in the day and presumably dazzle, as they are so prone to doing. Having been given a taste of big stage experience as main support for PLINI in the not too distance past, the trio will no doubt be primed and ready to make an impact in their capacity as headliners, delivering nearly an hour of their tasteful, instrumental prog-rock.
Over on the venue’s 1500-capacity main-stage, London-based metalcore act HARBINGER will kick things off early in the day and no doubt send the place into raptures. Fresh from their spellbinding performance at UK Tech-Fest and with new album Compelled to Suffer in the arsenal, the quintet are surely destined to impress. Stemming from the same scene and same generation, Liverpudlian act LOATHE will surely be a neat follow-up. Having just landed a support slot on STRAY FROM THE PATH and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA‘s European tour, the progressive metalcore outfit seem to finally be reaching lofty heights, and will no-doubt bring that level of esteem and prestige with them to Radar.
As the day’s final phases approach, French prog-metal titans UNEVEN STRUCTURE will make their UK return as they take to the main-stage at 5:50pm. Their range of djent-infused, growl-clad heaviness and deft, prog-rock esq sections will surely provide the ideal fusion of styles, appeasing the crowd and epitomising the festival’s overarching theme. Heightening the pace and energy even further will be the day’s penultimate act, HEART OF A COWARD; a UK scene favourite. With a decade-long back-catalogue and now brand new full-length effort The Disconnect under their belts, the five-piece will undoubtedly be raring to go as they prep to entertain their local fan-base again, bringing the energy levels through the roof and thoroughly priming the venue for the day’s headliner.
Finally, locally sourced but now internationally adored djent act MONUMENTS will bring the day’s events to a close, with what will be their second UK festival headline appearance in as many months. Newly fronted by young dynamo Andy Cizek in the wake of Chris Baretto‘s departure, the five-piece will no doubt be keen to instigate the same level of bedlam as they did at UK Tech-Fest in July, rattling through a lengthy set clad with (but not limited to) selections from new release Phronesis. A local prodigy-turned-global sensation, this performance will provide the ideal conclusion to the first day of Radar Festival 2019.
Saturday
Surely set to be one of the day’s highlights, up-and-coming metalcore act VALIS ABLAZE will take to the second stage on Saturday to follow up their UK Tech-Fest performance a month prior. With a selection of numbers from brand new album Render ready to be performed live, the Bristolian quintet will no doubt prove to be a rich source of entertainment for all in attendance, remaining very much in keeping with the theme and vibe of the festival thus far. Parisian act KADINJA will follow suit nicely, bringing a similar sound and comparable levels of pace and energy. Having appeared as a support act on MONUMENTS‘ 2018 UK tour, the five-piece groove masters have already proven their worth to local crowds, and will no doubt replicate this at Radar Festival. Rounding off the weekend’s second stage antics will be instrumental djent giants MODERN DAY BABYLON, displaying an amalgam of techy riffing and heavy breakdowns and surely doing justice to the enormity of the slot. Making their first UK performance for over a year, the Czech trio will no doubt impress whilst also nicely setting the tone for the day’s main-stage headliner.
Offering a mouthwatering lineup once again, Saturday’s main-stage will be set alight early on by prog-metallers ARCAEON, a humble prodigy act based in Reading. Despite being a young, fresh act, their unique brand of complex, progressive metalcore is guarantee to turn a few heads. Moreover, this will be one of just two shows this year for the outfit as they work towards completing their debut album – certainly not to be missed. Later on in the day fans will see the return of the almighty VOLA, with the UK now becoming something of a second home for the prog metal act. Having appeared at UK Tech-Fest last year in addition to joining MONUMENTS and HAKEN on two lengthy European tours, the quartet are well known on UK shores, and will no doubt be met with a warm reception. Representing a rather abrupt change of pace, experimental metal outfit CAR BOMB will be next to grace the main stage, having travelled all the way from Long Island, New York. Often compared to djent legends MESHUGGAH, this outfit will be expected to do no less than cause serious damage, providing a strong dose of ultra-heavy, down-tuned, djent-infused chaos. Needless to say, this will be the heaviest, most chaotic set of the weekend.
Another beloved local act, ROLO TOMASSI will hit the main stage at 7:10pm for one of the festival’s final performances. A nearly hour-long set-time will give the quintet ample room to rattle through fan-favourites from 2016’s critically acclaimed masterpiece Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It. Offering an eclectic mashup of prog rock, prog metal and alternative influences, this will be the perfect performance to set the evening up for a wild crescendo. Certainly a tough act to follow, but Icelandic prog rock outfit AGENT FRESCO will no doubt take this in their stride, appearing next to offer a dose of LEPROUS esq poly-rhythms and grandiose choruses. Hailed by The Independent as “one of the most exciting new bands in the world today”, this performance is surely set to make an impact.
Fittingly, the final slot of the festival will be filled by what is unequivocally the most revered and acclaimed band on the lineup. ANIMALS AS LEADERS will wrap up Radar Festival 2019 in true style, offering an extensive package of their renowned, instrumental prog-metal. Part of their first UK tour since summer 2017, this will be a performance to savour, and will represent a colossally prestigious finale to a new festival in its debut year.
As if that wasn’t enough already, Radar Festival, akin to its counterpart UK Tech-Fest, will be adored with plenty of extra bits and pieces. Fans will be offered the opportunity to attend masterclasses with the likes of Tosin Abasi (ANIMALS AS LEADERS), John Browne and Ollie Steele (MONUMENTS), Matt Garska (ANIMALS AS LEADERS) and Rabea Massaad (TOSKA). Furthermore, rounding things off in style will be a series of after parties running from midnight till 3am each night.
Despite being a non-camping, city-based event, this will truly be a ‘festival’ in every sense of the word. With a stellar lineup and a broad range of entertainment taking place throughout, Radar Festival‘s debut year is already looking to be a blinding success, and is certainly not to be missed.
Radar Festival takes place from August 2nd-3rd in Guildford, Surrey.
For more information on the festival like their official page on Facebook.