FESTIVAL PREVIEW: UK Tech-Fest 2018 – Saturday

As Saturday morning rolls around and the rural utopia of UK Tech-Fest is officially acquainted with the serene glow of sunrise, one suspects that heads around the campsite will be even heavier than the music of the two days prior. Nevertheless, as the weary eyes of the punters begin to sheepishly emerge from tent-flaps across the site, the UK Tech-Fest‘s official midway point will see a smorgasbord of eclectic musicians begin preparations for hitting the stages later that day.

Firstly, despite perhaps being one of the less anticipated acts of the weekend, Reading-based tech-metallers ARCAEON will grace the Waghorn Guitars Stage towards the middle of the day, and will no doubt impress the UK Tech-Fest faithful with their eclectic mashup of tech and metalcore. Following suit shortly after will be Polish instrumental outfit TIDES FROM NEBULA, headlining the second stage, and very much acting as the calm before the storm as the fest gears up for the day’s final main-stage act, offering an array of gentle, ethereal soundscapes.

Moving up to the Winspear Stage, Bristolian djent titans VALIS ABLAZE will appear for the second year running, and will be keen to subject the early-afternoon crowds to a selection of delights from Boundless, their recently unveiled, debut full-length. Next, serving to dispel hangovers site-wide, and restore that jovial, summer feel, will be ARCH ECHO, another instrumental act. Despite having just one release to their name, this is an outfit that will arrive armed with grooves and jives aplenty, hoping to impress the masses with their eccentric amalgam of progressive fusion. With the focus very much remaining on main-stage events, next up will be NEXILVA, the Northumbrian outfit’s appearance coinciding with a grand return to the UK Tech-metal scene. Equipped with new music, a new frontman, and a fresh second-wind, this will undoubtedly be a special performance, and may well prove to be one of the weekend’s most notable events.

As we move up the bill, and as a cool, evening summer breeze descends on the Newark area, three very special acts will gear up to wreak havoc upon the main-stage. The first will be UK Tech-Fest favourites MARTYR DEFILED, a legendary outfit in the scene, and one that will unfortunately be making one of their final performances as a band. The Lincolnshire-based quartet announced their official, impending retirement earlier this year, and forlorn as this may be, one can only foresee this performance being all the more incredible for it. The deathcore veterans will undoubtedly come equipped with an arsenal of fan-favourites spanning their eight-year back-catalogue, and thus the stage seems to be set (quite literally) for an electrifying farewell.

With the needle on the UK Tech-Fest carnage barometer already tantamount to maximum, deathgrind warriors INGESTED will be next to inflict chaos on the main-stage, fulfilling the role of sub-headliners, ready to break the pressure gauge before the day’s final act has even arrived. A welcome sense of deja-vu, INGESTED’s slot on the lineup provokes memories of ABORTED‘s crushing set last year; adopting the day’s penultimate spot, and providing a comparable level of devastating heaviness. The Manchester-based act will no doubt be looking to replicate the bedlam that ensued during their second-stage headliner slot last year, and freshly armed with their outstanding new album The Level Above Human, this looks well-poised to come to fruition.

As the day’s final phases approach, and as minds and bodies alike begin to enervate, the Tech-Fest population will receive one final blow in the form of deathcore legends THE ACACIA STRAIN. A truly prestigious booking, the Connecticutian quintet will be officially performing as a 2018 UK exclusive, and will come equipped with a plethora of barbarous bangers from their extensive back-catalogue. In stark contrast from the majority of this year’s other top-tier acts, THE ACACIA STRAIN will come representing one core characteristic: heaviness. Granted, they won’t necessarily put the ‘Tech’ in Tech-Fest, but they will arrive as a nigh-on legendary act, and a true scene-favourite; unequivocally still the makings of an epic headliner. All that remains is to revel in the glory of their performance, and to try our hardest to make it out alive in preparation for the riveting lineup of after-parties, and of course the events of the following and final day.

And that rounds up our preview of the Saturday from this year’s festival! Check out our preview and the Thursday/Friday and stay posted to Distorted Sound as we bring you our preview of the Sunday very soon!

UK Tech-Fest takes place from July 5-8 2018 at Newark Showground. Weekend tickets are priced at Weekend tickets are £79.99 + £20 Camping and can be purchased here.

For more information on the festival like their official page on Facebook.