FESTIVAL PREVIEW: UK Tech-Fest 2023
UK Tech-Fest has been the heart of many technical, prog and djent fans across the country, showcasing the diversity across all genres in the underground scene, and the beauty (and ugliness) of it all. Of course, it’s a great shame that this wonderful festival must come to an end, though the community will never die despite its heavy losses. It’s very rare that a festival is priced under £120 for the whole weekend (including camping) let alone allows under 16s to go free of charge, not to mention the fact that there are NO CLASHES! It’s no wonder everyone is feeling bittersweet about the whole event, but there’s no doubt the festival is getting the proper send of it deserves, a lineup that features a large amount of acts from the past, returning to lay to rest one of the greatest metal festivals the UK has had to offer; one that has chosen the obscure and macabre acts over the polished and mainstream, one that has offered a foot up for those who still have a long way to go but show potential and a bright future ahead, and one that has given us a place to call home.
Thursday June 29th
Call it survival of the fittest; as gates open at 10am you have approximately two hours till kick off with post-metal troupe ITSELF TIMELESS opening up the second stage followed by TO OBEY A TYRANT annihilating the main stage and summoning the unearthly goblin noises and bringing the heat with face melting riffs of the abyss. Metal shoegazers GLASS GRAVES will make you crack out the eyeliner and drown in feelings of melancholy whilst FROM EDEN TO EXILE will knock you out with a fatality card; they’re bound to cause whiplash with the amount of headbanging that will occur during their set.
Don’t forget to check out MILK & TWO SHUGGAH’s who will be covering only the best to get you in the groove of things – and preparing for the real deal at this years Bloodstock Festival – and tonight’s headliners HARBINGER who will be bringing their brand of technical deathcore over to the mainstage; not advised for the faint of heart, get ready to tear a hole into the fabric of space.
However the party doesn’t stop here! If you – like many of us here at DS – like to party into the night then stick around for the after party where you can expect ZEBEDY, DE’LOUR and MAZIAC to take over Newark Showgrounds.
Friday June 30th
Expect a mass of chaos throughout the day in the form of djent, rap metalists HACKTIVIST who will unleash their pent up rage in anticipation for the day’s headliners, LOATHE. However if what you seek is a cacophony of sounds that equate to the feeling of dread in its many forms then CONJURER, CREAK and BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS have you covered, and for our hardcore spin-kickers GLOWER and SWORN AMONGST are on the menu for a good time!
If you need a moment from the sheer insanity of it all then consider sitting in on some workshops including; Harrison White’s talk on sobriety in music, Unearthed Music giving insight on being an artist manager and a couple vocal, drum and guitar masterclasses by TO OBEY A TYRANTS’ very own Brandon Singleton and the very talented guys of MILK & TWO SHUGGAHS.
As for tonight’s main event, we’re sure many of us were excited when SUFFOCATION was first announced as Friday’s headliners but, with great disappointment they had to cancel their upcoming EU tour this summer due to physical strains resulting in injuries within their camp leaving us to sit and ponder of their possible replacement. Of course, who could it be other than LOATHE! Given the delicate nature of this being the last UK Tech-Fest and how majority of this lineup have played previous years, it seems only right that it should be a band who have gained a lot of popularity with their second record receiving positive reviews around the board – with critics even comparing them to DEFTONES – should get the honour.
Tonight’s after party offerings come in the form of GRIEF RITUALS, PRAVITAS and VAST SLUG; expect a gnarly one and maybe the odd broken nose, if not an elbow to the jaw, and a load of circle pits.
Saturday July 1st
Now if you don’t already have a major hangover by now then you’ll want to catch mainstage openers BLIND SUMMIT who will grace your ears prog goodness and heavenly vocals courtesy of Alexandra Angelini, before the blackened deathcore quintet DRACONIAN REIGN bring the glorious orchestras and brutal ear-smacking hymns of hellfire and finishing off this colossal sandwich of goodness in ROSENBRIDGE, bringing top quality melodic leads, groovy, prog inducing riffs, and catchy choruses; far more than just a run-of-the-mill metalcore band. Of course we can’t forget the greatest gift of them all; HERIOT, a band that’s proven time and time again to knock it out the park with their live performances, the aggression, the eerie atmosphere and the surprising shrieks of Debbie Gough, sounding like a mediaeval witch in disguise. They bring doom and gloom wherever they go.
Saturday’s headliners shall take no prisoners with BOUND IN FEAR headlining the second stage; delivering the heat, and the lowest of gutturals with a side of juicy breakdowns and gnarly riffs before we witness deathcore royalty CHELSEA GRIN tear the down on the mainstage, reminding us why they’ve still got it, hopefully we can expect some og throwbacks (Recreant, Lilith and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to name but, a few).
Of course, let’s not forget some of the exciting offerings over at the Strangberg Stage; Q&A panels with James Monteith (of TESSERACT, CAGE FIGHT & Hold Tight) talking all things press and Jake Ten delving into the world of music videography, industry insights with The Hairy Dog discussing venue management and a few masterclasses on drums and songwriting with LOST IN LAVENDER TOWN and ARCAEON.
Finishing today’s event off in style is BLIGHT TOWN, LOST IN LAVENDER TOWN and SUPER JAM; a collective of the finest musicians doing what they do best, jamming around.
Sunday July 2nd
And in a blink of an eye it comes around to the last day of UK Tech-Fest so expect this to be a day filled with bittersweet memories as we set foot on these hallowed grounds for the last time. Kicking off today’s festivities are FROM HER ASHES with their technical-djent fusion followed by PULSE who are delivering a concoction of nu-metalcore spice. Expected to create a rather jarring atmosphere is KARMANJAKAH, who opt for a more uplifting approach, there’s no dark clouds in sight for these guys who create brightly lit synth, guitar and vocal melodies, if you’re a fan of SPIRITBOX or TESSERACT then this is right up your alley.
All the way from Japan we have PALEDUSK; if you like jarring, mix-and-match, technical chaos then you’ll be in for a treat, there’s nothing quite like it. Then of course tonight’s headliners will be delivering vastly different styles with SHE MUST BURN providing symphonic blackened deathcore metal shrouded in a cloud of gothic mystery; soaring female vocals accompanied by brutal growls, melodic choruses and meaty breakdowns and technical prog masterminds, BORN OF OSIRIS, set to light the stage ablaze, with a reputation like theirs there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that they will give the proper send off UK Tech-Fest deserves.
Sunday’s masterclasses over at the Strandberg Stage are perfect for the nerdy guitarists out there with a Aristides Guitars product demo, Per Nilsson (SCAR SYMMETRY) doing a masterclass & Q&A, LOST IN LAVENDER TOWN doing a guitar masterclass, and Floodgate Audio discussing all things music production.
As the night draws to a close, get ready to party into the morning one final time with THE DJENTLEMEN, SEETHING AKIRA and Techeoke; better get those vocal chords ready.
In another life UK Tech-Fest would still be trekking on however, just because the future is uncertain doesn’t mean it’s final; think of it like an old friend, it’s not a ‘goodbye’ it’s a ‘see you later’ because like all old friends we will cross paths again, someday.
UK Tech-Fest takes place at the Newark showground from June 29th-July 3rd 2023. Weekend tickets, currently available at £89.99 + £20 camping, are available now and can be purchased here.
For more information on UK Tech-Fest like their official page on Facebook.