FESTIVAL REVIEW: Radar Festival 2019 – Friday

A scene that persists in thriving more and more each year, the UK isn’t necessarily short on festivals to showcase technical rock and metal music. Tech-Fest, ArcTanGent, Macmillan Fest and Fall in the Brawl are all amongst the options, spanning the length of mainland England. However, as the saying goes, you can’t have too much of a good thing, and on that basis Radar Festival has this year emerged from the woodwork for its debut year. Situated in Guildford’s Corner House, the event promised an expanse of progressive and technical music from all over the world, spanning two full days and two stages, with a series of masterclasses thrown in for good measure. Of course, everything hangs in the balance for any event’s debut year, but this promised to be a corker, so we attended both days to see what Radar was all about.

Stage 2

THE DEADLIGHTS

A festival entree that, stylistically, wouldn’t quite set the tone for the weekend, instrumental post-rock act THE DEADLIGHTS opened up the second stage in true style. A 30-minute affair largely comprised of shoegaze-y tremolo riffing and rich, detailed soundscapes, this was a performance sonically distinct from the remainder of the lineup, but one that appeared to strike awe amongst the spectators. A fresh, new act in principle, but in practice reminiscent of seasoned veterans, the Guildford based trio scarcely put a foot wrong for the duration of their set, stepping up to face the brimming second-stage room and rattling through each song back-to-back, with a profound air of confidence and professionalism lingering all the while. To top things off, the stage microphones proved almost redundant as barely a word was uttered to the crowd throughout, adding an aura of mystery and formality, and topping off the performance in style. An impressive showing from a fresh, local opener.

Rating: 9/10 

SHATTERED SKIES

Downstairs in the basement, SHATTERED SKIES epitomised clean, nostalgic progressive metal in a way that contrasts heavily with the other bands on the bill. The second stage filled up rapidly for the UK four-piece and, whilst the second stage was not as sizeable as the ground floor main stage, a select few tried to get the audience moving – a couple even attempted to get atop the crowd. The crowd began to grow ever-more fervent as the performance drew on, acting as a neat summary of this band’s uplifting display.

Rating: 8/10

MASK OF JUDAS 

Local act MASK OF JUDAS Gave the second stage that little something different. With guitar lines reminiscent of PERIPHERY, the five-piece (though only four at this appearance) were a welcome addition to the otherwise all-male Friday lineup. Jo’s vocals were every bit as visceral when then they needed to be though cleans seemed hesitant at first – potentially a front-of-house issue. The room was bustling to begin with, but this band would ensure that it grew even busier still.

Rating: 7/10

UNPROCESSED 

As the modern formula often dictates, UNPROCESSED are a rising tech sensation that have made the swift transition from Facebook to fame. It seems like just yesterday that talismanic guitarist and vocalist Manuel Fernandes was sharing snippets of his signature, techy riffing style in social media’s djent forums. Now, a formidable force in the scene, he stands before us on UK stages, complete with a quartet of bright, sprightly musicians behind him. In short, this was a performance rife with joy and character from start to finish. Each member grinned infectiously as they displayed their craft of bouncy, groovy tech metal with unbridled enthusiasm and watertight precision. Technicality and deftness oozed effortlessly from the trio of stringsman, as the unmistakable clank of David Levy’s Dingwall provided a robust, formidable spine, with impossibly clean tone and mixing to match. However, the defining quality was patently the unbridles energy, and the crowd contrived to meet this with an equal level of effort as the room quickly descended into raptures. UNPROCESSED are fast approaching household name status in the world of tech metal, and this was a performance to justify that ten times over. A clear weekend highlight.

Rating: 10/10

ESCHAR

ESCHAR provide that instrumental goodness that every progressive metal festival needs. Eight minute tracks, ambient riffs and ethereal leads made every head in the room rock back and forth to mutual appreciation and general good vibes. Thick sections of full-band unison and irregular time signatures give the band a TOOL-esque quality, just without the vocals. Without a vocalist to engage with the crowd, some are left a little distracted, though it doesn’t detract from the real musicianship up on stage. Their third album in the works so it’s worth keeping an eye out for it. It’s clever, feel good music – just tonally slow in places.                                 

Rating: 7/10

TOSKA

Local instrumental trio TOSKA have risen to fame and acclaim whilst firmly defying the trends of their sub-genre. Instrumental tech metal has become grossly oversaturated with shred-fest songwriting and ultra-polished production, but this Brighton-based outfit dabble in all of that whilst doing their own thing entirely. This is an instrumental act that pay close attention to riffs and atmosphere with a distinct rock ’n’ roll feel cutting through in frequent intervals, and this translated beautifully as they fulfilled their prestigious second stage headliner slot on Friday night of Radar Festival. Guitar whiz Rabea Massad rattled through riff after riff whilst allowing his energy to convey in equal measure, completing the traditional rock-star effect with grace and ease, whilst bassist Dave Hollingworth and drummer Ben Minal formed a strong backdrop and offered an impressively tight display. With festival fatigue setting in and attendees eagerly awaiting the arrival of MONUMENTS on the Stage 1, TOSKA still packed out the room with ease, the arid heat lingering as scores of fans watched and appreciated. This was clearly a performance to match TOSKA’s ever-increasing status, and one that effortlessly matched the prestigiousness of a headline slot.

Rating: 9/10

Stage 1

VISIONIST

Opening the main stage at any festival is never an easy feat, but progressive metalcore act VISIONIST stepped up to the plate and did so with confidence. A fresh face on the scene, this slot was arguable beyond the quintet’s status, but this fact became immediately redundant as the outfit began to unsheathe their bitingly heavy but delicately expansive sound. Reminiscent of US act metalcore act INVENT, ANIMATE, this was a sound that really flourished during the slow, atmospheric breakdown sections – the synths were allowed to cut through during the rest stops and added a whole new dimension to what may have otherwise been perceived as a run-of-the-mill metalcore approach. The performance was topped off by a strong, confident vocal display from frontman Scott Swinsoe, however a general lack of experience, professionalism and tightness from the entire outfit ultimately let things down slightly. This said, this was a relatively strong showing from a virtually brand new act, kicking things off in style and warming up the crowd for the day to come.

Rating: 7/10

HARBINGER

HARBINGER were next to Stage 1 at Radar Festival and, following their recent release of their album Compelled to Suffer, a really quite hefty audience formed for their set. Being such a friendly band off-stage, it’s probably no surprise that everyone in the crowd seemed to know one another. Despite it only being half two in the afternoon, circle pits erupted in the main room of the Casino nightclub. How else were you going to spend a Friday afternoon? Riffs for days, and as much slamming deathcore as you could possibly want.

Rating: 9/10

POLAR

Whilst not necessarily being the most progressive act on the lineup, POLAR made their presence known in very little time at all. With a set full of material from their most recent album Nova, the group pick up the pace and still had fans screaming the words back to them from the front row; vocalist Adam even ended up on top of the crowd and was carried around the room as far as the cable to his microphone would allow him.

Rating: 8/10

LOATHE

LOATHE are an act that epitomise grass-roots music in the UK. Having made their humble debut just three years ago, the Liverpudlians now very much have the wind in their sales as they persist in grasping the next rung on the ladder with no patience. With this in mind, it came as no surprise to see Radar Festival‘s Stage 1 room explode into chaos as the quintet hit the stage. The setting felt as though it was hand-crafted to this band’s presence, with a gloomy, foggy stage being illuminated only by a brilliant, vermilion red dripping from the overhead LEDs. A clear element of theatre was present as the band morphed into a series of silhouetted abstractions flickering and flitting amongst the lights, a poignantly malignant aura oozing from each member as they proceeded to deliver a moving and flawless display of musicianship. As expected, the performance was without fault instrumentally and tonally, but the vocals proved even more noteworthy than usual; Erik Bickerstaff’s melodic cleans clawed at the heartstrings more than ever, and imperious frontman Kadeem France, amidst relentless dancing and contorting, offered an array of harsh vocals that were vicious like never before. Work has clearly been done in that department. Needless to say, this was a clear weekend highlight, and one that very much tessellated with the prestigious path this outfit appear to be on of late. 

Rating: 10/10

UNEVEN STRUCTURE 

UNEVEN STRUCTURE are one of a handful of acts in the tech scene who simply command respect, and are of a certain status to receive it unconditionally. This was plain to see at Radar Festival, as the band’s performance was met with awe and disbelief up and down the room. As expected, the imposing presence of frontman Matthieu Romarin instantly became the centrepiece, his naturally operatic singing voice soaring up and down, being broken up only by the sporadic use of fiercely delivered low-mid screams. Lone guitarist Igor Omodei proved himself as the band’s other main talisman once again, putting not a single finger out of line as he carried the instrumental content, delivering an impressively broad array of riffing and ambient notation. Surely one of the most anticipated bands on the lineup, the fans certainly weren’t let down by UNEVEN STRUCTURE, with the watertight performance being complimented by a satisfyingly lengthy, varied set. Numbers from 2018’s La Partition appeared to coax the strongest reaction from the die-hards, but for the neutral, this was a set to stand back and simply observe masters at work. Another accomplished showing from the French outfit, and the perfect primer for the day’s headliner.

Rating: 9/10

HEART OF A COWARD 

HEART OF A COWARD are a band that need very little introduction. With well ingratiated vocalist Kaan taking the reins, the metalcore behemoths seemed to stall after the second track. A guitar issue brought the set to a temporary halt that, once fixed, was quickly forgotten, turning the main stage to a sea of jumping bodies, crowd surfers and one of the best comebacks we’ve ever seen from a set. Monstro and Collapse (the latter from their most recent LP The Disconnect) have the best reception of the main set with encores Shade and Deadweight rounding it off to shouts of cooperative profanity. Festivals don’t get much better than this, huh?

Rating: 8/10

MONUMENTS

A band’s frontman is often their focal point and their impetus, and of course, losing this can be critical. However, legendary djent act MONUMENTS seemed to have brushed this aside with not a second thought involved. The recent departure of beloved vocalist Chris Baretto was certainly a sharp blow, but has it prevented them from assertively headlining two festivals and completing  a UK tour in the space of a month? No sir. Stepping in at the last minute, MAKARI’s Andy Cizek has taken on the role as if he was born to do so, proving this in abundance once again as the quintet laid waste to Guilford’s Corner House, rounding off RADAR’s first day in true style. In a nutshell, Cizek was flawless, holding the crowd in the palm of his hand as if nothing had changed, belting every note, sung or screamed, with precision and professionalism, and even embellishing a few parts to add his own, signature spin. To back this up, the rest of the team were of course on dazzling form, with dynamic guitar duo John Browne and Olly Steele displaying precision and energy in equal measure, as bassist Adam Swan and drummer Daniel Lang providing a crisp, robust spine, affirming that each groove and polyrhythm remained militantly on cue. A rich, detailed mix and array of tones ensure the finishing touches were applied to this remarkably successful performance, proving to be the spectacular headline event it promised to be.

Rating: 10/10

Words: Sam Alberti & Rhys Haberfield

Photos: Jorden Mclaughlin

Stay posted to Distorted Sound as we bring you day two of our coverage of Radar Festival very soon!