THROWFEST | LIVE REVIEW
Clwb Ifor Bach / Fuel, Cardiff, Sun 21 Aug
In south Wales, where daily drizzle is considered the British summertime, it’s only fitting for light rain and grey skies to appear for the 2016 Cardiff edition of Throwfest. This alldayer may still be in its adolescence, but this year’s immense line-up – relocated to Cardiff from Hobos in Bridgend – established that those behind the helm knew exactly what was needed.
The bands selected were not for the faint of heart. With the proverbial opening ribbon slashed by the powerful Belial and Grove Street Families, local lads When We Were Wolves took to the platform next and fired off a taste of South Wales metal with a front man of unwavering intensity, locking eyes with fans and raising neck hairs with each shriek.
A short walk across the street was a collection of lighter artists handpicked for Fuel. Regardless of horrid stage lighting, the incessant chug chop was replaced by a quirky three-piece named Junior. Their textbook pop-punk flamboyance and the lack of moshpit immediacy gave attendees a chance to stray from the harder, more metallic fodder, while retaining the energetic performances.
Tim ‘the tank’ of Boston’s Cold Hard Truth is certainly not a man you would want to meet in a hardcore pit skirmish, judging from his stage presence and physique. Their brutal testosterone-infused hardcore brought about a wave of revellers with no other desire than to throw fists and feet from one wall to another, taking down anyone in their path. Bruised and battered, the onlookers held their ground until Feed Her To The Sharks’ talented guitarists opened with The World Is Yours. Striking a chord with the front row, half hearted attempts were still made to incite (grabbing little result), but as their unrelenting set continued, the spirited Australians managed to persuade more numbers to join the centre’s bumps and bashes.
In came Continents [left] in their usual hit-hard-and-fast manner as the late afternoon cast settled over the city. Storming through their material, the Welsh quartet made the venue their own as they firmly gripped their audience’s attention with a gritty demeanour, punchy riffs and skin-slapping beats. Concluding on a stage invasion and Pegasus Pegasus, a faulty microphone connection couldn’t hinder their frontman’s fiery conduct.
The Browning were one of many highly anticipated acts on the roster. An unusual American mix of unforgiving techno and merciless breakdowns, the four-piece took on the shape of a L’Oreal advertisement, with front man Jonny Mcbee’s long black hair cascading through the sweat-soaked air along with the immense cluster of guitar notes emanating from Brian Moore’s Legator.
Sean Midson let loose his nail scratched screams as Create To Inspire bopped and bounced in underneath the florescent spotlights after a hasty stage change-up. Servings of colossal hardcore courses brought in men and women until their followers were sandwiched together like a well-known sardine metaphor.
Emp!re may have been one of the highlights of the day, regardless of their poor turnout. Strutting the floorboards and blowing the cobwebs away with his amazing vocal reach, their entertaining frontman beguiled the crowd with comparisons of Bad Sign’s Joe Appleford to an Amish kingpin and the group’s excitement for being back in the Welsh capital.
Evening beckoned in the headliners, and the final act on everyone’s lips. I Killed The Prom Queen [above] walked out and burst straight into their furious brand of metalcore. Mammoth tracks Sharks In Your Mouth and Thirty One & Sevens gave the exhausted spectators something to really dish out the remainder of their energy to, before guitarist/singer Jona weinhofen made a warm statement on the untimely death of Architects guitarist, Tom Searle. Concluding on the appropriate Say Goodbye, the entourage gave it their all as the club floor was pounded into submission and the band themselves remained as energetic as they had from the offset. A pertinent conclusion to 10-odd hours of solid rock that would have left any uninitiated citizen in a state of deafened shock.
words and photos NATHAN ROACH