Review: Butserfest 2016 // Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Petersfield // 10.09.16

A festival reaching 10 years old is a big occasion especially for a small festival, just this summer the critically acclaimed 2000Trees turned 10. Likewise Cardiff’s legendary Swn Festival turns 10 in October. However on a wet rainy Saturday in East Hampshire it was the turn of the UK’s largest alcohol and drug free music festival – Butserfest.

The One Hundred @ Butserfest

In 2006 Butserfest burst on to the scene preaching an alternative music festival for everyone - no drunk boisterousness and nutty youths with pupils so wide they don’t have an iris – but instead a community festival where everyone no matter age, gender or whatever can have a great time. It’s the festival where many 14 year olds have their first mosh pits, 10 year olds come to their first festival and now, with the festival in its 10th year, 20-somethings coming back to relive those glory days.

This year the festival, as usual, had a brilliant line up of up & coming bands in the alternative scene. Celebrating not just breakthrough acts but excellent local ones to. Flashfires – last year’s local introducing stage headliner – opened up the main stage with probably the most indie set of the whole day, bouncy and fun their sound translated brilliantly from the small stage to the large one. The other stand out local band - Our Hollow, Our Home – are almost festival regulars now having played the last 3 years on the trot, working their way further up the bill with each performance. Their hardcore style gracing the main stage for the second year running.

Creeper @ Butserfest

One of the best parts of Butserfest is that bands love it, they come back year after year to play a higher slot as their career progresses. For example last year’s headliners Don Broco first played after the release of their debut album over 3 years before they brought the festival to a close. Likewise with this year’s top two bands Mallory Knox & Young Guns. Both during their sets spoke extremely kindly of Butserfest and the impact it had on their careers. Both bands went on to play incredible sets and both hae albums on the way – certainly ones to look for in the near future.

Possibly the most interesting and anticipated set of the weekend was Creeper. In the midst of an elaborate publicity stunt with clues around the internet it is thought the band are sitting on an album. Not only that but the band are from half an hour down the road and they delivered a storming set to what seemed like a home festival crowd designed for them.

Despite a wet and cold day, the music and atmosphere of Butserfest brought a smile to everyone’s face and on it’s 10th birthday, it truly delivered as a festival.

-Luke

Mallory Knox @ Butserfest

Review: The Qemists // Warrior Sound

The Qemists blend of drum & bass and metal is not something unheard of, but something other bands rarely pull off with the creativity of the group from Brighton. With bands like The Prodigy  and Pendulum floating in the same genre it's difficult to create a sound that doesn't sound like a recreation or rip-off of those bands, but it's something The Qemists don't seem to struggle with.

'Warrior Sound', the follow up to their 2010 record 'Spirit In The System', is a great continuation of their previous work, with some fantastic collaborations and a great blend between synthesized sound and real instruments.

The LP opens with 'Our World' a track which can be seen as an introduction to the album, Ambient yet aggressive it gives you a taste of what's to come. The record then launches into 'Jungle', a collaboration with rap-metal band Hacktivist. 'Jungle' further sets the tone for the album, losing a bit of the ambience and heading in the direction of mixing metal with drum & bass in an aggressive and expressive way.

The Qemists // Warrior Sound

With further collabarations on the album with Kenta Koie of Crossfaith, Charlie Rhymes and Ghetts. The album contains some incredible tunes which dip into mainstream drum & bass while still retaining The Qemists artistic integrity and metal roots.

However, the stand-out song on 'Warrior Sound' is 'Run You'. Sounding as if Enter Shikari had been heavily remixed, it's a song that would bring fans of electronic and post-hardcore metal together. Dance-able but with aggressive vocals and a semi-political lyric: it sums up everything The Qemists stand for in their music.

With a tour of Europe in March supporting Enter Shikari - a show not to miss - swiftly followed by a tour supporting Crossfaith, it's going to be a big few months for the band considering the strength of this latest LP.

The Qemists tour with Enter Shikari around Europe in March

Overall this is a stunning album; exciting and danceable music created by those in a metal background - what's not love.

8/10

-Luke