Eager to build on the momentum (and success) of round one, Ripcord Fest is back! It seems like this will be a biannual event going forward which means twice the bands, twice the fun and twice the ringing ears per annum. Embracing not only the ethos of the first festival but also of the label as a whole, it’s a celebration of the UK’s fertile underground scene with a marked focused on post-metal, post-rock and math-rock. Needless to say, it’s also a doozy.
Unsurprisingly for anyone who managed to make it to March’s sold-out day, fans of instrumental heaviness are going to be well catered for. Having just dropped one of the year’s finest debut records, Dutch Elm will be worth getting there early for – their intricate take on post-rock owing as much to Don Caballero’s more introspective moments as they do the usual suspects. It’s music to get lost in, to dance like an idiot to, and there’s a good chance that they will be at least someone’s band of the day.
Although something of a new face around the UK’s burgeoning post-metal scene, things have been going bloody brilliantly for Norwich 4-piece Koba. Between slots at Bloodstock, winning East Anglia’s Metal To The Masses last year and touring with the likes of The Grey, they’ve been speedrunning the ‘be a post-metal superstar’ route. With this marking their first appearance in Glasgow, it might be your best chance to catch them at their most intimate.
Speaking of The Grey, they’re only going to go and be there as well, aren’t they? There probably aren’t many visitors to this site who don’t know them either by reputation, through one of their countless live shows or on the strength of last year’s incredible album KODOK, but for anyone not in the know, expect something that truly pushes the boundaries of instrumental rock. Intricate, punishingly heavy and toe tappingly insistent in equal measure, they have a sound that is something short of towering, so squeezed into such tight confines they are likely going to bring the roof down.
For anyone looking for something a bit more expansive without necessarily blowing their ears off, the return of Kusanagi will be just the thing. They excel in sprawling soundscapes, spry melodies and have a grasp of sonic dynamics that would make an audiologist raise an eyebrow, making them one of the day’s most exciting prospects. They’ve also shared the stage with two of the first of Ripcord Fest’s most well-received artists, namely Million Moons and Civil Service, so they’re a must-see for anyone looking for a band to take you to another world for half an hour.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a true celebration of Britain’s best and brightest without at least a couple of local titans, and Void Of Light are the perfect fit for today’s emphasis on atmosphere and amplification. Their latest full-length Asymmetries is almost guaranteed to be on plenty of ‘Album of the Year’ lists, its balance of punishing sludge metal, driving melody and atmospheric gloom making for a listen that demands 100% attention, and it’s fair to say that the thought of them bringing that to the stage has some folks salivating.
Also from north of the border are Kakihara, who will probably be delivering nothing short of utter devastation. Their take on hardcore hits that sweet spot between chaos and genius, a frenzied blur of aggression and technical brilliance, and if you’re looking to get beaten vigorously around the head by riffs that might have come from a belligerent math professor’s tortured subconscious, they are unmissable.
Dialling up the (emotional) heaviness even further will be Manc post-something darlings Pleiades, another band making their first visit to Glasgow. If ‘post-something’ seems like a bit of a glib description, it’ll make a lot more sense after giving them a few listens. Raucous screamo, subtly interweaving melodies, and emotional songwriting that wears its bleeding heart on its sleeve are all thrown into the mix to create something life-affirming and starkly honest. If you’ve ever wanted to watch a band pour their souls out for your listening pleasure, Pleiades will be your band du jour.
In a bittersweet turn of events, it looks like Ripcord Fest will be one of the last chances to catch Hidden Mothers in their full glory, given that it will be their penultimate show with bassist and vocalist Liam Knowles before he heads off to pastures new. The past year or two saw them become one of the UK’s most celebrated underground talents, with Damnation Festival audiences practically begging for them to be added to the bill, so seeing them back in Nice N Sleazy’s heated, sweaty confines will be a moment to treasure. Come for the sheer cathartic bliss of it all, stay for a masterclass in post-metal, post-hardcore, and music to make your heart sing.
Last, and by absolutely no stretch of the imagination least, are Mastiff. Another band who will need little introduction, they’ve been plying their brand of heaviness for well over a decade and in that time they’ve churned out four albums of ugly, nihilistic and straight-up punishing sludge/hardcore, wrecking minds and eardrums as they go. Following on from last year’s short and sour For All The Dead Dreams EP, they’ll be closing out the festival with a barrage of ten-tone riffage and unfiltered negativity. You might not be left smiling at the end of it, but you’ll almost certainly be satisfied.
So, there you have it. Nine bands, nine brilliant takes on heaviness that are guaranteed to hit that special sweet spot for pretty much anyone with ears. Given that the first edition sold out well in advance, it will be worth grabbing your tickets now; if March was any indication, this could be a highlight of the gig-going year.
