The first weekend of May witnessed the inaugural edition of Temples Festival. And with such a colossal line up on offer, a small gaggle of Echoes and Dust writers made the pilgrimage down to Bristol to worship at this altar of riff. Here are their various thoughts.
“We're expecting you”
A constant refrain used by the Francis Mace and his fellow crack team of festival organisers when promoting themselves and making announcements. And with good reason too, as the inaugural edition of Temples Festival proved to be an absolute monster of the celebration of all things RIFF.
Although classed as an indoor festival, Temples feels like an outdoor one. Upon entering Motion, you are greeted with an outdoor courtyard, complete with toilets, bars, food stands and benches. From the off, there was an excited crowd causing an intense atmosphere.
The venue itself comprised of a moderately sized warehouse split into three sections. Section one (and entrance) included merch stands before leading into the large Stage One which, in turn, lead into the smaller Stage Two. Behind this is another outdoor area. Although appearing convoluted at first, it actually transpires you were no more than five seconds from the ‘action’ at any point.
There was grumblings about the beer (which was out of the festivals hands this year), but I was quite happy with a choice of Boddingtons, Smiths and Guinness, as opposed to the standard rubbish like Turborg or Carling (although there was a vending machine selling Skol lager!)
So with a lineup as awesome as this, it was Welsh doomsters Spider Kitten who were given the honor of opening the show on the main stage. They did in a suitably loud and crushing style. They were immediately followed on stage two by rising death metal starlets Flayed Disciple who rip through their allocation of time in a blazing fury.
The sound quality and volume levels were already evidently fantastic quality, which, for a diverse line up with short-ish change overs, is an impressive feat.
So not a bad start at all! Now, I did have a plan to watch all 46 bands on the line up but a curse/blessing (delete as see fit) of the outdoor areas not having visibility of the bands and the festival in general was just how bloody lovely everyone in attendance was to talk too. So a ‘brief’ chat with someone turns into an hour, and you realise you’ve missed two bands…In the end I managed about 28! (See Kat’s post).
With the limited entrances there were, of course, minor navigation issues. But once I had got used to the general flow of the crowd I was able to find my way easily. Also, Francis and company responded quickly to resolve any major issues, ensuring no potential flare-ups.
With a line up on paper that was already quality, backed up the never ending epic live sets, it took something special to truly stand out at Temples Festival. On Friday, my personal highlight and new discovery was the phenomenally heavy filthy sludge RIFFathon that was Jucifer!, who for just a two piece totally own the stage with sheer presence sonic intensity. And this was with the guaranteed winners Anaal Nathrakh and Electric Wizard following them.
The festival’s agenda from the outset was to deliver a “well-programmed, independent, diverse, and specialist heavy music event” and with day two’s main stage line up they nailed this down to a tee. The line up escalated in intensity and crushing riffs: Bossk into Conan into A Storm Of Light into Amenra into Neurosis. This is a line-up that should come with a health warning and actually did with promises/warnings of “Extreme Noise Levels” (or even “Louder than your mums hairdryer” being my favorite). They certainly weren’t wrong with Conan living up to reputation, A Storm Of Light disappointingly blunted by suspect sound (although other people disagreed) but Amenra once again delivered mind bending brutality (and one of the few bands to fully utilize the projection screen). Even Neurosis finally lived up to reputation with an epic two hour set (I’ve always felt underwhelmed by them in the past).
That said, once again it was a band I had not heard off previously who stole the show. Planted in the middle of the above bands was the Post/ Black Metal assault of Tombs who were just phenomenal!
Oh and while all this was going on in Stage One, Stage Two treated us to a barrage of d-beat crust punk with the likes of Doom and Wolfbrigade causing serious mayhem.
Day 3 began with what felt like a collective crowd bangover. Initially, lower numbers and audience indifference greeted the opening salvo’s of Lionize and Human Cull, who still put in sterling sets of blues rock and grindcore respectively.
The atmosphere picked up again with Beastmilk’s enjoyable brand of new wave post punk. They absolutely packed the second stage and for good reason. But it was Oathbreaker who really cranked up the intensity with their furious blackened hardcore. Front woman Caro Tanghe’s demonic shrieks gave me the feeling I had angered a god (in the best possible way). However, this was nothing compared to Dragged In Sunlight, who’s black metal assault sounded like pure thunder and appeared as a lightning storm through an impenetrable wall of smoke and strobes.
Repulsions blend of old school death metal and grindcore was brilliant fun, despite a few technical hiccups. It paved the way perfectly for Marylands finest groove monsters Clutch to close out the festival with typical simplistic brilliance - who needs stage shows or gimmicks when you have four amazing musicians owning the stage like gods and blasting out epic tunes such as ‘Pure Rock Fury’ ‘Mob Goes Wild’ ‘Cypress Grove’ and ‘Electric Worry’ to name just a tip of the highlights.
And with that spring in our steps, it was one final mission to the after show party to dance and sing the night away to metal anthems.
Good times! And 2015 dates have already been confirmed for 22nd – 25th May. So stick them in your diary because if they somehow manage to top 2014 it will be something incredible.
Considering how I felt prior to the event, Temples Festival was the most fun I've had in a bloody long time. If not, EVER!
Festivals on the whole “aren’t my bag”, especially after having experienced the cattle market of stayed and standard metal acts that is Download, and the judge-athon of cliquey wankers in bobble hats at Hevy Fest. Much more so than the music, it seems to be the people that throw me off what initially seems like a brilliant idea. However, Temples had the music and the people to boot! Not only was every band on the line up well worth seeing (well, almost), but the people it attracted are the most friendly, chilled out, vibrant people I’ve ever had the pleasure of sharing an old warehouse with for three days.
Contrary to everyone else’s opinion it seems, I thought the sound was nigh on PERFECT all weekend. I’m a huge stickler for sound, especially now that I wear decent earplugs to every show I go to. You can’t imagine how happy I was to be able to actually hear a guitar for a change, and it not just sound like a constant, vaguely shifting hum of bass. It was also quite rare for one band to majorly overlap another, and it all ran incredibly on-time which was a feat in itself.
I booked a weekend ticket on the back of knowing and loving only 11 bands on the line up, and pretty much all the rest of them have been on my ‘to listen to’ lists at some point or another. I took a bit of a calculated risk in not checking out most of the bands beforehand, and I’ve gotta say, I wasn’t disappointed one single bit. Maybe there were a few vocals I wasn’t wholly taken aback by, or some riffs that sound a little too familiar, but nothing that really made me go ‘Eurgh, what a crock of shite!’ like usual (although I just couldn’t dig Brutal Truth or Beastmilk, sorry guys!) I think my “new-finds-of-the-weekend” have to be Winterfylleth, <CODE>, Conan, Black Moth, Gehenna, Jucifer and Tombs, all of whom blew me away.
I’m forcing myself to admit that I wasn’t so impressed by ‘the Wiz’ (as I’ve been calling them all weekend) and I think there was a momentary lapse in sound for Anaal Nathrakh, but I can’t say I was really disappointed, more just wishing it could’ve been a tad better. Oh, and as much as I love Neurosis, and unexpected 2 hour long set wasn’t majorly appreciated as it may have fused at least 2 of my vertebrae together permanently… But the ‘band of the weekend’ award goes to Amenra hands down, with Doomriders coming in a very close second.
Unfortunately I missed a few bands, but in that time I was meeting some amazing people and making some really great friends. It was also a bit of a surprise as to how many fellow E&D scribblers were there- I can now confirm that Andrew will talk to anyone or anything as long as it stays still long enough, Owens really, really does love Dragged Into Sunlight, Ross and Steff are the two best people I’ve ever met in my entire life (I can’t express this enough), and Collins is a musical/social juggernaut and an utter legend! It’s not often I go to shows where the vibe is so relaxed and friendly that you’re really not fussed about missing a band or two here and there just to chat (often utter bollocks or pulled pork puns).
All in all, I don’t feel like there were any major flops that weren’t dealt with the best they could (like the catering issues and one way system). In fact, if the whole ‘bring your own food’ thing could remain a thing for next year, I’ll be happy as Larry! The venue’s staff were friendly and accommodating, and the security was pretty damn good- no rough handling and they seemed a friendly bunch. I think my only gripe is not having the cash to buy the entire Amenra discography (probably for the best, as I’m now utterly broke).
I can’t wait to see who Francis gets for next year (Torche, Baroness or Russian Circles wouldn’t go amiss *wink wink nudge nudge* just saying…) Some more of my favourite bands, or a bunch I’ve still not got round to listening to. Either way, I’ll be back to terrorise Bristol with my frankly bizarre conversational skills.
Here's to the weather and a line up next year that can rival this year's! *bumps plastic cup of tap water to your choice of canned beverage*
When Temples Festival was announced back in June last year, no-one was prepared for how it would capture the attention of heavy music fans from all over the UK, and even the world. Promoter Francis Mace had already proved his pedigree with years of successful shows and tours, bringing some of the biggest names in metal and hardcore to Bristol and beyond. But it wasn't until he announced the first Temples headliner as the legendary Neurosis that everyone realised the scope of what he was aiming for. That's when folks really started paying attention.
Months of anticipation followed as each announcement heightened the excitement. Electric Wizard, Repulsion, Doom, Dragged Into Sunlight, Clutch, Amenra. The big names just kept coming, alongside some of the finest emerging bands: Beastmilk, War Wolf, Satan's Satyrs. By the time the loyal patrons, whether from just down the street or across the ocean, descended on Bristol, the excitement was palpable. Walking through the gates of the Motion warehouse, the early birds were greeted by Francis himself taking tickets and handing out wristbands, because clearly the man hadn't worked hard enough already.
It was that kind of grassroots effort and enthusiasm, from both promoters and patrons alike that ensured the best overall vibe of any festival I've ever attended. Everyone I met that weekend (and there were a lot of you, including my fellow Echoes & Dust contributors and new bffs Kat, Andrew and the two Richards) looked like they were having the time of their fucking lives, whether watching the bands, hanging around outside the venue chatting, or just wandering around Bristol in the sun. I've never felt such a community spirit at a festival before, and the "this fucking rules, eh?" smiles exchanged between attendees said it all.
The good vibes extended to the stage, with many bands remarking at how awesome the crowd was in more than just the typical "Scream for me Brazil!" way, with many looking genuinely taken aback at the overwhelmingly positive response they received, as well as all taking the effort to thank the organisers themselves.
In terms of what matters most at music festivals (the music, in case I was maybe not mentioning that enough), there wasn't a bad band on the line up, and even bands I'd previously given short shrift managed to impress me. Satan's Satyrs had me shaking my ass and wishing I owned a pair of bell bottoms and an MC5 shirt, Beastmilk cemented their reputation as the catchiest post-punk revivalists currently going, and while I personally still may not quite get Neurosis, the sight of many a fan on the verge of either tears or a fistfight conveyed a little of what makes them so revered.
Back-to-back sets from Witchsorrow, Moss, Blood Ceremony and Electric Wizard might sound like too much doom for your dollar, even for me, but incredible performances from each band managed to hold the attention of even the grindcore contingent, who also went apeshit to blistering sets from genre pioneers Repulsion and Brutal Truth. The final day was the most diverse, as you could invite pit annihilation to the strains of Dragged Into Sunlight, then go dance around like a lunatic to cowbell solos during the closing set from Clutch. Each and every band played the sort of show that can easily be talked about in such reverent tones as "I was there for their Temples gig..." and be met with utter jealousy.
Special mention goes to the mighty Jucifer, who easily played my favourite set of the weekend. Guitarist Amber Valentine and drummer Edgar Livengood played with telepathic tightness and such intense passion for what they do that many attendees unfamiliar with their unique brand of blackened-grind-sludge-death-gaze were left slack-jawed by the end of their set. Literally, I had two guys come over to me blinking, and ask "Who the fuck was that mate? Jucifer!? Fuck me, I've never seen anything like that!". And you can believe it, the sight of Edgar playing drums is something that cannot be put into words; I've simply never seen anyone look so ecstatic just to be hitting things hard. That they flew over not only to play this single show, but to hang out for the weekend as attendees is testament to how good the inaugural edition of Temples Festival really was.
Roll on Temples 2015.
