Page 38 - Black Velvet Issue 86

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HAVOC FESTIVAL – LONDON
TUFNELL PARK DOME, 09.08.15
It’s Sunday the 9th of August, and today is
the day of the highly anticipated first ever
Havoc Festival. Created by the headliners,
Fearless Vampire Killers, they’ve chosen some
of their friends including Allusondrugs, Zoax
and Forever Never to showcase some of the
best arising British rock music. We’re at Tufnell
Park’s The Dome, ready and waiting for the
havoc to begin.
Opening the festival is Manchester four-
piece and competition winners 'Ashes', who,
after conquering three other bands for a spot
at the festival, are keen to prove themselves
to the emerging crowd. They get things off to
a loud and lively start with an array of hard-hit-
ting melodic metalcore tracks. 'Cracks In Your
Halo' and 'Alive' see promising reactions from
the crowd, and the room erupts into cheering
as the band plug their first ever headline show
happening later this year. It's clear to see
Ashes have gained a fair few fans tonight.
Next up is 'Myth City', who introduce them-
selves with “We're Myth City from a land far,
far away and we're here to make some noise!”
We soon find out that the far away land is the
Midlands and the noise is an impressive com-
bination of rap, metal and screamo. We know
frontman Mazzi Maz for having an impressive
700,000 subscribers on YouTube, so we're not
surprised when the size of the crowd doubles.
Maz is a man of many talents, and whether
he's singing, dancing, rapping or screaming
he's damn good at it and we can't keep our
eyes off him. Along with a few new songs the
band play a selection off their self-titled EP, in-
Fearless Vampire Killers
cluding 'The Vendetta' which sees everyone in
the crowd getting off their feet.
Myth City are a tough act to follow, but
Berkshire alternative rockers 'Hindsights' are
Zoax up to the challenge. They shift the atmosphere
from ear-piercing and energetic to hazy and
distorted, and it's a nice change of pace. The
crowd settles into a gentle sway as everyone
enjoys the lush clean guitars and soft, under-
stated vocals. We're aware that the lyrics are
a little sad and self-deprecating, but it only
adds to the unique live experience Hindsights
have created. In fact, we're relishing in the at-
mosphere so much we don't even notice the
faulty guitar that later forces the band to cut the
set short. Hindsights festival appearance may
have been slightly short-lived but we're confi-
dent that the band left a lasting impression on
everyone in the room.
Essex based rock group Villains are up
next, and they come out onto the stage with all
guns blazing. Playing a selection of catchy, up-
beat rock anthems, Villains have no problem
encompassing the crowd. Frontman Renz is
especially impressive; he clearly has a knack
for controlling a crowd and his mellifluous vo-
cals range from silky smooth to full tilt shout.
Villains play with great energy and feeling, but
we're concerned that despite their obvious tal-
ent they will stand in the shadow of the other
bands on the bill tonight.
British newcomers Allusondrugs have
been making waves in the UK rock scene
since their appearance at Download Festival
earlier this year. Their onstage energy is tan-
gible and the band really lose themselves in
the moment as they play their biggest hits to
date like 'Am I Weird?' and 'I Should Have
Gone To Uni'. We overhear an audience mem-
ber compare lead vocalist Jason Moules to
Kurt Cobain, and we can't deny the accuracy

CONCERTS