UK Tech-Fest 2023

All good things inevitably come to an end, sometimes it happens unexpectedly and too soon. UK Tech-Fest has run its course and in 2023 the 10^th edition of the festival saw its swansong. This small niche event has achieved near legendary status over the last decade and will be missed by many. The reasons for its demise are numerous and, in some cases, personal for the main organiser Simon Garrod. I have no doubt (and sincerely hope) that everyone respects his decision. Other smaller events under the Tech-Fest banner will continue, but it remains in the lap of the gods whether the main festival will ever return in the same form.

The unrivalled value for money in this final year offered up 64 bands over the four days plus workshops and after parties. As usual, there were no clashes between the two main stages so theoretically it would have been possible to see every band. That would however require a huge feat of stamina. Fortunately, there was enough variety in the lineup to still get your money’s worth whatever your tastes. I managed to see part of, and in some cases all of, 50 performances and photograph 49 of them, which is more than any previous year. Three workshops were also taken in over the weekend and plenty of quality time was spent with friends.

Day 1

Determined to catch as much of the festival as possible, we arrived in plenty of time for the first act of the weekend. Before that though, we enjoyed coffees from Smokey Tentacles who had made a welcome return after several years’ absence. Suitably relaxed, and armed with an assortment of Europeans for company, we embarked on the marathon that is Tech-Fest for the last time.

The festival kicked off with some post metal from Itself Timeless on the second stage. Immediately over on the main stage To Obey a Tyrant delivered 30 minutes of blackened deathcore. Lost to Light came next on the small stage performing a powerful set of metalcore songs. The six-piece band from Derby is made up of members of Sworn Amongst, Laguna Sunrise, The Cartographer & Skies in Motion. Taking things up to the two-hour mark Bristol based Chaos Sequence pummelled those in attendance with a bruising heavy set.

Itself Timeless

To Obey a Tyrant

Lost to Light

Chaos Sequence

These first few bands that play on the opening day, do so to a small crowd of committed fans who have arrived early enough. Nevertheless, they were all obviously grateful to be playing and each performed as if to a full house. Every band went down well and perhaps that was helped by attendees wanting to make the most of this last festival.

It must be said that some bands on the bill barely qualify as “Tech,” but The Parallax Method definitely do. They could be likened to The Aristocrats and other similar bands. By the time the Midlands-based instrumental trio hit the stage, audience numbers had begun to increase. The campsite was filling up and the Tech-Fest vibe was building. Now it was a few hours in, and the bands kept coming. Next up on the main stage were Brighton based progressive metal band Glass Grave who released a single recently entitled “Crosshairs.” I’m guessing that they played the song during their 30-minute set.

The Parallax Method

Glass Grave

The four days were dotted with bands that for me stood out. One such band were Netherhall from Birmingham who brought a mellower set and a little respite from the so far mostly continual onslaught. Songs from their latest album ‘Process’ such as ‘The Needle’ were well received. Their performance was one of the more enjoyable and therefore memorable of the festival.

Netherhall

From here on in the day was heavier starting with hardcore band Starved on the main stage who I am afraid were not to my taste. Following this From Eden to Exile subjected the audience to a brutal and aggressive set on the small stage. So far, the sound on the second stage was proving better than the main stage.

Starved

From Eden to Exile

By now numbers had swelled and the main hall was almost full for the next, highly anticipated band. Milk & Two Shuggahs claim to be the world’s only Meshuggah tribute band. As I am not remarkably familiar with Meshuggah songs I cannot say whether it was good or not. Judging by the reaction of the crowd though I would say the former is true. What is also true, is that as far as I know, M&TS are the only tribute band to ever grace the main stage at Tech-Fest.

Milk & Two Shuggahs

The only band I missed entirely was Indevth due to requiring a break and refreshments, so apologies to them. Having refuelled it was back into the fray for Arcaeon. This band are tech-metal personified, with the two-guitar attack from Sam Machin and Rhys Thomas backed up by Eifion Sweet on bass. They have been regular performers at the festival and are extremely popular. It is easy to see why.

Arcaeon

Also returning and on the second stage, The Human Veil delivered a blistering metalcore set to an eager crowd. Then on the main stage, describing themselves as nu metalcore, Black Coast from Stoke-on–Trent gave us their version of the genre.

The Human Veil

Black Coast

Elevated to second stage headliners Mexican progressive metal outfit Anima Tempo were another returning band. They have acquired an extra member since their appearance last year. Turns out it is former growler Daniel González who rejoined the band in 2022. The performance was stunning as expected and received a rapturous reception.

Anima Tempo

Thursday headliners Harbinger from London play under a mouthful of mixed subgenres – technical melodic death metal/metalcore. As usual for the headliners, the stage was full of smoke and backlit. Consequently, the band were mostly viewed as silhouettes. No doubt they were buoyed by their Faces of Death tour with Rivers of Nihil and others in late 2022. This was evident as they put in a confident performance to round off the first day nicely.

Harbinger

Day 2

Living incredibly close to Newark showground has been a great advantage for us over the years for attending Tech-Fest. It has allowed us to travel in each day and return home each night. Joining us at the main entrance on Friday morning was a fresh influx of arrivals sporting their camping gear. On the campsite itself groups of friends were easing themselves into the second day. Some of them had no doubt partied into the small hours.

At 12.00 pm this tranquil scene was disturbed as hardcore/metal crossover band Cavekiller from Nottingham laid waste. Next, opening the main stage for the day came Derby based The Cartographer. They played here back in 2018 but I cannot remember them, so I made a point of catching them this time. I am so glad I did, because these guys were one of the highlights of the day. Their appearance also coincided with the release of their new EP ‘The Cold Black.’

Cavekiller

The Cartographer

After more hardcore stuff from Glower on the second stage, the day took a different direction. Over on the third stage the first of the workshops was taking place. Entitled “Navigating sobriety in the music business” it was a heart on sleeve talk from Novena guitarist Harrison White. We managed to get a seat but for others it was standing room only. Harrison is a popular bloke and everyone who attended this was there to support him.

Glower

This meant missing two bands on the other stages, so apologies to Creak and Basement Torture Killings. It was well worth it though, as Harrison pulled no punches. He spoke of his never-ending desire to be the class clown. How that led to various addictions, attempted suicide, and how he deals with it now. It was emotional and at the end he accepted questions from some of those present.

What an enjoyable day it was turning out to be and there was plenty more to come. The main stage 2.30 pm slot produced another pleasant surprise. Italian band Despite Exile are post deathcore which does not instantly excite me much. However, in their own words they blend technicality and fast riffs with epic melodies, and I can vouch for that. There are usually a few bands that our group of attending friends agree on, and this band was one of those.

Despite Exile

Moving on, we got djenty metalcore from InRetrospect followed by a furious set from Cage Fight. The London based band features guitarist James Monteith of TesseracT and French singer Rachel Aspe formerly of the band Eths. In the last of the half-hour sets for the day Forlorn gave us an interesting blend of folk horror and pagan metal. This London based band describe their music as ‘Midsommar metal’. Lead singer Megan wears a pagan type of crown adding to the overall effect, the rest of the band do not.

InRetrospect

Cage Fight

Forlorn

Perhaps holding the record for the most appearances at Tech-Fest, Exist Immortal are always a welcome addition to the line-up. They are consistently a great live band, even when the sound is not perfect. Everyone automatically blames the guy behind the mixing desk but take into consideration the acoustic properties of these halls. I doubt they were designed with loud music in mind. Anyway, EXIM nailed it as usual.

Exist Immortal

It was now down to the remaining acts of the day to show their mettle (excuse the pun) and equal or better that performance. Some came close but none succeeded. That is just my opinion, but others will disagree, and these things are always subjective. Everyone likes different genres/subgenres and there was a selection of these yet to play.

Of the last six bands of the day, I saw five (sorry Crepitation, but a man’s got to eat at some point). Those five surprised me in one way or another, some the opposite of what I expected. Originally a thrash metal band, these days Sworn Amongst are more metalcore which I prefer. I enjoyed them and they got a good response from a packed room.

Sworn Amongst

My previous experience of Rugby based Conjuror was not favourable. I decided to give them another chance, and I am glad I did. I do not know what it is, perhaps they have evolved, but the Tech-Fest effect struck again. We stayed in for the full set, which surprised me and my opinion of them has changed for the better.

Conjuror

For the next band on the main stage, it was a different story. When Hacktivist played the festival in 2022, I remember quite enjoying them. This time I did not, maybe I was just not in the mood for rap metal this year. Oh well you win some, you lose some.

Hacktivist

So, time for the day’s headliners and on the second stage taking the penultimate slot were Nottingham’s The Five Hundred. Having seen them several times, they are a band that have not disappointed, and that was the case this time. The only thing I thought was a bit disappointing was the visual side of the performance. Unlike last year when they played the main stage, they seemed cramped on the smaller stage. Also, either someone had pressed the wrong button on the lighting desk, or the band had opted to play in the dark. Anyway, slight moan over, I have not finished with this band, I would love to see them again sometime.

The Five Hundred

To finish the day off, a band who over the years have slowly moved up the running order. Due to the original headliners Suffocation dropping out, Loathe found themselves in the top slot. Since I first saw this band from Liverpool back in 2016, they have come on in leaps and bounds. They are really making a name for themselves and proved to be worthy headliners. I would say they were one of the standout acts of the festival.

An amazing two days had passed, and although we were halfway through, there was plenty of great stuff awaiting us.

Day 3

For me, on paper, Saturday’s line-up was the least appealing of the four days, but surprises lay ahead. I managed to somehow miss the first band so apologies to Sawrm6ix. It was wet and windy, and we took shelter in Smokey Tentacles. Whilst buying coffees we got into conversation with festival organiser Simon and Meyrick De La Fuente from Exist Immortal.

So, the first band of the day for us was Manchester progressive metal outfit Blind Summit. A pleasant start with sweet clean vocals from Alexandra ‘Ali’ Angelini. After that mellow introduction to the day the opposite followed over on the second stage. Draconian Reign brought dark symphonic deathcore upon us. It is a bit of an acquired taste for some if you ask me, but they are decent musicians.

Blind Summit

Draconian Reign

In Fear describe their music as ferocious metal. If I had to hazard a guess at the style, I would say experimental/slam/metalcore. It is an interesting mix of stuff anyway. The same could be said of Welsh band Rosen Bridge, although they are more progressive and not so ferocious. It was turning out to be an engaging and varied day after all.

In Fear

Rosen Bridge

Over on the main stage things got really heavy. Manchester based experimental deathcore band Monasteries describe their music as chaotic, schizophrenic, and heavy. This sort of stuff is great live, and this turned out to be one of my highlights of the day. Over on the second stage the next band were another high point of the day. Completely diametric to what had just occurred on the main stage, Azure calmed things down with a set of melodic progressive rock/metal. The talents of guitarist Galen Stapley cannot be understated. To be as good as he is at such a youthful age can only mean he is destined for a great future.

Monasteries

Azure

The last band we saw before we took a break was Vexed, one of the UK’s hottest outfits. Their vocalist Megan Targett is a great asset, delivering soaring cleans and low growls. We then decided to take in another workshop, so headed over to the third stage. What followed was a complete change of plan. We were expecting to see a talk by the manager of the Hairy Dog, a music venue in Derby. When we arrived at the allotted time, the door was shut and there was no sign of anything happening. I’m not sure what happened there.

Vexed

After a quick chat with Rhys Thomas of Arcaeon we decided to catch their workshop session which was next on that stage. While we waited for that we retired to Smokey Tentacles for a coffee. The only available seats were at a table occupied by Harrison White who was more than happy for us to sit with him. A pleasant conversation followed and soon after we were joined by Galen Stapley. It was typical of the sort of thing that happened at the friendly little festival that was Tech-Fest.

The masterclass by the guitarists and bassist from Arcaeon was well worth the wait. They played instrumental versions of a few tracks and fielded questions. By now we had been away from the main arenas for a long time. It was time to return as we had already missed four bands.

We finished the day off by watching two more bands in full. The first of these was Leeds based post metal band Hundred Year Old Man (HYOM) who played the second stage to a packed hall and went down very well. Again, the lighting left a bit to be desired, but the crowd did not seem to mind at all.

Hundred Year Old Man

I was a little unsure about Aborted, death metal can be messy if not in the right hands. Fortunately, these Belgians are spot on. They were tight, intricate, and powerful, so my fears were unfounded, and they became my band of the day. They are a multinational outfit these days with vocalist Sven de Caluwé being the only original member. We left after their set as we had other commitments, unfortunately missing the two headliners, Bound in Fear and Chelsea Grin. For us though Aborted were an excellent finish to the day.

Aborted

Day 4

And so, the final day of the final Tech-Fest had arrived. The rain had disappeared, but the wind prevailed causing minor havoc for those camping and the vendors. I had a packed schedule so after the customary coffee it was off to see the first band of the day. Blending melody with brutality Derby based band From Her Ashes got the day off to a fine start to a decent sized audience. Vocalist Joe Gunn ventured into the crowd, geeing them up and even introducing his wife/partner and baby who were there at the side.

From Her Ashes

Opening the main stage for the last time, Pulse delivered a dose of metalcore that served to blow away any remaining cobwebs. Next, over in the second hall vocalist Danny Thurston of Cambridge band Akkadian screamed and cavorted around the small stage. The band played a tight set of groove/psychedelic metal, and the audience lapped it up. I had planned six bands before a break so three down and three to go.

Pulse

Akkadian

Happening young band Defences from London have a two-pronged vocal attack. Up front, the clean vocals are handled by Cherry Duesbury who is aided in the screams department by William Alex Young. Their enjoyable style is alternative/new metalcore or thereabouts. Swedish progressive rock band Karmanjakah brought a more serene collection of songs with them. Those of us who watched their performance witnessed one of the mellowest sets of the weekend. Back over on the main stage, Graphic Nature apparently did not have time to take their raincoats off before going on stage. Joking aside, they are a great band who played a killer set. This made a suitable point to take a break.

Defences

Karmanjakah

Graphic Nature

Having missed seven bands on Saturday I was keen to not miss as many on the last day and so far I had only missed On Hollow Ground. It was going to prove difficult as there was something special happening on stage 3 later. But next on the main stage, one of my highlights of the day (and festival), from the Michigan metalcore scene, Of Virtue. A more accurate description of them would be melodic metalcore. There is more to them than that though, and I think they might qualify as the most accessible band of the festival. I will be investing in some merchandise from them, make no mistake.

Of Virtue

Over on the second stage and almost as accessible, Budapest based post-hardcore band Shell Beach put in a spirited performance. Tech-Fest has always been known for introducing the unusual. A much-anticipated band from Japan was next up on the main stage. Paledusk play progressive metalcore, but when you lift the lid, you get the craziest chaotic mixture of stuff you can imagine. It is heavy, no doubt about that, but it is the complexity that is challenging. Try to get your head around the time changes, breakdowns and electronic snippets that sound like bits from a computer game. I think they are a love them or hate them type of band, I‘ve yet to make my mind up.

Shell Beach

Paledusk

The special workshop previously mentioned was held by Per Nilsson of Scar Symmetry. It involved Per playing some stuff, a question-and-answer session, and a guitar battle. For the first time of the weekend, I was faced with a clash. I wanted to catch Invisions, so part way into Per’s session I nipped across to the main stage. The band from Hull were as I hoped, tight melodic metalcore, just how I like it. I stayed for a couple of numbers and took some photos before returning to stage 3.

Invisions

The part of Per’s workshop that was unique involved 5 shredders hand-picked by Simon. Each guitarist was tasked with playing a solo to three tracks from the new Scar Symmetry album ‘The Singularity (Phase II – Xenotaph).’ The talented bunch that Simon chose were as follows: Joseph Taylor and Richard Barnes of Pravitas/Milk & Two Shuggahs, Sam Machin of Arcaeon, Rowan Bradbury-Eason of Lost in Lavender Town and finally Galen Stapley of Azure.

 It was jaw-droppingly spectacular and fortunately you can witness it too. Per asked several people in the audience to record it on their phones. Courtesy of Paul Owen this phenomenal event is available to watch on YouTube.

All this meant missing two bands, Where Oceans Burn and Mastiff which was unfortunate but unavoidable. By now the sun was setting on the day and the festival, the cockchafer beetles were coming out and there were just three bands left. Second to last on the main stage more metalcore was in store, of which there seems to have been plenty over the four days. This time it was professionally delivered by Birmingham based Oceans Ate Alaska.

Oceans Ate Alaska

The final headliner on the second stage was London’s She Must Burn who served up a sumptuous helping of blackened symphonic gothic deathcore. Their sound invoked bands such as Cradle of Filth or Fleshgod Apocalypse. The material which seemed quite unusual for Tech-Fest, but very welcome, was drawn from their albums ‘Grimoire’ and ‘Umbra Mortis.’ On reflection, these were one of the highlights of the day, which only left the band that I was most looking forward to.

She Must Burn

Headlining the last day of the last Tech-Fest, all the way from Chicago USA, Born of Osiris rose magnificently to the honoured task. The band have released 6 studio albums and 2 EPs to date and the setlist included songs from most of these. I was glad to hear four or five tracks from their last album ‘Angel or Alien’ including the title track. In my opinion, this band was the perfect choice to finish the festival. We all went home happy but also sad.

Born of Osiris

In 2016 Sarah and I decided to take the plunge and venture into uncharted waters. Tech-Fest which was on our doorstep featured bands more extreme than the ones we were listening to at the time. We never looked back and have been to every edition since, six in total. Now we can look back with fond memories.

It is the end of an era; festivals come and go but there has never been one quite like this one. I would like to thank Simon and all the Tech-Fest team for all their hard work, it has been an honour to be a small part of it. Au revoir Tech-Fest.

UK Tech-Fest 2023 photo galleries: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4