After a couple of cancellations owing to that pesky COVID-19 pandemic, it was a joy to finally see BURN IT DOWN FESTIVAL grow some wings and take-off.
Over 45 acts performed across 3 venues in the heart of Torquay, hundreds of people attended and by the looks on their faces, they all had an amazing time.
Now I LOVE music festivals, I love them even more when I don’t have to walk for miles every day to reach different stages, this was EXACTLY how it was here. Two of the stages were in the same building (The Foundry and The Attic) and the other was just a 10 second walk over the road at the legendary Apple and Parrot pub (formerly the Café Royal on the harbourside).
Owing to other commitments, I was only able to attend on Saturday, I did manage to make it over to see Bristol’s finest MOTHER VULTURE take to the stage at The Foundry at 12:30pm. It really doesn’t matter what time of day you see these guys perform, they give it 110% ALL of the time and today was no exception. This shouldn’t have been the case as they performed on Friday night in Newcastle-under-Lyme and drove through the night in order to make their stage time. None of them had slept so to even see them on stage was a treat in its own right but seeing them throwing themselves around the place like rag dolls was an even bigger treat and one that was relished by everyone in attendance. Gone were the flowing locks of Georgie, he had shaved them off a while back and mentioned something about eating them on stage but promptly threw them back up again (as one does). The band dazzled the audience with a 30 minute set comprising of their most raucous and crowd pleasing tracks that had everyone on their feet and dancing in next to no time. Brodie took a dive over the barrier and ended up playing his guitar in the pit whilst the rest of the band held things together on stage. It was a great set which left people wanting more, they are currently on stage so hit their website for info on venues if you fancy more of what you witnessed today!
After MOTHER VULTURE, I had some errands to run so popped out for a few hours, returning to The Foundry as WARGASM were just about to take to the stage. They fuse nu-metal, post-hardcore and electro punk to create a sound which is as exciting as it is technically brilliant. Sam Matlock and Milkie Way make up the backbone of the band performing vocals, guitar and bass between them and they were joined by their drummer who did a fantastic job of keeping it all together. Their set was frantic, full of energy and joyous, on stage, they looked like they were having a great time and this really played out to the audience who were loving every second of what they had to offer.
I took the stairs to The Attic to catch a band called TRC, I’d never seen them before and I just managed to get to the front of the room before the band unleashed a plague of hardcore riffs upon the room. The pit formed, slam dancers got a little excited as spinning arms and roundhouse kicks landed a little too close for comfort…..I shot some pics and GTFOT (got the fuck outta there) to avoid any trips to A&E to remove a Doc Martin boot from my mid-section! Standing back from the pit, it was clear to see that they had many fans who were singing the lyrics back to the band on stage and even took turns in taking the microphone and joining in when the band allowed them too. Their set was action packed from start to finish, you really didn’t know what reaction the audience would have as the tracks came thick and fast and come the end, there were some people who were in need of a well-earned rest (me included and I was only watching!)
Hastings quartet KID KAPICHI was next up on the main stage and the room had filled nicely since I was last there. There was a barrier, “great, a photo pit” I thought to myself, this also doubled as a landing pad for any crowd surfers who took to the air and enjoyed a short trip across the top of the audience before being deposited into the arms of the security team who were doing a grand job of catching people and breaking their falls. It’s hard to shoot pics when you have, on average, a crowd surfer coming at you every 5 seconds or so, you almost have to try and keep an eye on the stage as well as looking out for flying feet and arms that can cause you an injury. Luckily for me, I came out unscathed. Their set was greased well prior to a good helping of grit, determination and blood-curdling fury was added to the mix, this was baked at 140 degrees for 30 minutes and the result was an immense set that pleased the room no end. There sound echoed of Royal Blood, meets KLAXONS meets Queens of the Stone Age and no doubt other influences in there but it’s FAR too late in the night for me to start drawing comparisons. As mentioned in a review of their self-produced debut album ‘This Time Next Year’, “Kid Kapichi aren’t out to start a revolution – they just want voices like theirs to be heard.” – Judging by tonight’s performance, they were certainly heard!
I popped back up to The Attic to catch PALM READER but struggled to get past the bar so I watched from the back of the room for 5 minutes before decamping to the sound mixing booth where I enjoyed a nice 10 minute sit down before the next band took to the stage. I did catch up with the band ahead of their performance, you can read the interview HERE.
Next up were NOVA TWINS, I’d heard so much about this plucky duo (Georgia South – Bass and Amy Love – Guitar/Vox) and was super excited to see them perform live. As I waited in the photo pit for the show to start, my jaw dropped open as I saw the size of their pedal boards, they reminded me of something on a similar scale to a kids train set or Scalextric layout. I didn’t have a clue what was going on with them at all but they looked impressive and the sound that they conjured from their guitars was out of this world! Their set was filled with feral and abrasive sounds which sounded on par with something that The Prodigy may have put out in their heyday. They were joined on stage with a drummer who added an extra dimension to their ‘out of this world’ aura that seemed to wrap around them, protecting them from other un-worldly energies that may be trying to break through their shields. If this all sounds too good to be true, why not catch them live yourselves, they’re supporting Bring Me The Horizon and Enter Shikari on their tours later in September and December respectively.
I’ll be honest, I was really looking forward to seeing HACKTIVIST, I’d even done a Q&A with the band ahead of the festival but as I went to enter The Attic, it was clear that about 200 others had the same idea, I could barely even squeeze through the door so my chances of gaining a good spot to watch the band looked slimmer than someone who had just won a 5 Stone award at Weight-Watchers….I turned around and ventured towards the sanctuary of the mixing desk booth where I knew I’d be safe and be able to grab a sit down before the next act.
At 9:45pm, I headed over to The Apple and Parrot to catch BOB VYLAN, someone who was rapidly ascending the ladder to success, as I was leaving, Marcus from ‘On The House’ asked me where I was going and I told him, his face dropped and he asked me if I knew that BOB VYLAN was not attending…..my heart sank, I was gutted, I saw him in Exeter in August and his show was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Marcus said that he had posted something on his socials that morning saying that he was unable to attend owing to ‘circumstances outside of is control’, I hope that whatever the reason, he is safe and well but I did feel a little let down because of this.
Back to The Foundry I went and took my position in the pit, ready for the headline act DINOSAUR PILE UP to take to the stage and blow the room away. It seemed that they were having some technical issues with their ‘in ear’ devices, whatever ‘in ear’ devices are…..
After just a short delay, it was business as usual and the band kicked into their barnstorming set which was filled with classics from their back catalogue including ‘11:11’ and ‘Back Foot’ which seemed to flick a switch in the minds of the audience who took this as a sign to crowd surf at the same, causing the security team a bit of a nightmare. From the mixing desk area, it looked like people were having a GREAT time and who were the security team to stop this from happening! As the final bars of the final track rang out across The Foundry, the lights came up and people dispersed like cockroaches, seeking darkness in the after show parties that were happening in The Attic (STREET SOLDIER) and The Apple and Parrot (MORIATY).
I said my farewells and made my way to The Apple and Parrot to see Devon rock duo MORIATY blasting out some blues laden filthy rock n’ roll for the masses to get into, the room was full and it was a great way to end what had been a fantastic festival in the heart of Torquay, our very own English Riviera!
On my way back to the car, I spotted Matt Bigland (Guitar/Vox for DINOSAUR PILE UP) and we had a great chat about their set, I asked him how he felt the festival had gone and he said that it is events like these that really help to put places on the map and whilst Torquay is not exactly a renowned breeding ground for bands, it has some amazing acts, you may need to scratch the surface to find them, but once you do, you’ll be back for more time and time again!
As I left, I saw MATTHEW GOODYEAR, having a well-deserved rest, I asked him how his weekend had been and the look he gave me said it all. This wasn’t a ‘Never Again’ look, more of a ‘what a weekend but I am glad it’s over so I can go and get some sleep and rest up before I announce the details for Burn it Down 2022’. For info, details of the 2022 event will be published very soon, keep your eyes on their socials for more info as it drops.
I’d like to say a MASSIVE thank you to Matt, Karum and the team who made me feel so welcome, my fellow photographers in the pit for being courteous and polite at all times, the security team who were incredible, the bar staff, all of the bands who performed, the engineers, the front of house team who made everyone feel as welcome as possible and of course, Tim, the sound engineer for allowing me to sit in his booth between bands and sharing my chocolate bar! Until next year folks…..
Words and Pictures by Steve Muscutt at musomuso.com
