Wednesday 22 August 2018

MOVEMENTS Announce Fall US Tour Supporting THE STORY SO FAR



After a successful main-stage run on the final Vans Warped Tour, MOVEMENTS have announced a massive fall US tour where they will be supporting THE STORY SO FAR, TURNOVER, and CITIZEN. The tour runs from November 2nd to December 1st, hitting markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, and Philadelphia along the way. Tickets are on sale this Friday at 12 PM local time.

Movements' debut album Feel Something was released October 20, 2017 and rocketed through the Billboard charts, earning chart standings like #2 Top New Artist, #45 Top Current Albums, #190 Billboard 200, #6 Current Alternative Albums, #14 Current Rock Albums, #17 LP Vinyl Albums, #31 Current Digital Albums, #36 Overall Digital Albums and #59 Current Physical Albums.

The songs off of Feel Something have also been earning a staggering amount of streams on Spotfiy, with "Daylily" currently having over 3 million streams, "Colorblind" and "Full Circle" both having over 2 million streams, and "Deadly Dull" and "Third Degree" both having over 1 million streams.

MOVEMENTS is Patrick Miranda, Ira George, Austin Cressey, and Spencer York. TOUR DATES WITH THE STORY SO FAR: Nov 2: Portland, OR - Roseland Theater Nov 3: Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo Nov 5: Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex Nov 6: Denver, CO - Ogden Theater Nov 8: Chicago, IL - Metro Nov 10: Mt. Clemens, MI - Emerald Theater Nov 11: Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater Nov 13: Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom Nov 14: New York, NY - Playstation Theater Nov 15: Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom Nov 16: Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Nov 17: Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory Nov 18: Worcester, MA - Palladium Nov 20: Richmond, VA - The National Nov 21: Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Nov 23: Orlando, FL - The Plaza Nov 24: Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor Nov 25: Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade Nov 27: Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory Nov 28: Austin, TX - Emo's Nov 30: Tempe, AZ - Marquee Dec 1: Los Angeles, CA - Palladium (SOLD OUT)

Tuesday 21 August 2018

HELLOWEEN - New Live Release + New Studio Album + More Live Shows



UNBEATABLE
A very special summer season, not only due to the tropical heat, is slowly coming to an end: Festivals have been rocked so hard that we would’ve been sweating even if mercury hadn’t been on a permanent high. Among the massive PUMPKINS UNITED WORLD TOUR’s open air highlights were, of course, the headline slots at Wacken, Barcelona’s Rock Fest and Masters of Rock – but also the mega gigs with IRON MAIDEN at Sweden Rock Festival and Florence’s Firenze Rocks in June were definitely shows we’ll remember for all eternity. Thanks to everyone who has been with us until now!

UNSTOPPABLE
Fortunately the tour is by no means over, and dates in the US and Canada are next on the schedule – there will also be, due to the tremendous demand, additional dates in Latin America to follow: And as first class support, no other than KREATOR and ARCH ENEMY will be firing up the stages for the Pumpkins! Final shows with the full UNITED cast will take place at the end of 2018 with a right royal farewell blast: In Hamburg, right where all the madness started in 1984, PUMPKINS UNITED will burn down the house with the tour’s last show in the legendary Sporthalle on December 22nd.

UNFORGETTABLE
For those, who mysteriously missed the tour – but also for everyone, who has been a part of it and would love to revisit those unique nights, the boys have recorded the very best moments. Goose bump inducing footage of the PUMPKINS UNITED WORLD TOUR, which has been reveled as “tour of the year” by fans and press everywhere, will be released as a live CD as well as on DVD and Blu-ray at the beginning of 2019, so that those nights can be celebrated over and over without even having to leave the sofa. For now, you can make the wait a bit more bearable with a stream of the full Wacken show at Magenta Music 360 right here: www.magenta-musik-360.de/helloween-pumpkins-united

UNBELIEVABLE
As we are reeling from Wacken and preparing for the upcoming show in Bamberg, those maniacs are already launching the next sensation: For starters, Nuclear Blast has insisted to keep the band on their roster for a few more years, and – double bass drum roll – there will be a brand-new STUDIO ALBUM with KISKE AND HANSEN. With the band’s songwriting trio of Weikath, Hansen and Deris retreating to the studio together with these two exceptional singers in 2019, it’s clear that the album scheduled for 2020 will be no less than epic. If this news doesn’t get your blood pumping then maybe your proper rock baptism hasn’t happened yet – the rest of us are over the moon, because:

THE PUMPKINS UNITED DREAM CONTINUES!

FINAL SHOWS: 07. Sep USA / Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues 08. Sep USA / Los Angeles, CA - The Palladium 10. Sep USA / Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall 12. Sep CAN / Montreal, QUE - Metropolis 14. Sep USA / Worcester, MA - Palladium 15. Sep USA / New York City - Irving Plaza 16. Sep USA / New York City - Irving Plaza 26. Okt COL / Bogota - Knot Fest 28. Okt SVL / San Salvador - CIFCO 31. Okt CHI / Santiago - Movistar Arena ** 02. Nov MEX / Mexico City - Arena CDMX ** 04. Nov MEX / Guadalajara - Foro Alterno 08. Nov ARG / Buenos Aires Luna Park ** ** special guests: KREATOR & ARCH ENEMY 06. Dez POR / Lissabon - Sala TEJO 08. Dez ESP / Sant. de Compostela - Fontes do Sar B.E.C 14. Dez GER / Ravensburg - Oberschwabenhalle 15. Dez GER / Karlsruhe - Knockout Festival 18. Dez SWE / Stockholm - Arenan 21. Dez GER / Bamberg - Brose Arena 22. Dez GER / Hamburg - Sporthalle

Monday 20 August 2018

Simon Hinkler (The Mission) releases new EP "Moving On" September 7th


On 7th September Simon Hinkler proudly releases Moving On on Correctitude Records.

Simon began his musical career in the early 1980's Sheffield, first with Artery, with whom he recorded two albums, two John Peel sessions, and a handful of singles. Then with Pulp, playing guitar, piano, bass and co-writing their first album "It." A spell as a resident studio engineer led to an experimental album "Flight Commander Solitude" on which Simon wrote all the music and played all the instruments... a rare thing in those days. Then in 1985 he returned to Artery, playing rock guitar until he was asked to audition for a new band forming in Leeds, later to become The Mission.

Simon stayed with The Mission for five years, through the first four albums, the chart hits, the extensive world tours, and the general insanity. He left in 1990 and went on to write solo pieces and soundtrack music, before releasing a second Flight Commander album in 1993. The following three years were spent with a three-piece electronic band Mindfeel, before disappearing to the desert in New Mexico.

It wasn't until 2005 that Simon re-appeared with his solo album "Lose The Faith." Since then he has returned to live in the UK after thirteen years in the US and reunited with The Mission for their 25th anniversary followed by a celebrated run of world tours, two new albums, a 30th anniversary, and most recently guesting on Alice Cooper’s five UK arena shows.

Now, with the band taking a break, here is a varied collection of Simon’s songs spanning those years living in the back of beyond. "Every time I come back to making music I’m reminded why I started doing it in the first place. This EP has been a long time coming but I'm very pleased with the way it's turned out.”

Moving On track listing: 01 It Isn’t You 02 Virginia 03 Friends 04 What More Do We Know ? 05 Moving On To pre order "Moving On" go to: the-mission.tmstor.es

WVM Releases Heavy Rock/Electronic Fused Single, “Duel”


Los Angeles based, Electronic/Rock musician, visual artist, and multi-instrumentalist WVM has followed up his stunning, dark electronic rock single, "After the Fall," with the even heavier "Duel."

"The story of "Duel" is, it started from my anger at being racially profiled, but when I write I like writing on a micro and macro level so the micro level was the harassment from racial profiling but then the rest of it morphed into the bigger picture; frustrations in general with all the injustices in world, not just about race but about how messed up the world can be. The story goes: 2 cops stopped me as I was walking down the street for no reason other than the color of my skin. They flashed a light in my face and went through the whole process only to let me go since I have no record. But that's where the lyric 'take away that spotlight from my eyes, nothing can shield you from your lies' comes from. The shield part is the typical police badge etc. So they let me go and I continued walking only to come across the same police officers again 5 minutes later as I was crossing the street. The cop car actually accelerated as if to run me down, the cop driving stuck his head out of the window and laughed and then drove off. I went home after that and started writing 'Duel;' I took my anger in that situation and started getting really angry at the injustices of this world."

"Most of the album is more electronics based and like "After the Fall" this song really defies genres and generic song structures. This is my song structure, don't get me wrong, I write songs that are verse chorus verse chorus, but I really enjoy writing songs like this, where there are no 2 sections alike. It's sort of like walking in a house and visiting each room only once even though you may like it. The only way to visit that room again is to walk back in the front door and do it over, with this song, if you like a section, the only way to revisit is to hear the entire song again. This kind of song structure is unique to me, it's my signature." - WVM

Sunday 19 August 2018

The Anix Releases New Single "Interchanger," Full-Length album Shadow_Movement Out Fall 2018



Detroit, MI - The Shadow_Movement is rapidly approaching as The Anix reveals "Interchanger," the 5th single from the upcoming album. Pushing the cyberpunk-inspired album into heavier territory, "Interchanger" features a more prominent guitar-based chorus while continuing The Anix's signature sound of melodic vocals, pulsing synths and electronic programming. Set in a dystopian world controlled by the elite, the "Interchanger" stands alone - a rogue agent passing through the shadows of foreign lands with no connection and no allies.

The Anix's 6th full-length album Shadow_Movement will be available October 19, 2018 through the independent record label FiXT.



About The Anix: The Anix is the electronic-rock project of Los Angeles composer / producer Brandon Smith. Combining his love of cinematic sci-fi, anime and comic books with synthesizers, electronic programming, alternative rock, powerful vocal hooks and anthemic choruses, The Anix creates a visionary future of art and music.

Originally founded in 2001 by Brandon Smith and later joined by brother Logan Smith with long time friend Chris Dinger, the group toured the Hollywood rock club circuit for several years. After writing hundreds of songs and playing countless shows, the band signed a deal in 2008 to record their first full length studio album titled Demolition City. The band then landed a deal with The Diesel Management Group and toured throughout Europe on the “Rocket Science Tour” with electronic masterminds Apoptygma Berzerk.

In 2011 The Anix signed a record deal with Cleopatra Records to record their second studio album titled Sleepwalker. In 2016, The Anix began the process of reinventing themselves, shifting away from a touring band into a studio project. After a full year of development, the group emerged with Ephemeral in March 2017 as their 2nd album on Cleopatra Records.

In 2018, The Anix completed their metamorphosis from band to solo project as front-man & songwriter Brandon Smith signed with FiXT, the artist-owned/operated independent record label of electronic-rock pioneer Klayton (Circle of Dust, Celldweller, Scandroid). Focusing on releasing regular singles throughout the year, The Anix is poised to embrace the future.

The Big Move - Dani & Cats Move Countryside - Week 1


Change is good. The new house was empty and ready that we move in. So no point to stay any longer in the old house and to hang on to it. The big move was scheduled for 11th August. The new place is 94km away, on the map up North and then to the left. In the middle of the country, border Co. Meath/Co.Cavan. On that day I drove up and down twice. The second time to get the cats. Oh my cat - the drama in the car. You can not imagine. Freddy was so stressed, he peed himself. Pheebie screamed the loudest and Sixxy meowed because of Pheebie... 1 hour and 20 minutes. The longest drive ever.

I was a bit worried that the cats will be scared at the beginning in the new house but as soon as they were out of their boxes they started to explore the house. And demanded food. And they seemed to be pretty happy. So that was good, nothing to worry about from that side. The cats were happy so I am happy too. So, that was it. After spending my whole life in cities I did it. I moved to the countryside. In the back road where I live now are a hand full of houses which belong to my so called "village". But of course well distributed over a bigger area as the land that belongs to every house is much bigger. I can't see my neighbours for example. From my kitchen window I can see the farm from my Landlords and also the land across the road is theirs. The next small town is Oldcastle which is 6 km away. Oldcastle is a lovely little town with some small shops, hair dresser, pharmacy, restaurants, pubs of course and two petrol stations. The countryside is the typical beautiful Irish countryside. Nature pur. Green everywhere, lots of trees, grass. Lots of space. Clean air, no rubbish. No city noise. Insects, birds, lots of cows. :)

Today is Sunday, the 19th of August. The 8th day in the new house. So what has changed?

1) The views from my windows (see photos below).
2) Shopping trips need to be planned now. So every Friday after work I will visit LIDL and ALDI, and maybe my Dunnes Store in Kilnamanagh and do my shopping for the whole week.
3) I have so much more space.
4) It is quiet. No party noise at the weekend.
5) The cats are more active and all three are best friends now.
6) The house has it's own water supply from a well.
7) The commuting. To be honest: in the morning it is a pain. Instead of 12 minutes I drive 1 hour 15 minutes if everything goes well. To reach the motorway is a nightmare as the roads have most of the time no road markings. And it is sooo dark here. No street lights. Cities are so much brighter. I have never realised this fact. Now I know.
8) I have 10 times more grass to cut at the weekend. :)
9) The people around are very friendly and helpful. My new Landlords are really awesome too.

Every day that I drove home to the new house I thought how lucky I was that I found such a nice place to live. On the motorway you can leave the work day behind and the closer I come to my house the landscape becomes more and more beautiful. The hectic from the city is left behind and the clocks start to go slower. I will update you every week about my new life at the countryside.

The Big Goodbye - How it started.



The 19th of July 2018. The day that changed everything. A day I wished would not have come so soon. The day, when my Landlord came late in the evening and told me that unfortunately they will be selling the house I was living in for more than 10 years. The house that had become my home, the house in which I spent most of my time in Ireland in. The house and garden that my first cat Miez picked as her home, the house in which she had her kittens and Sixx was born in the wardrobe in the night from March 5th - March 6th 2013, where Pheebie added herself to the family 2 years later, and where Freddy came to at the end of last year. The house with the crazy heron which stood on the shed every day in the morning and evening, waiting patiently for food...

Of course not everything was perfect there. Oh boy, much much did I complain about the neighbours. The noisy party neighbours, with their partis every weekend. I will so not going to miss them!

Anyways, long story short... Since I while I already had the feeling that my days are numbered in the house. With the booming economy and lack of supply of houses the situation is going absolutely crazy since 2 years. Prices for houses to buy have jumped through the roof again and renting is becoming more and more unaffordable. And there is no sign of an end to it. With Brexit in front of the door the housing situation might become even worse. So my plan was anyways to move out of the city, to the countryside. Buy my own little farm house one day. On the day, the 19th of July 2018 I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to buy as I was still saving for the deposit. So buying was out of the equation.

And renting a new place? But where? In a city where the average rent is 1900 EUR a month, where there is little to no supply and where the few places you can find do not allow pets. Strictly no pets allowed - I certainly would not leave my cats behind. Although I knew I had until March 2019 until I had to leave the house I started to panick. What if I cannot find anything with the cats?

But sometimes wonders do seem to happen. On 26th July I called someone who knew about a house that was empty and the owners decided to rent it out to someone this year. A viewing was arranged for 28th July and two days later I got the good news that I can move in. Goodbye Parkhill West, Kilnamanagh.

PIG and SASHA GREY Darkly Collaborate on KC & the Sunshine Band's "That's That Way (I Like It")"



“People with big smiles peddling bad sh*t, waving a lot of flags and banners ... something dark and death-like in the disco,” describes Raymond Watts of post-rock band not only about his new single “That’s The Way (I Like It)” (a cover of the disco 70s hit by KC & the Sunshine Band) but also of the current state of the world. “Under the seemingly glitzy, 'good time' vibes, it seemed to resonate with what's going on around us at the moment.”

Set for release on August 31, 2018 via Metropolis Records, “That’s The Way (I Like It)” is a seemingly unlikely collaboration with author/DJ/singer/actress Sasha Grey. “Sasha is a total joy to work with,” he says. “She's has an intuitive understanding, a great sense of humour and great delivery. She completely got the idea of the song working as duet and it is a true / Sasha Grey collaboration.”

While “That’s the Way” has been covered by other artists as musically diverse as Dead or Alive, Giorgio Moroder and Spin Doctors (!!!), ’s version follows a different path... a darker and sinister one. “Bless them all but the version is definitive ... enough said 😉... and they don't have Sasha Grey,” he laughs. “The song was never really in my orbit although I was aware of it,” he explains. “I was kicking around ideas for potential covers for and my girlfriend suggested this song. I took a listen and heard the lyric in a way that wasn't smutty or titillatingly suggestive but much darker and a little bit threatening.”

The accompanying tracks on the eponymous EP include remixes from his previous album Risen (release date: June 2018) with knobs tweaked by some notable names in the Post-Rock genre. “Stabbing Westward, Hanzel und Gretyl and Ego Likeness all remix songs from the last album, and each one of them take the original song above, beyond and into a whole new space,” he explains. “I absolutely love what they've done with them because they've seen something that is in the album version, run to the edge of imagination with it, and given each song a hefty dose of adrenalin and a kick in the ass!” Also included is his own remix of the title track, the “PIG In The Disco Remix” which kicks off with a placid intro that launches into the midnight dancefloor anthem. “I really like remixing my own stuff,” he snickers. “After the process of being mother and midwife to the song, I get to murder and massacre the soul I put into it and possess it with another beast entirely.”

In addition to the release of the EP, will be hitting the road with punk/metal/industrial legends Killing Joke. “To be asked by the mighty Killing Joke to tour the US with them is indeed a great honour,” he beams. “They have been present for the whole of my time working in music but our paths have never crossed until now. I have always been a great fan of Youth's production skills in particular so I was thrilled when he agreed to remix the & Sasha Grey single That's the Way (I like It) for a 10 inch limited vinyl only available on the tour.”

The tour will encircle North America including kicking off on Sept. 1st at Seattle's El Corazon til Oct. 6th final date in Tustin,CA's Marty's on Newport with stops in Los Angeles (Sept. 5 @ Regent Theater), NYC (Sept. 12 @ Irving Plaza), and Detroit (Sept. 28 @ Smalls). “I have absolutely no idea what to expect except the unexpected,” Raymond replies. “Killing Joke have a thunderous live sound and have certainly attained the status of 'national living treasures'. I think it’s a great bill to be on, and hopefully a great one to see and hear. We have a new album and single to promote, and they have over 40 years of active service in the trenches of epic rock 'n' roll to celebrate ... what could possibly go wrong?”

Watts and have had a very exciting and active history since his beginnings in the late 80s. Aside from his groundbreaking albums, he has been a visible part of the industrial music scene since the early 1980s. He has toured with KMFDM (of which he was also a member), Nine Inch Nails, Schaft, Schwein, and Einstürzende Neubauten, among others. He has written music for fashion and film for Chloe, Marios Schwab, Halston, The Row and the sound design for the exhibit Punk: Chaos to Couture at NYC’s Metropolitan Music of Art. But the most ground-breaking and perhaps most rewarding was his collaboration with the late and immensely celebrated fashion icon Alexander McQueen who commissioned Watts and his old Psychic TV partner-in-crime John Gosling to embellish the serene instrumental track “Inside” (from 's Genuine American Monster album). The fluid soundtrack to McQueen's masterpiece, Plato's Atlantis, the show was reprised after McQueen’s untimely death as the finale of Savage Beauty, the posthumous retrospective that broke all records at The Metropolitan Music of Art in New York and Victoria & Albert Museum in London.



That's the Way (I LIke It) Tracklisting: 01 - That's The Way (I Like It) - Rougher 02 - Truth Is Sin (Shame On You Remix by Chris Hall Stabbing Westward) 03 - That's The Way (I Like It) (PIG In The Disco Remix) 04 - The Revelation (The Fukken Uber Revelation Remix by Hanzel und Gretyl) 05 - Cult of Chaos (8 Arrows remix by Ego Likeness)

SICK OF IT ALL Announce New Album "Wake the Sleeping Dragon!" and European Tour



SICK OF IT ALL are pleased to announce their upcoming album, entitled ”Wake The Sleeping Dragon!“, is scheduled for release on 02 November 2018.

Working with friends is one of the key factors that are very important to SICK OF IT ALL, so asking Ernie Parada for the striking front cover was an obvious choice: “There is no reason to burn bridges in this business”, says drummer Armand Majidi . “Our history with Ernie Parada goes back to the late eighties, so working with him, there is a kinship that makes things easier to communicate.”

Singer Lou Koller and Parada came up with the idea of doing monster-movie styled art as the cover. “The dragon climbing the Empire State was a concept I always wanted to see brought to life, so the two ideas were destined to come together this way.”

SICK OF IT ALL and Tue Madsen, who mixed and mastered “Wake The Sleeping Dragon!”, have maintained a long-lasting relationship based on understanding, friendship and most importantly, good results - three factors any band would be very happy with. The Jerry Farley also became a very important part of the creation of this album. After working with him at Nova Studios on Staten Island, New York, they went for a closer approach on this album: “This is the first time we've ever had a producer involved from start to finish, including the song-writing process. His objective viewpoints helped settle a lot of little issues that could have easily become stumbling blocks, and the songs themselves ended up benefitting from them.”

Keep your eyes and ears open for a new song soon. While the band is currently playing summer festivals such as Summer Breeze, Reload or Summer Blast, they have already lined up more shows in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy in November, as well as co-headlining the Persistence Tour 2019.

Summer 2018: 17.08.18 (DE) Dinkelsbühl - Summer Breeze 18.08.18 (DE) Trier - Summer Blast 19.08.18 (DE) Rostock - MAU Club 21.08.18 (PL) Poznan - Klub U Bazyla 22.08.18 (DE) Magdeburg - Factory 23.08.18 (DE) Lindau - Club Vaudeville 24.08.18 (DE) Wörrstadt - Neuborn Open Air 25.08.18 (DE) Sulingen - Reload Festival 26.08.18 (NL) Amsterdam - Melkweg

Headlining Show: 10.11.18 (FR) Issy les Moulineaux - le Réacteur 11.11.18 (FR) Mulhouse - Noumatrouff 13.11.18 (FR) Montpellier - Secret Place 14.11.18 (FR) Biarritz - Atabal 15.11.18 (FR) Limoges - CCM John Lennon 16.11.18 (FR) Durtal - Durtal - l'Odyssée 17.11.18 (FR) St Brieuc - Streetpunk Ink Mas Party 18.11.18 (FR) Le Havre - Le Tetris 20.11.18 (ES) Victoria - Sala Jimmy Jazz 21.11.18 (ES) A Coruna - Playa Club 22.11.18 (ES) Sevilla - Sala Custom 23.11.18 (PT) Lisbon - Tattoo Convention 24.11.18 (ES) Madrid - Sala Copérnico / Sala Carcacol 25.11.18 (ES) Barcelona - Sala Razzmatazz 27.11.18 (IT) Seregno (MI) - Hot Factory 28.11.18 (IT) Rome - Traffic Live Club 29.11.18 (IT) Bologna - Freak Out Club

PERSISTENCE TOUR 2019 - SICK OF IT ALL with IGNITE, Municipal Waste, Walls Of Jericho, Booze And Glory, Take Offense: 17.01.19 (DE) Berlin - Astra 18.01.19 (DE) Hamburg - Grosse Freiheit 36 19.01.19 (DE) Dresden - Kraftwerk Mitte 20.01.19 (CZ) Brno - Sono Music Club 21.01.19 (DE) Munich - Backstage Werk 22.01.19 (DE) Lindau - Inselhalle 23.01.19 (CH) Lausanne - Les Docks 24.01.19 (DE) Wiesbaden - Schlachthof 25.01.19 (BE) Deinze - De Brielpoort 26.01.19 (DE) Oberhausen - Turbinenhalle 27.01.19 (UK) London - O2 Forum Kentish Town

INFEST Festival 2018 – Celebrating 20th Anniversary!


INFEST Festival 2018 – Celebrating 20th Anniversary!

23rd-26th August will see the return to Bradford of the UK's longest running annual industrial/electronic music festival! And it's going to be a peach.

INFEST bills itself as an 'EBM / Industrial / Noise / Synthpop' event but it encompasses so many more musical 'shades of black' than it credits itself for.

Last year's festival highlights included: the glorious return of REVOLTING COCKS, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album 'Big Sexy Land'; with Front 242's Richard 23 leading the first half of the set before Chris Connellytook it all to a whole other level and together with Paul Barker (Ministry) on bass and Jason Novak (Vampyre Anvil), the band were the dominating force of Infest 2017. 'Beers, Steers and Queers' was the honorary anthem for the weekend after that masterful performance.

New(ish) contenders for the 'who stole the show' competition last year were the masked (and possibly crazed) Swedish EBM duo, WULFBAND, who pummeled the Infest crowd with a high octane live performance.

Anonymous; relentless; unstable; raw and high octane, WULFBAND have to be seen live to really get the full experience. EBM at it’s finest.

Alongside electronic wizards ROTERSAND,the glorious stalworths of german industrial-metal DIE KRUPPS; a powerful and inventive(iVardensphere) and many more, Infest 2017 was consistently enjoyable, exhausting and worth every penny.

2018 will be a poignant INFEST Festival....20 years and alot has changed. The regular crowd and crew have lost some loved-ones but a few things have always remained with Infest: clever and up-date line-ups and a really fun, irreverent atmosphere. Infest never takes itself too seriously; even though it really could. The festival raises the bar musically every year and it also raises money for different charities every year. It hosts a market hall which gives a platform to small 'alt' businesses/makers/record labels; it hosts cringe-tastic karaoke sessions and incidental 'off-campus' activities like group trips to the ice-rink or

This year's line-up is dominated by the monster booking of Peter Hook + The Light (of Joy Division/New Order infamy) which will be a joy to fans of the old school. But also on the bill are those other musical shades of black we mentioned already. Bristol's MESH; L.A.'s AESTHETIC PERFECTION; the mighty CUBANATEare obvious crowd-pullers for fans of electronica but also the opportunity to see newer musical acts like ACTORS and V>lh>ll and LIEBKNECHT is like being given a beautifully curated taster menu of what is going on in alternative electronic music 2018. Genius line-up.

Flights from Ireland to Leeds/Bradford are still dirt-cheap; accommodation in Bradford is easily got; University campus venue bar prices are a gift....you have no excuse! See you there!

For more info: infestuk.com

Article & photos by Fiona Killeen / Ministry of Agröculture Promotions