Depravation Festival 2024
Depravation Festival 2024 has been high up on many metalhead’s agendas during the year, as one of the most hankered after-metal festivals; the wait is finally over.
As the second organised by local musician Martin Camp, the Depravation Festival has had many talking with the gargantuan lineup he has worked tirelessly at pulling together for three days of pure metal joy. Having been in a band for a large part of his adult life, has his knowledge of the music festival business paid off? Was all of that blood, sweat and tears worth it? Well tonight, the Rock N Load team were there to catch it all during the festival’s opening night.
The Levels and The Rolleston Arms in central Swindon are hosting the event, with bands spanning two different stages, making it easy for punters to catch the talent that’s on offer.
And with everyone’s pursestrings being a little tight at the moment, tickets for the whole festival were just a mere £60 – yes £60!!! Bearing in mind that you will be banqueted with a whopping 40 bands during the weekend, that’s one hell of a bargain. Just the equivalent of £1.50 per band to be precise; a packet of posh crisps or a four-pack of Mars Bars if you’re extremely lucky. It’s no wonder that those who’ve purchased tickets are getting the beers in early at the Rolleston Arms as they eagerly await the doors of The Levels to open.
The line-up tonight is varied across both stages with Vulgore kicking off in the Rolleston Arms and Atarka on the main stage in The Levels; both huge death metal bands that are sure to draw the crowd in and set the festival off with an almighty bang. And did they ever. Atarka set the pace first with a banging headstart to the festival and after one track being played from their set, Vulgore saw the Rolleston Arms busting at the seams. An incredible start to the night.
What was great to see was Martin and his Depravation team on the ball from the start, all dressed in black T-shirts detonated with their job role during the festival; well kind of. Does anyone else have a job as a ‘Sound Wanker’? By 7pm, both venues were filling up nicely even though by this time, there was a bit of a delay on the Levels stage and there was news that Dog Tired were unable to make it due to complications out of their control. A real shame, but the show must go on.
Broken Jaw on the other hand wasted no time on stage and off, as they pummelled the venue walls with their hair-splitting set, inviting the crowd to join them whilst circling the top half of a mannequin in the pit. Utter class and of course, those enjoying their set gladly participated.
The evening was now in full swing and in between sets, the PA blasted out some 80s tunes much to everyone’s enjoyment. You’ve never seen so many metalheads singing along to the likes of Duran Duran; even Raging Speedhorn’s Frank Regan showed his softer side by having a singalong and a bit of a boogie to the Style Council’s ‘A Town Called Malice’. Pure entertainment right there.
With the disappointing news about Dog Tired, a bit of extra time between bands was created, giving many time to hit the bar for another pint and to do a bit of mingling before heading to the other stage in the Rolleston Arms, where sets were running on time.
London’s The Heretic Order had already commenced their set and were in the depths of enticing the crowd around the bar with their pagan influenced and deadly sound. Lord Ragnar Wagner on guitar and vocals stared across the crowd with his cosplay contacts as he howled into his skull topped mic whilst Andy Mornar (ex Negacy) on guitar had recently become the bands latest new recruit and was playing live for the first time tonight. And what a night to start!!
Back in The Levels, Divine Chaos had arrived from their long journey and were working with the Depravation team to set up and sound check (with assistance from the Sound Wanker).
These guys have been on the metal circuit for over 15 years now and have many festivals under their belts, so playing tonight should be a walk in the park for them. Vocalist Jut Tabor ploughs into their first track as he towers above the crowd, domineering every move he makes. Guitarist Matt Gilmour on his Ibanez 7 string and Craig Daws on bass sporadically join Tabor at the front of the stage to spur on those in the pit and as the crowd soak up every moment, as well as the drinks behind the bar, the atmosphere became electric. Punters were stood in every crevice available, with many sporting various metal band T-shirts for ones that were due to play, or from past tours; and there wasn’t a colour other than black in sight. It also seemed that the crowd had escaped one of Divine Chaos’s notorious pranks, which involves them being fed Capsaicin. Fortunately, that’s way in the past, but could have made their set very interesting.
With headliners Raging Speedhorn due to end the night in The Levels, people made their last trek back to The Rollaston Arms to watch Gutlocker; a four-piece outfit from Woking and one that Depravation Festival organiser Martin Camp had previously played guitar. Crushing riffs and some insane drumming, their set was on fire with vocalist Craig McBrearty crucifying the stage with his prevailing presence. By now the crowd had been well watered and were lapping up every opportunity to get those horns in the air.
But time was running out and once Gutlocker closed their set, it was back to The Levels to witness the finale; Raging Speedhorn in full force!
As more 80s music was played during the band set up, Martin and his Depravation team helped the band set up the stage for the final time on this hugely anticipated metal fest’s first night. Ok, the night hadn’t quite gone to plan with one band not being able to play, but Martin and his team took it all in their stride and got on with it in a vengeance. Anyone who knows the music business well, will know that shit happens during events and you’ve got to be prepared to keep things going to keep the bands, the staff, the venue and the punters happy. Martin and the team did just that with their expertise and determination.
The finale had arrived and the guys from Raging Speedhorn were ready to rumble. Their live performances have been a little scarce this year with the band spending time recording their new album which is due to be released later this year. Tonight, they were also minus their usual guitarist Jim Palmer, and had mate Dominic Wallace (Viking Storm/Stormbringer) join them as his replacement; with only an hours rehearsing time, he had some big boots to fill.
Smashing straight into their set with ‘Motorhead’ from their Lost Ritual album, the floor was instantly filled with bodies all desperate to get a piece of the action. It was sure to be a lively set with vocalists Dan Cook and Frank Regan peering over the crowd, consistently owning the stage and trading places. The crowd became the liveliest they had all night with the pit turning into a cauldron of hot and sweaty mortals, occasionally churning out the odd one who’d been defeated.
In fact, there was a moment when it seemed one contender had taken a bit of a bashing. Martin and the crowd rushed over to check out the situation and to carry his deadweight body out of the pit, only to be told by him to ‘get off me, I’m going back in’. That’s some crazy mofo. What a sport.
As Raging Speedhorn tore through their mammoth hour-long set, the whole venue had come alive. The floor was bustling and the balcony was lined with spectators watching over the frenzied pit of fans, all having the best night. And as the evening hit 10pm, the first night of Depravation Festival was done and dusted.
You could see that the weight had fallen off of Martin Camp’s shoulders as Raging Speedhorn executed their last track and the crowd cheered. The energy in the room was fervent as the music pounded over the PA for the last time; no 80s music; just some metal classics. Many left the venue and paid one last visit to The Rollaston Arms to catch up with others and talk about the night while others lined the pavement outside on tables and chairs to grab some air and another drink.
As the band vacated the stage and packed their van for a long journey home, Martin did his rounds and spoke to those bands who had stayed to watch others play and to let his hair down, taking time to contemplate what a great achievement the night had been.
All in all, the first night for Depravation Festival was a complete success with one night in the bag. Everyone was in good spirits with many staying in The Levels to make the most of the music and bar. But with two more days to go, some HUGE names in metal still to play such as Infected Rain, Red Method and Evil, there was no doubt that they would be just as successful as the first.
But for those who live in the South West of the UK that were unable to make festivals such as Bloodstock this year for either financial or logistical reasons, the insane efforts of Martin Camp are here to bring you an incredible alternative, at a just a fraction of the cost.
Let’s not forget that he has also been working hard behind the scenes of the festival organisation with some of the bands to release a charity single raising money for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation; a charity close to everyone’s hearts. Dig deep into those pockets of yours!!
Now get saving your pennies for Depravation Festival 2025; there’s a strong contender for metal festivals right here.
Review & Photography: Emma Painter // Pacific Curd Photography
