So we are halfway through the day now as we hit mid-afternoon vibes at BOA23 and it’s been a full-on schedule for all who attend this magnificent festival. Between the Main Stage, The Ronnie James Duo Stage, here @ the Sophie Lancaster Stage and The Newblood Stage sheeple have been bombarded with quality music on all fronts, all genres, and all levels of musicianship from the young whipper-snappers of Apathy through to the old hats of Sacred Reich we’ve seen it all thus far.
The Sophie Stage has thrown up today’s first real gem for me, Pest Control, Welsh hardcore at its finest, as the band takes to the stage you can tell something a little different is going on here, as the band start off with some crappy number playing over the PA before unleashing unholy hell on the crowd, from out of nowhere and at a standing start they unleash into a barrage of Hardcore goodness with thrashing riffs with a level of intensity needed to breath fresh life into the BOA crowd. Both guitarists wielding Jackson’s slamming their thrash-laden riffage whilst vocalist Leah rips her way across the stage. It’s a fine sight to see, the energy is off the charts and feeds back to the crowd who give it all in return, definitely one of the hidden gems of the festival so far and a band that will be on my radar moving forward and should be on yours too!
We have our first out-and-out rockers on the Sophie Stage, Fury is a band made up of some of the UK’s finest touring bands and it shows. Right from the work go they hit the ground running as they toss out highly addictive songs one after another, duelling vocalists and a harmonising backline you can’t fault the melodic quality of Fury. They have a blues-rock and soulful quality to their sound that has mass appeal and they are going down a treat as a welcome pallet cleanser against a backdrop of thrash and black metal found elsewhere at BOA. Blistering guitar licks, soaring vocal harmonies and thumping riffage makes for an easy-on-the-ear foot-stomping experience before things once again get ugly later!
Photography: @flashartmark
