Ninjafest… October 26th & 27th 2013, Camden Underworld, London, UK.

Review by: Tim Edwards

After a lengthy hiatus London's premier hardcore festival returned last month thanks to the efforts of three tireless ladies (see separate interview). After enough ear-bending to last a lifetime they relented and brought together some of the finest hardcore bands from Europe and the UK. Oh, and they also secured exclusive sets by two American powerhouses. Mirth, mosh and merriment were had by all. This is how things went down.

Saturday: October 26th

Tirade were the first of several London bands to grace the weekend and they enticed a fair few stragglers down the front with their brutish in-your-face style. New track “Genuine Article” was meaty whilst set closer “A Lot To Say” warmed everyone up for Belgium's Redemption Denied.

They prompted the first serious pit action of the day with their Obituary-tinged metalcore. Powerful and precise, these youngsters play it straight down the line – fast into slow into double-bass chaos.

Dutch destroyers Cornered brought more rhythm to the proceedings but it was their countrymen Born From Pain who took things to another level.

I'll confess to not paying much attention to BFP ever since original singer Che Snelding quit many years ago. His voice was so powerful that I lost interest in the records that followed without him. Rob Franssen never really did it for me, that was until Ninjafest. Just when I was contemplating heading outside for a bite BFP convinced me otherwise. They blasted through a crushing set which included some big hitters – “Final Nail”, “Reclaiming The Crown”, “Death And The City”, “Rise or Die” and a simply hard as nails rendition of “When We Were Kings”. Utterly triumphant with Franssen sounding nasty. I best check out those other albums.

Pittsburgh's Steel Nation have been around since 2005 but it was a shame many in the Underworld were not sure what to make of them. Either that or they were saving their energy for hometown heroes Knuckledust.

I first heard the band via Cousin Joe's Black n Blue Takeover and immediately went in search of their material. Bassist Steve brings a unique raspy voice to the mix, which works well in tandem with guitarist Neil's larynx-stripping growls. “Prayer for Isolation”, “Forever Wounded” and “A War Within” are delivered with the same ferocity as they are on record. They'll be back on these shores next year and you can bet those songs will be sang by a few more people when they return.

 VIDEO ALERT...VIDEO ALERT...

BARONxBONES LIVE FOOTAGE OF KNUCKLEDUST

RUN TIME 34:51

http://www.baronxbones.com/187316/2030792/ninja-fest-13/knuckledust

http://www.baronxbones.com

and now back to Tim's review...

And so to capital kings Knuckledust. Still basking in the glory of their appearance at the Eastcoast Tsunami Fest the quartet did what they have been doing since hardcore was a dirty word – leave you battered, bruised and craving more. Of course they were guaranteed the best reception of the weekend and not just because it was like playing their own private party – the entire Rucktion Records (singer Pierre's hardcore label) family were present and correct – but because they have stood the test of time and remain as relevant as ever. It's usually the older songs - the foundation of any long-standing hardcore band – which the crowd wants to hear. But whilst the likes of “Choose To Ignore” and “25 Years Dead” were greeted by bone careering into bone it is a song off their latest album which has captured the imagination. “Bluffs, Lies and Alibis” – 95,000 YouTube hits and counting – has THAT sing-a-long chorus which had everyone locked in a giant bear hug as Pierre was swamped on the Underworld floor. Throw in a guy in a fat suit chomping on a plastic cigar and the memorable became unforgettable.

So, follow that One Life Crew. The Cleveland monoliths were thrown in at the deep end after original headliners Rotting Out pulled out at the last minute after a band member was hospitalized the night before. It was merely a taste of what was to come the next day as they played a very short set to wet the appetite. 

 BARONxBONES' ONE LIFE CREW (SATURDAY SET) FOOTAGE

RUN TIME 24:09

http://www.baronxbones.com/187316/2041460/ninja-fest-13/one-life-crew-saturday-set

http://www.baronxbones.com

and now on to Sunday's review...

Sandwiched between those was Wales mob Resurrection. To put it as bluntly as their set, they were outstanding. Fronted by former Public Disturbance singer Stu Butcher Resurrection brought the best sound to the Underworld's claustrophobic stage over the course of the weekend and they possessed the songs to back up their supremely metallic mix. Reminiscent of NJ Bloodline, Shattered Realm, Merauder and Skarhead, the five-piece tore through their set which included “Retaliate” and “Invincible” from their “Full Of Hate” EP.  Check out their set here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJyw91QxRy0

Prowler (https://www.facebook.com/prowlerukhc ) were my pick of the other London bands over the weekend after delivering a set packed with serious intent. Beatdowns and machine gun riffs come as standard but it is Nathan's un-relentless voice which draws you in. He rarely takes a breath as he barks line after line – imagine a young Burton C Bell minus the Terminator and Blade Runner influences.

No Turning Back blazed through a quick-fire set whilst possessing more pogo than a kangaroo wearing springs on a bouncy castle. “Stronger” was sung along by a healthy throng of fans whilst “Never Give Up” remains one of their finest moments.

Flailing arms, flying knees, bandanas, testosterone. It could only mean one thing. One Life Crew were in the house. Big guys, big reputation, big tunes. Despite a few minor fuck ups in “Murdario Stomp” those strangled by the sheer thuggery of that intro were too wrapped up flooring anyone in their line of fire to notice. The break in “Pure Disgust” saw one-on-one wall of deaths break out whilst “The Violent Few” and “Stra-hate Edge” were primal. I had to leave mid-way through their set to catch the last train out of the big smoke but I've no doubts OLC will return to the UK again, hopefully with a new album in the bag…Here's to next year. 

The fest has NEVER been about putting on the big bands in hardcore.. it’s been about putting on smaller bands from all over the world that WE love. Bands that went on to do great great things (like Terror). We don’t put on bands because they will draw kids. We put them on because we want to see them ourselves and we have stuck to that ethos throughout the history of the fest.  And anyone that has attended/played  the fest knows.. it’s not a serious one... whilst we are very professional in our business dealings, we are putting it on so everyone has a good time. If you look around the fest, everyone is smiling and laughing.. there is an atmosphere there that I have not seen at any other fest I have been to, anywhere around the world.

We had our last one in 2007 because Rach and Louise had too much going on to be able to fully dedicate themselves to it. The fest name was mine and Rach’s. We had built it up to be what it was and if one of us left, the name would go with them so that is what happened. Rach got the fest bug again in 2011 and spent two years trying to get me to agree to do it again. I would say yes, then change my mind. Eventually, I agreed after a few factors made me do it, including my brother (who drums in BDF) asking if I would do a show if the band reformed.. and what better show than Ninjafest?

IE: The both of you are not new to the show booking game. How did each of you get your start with booking shows?

May: I was spoilt with hardcore in London and have always been. I went to University to get my degree in Southampton and found myself yearning to see bands. A couple of girls I knew wanted to do some punk shows and I said I wanted to do hardcore ones, so we combined forces. Our first show was in 1998, and Ninebar played. We did a few together and I then ended up doing them alone there for the remaining 2 years I was there. When I got my qualifications and moved back to London I had the bug and couldn’t stop. I have been doing shows on and off since then.

Rach:  Ninjafest I think was my first show? Bit weird starting with a two day festival on reflection, I guess. After Ninjafest though, May and I did quite a few shows together at the Verge (RIP) Dome and Underworld. We also worked with Louise as well after she joined to do Ninjafest. We did a few Mayday Riots which were always a lot of fun, especially when Ringworm and Outbreak played.

IE: Why was there a gap between the years 2008-2012? What else were you doing during that time as far as booking shows?

May: Rach can answer this one. I tried to do my own fest, Running Riot, in 2008 and 2009. They didn’t do so well and the stress wasn’t worth it. I wanted to quit any promoting, but got 2 emails that made me do two more shows. I put on Gravemaker and Bitter End on separate occasions, but only because I knew band members who asked that I do it as they wanted a London show. I am from the old school of promoting. I won’t guarantee a band money if i don’t have the money in my pocket and all the door money goes to bands. Both times I told bands this, got low guarantees and paid them way more than they were expecting as both shows did really well. But there are a lot of promoters in London now, so I left them to it. I hadn’t done a show since 2010.

Rach: For me it became too much of a chore to put on shows as turnouts were starting to dwindle, no one seemed as psyched as they had been in the past and I couldn't afford to keep doing it if we were going to lose money. I am no middle class rich kid who could just ask bank of mummy and daddy to save my skin. Also, working on average 50 hours a week as a teacher, something had to give. Ninjafest seemed to come to a natural end in 2007 - I felt like we couldn't top what we had already achieved and it was better to leave on a high.

IE: How many people does the Underworld in London hold?

May: 500

IE: This year you had 20 plus bands in a 2 day period. It looks like you had some stress towards the end with Rotting Out, your Saturday headliner cancelling last minute. What happened?

May: We got a phone call on the Saturday morning saying that Walter, the singer, had been in the hospital and couldn’t play as he was too ill.

IE: When you found out they wouldn’t be playing what was the first thing that went through your head?

May: "Fuck. What are we going to do?" I was super bummed out as I loved the band musically and it was one of the bands that I, myself, had been super hyped about seeing. I had gotten to the venue a couple of hours earlier than load in as I was so hyped up on the fest so Louise and Rach weren’ t there yet. Lou appeared about 5 minutes later and was so calm about it. We sat in the small production room and tried to think of a solution.

One Life Crew were there for the whole weekend and seeing how stressed out we were, they offered to play. Ann…Mean Steves wife, came into the production room and said they would do it, and Chubbie came in a couple of minutes later and said "we would be happy to do this for you guys and help you out". For the band to come through like that for us was more than we could ask of anyone. This, to me, was what hardcore was about…helping one another.. and I will, forever, love those guys for how they stepped in to help us. Some of the most stand up and wonderful guys I have ever met.

Rach: I had a weird feeling that they weren't going to play but there was nothing that could be done in terms of getting a replacement so late in the day. Shame, as Rotting Out have always been awesome every time I have seen them in London previously and I know a lot of kids were gutted when they cancelled as they had missed other gigs in the UK so they could afford to come to our festival and see 22 bands instead of just 3. We had had a ton of bands cancel as well leading up to the fest, so in a way it didn't bother me as much. OLC were bloody awesome though by playing twice.  

IE: What are some of the bigger challenges you face putting together a 2 day event like this?

May: To be fair, despite all the bands pulling out, this one was the least stressful one we have done. Hardcore fest line ups change. Its part and package of putting a fest on so we were expecting that and tried to get bands to confirm as well as we could. We can’t do anything if a band pulls out, and that is something that is not our fault. We are also used to the shit talking…anything you do in hardcore comes up against criticism, and we can’t please everyone... so we were expecting that too. Like I said, this year was the least stressful one I have done…maybe because I am a lot older now, and maybe because we know that whatever happens, it will all work out. We also have a great network of friends around us both here in the UK and worldwide. The best thing about this fest is that everyone pulls together so you feel like it really is a family helping one another out.

Rach: Getting US bands into the country is a major pain in the ass, especially if they are doing an exclusive. Trying to give them a decent amount for playing yet having to pay for work permits is something we could all do without, but unfortunately, if they're stopped by customs and sent back to the USA its worse all round. I am also pretty level headed so I can calm May down if she gets too stressed (ha ha!) It can be pretty gutting when you read shit online from people slating us for what we do, but when you put it into perspective they really don't mean shit to me anyway. One thing we learnt this year is that we have so many people we can call family in our scene that there really was no need to get stressed about anything. When you get messages/emails from people all round the world offering their support it totally outweighs the snidey tweets and two face comments.

IE: How did the name Ninja Fest come about?

May: This is all Rach… haha.

Rach: I have been thinking about this, and I seriously cannot remember! I know it was conjured up at Goodlife fest in the non-existent campsite after a few too many Jupilers. I will keep thinking, but at the time it seemed like the best name ever.

IE: Have you even thought about Ninja Fest 2014? Care to divulge any info yet?

May: Louise runs Iron Fist magazine, so that takes up most of her time and she has unfortunately stepped down from the Ninja crew. Our friend, Mog, has taken her place. She basically has helped us out SO much in the past 2 fests that she was the obvious choice to replace Lou. We have a date for next year, and I have a list of bands in my head I want to pitch to the girls haha. But we have already had bands say they want to play. I have already shown interest in a couple of bands I want on the bill, and have given bands dates so if they want to tour, they can play it around then. Me, Rach and Mog cant wait!

Rach: Yeah, we are going all out. Gonna charge bands to play, make even more profit than we did this year, get sponsorship from Jaegermeister, Flugel and Fireball, do a live stream on the internet, offer VIP packages where you can meet and greet the bands! Nahh, not really. My brain needs a break before we crack on with 2014. I know we all have ideas of who we would like to play, but we have to be realistic at the same time too. Hopefully it'll be another awesome weekend though!!

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