Opening up as main support is Conjurer. I am quite familiar with this band having seen their growth from Leicester and their Metal to the Masses victory a while back, to frequent appearances across various metal festivals over the years.

Just like the headliner, their name continues to grow in the scene as more and more people become aware of their talent. Providing their unique blend of sludgey doom metal with a splash of post-metal, once they start playing you won’t be disappointed.

Their crushing chuggs blast the walls of the room wide open, stunning the crowd with blinding strobes. A fitting visual to bring the music to life. You feel the thump in your chest with each riff, blackened with dread and gloom.

Anyone who’s seen this band live before is well aware of how their bassist shines the brightest on stage – barely standing still and whipping his hair to every note that’s played. It’s difficult to not feel resonance with the energy when watching his performance. Before their set started, I heard plenty of talk regarding Sylosis, from which Conor the bassist also plays and tours with. The fact I heard this brought up multiple times is a testament to how iconic and memorable his on stage performance is. I truly believe their sets wouldn’t be the same without him.

Aside from this, the rest of the band do deliver – perhaps the clean vocals were drowned out by the mix (or where I was stood) which would be my main critique. Musically, they have a distinct sound – setting them apart from the rest in the genre. I would personally appreciate more variety across their songs but why fix what isn’t broken. Moments of ambience allow the real impact of the heaviness land which I’m always in favour of.

Some may complain about the little crowd interaction. I argue they know the tone of their music and the attitude they wish to present. One standout moment was their song dedicated to the LGBTQ community – big thumbs up from us.

Overall, Conjurer offer an accessible entry point to the various genres they encompass and that’s no easy feat to achieve. They bring constant headbanging and emotion matched with their powerful riffs and unique drumming patterns. Uplifting melodies contrast the dark and mellow atmosphere they thrive in. Sharp screams and heartfelt cleans give something for everyone – it’s no wonder why they have achieved such a strong reputation and dedicated fan base in UK metal. I see them continuing on their trajectory and reaching heights very few artists achieve in their respective genres.

There’s a lot to be said for Gaerea, the headliner for the night, that can be shared with Conjurer.
Both have seen some of the best growth in these subgenres – Gaerea especially in recent years. I recall their set at Bloodstock a couple years ago with their name fairly low on the bill. In 2027 however, they are now headlining that stage. Genuinely fantastic progress to see for a band with its roots in black metal.

It makes complete sense why they have pretty much outgrown anyone else in the genre in such a quick time. Maybe it’s the masked allure that has seemingly helped Sleep Token gain new heights, and there are eerie similarities. Both debuted in 2016 so there must’ve been something in the water that year. I don’t blame people for making the connection either – my first thought after seeing press about them was “this is black metal Sleep Token” and while intended as a compliment, it doesn’t do Gaerea enough justice.

Their entire set was stunning and deeply emotional. The band did not shy away from expressing the most sincere gratitude to the crowd out of any artist I’ve ever seen. It isn’t easy for a touring act to travel to the UK from Portugal at this scale. So understandably, a packed venue will mean the world to them and the vocalist expressed how we’ve made their dream come true. Sounds cliché of course, but I felt how genuine this was for them.

Simply put, the stage is their canvas, with the music as their paint, instruments as brushes – you get the metaphor. They embody the definition of atmosphere, with complimentary stage lighting that emboldens the mood across the room. Similarly to Conjurer, they know when to allow for a break in the music bringing the devastating impact of full-throttle metal.

Gaerea treated the audience to a full concert experience – from a beautiful rendition of “Nomad” as an intro with their clean singer taking front and centre as the only person on stage, right before the next song blew the roof off the venue – to the self-described “Taylor Swift moment” encouraging the crowd to light the place up with their phones.

It’s not often you get bands going the extra mile like this. Typically they do the new stuff, the hits and some fan favourites, bits of crowd interaction and they head home. Gaerea felt very different to this. Almost everything felt well-planned and they knew how to dial things down in order to intensify the experience. I say almost everything because one of my favourite moments was taking a song request from the crowd – not easy for a lot of bands to pull off when a specific setlist is on rotation each night. Massive respect for zero hesitation from the band on this.

Finally, just as I expressed for Conjurers well-known bassist – the vocalist for Gaerea puts on a display of his personality that encapsulates each slither of melody. His hands and legs dance along to each riff like you’re watching a classic popstar do their choreographed show. This adds an unexpected element where you feel his attitude and how much fun he is having which is absolutely infectious. A very unique aspect to the band for sure. The mic stand is often moved around and launched to the sky, as staying stationary would be a disservice to the bands music.

An exceptional performance in both art, music, stage production and emotion. Gaerea have written some of the most compelling music in the genre – brutally scathed with sadness and passion. I can’t wait to see more people get into black metal as a result of this band. I honestly believe they are at the forefront and pioneering a new generation of extreme metal fans. Bravo, Gearea. Bravo