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THE FROTH & FURY FESTIVAL
@Pirate Life Brewing Co
Port Adelaide
Saturday 19^th of November
(Live Review)

Review by Kayla Hamilton

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Heavy music and beer? Sounds like a winning combination. This was the inspiration behind Adelaide’s FROTH & FURY FESTIVAL. Now in its second year, this festival is continuing to get bigger and better, showing why when it comes to heavy music and great beers- Adelaide is the perfect destination. 

There was everything you could think of: two stages showcasing some incredible talent from Adelaide, interstate and international, food trucks, market stalls, tattoo artists, and of course, since it was being held at the renowned Pirate Life Brewery, as much beer as your possible drink. There was an undercover mess hall to sit down and eat, a multitude of toilets, and even people handing out ponchos as the rain started to pour. The only issue, which is not a bad issue to have, was with two stages that had incredible bands on both, you could not see every band!

Kicking off the day on the stage dubbed the FROTH Stage was SA MUSIC Award-winning Swordfish Trombone, who greeted the crowd as they entered. Singer Will Oakeshott didn’t let having the opening spot phase him, as he left the stage to walk around the area singing, hugging people in the crowd and bringing the vibes. A heavy set with some incredible stage presence, as people were cracking open the brews, gearing up for a big day. The next band to grace the FROTH was Adelaide’s own BITCHSPAWN, with their unique brand of alternative punk. The die-hards were in the front singing along, and honestly, they were a great addition to the lineup.

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Over on the FURY stage at the same time, the stage that was housing some of the premier metal bands was Adelaide black metal HOLUR. The relatively new band showed exactly why this stage was the FURY stage and set the town for the rest of the day. Running between the stages was a new hobby for most of the crowd, but it was possible to catch at least a good portion of all bands if you were determined to do so. Making the trek down from Whyalla, EXHUMINATOR was next to take the FURY stage. Death metal at its most violent and brutal, there was no wonder they were included on this line-up.

Back at the FROTH stage, some premier alternative rock, atmospheric doom and just straight-up classic metal acts were gracing the crowd. Metalcore, emotive and post-hardcore bands NO NO NO NO NO, HEARTLINE, THE LAST MATYR and ALT delivered some breakdowns and moshpit goodness. While in between, MOUNTAIN WIZARD DEATH CULT hypnotised the crowd with some atmospheric doom as the heavens opened. The heavy rain did not deter those in the crowd though. A break in the rain and the sheer heaviness that hit the stage from Sydney’s DIAMOND CONSTRUCT lured everybody into the pit and that delightful chaos broke out. The rain hit hard again, but so did the pit and there was almost a primal joy from moshing in the heavy downpour.

There was the same energy being brought out on the FURY stage, with local deathcore band HIGH GROUND continuing the violence onstage. By the time local favourites HEADBORE hit the stage, the headbanging was happening, the pit was in circles and the horns were in the air. Unfortunately, not being to be in two places at the same time, there is no review on The LIZARDS but if you know them, there is no doubt that pit would have been moving! The interstate act on this stage ASTRODEATH followed, bringing their brand of melodic and soulful heavy music to an absolutely stoked Adelaide crowd. 

As mentioned above, it was not possible to get to see all the bands but was able to check out parts of the sets from NUMBSKULLS, TOTALLY UNICORN, VOYAGER, WITCHSKULL, GRAVEMIND, CLOWNS, and of course, had to drop in to see some the guests from the US SKELETAL REMAINS. Just by going from the crowd alone, there was no slowing down on either stage. Bands were putting in everything and the audience was eating it up. The only complaint from this reviewer was not being able to see KING PARROT headline the FURY stage, but knowing them, it was surely an incredible show.

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To close out the night, the FROTH stage was lit up. Before the much-anticipated headliners were up, Melbourne’s premier metalcore act VOID OF VISION was up. With incredible presence, an explosive set and an all-around stellar set, if you have not had the privilege to see VOID OF VISION before, you must. As the mosh pit grew, the night came alive, and nobody was standing still. Once VOID OF VISION and KING PARROT was done, everybody made their way to see the guests of honour, Scottish Pirate Metal Extraordinaire’s ALESTORM.

The phrase “perfect headliner” gets thrown around a bit, but there is no doubt there is no band more perfect to headline a festival called FROTH & FURY, held at a brewery called Pirate Life than ALESTORM. Inflatable duck in tow and a crowd determined to row, once they hit the stage there was no stopping them. The brews continued to flow, the pit was dancing and moshing, there were meat trays given away, Jägermeister bottles skulled, foam swords flying…it was party vibes all around. There is no doubt that there were going to be some very sore heads the next day, but that was a Sunday problem, and, in that hour, and a half that ALESTORM were onstage, nothing outside of that moment mattered to anybody in attendance.

It is not often you attend a festival that seems to have all the bases covered. A festival that has incredible bands, fantastic food, places to sit, and all the needs such as free drinking water and little things like sunscreen and ponchos. Oh, and of course, some of the best beers in the world. THE FROTH & FURY FESTIVAL had all that and more. With it running this well in its second year of existence, there is absolutely no doubt that this festival will become one that will be marked in every Australian heavy music fan calendar for years to come. If you didn’t make it this year, be sure to get there next year!

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Hidden Intent @ Froth & Fury 2021 by Samuel Phillips Photography

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Alestorm at Froth & Fury 2022!

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AMNPLIFY – DB