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Knotfest
Flemington Racecourse
Melbourne
A stellar line up returns to Melbourne for the annual Knotfest Festival, a gathering of some of the world’s best heavy metal bands.
The sun is unrelenting as fans gather at the grounds, the day kicking off with Sunami to get the morning going. Crowds have lined up early to rush both the stage and merch tent.
The dual stages make it easy for fans to go between sets, as Vended following Miss May I are up for the early afternoon. The sprinklers are popular right about now as the temperature soars to over thirty degrees.
A sea of black shirts swamps the stage for Slaughter to Prevail, the Russians giving an excellent performance- showing off some impressive vocals front man Alex Terrible. The show is momentarily halted as security assist a patron with a medical emergency. Once that’s cleared its back to business to end out the set.
Australian metal band Polaris are up next, flames heating the stage, Jamie Hails encourages the crowd to get a circle pit going and it’s absolute mayhem. Bodies fly through the air, landing to get back up and run back in.
Iconic Japanese metal sensation Babymetal are all matching in metallic coloured dresses as they take to Stage One for their performance . Their choreography is perfection and entertaining to watch. It should be noted though that the instrumental side of this act is sensational, the session musicians are phenomenal. The women break the barriers of metal, creating a whole new genre labeled ‘ Kawaii- Metal’. They’re fun to watch, the crowd are absolutely enthralled.
As the sun begins to set A Day To Remember are the second last act before Slipknot. They take this timing very seriously, they’re here to get everyone pumped for the final act. Flames surround Jeremy McKinnon as he gets a circle pit in the crowd. It’s chaos, but in a good way. Rolls of toilet paper fly through the air as the sun sets, and a Day To Remember make their set one of the most memorable of the day.
Darkness falls as Corey Taylor storms the stage for the final act. The entire crowd crushes in closer to get a glimpse of the masked singer. The whole stage is absolute mayhem, clowns and masked musicians playing in a cacophony of sound. Fists pump the air in beat to the drums and the crowd drink in the sound.
Knotfest again has been a huge success, with the crowd loving every single act. The facilities are well organised and the dual stages means there are no clashes. It certainly is a great format for such a big event, as fans aren’t forced to choose which band they’ll miss out on. Each act has come out and given stellar performances, and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly which one is the best.
As the sea of black shirts all file out of the grounds at the end of the night, it’s clear to see why Knotfest has become a much anticipated event on the festival calendar.
Words and images by Amanda Lee Starkey
