Last day of CORE '25. Will anything else go horribly wrong today?
Line-up:
MRS FRIGHTHOUSE: Wife and wife duo, unsettling electro-industrial noise. No lights, images of surgery, definitely uneasy listening. Uncompromising and defiant. Brilliant stuff.
https://www.facebook.com/MrsFrighthouse
BELGROVE: Glasgow metalcore, appearing tonight with a pair of substitute guitarists who seem to know what they're doing.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/PO4arKdo1fo https://www.facebook.com/p/Belgrove-100086966032264/
VIOLENCIA: Rapid fire hardcore/powerviolence from far away Mexico, playing the UK for the very first time. Fine stuff.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/speuTvNz0J8
ASHENSPIRE: Local progressive black metal, With a saxophone. Been around for ages, but I've never seen them before now. More than happy to remedy that now, because they're excellent, and seem to be having immense fun. No video because my audio recording was terrible.
SHUTTER: Veteran post-rockers from the Scottish highlands, back together after many years away. One side of the most annoying clash of the weekend, forcing me to choose between them and MACHUKHA. I'm swayed by the fact that I've seen the latter much more recently than the former, but it's still a bit frustrating.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/wbzJIb0bEDc https://www.facebook.com/shutterscotland
AGRICULTURE: Absolutely one of the highlights of the weekend, ecstatic black metal from Los Angeles. Simply stunning, and very deserving of the hype currently surrounding them. Another band that seems to be enjoying themselves enormously. They've got a new album out soon which you should all go out and buy.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/AG_TSeUAhug https://www.facebook.com/agriculturemusic
BENEATH A STEEL SKY: Last minute addition to the bill, with POOR CREATURE pulling out for some reason. Pleased to see these local post-metallers, though, because they're excellent.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/n2B8buhEy4k https://www.facebook.com/beneathasteelskyband
FRONTIERER: Mind-melting extreme metal, back again this year after laying wate to the place last year. Got some new material to show off, too. Which is nice.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/0pBMv4Psn3Q https://www.facebook.com/frontiererband
JO QUAIL: A radical shift in direction now, with solo celloist JO QUAIL soothing our souls with a few pieces of virtuoso looping and song building. It's too dark for good pics, but I'm going to see her again in Edinburgh tomorrow, so I'll add some stuff from that gig.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/u8GfbsAKUOY https://www.facebook.com/JoQuailCello
CAVE IN: The one everybody has been waiting for. Legendary metalcore/alt-rockers out on tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 'Jupiter' album, which they play in full tonight. Class way to end the festival.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/E07b_zC5eB4 https://www.facebook.com/CaveIn.Official
Bands who played, but I didn't see:
MACHUKHA
NO KILTER
UNMAKING were scheduled to close out the show at the Hug & Pint, but sadly had to pull out because of illness.
So, did anything go wrong today? Well, not really, beyond a few line-up changes that we were given plenty of notice of. No further technical failures - that will come tomorrow, but that's for another post.
These pics-only videos are quite fun to do, and upload VERY quickly, but I'll be happier when everything is back to normal.
And the final verdict on the weekend? Perfect honesty? It's been, shall we say, a bit mixed. Friday was excellent, apart from the terrible clash of headliners, but these things are inevitable and must be lived with.
Saturday was, in my opinion, the weakest day of the Festival, with not enough variety on offer. Individually, each band was fine, but too much of the same thing can be wearing. Band of the day was GOUT, with MONI JITCHELL a close second.
Sunday wins the DAY OF THE WEEKEND, with quality and variety from start to finish. I can't really pick band of the day. There are no weak links. Put a gun to my head, and I'd have to choose between AGRICULTURE, FRONTIERER and CAVE IN, with MRS FRIGHTHOUSE getting bonus points for their uncompromising and somewhat terrifying set early in the day.
CORE will, it seems, be back next year. New date, new venue, but back.
