Sunday August 2nd, 2026
The atmosphere is gentle, despite the furious music, the crowds easy going, slipping past each other smiling in the corridors of the post-industrial spaces, staff friendly and accommodating, and the press all rubbing shoulders in the low-lit sofa lined area in the Cellars at the hotel. The roster was strong and international, an excellent opportunity for travelling artists to get themselves heard in the voracious music scene in the North West of England alongside local favourites and newer artists like Luna Kills and Ihlo who get a well-earned chance to show off their wares to an excited audience.
Einar Solberg
What else can you wear for cutting edge post metal than a three-piece dress suit? Einar Solberg showed impeccable taste throughout his intense, compact set. Only six songs, but an extraordinary variation of style, atmosphere, dynamics, and vocal registers. From the pulsing cello textures of “Stella Mortua”, to the last fading notes of “Grex”, there was little release from the grip of Solberg the Master Showman. While there was a consistent sound from the band, well balanced with room for all the instruments (hats off to the engineers), each piece had a different atmosphere at its opening, from the near-disco of “Liberatio” to the more ballad-like “A Beautiful Life”. The vocals were, as usual, extraordinary. He left no part of his vocal landscape hidden, and in each piece he exploited his range fully. The falsetto was clear, the mid-range powerful and affecting, and his growl vocals were as brutal as ever. It was, as elsewhere, the voice as instrument, providing effects as well as meaning. The arrangements were best described as dark, with a lot of driving rhythms and deep, down-tuned guitar work, and it was the cello which made the greatest impact. On paper, it might have sounded like a misstep, an attempt to do something self-consciously post-rock, but in this live setting the instrument provided both texture and backing melody, the arpeggios and effects lifting the music out of a space closer to Leprous into something which Solberg could call his own. He closed with “Grex”, the most complex and dynamic piece in the set, and the only one with any guitar solos, and we got two, both excellent, musically and technically dazzling. An excellent, polished set, demonstrating the quality of both performer and material. (4.5/6)
Voyager
The Australian progmeisters have come a long way, geographically and metaphorically, since their Eurovision appearance. There’s more to them than their moment in the sun, and putting “Dreamer” fourth in the made the statement that that was just “one more song” – neither opener nor encore. It took a while to get the sound right in the cavernous space, with the drums on “Princes of Fire” excessively foregrounded. However, the impact was strong, giving the music an immediate modern metal feel that belied the sparkly jackets and trousers. There’s theatre there, but clear technical skill as well. The band were tight and the vocal performance from Danny Estrin was strong, his voice clear all across his range, which is not small. The set was a well-chosen festival set, focusing on their 2023 album “Fearless in Love” which is the backdrop to their Eurovision appearance, with a mixture of strong pieces from their earlier records, like “Fortune Favours the Blind”. “Ascension” from 2017 “Ghost Mile” seemed to be the fan favourite closer and it went down a storm. A strong showing from our friends from Down Under, tight, polished, and dazzling in both costume and delivery (4/6).
The Pineapple Thief
Radar festival was The Pineapple Thief’s only UK stop in their touring schedule this year. An hour long set was a good stint for a festival and that gave them time to play eleven tracks, all given a little extra in live arrangements. Overall, the sound was heavier than usual, more aggressive, punchier from the start, with “The Frost”, where frontman Bruce Soord declaimed, nearly spat the lyrics over the audience. The same fire was there later on, in “Give It Back”, which has never sounded angrier or edgier. Even “All That’s Left”, which had a more upbeat and uplifting feel gradually shifted from light to dark, with Soord’s whammy pedal-driven guitar solo acting as the pivot around which the song turned. “Demons” was more low-key, with Soord on acoustic, but the sound was still lush, with John Sykes’s bass standing out, groovy and melodic. Steve Kinch’s keyboard was always clear, whether providing backing washes, supporting Soord in his more effects-laden solos or adding piano arpeggios like on “Demons”. The new song, “Hold The Ashes” from their forthcoming album had a subtly different feeling to the rest of the set, though it fit well enough. Even in a set which was so forcefully delivered, this sounded even more direct, the songwriting more cut down, the sound simpler. Gavin Harrison’s presence was of course a critical part of the show, his trademark fills and snare work decorating the music from the first number, where he took a few extra measures for an extended drum break in the middle eight, and “Give It Back” where he supported the audience applause with a double-time snare roll as Soord whipped them up. That only leaves Cornish supporting musician Beren Matthews, who played brilliantly throughout, whether just adding textures or backing, or taking a handful of solos, with two on the fan-favourite “In Exile” (Gwrys yn ta for those). All in all, a brilliant set, surprising for its unusual force. “Thank you, Manchester, you’ve made us feel very welcome”. Jo, vel, selv takk (5.5/6)
Animals As Leaders
To put an instrumental trio on as the headline act on the last day of a festival might seem like a bold move, but Animals As Leaders are no ordinary act. What exploded into the cavernous brickwork space was a dazzling display of technical brilliance and compositional excellence. Starting with “Tooth and Claw” from “The Joy Of Motion”, it seemed like the audience were to be pushed to breaking point by the force of the music. This is a very dynamic piece, though it is more texture and rhythm than music. “Tempting Time” continued the theme, with long, dynamic, shifting pieces that writhed and twisted through different tones and musical ideas, but without ever feeling like things were getting out of control. If it was challenging for the audience as listeners, the band were on point from the start. The control and togetherness of the band was something that was hard to comprehend. It was never chaotic, never close to breakdown, but nor did it sound mechanical. Blistering is the only term. However, if the dominant atmosphere of the set was brutal, polyrhythmic djent, there were moments of greater subtlety, like “An Infinite Regression”, which they played for the first time in 2017. Here as on “Ectogenesis”, Guitarist Tosin Abasi made a good case for being the Paganini of his age, with dexterity and speed but also some delicacy, at least within the sound world of this music. Hearing drummer Matt Garstka keep up with him, beat for beat on hi-hat was one of the more mesmerising feats of ensemble playing the undersigned has seen. Not to pass over Javier Reyes, either, whose efficiency and calm were strangely hypnotic when so much appeared to be happening around him. The focus is always, and understandably, on Abasi, but Reyes is also a top musician and the flow of music between him and Abasi was a huge part of the band feeling like a single organism on stage, not just three brilliant individuals. The set built to a climax with “Red Miso”, “Micro-Aggressions” and “Monomyth” from their acclaimed 2022 “Parrhesia” album. The encore was, inevitably, “CAFO” from their self-titled debut, reminding us that even without lyrics, there is a message, there is something to take away from this experience beyond wonder and the emotional and cognitive impact of having been exposed to so much dense, brutal, complex music in such a short space of time. It was a clear reminder of why instrumental music remains an essential part of our collective experience and, at the same time, why Radar Festival knows exactly what it is doing (5/6).
Images and words: Anne-Marie Forker
