Hevy Music Festival was a
rock festival
A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular even ...
established by Claire Baker and James that took place annually near
Folkestone
Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...
, Kent, in the UK. It was originally held on 1 August 2009 on Folkestone seafront as a one-day festival with
Feeder,
Gary Numan
Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
and
Ash
Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
as headliners. In 2010 it moved to
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve near the town of Hythe in Kent, England is set in and incorporates the historic Port Lympne Mansion, and landscaped gardens designed by architect Sir Herbert Baker, for Sir Philip Sassoon.
The estate with an Edwa ...
and grew to a weekend camping festival held from 6–8 August. The headline artists included
Glassjaw
Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and was a major part of the Long Island music scene in the early 2000s. The band has been influential i ...
,
Gallows
A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...
,
Sepultura
Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...
and
the Subways
The Subways is an English rock band from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Formed in 2002, the band consists of Billy Lunn (lead vocals, guitar), Charlotte Cooper (bass guitar, lead vocals), and Camille Phillips (drums). Founding-drummer Josh ...
, and the festival provided a variety of
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
genres including
punk rock,
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
,
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
and
heavy metal along with extreme sports displays and state-of-the-art thrill rides.
History
2009
Dates: 1 August 2009
Venue: Folkestone Seafront
Attendance: ~2000
Headline bands:
Feeder,
Gary Numan
Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
,
Ash
Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
Other bands:
Attack! Attack!,
The Blackout,
Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons are an English alternative rock band from Aldershot, Hampshire, and Teddington, South West London, formed in 1999. The band consists of Colin Doran (vocals), Larry Hibbitt (guitar, vocals), Andy Gilmour (bass) and Andy Bews (drum ...
,
Cancer Bats
Cancer Bats is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario. To date, they have released seven studio albums and six extended plays; with their most recent LP, ''Psychic Jailbreak'', having been released on 15 April 2022. The band is cur ...
,
We Are the Ocean,
The Ghost of a Thousand
The Ghost of a Thousand were an English five-piece punk rock band from Brighton, England.
Career
The Ghost of a Thousand formed in the Winter of 2004 in Brighton and began touring extensively, playing alongside Blood Red Shoes, Poison the We ...
, Heartbreak, Sharks,
In Case of Fire
In Case of Fire are an alternative rock band from Portadown, Northern Ireland, who formed in 2005. The band officially disbanded on 1 October 2012, and then reunited in March 2016. The original line-up consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist St ...
,
Sonic Boom Six
Sonic Boom Six (often shortened to SB6) are an English five-piece band from Manchester, United Kingdom. Their eclectic sound combines different elements of several genres and has been described by ''Kerrang!'' as "taking ska, pop, grime, dubs ...
, Flood of Red,
The Xcerts
The Xcerts are a British alternative rock band, originally formed in Aberdeen, Scotland in 2001. They have released four studio albums, with their latest being '' Hold On To Your Heart'' (2018).
Biography
The Xcerts were originally formed ...
, Elephants, Lightsgoblue, Kingskin, One Day Elliott, Eleven Eleven, Amber Room, The Startover, After the Ordeal, More Than Normal, Farewell City, Mexico Fallz.
In spite of a freak storm which flattened the security fencing two days before and some torrential downpours on the day itself, the 2009 Hevy Music Festival was a resounding success.
Feeder performed brand a new song from their album ''
Renegades'' for the first time, with this one being "Sentimental", although the title track was soundchecked, it was not performed for the main show.
Gary Numan
Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
performed a typically energetic set including the classics "
Are 'Friends' Electric?
Are commonly refers to:
* Are (unit), a unit of area equal to 100 m2
Are, ARE or Åre may also refer to:
Places
* Åre, a locality in Sweden
* Åre Municipality, a municipality in Sweden
**Åre ski resort in Sweden
* Are Parish, a municipa ...
" and "
Cars
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
". Rainwater damage to his guitar amplifier caused a delay which shortened the subsequent sets but all were completed before the 11 pm curfew.
2010
Dates: 6–8 August 2010
Venue:
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve near the town of Hythe in Kent, England is set in and incorporates the historic Port Lympne Mansion, and landscaped gardens designed by architect Sir Herbert Baker, for Sir Philip Sassoon.
The estate with an Edwa ...
Attendance: 3000
Glassjaw
Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and was a major part of the Long Island music scene in the early 2000s. The band has been influential i ...
flew over from New York to make an exclusive UK appearance at the 2010 festival which was a larger event lasting over a weekend with onsite camping. The media response was very positive: "A stellar line up all around.....it'll be hard to see another festival match up in terms of experience and value this year." and "Innovative, fresh and dedicated festival.....putting on a joyous choice of alt music this summer."
The festival saw a fresh start, with new promoters, for live music at
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve near the town of Hythe in Kent, England is set in and incorporates the historic Port Lympne Mansion, and landscaped gardens designed by architect Sir Herbert Baker, for Sir Philip Sassoon.
The estate with an Edwa ...
and is expected to continue to grow in future years. In the words of one reviewer: "From the triumph of this weekender, we expect an even better Hevy Festival (in) 2011."
2011
Dates: 5–8 August 2011
Venue:
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve near the town of Hythe in Kent, England is set in and incorporates the historic Port Lympne Mansion, and landscaped gardens designed by architect Sir Herbert Baker, for Sir Philip Sassoon.
The estate with an Edwa ...
Attendance: 4000
Saturday headliners
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time sign ...
and
Architects
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
were announced in early March, along with 23 of the planned 80 bands across four stages.
On 1 April the Sunday headliners were revealed to be pop punk heroes –
Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong is an American pop punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, and drummer Jake Massucco. They have released seven studio al ...
. They were joined by Welsh rockers
Funeral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band from Bridgend, formed in 2001 and currently consists of Matthew Davies-Kreye (lead vocals), Kris Coombs-Roberts (guitar, backing vocals), Gavin Burrough (guitar, backing vocals), Darran Smith ...
. Saturday's lineup additions included the last-ever show for
The Ghost of a Thousand
The Ghost of a Thousand were an English five-piece punk rock band from Brighton, England.
Career
The Ghost of a Thousand formed in the Winter of 2004 in Brighton and began touring extensively, playing alongside Blood Red Shoes, Poison the We ...
, who announced they were calling it a day after 7 years.
In early May eight more bands were announced including
Trash Talk
Trash talk is a form of insult usually found in sports events, although it is not exclusive to sports or similarly characterized events. It is often used to intimidate the opposition and/or make them less confident in their abilities as to win e ...
who have risen to prominence following their first ever festival appearance at Hevy last year, although they pulled out at the last minute, with
TRC and
Feed the Rhino stepping in to perform mini-sets in Trash Talk's slot. Rot in Hell were forced to cancel due to the departure of vocalist Nathan Bean. Death Is Not Glamorous were originally booked to play the fest this year along with their tourmates in La Dispute and Touche Amore, although once they found out the festival was at an animal park they pulled out for ethical reasons (they are a Vegan band).
Press reviews were universally positive; from Trebuchet magazine: "Hevy is the right sort of festival to really get into music. Talking to production staff, bands, bookers, punters and security there is a strong feeling of community amongst everyone that they are doing this because they love it. Long live Hevy fest see you next year!"
2012
Dates: 3–6 August 2012
Venue:
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve near the town of Hythe in Kent, England is set in and incorporates the historic Port Lympne Mansion, and landscaped gardens designed by architect Sir Herbert Baker, for Sir Philip Sassoon.
The estate with an Edwa ...
Attendance: NA
The 2012 dates were announced on 2 December 2011, with the first announcement made on 27 January 2012 and the second on 16 March 2012.
The organisers of Hevy Music Festival decided in light of "temperamental" weather leading up to the festival they put roofs over the stages. This involved the ''Rock Sound Stage'' and the ''Punktastic Stage'' merge to have alternating bands meaning there is no time clashes between the two stages. They also merged the ''Punktastic Stage'' into the same roofed area with the two stages alternating as the "Main" Stage, while putting the ''Red Bull Bedroom Jam'' stage in its own distinct tent.
Will Haven
Will Haven is a noise metal band from Sacramento, California. Formed in 1995, the group issued albums through many labels and have toured with acts such as Deftones and Soulfly before going on a hiatus in 2002. They would regroup in 2005 and co ...
dropped out of the festival on Thursday 2 August and were not replaced. Instead all other bands had their sets adjusted to accommodate the space left by the group.
2013
Dates: 2–5 August 2013 (Cancelled)
Venue: N/A
Attendance: N/A
Hevy Fest 2013 was announced on 4 January 2013, with the first band,
Black Flag, announced on 25 January. 14 more bands were added to the bill on 1 March, including
Hatebreed
Hatebreed is an American hardcore band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, formed in 1994. The band released its debut album '' Satisfaction is the Death of Desire'' in 1997, which gave the band a cult following. The band signed to Universal Records ...
,
Comeback Kid,
Horse the Band
Horse the Band (stylized as HORSE the band) is an American metalcore band from Lake Forest, California, who are best known for their chiptune, 8-bit video game-influenced sound combined with metalcore. Frontman Nathan Winneke once jokingly desc ...
and
The Menzingers
The Menzingers are an American punk rock band from Scranton, Pennsylvania, formed in 2006. The band consists of Greg Barnett (vocals, guitar), Tom May (vocals, guitar), Eric Keen (bass) and Joe Godino (drums). To date, the band has released sev ...
, and in April
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast (band), Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joe ...
were announced as headliners. However the festival was eventually cancelled along with a planned replacement show at the
Brixton Academy
Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...
.
2014
Dates: 14–15 August 2014
Venue:
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve near the town of Hythe in Kent, England is set in and incorporates the historic Port Lympne Mansion, and landscaped gardens designed by architect Sir Herbert Baker, for Sir Philip Sassoon.
The estate with an Edwa ...
Attendance: N/A
Hevy Fest 2014 was announced on 30 April 2014, with the first twenty bands announced on the same day including
Deez Nuts,
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Orange County, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album ''Turn the Radio Off''. Soon af ...
, and
Devil Sold His Soul
Devil Sold His Soul are an ambient influenced post-hardcore band from London, formed in 2004 and signed to Nuclear Blast. Three members of the band used to be in Mahumodo. They released their debut studio album '' A Fragile Hope'' on 18 June ...
. In all over 60 bands will be announced before the festival, including headliners across 3 stages.
2015
Dates: 14–15 August 2015
Venue:
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve near the town of Hythe in Kent, England is set in and incorporates the historic Port Lympne Mansion, and landscaped gardens designed by architect Sir Herbert Baker, for Sir Philip Sassoon.
The estate with an Edwa ...
Attendance: N/A
Hevy Fest 2015 was announced on 15 October 2014, with the first bands being announced on 18 December 2014. The festival headliners were announced on 22 February 2015, it was revealed
Thrice
Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school.
Early in their career, the band was known ...
would be headlining on the Saturday with
Coheed & Cambria
Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...
topping the bill on the Friday.
References
External links
Hevy Music Festival Website
{{Major British Music Festivals
Rock festivals in England
Folkestone
Music festivals in Kent
2009 establishments in England
Music festivals established in 2009
Heavy metal festivals in the United Kingdom