How ’bout Hevy Then?

I’m going to try my hardest not to fawn over the latest Hevy announcement but it’s difficult, you see, because it seems that they’ve started thing off pretty bloody well with today’s announcement.

And when I say corkers, I mean UK exclusives.

Now, Hevy have yet announce their Main stage headline acts which, when compared to the way other festivals do things, is odd. Not in a bad way, though. Dickens’ said “make em want more” and I feel it’s a strategy that all festivals should stick to. Sure, everyone wants to know who’s going to close the festival because for the majority of people it’s the headliners which are the sole reason they’re gonna go to the festival, but the quality of a festival is in the undercard and really, if your undercard is great then your festival is gonna be golden.

Speaking of headliners, the announcement that Converge are playing but not headlining might raise the eyebrows of most hardcore fans, so when a band like that aren’t a headline act you know Hevy is going to pull something special this year. There’s really not a great deal one can say to describe Converge accurately so here’s a few adjectives: loud, fast, crazy, guttural, emotional, intense and passion. There’s more where that came from but the point is; they’re crazy live and they’re bring the chaos to Hevy.

Unlike other festivals who seem to be trying their very best to give the people a little bit of everything, a large part of what makes smaller festivals so great is that they cater to a specific audience, producing a much better atmosphere. Hevy, now in its fourth year, is well known as being the punk and hardcore fan’s festival of choice in the UK and you can see why. The newly reformed Verse will be there, alongside the ferocious The Chariot, Will Haven, Trapped Under Ice and the fantastic Pianos Become the Teeth.

So how’s that for exclusive, eh? You won’t see those bands at any other festival this summer. However if that doesn’t tempt you…

Rising stars Deaf Havana and Set Your Goals inject a little bit of pop punk into the proceedings, as Deez Nuts, Sharks, Last Witness and Crocus keep things crushingly hardcore, while Protest the Hero are sure to be an interesting prospect too.

Balance and Composure released one of the best records of 2011 so it’s great to finally see them hit up a festival here in the UK. Their intense, murky and dense brand of post hardcore actually slots in pretty well with the kind of thing Pianos Become the Teeth have been doing of late. They’re a special band; let’s hope they give a special performance.

Save the best til last they say, so that’s why it’s taken me this long to mention my favourite band of all time, A Wilhelm Scream. Captivating and fun live in equal measures, they always put in a charged and energetic live performance so seriously; don’t miss them.

Looks like it could be a weekend to rival the quality of the mighty Groezrock so get excited.

Our Hevy Festival coverage starts here, and we would love for you to bookmark the website to get the lowdown on all things Hevy, Download, Sonisphere, and more! Just hover over the “Festivals” section in the menu bar!