With the festival season kicking off earlier than expected this year, Myself and my omnipotent overlord, Shells, embarked upon a full day of metal at Takedown at Portsmouth Guildhall. Takedown has been on an 8 year hiatus, producing their last festival in 2015 where they’ve hosted bands such as Funeral For a Friend, Feed the Rhino, Mallory Knox, The Blackout, While She Sleeps and many many more, and it is great to see an event like this resurrect.
I know Portsmouth relatively well as I grew up there but I’ve rarely been back over the years and I was quite nostalgic to come back to the city I knew as a child – not much has changed. It was the hottest day of the year so far, and the journey down was quick and easy, which meant we were excited and full of beans for the day ahead. We managed to park about 100 metres away from Portsmouth Guildhall, paid for parking (still got a parking ticket – not happy about that) and made our way to the venue. Immediately we were surrounded by like-minded metalheads. There are three or four pubs, including a Wetherspoons on our short walk, and all were at near capacity with people waiting for Takedown to open. We got through the queue at lightning speed and entered the press door to the box office where we picked up our passes and made our way into the main area.
We started off by wandering around the site to get our bearings and figure out where everything was, while running into a few familiar faces. We found a total of five stages, including the VIP acoustic stage, as well as a DJ in the basement. We sorted ourselves out, set up our kit and made our way to the press room. En route, we stopped to check out our first band in the VIP area, As December Falls. ADF are a Nottinghamshire based alt/rock/emo band with a substantial following online, and from hearing their acoustic set, it was easy to see why. Bethany, their lead vocalist has an incredible range and deeply compelling voice which was breathtaking to hear. The sound engineers running the room had managed to squeeze a phenomenal sound out of the system and made the room feel much bigger than what it was. It was a brilliant way to start the day – time for a beer.
Next we decided to see what was going on on the main stage. We caught the end of Dendera’s set. Dendera were the first band to play the main stage and brought a truck-load of energy to the event. The band plays a mix of hard rock and classic metal with plenty of clean vocals and pumping riffs. They’ve supported bands like Gloryhammer, Queensryche and Fozzy so are no strangers to playing large stages such as these. The turnout for the first band on the main stage was huge. It’s both comforting and inspiring to see so many people come out so early to support them and it goes to show how eager, compelling and enthusiastic the crowd were.
The next band we saw also played the main stage. I’m not too sure why they were so far down the lineup but when Red Method play, regardless of what time they’re on, they sure as hell bring the show. I’ve seen Red Method a fair few times over the years and I’ve never seen a bad set from them. The energy that every single band member brings to the stage is overwhelming (in a good way). The way that Jeremy, their frontman, works the crowd, to the stage antics of David, Quiny and Stefan, is pure class, plus the recent addition of a new permanent bass player, Æther was a real highlight of the day. I think it was his first gig with the band but he looked relaxed and comfortable as if he’d been there since the beginning. If you missed them or you want to catch them again, they are headlining Bloodstock’s Metal To The Masses Oxford Final on 8th July as well as headlining our own Oktoberfest at Ivory Blacks in Glasgow on 7th October.
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Onwards and upwards! It was time for a spot of lunch so we made our way outside to the food court where we both got some BBQ chicken. The food was reasonably priced and the portions were huge but the quality was a bit below par. Oh well, not everything is going to work perfectly! There was also a fair amount of choice to cater for all tastes and diets and this was good to see.
After another beer, a few interviews and perusing the various merch stalls, we thought we’d check out one of the smaller stages. We found ourselves at the smallest stage (which could still hold 200+ people) and we got there just in time for Chaosbay. Having never heard of them before, and seeing them dressed in floral print trousers and plain tee shirts, I was not too sure what we were about to hear, especially as the guitarists carried an Ibanez and a PRS. This could either be brutal grindcore, or (much more likely given the lineup) progressive metal. Luckily it was the latter. While we were waiting, we heard other festival-goers excitement about hearing them and this definitely piqued my interest. All of a sudden they started their set, introducing themselves then exploding off the stage. The room was rammed and Shells and myself immediately took to photo-ing and videoing their set. The band’s stagecraft enhances their set immensely but does not detract from their quality, their tightness, their crunchy riffs and well-rehearsed vocals. Chaosbay were another highlight of my day, and a band that I will definitely be keeping an eye on over the coming years.
Back to the press room to write up some notes, we get sidetracked as Benji and Mikey from Skindred are performing an acoustic set in the VIP lounge. It is a really special, intimate set with loads of banter, sexy acoustic riffs and a closeness that you only get at small grassroots venues where you can get up close to the band. Except the band is Skindred! Again the sound is superb in the VIP lounge.
We next caught InMe on the second stage which was outdoors, wedged between the side of the Guildhall and Southsea train station, so anything playing on there could easily be heard from the platforms. This was my favourite stage for several reasons. Firstly, both the sound and lighting was superior to the other stages, but it was the only stage where I could vape while watching bands – it’s the little things! Now, I’ve heard of InMe many times over the years and I’ve seen them on festival lineups plenty of times but I’ve never actually listened to them. Shame on me! I really enjoyed their modern alt-rock tunes and their stagecraft was exceptional. They’ve released seven albums to date so are no strangers to the gig and festival scene and their frontman really knew how to get the crowd going. The band have a loyal and dedicated following and this really showed as they nearly packed out the entire outdoors area.
A few more interviews down, we’re starting to get towards the business end of the event. We head to the third stage to catch a band I’ve previously been advised to catch. Chuggaboom is their name, and it is certainly their game. I’m not too sure how to define their sound but if you take elements of Malevolence and ground in some Party Cannon and Bleed From Within, you’ll start to get what they’re about. The band are all Sleep Tokened up (wearing masks) and launching inflatable dice across the room while the 300+ strong crowd are all singing along to the various chorus’ and interacting with the band’s on stage antics. They may not be my chosen style of metal but I sure can appreciate their set, and as a promoter myself I will definitely be considering booking them. The only aspect of their set that would have improved it is the sound quality. We were standing right at the back and I could only hear the extreme highs and lows, meaning I could only hear the drums, bass and vocals. This certainly did not subtract from their set though.
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Next, it was time to catch the mighty Loathe. Hailing from Liverpool (try not to hold it against them) they take to the stage. It is totally dark except for the bright white 10 foot band logo on the back screen, then, BOOM!!! Kadeem opens up the show with powerful vocals which are then supported by the rest of the band’s equally face-melting riffs and beats. The sound is the best I’ve heard on the main stage as well. They do start a bit later than scheduled but they do not cut their set short. I’m not too familiar with their music and after seeing their set I’m not too sure why this is the case. Definitely one I will be following much more closely.
The day is now drawing to a close and the sun is going down. This meant that Skindred were taking to the stage again, this time as headliner of the outdoor stage. Benji comes out last, to a rapturous welcome. The crowd must have been well over a 1000 deep at this point (as if anyone would be surprised) and they open their set to explosive bangers and tunes that compel the still-living to move uncontrollably to them. These guys have been doing this since I was a teenager and their stagecraft is a work of perfection, along with their ability to put such an electric, interactive and genial set together. If I continue to write about them, it will just read as a gushy fanboy piece, so I will leave my review of Skindred here for now. I think I’ve portrayed how fucking amazing they were already!
Finally, it’s time to see the main event. About half of everyone at Takedown was wearing a Sleep Token tee shirt and it was my first time seeing them live so I was expecting big things. I should preface this section by saying that we had to leave Skindred early to make sure we caught Sleep Token, only to find out that they are just under 30 minutes late starting as I could have seen much more Skindred! Curfew is 11pm and their set was billed as 60 minutes so there must have been an awkward conversation with the festival promoters about what was going to happen.
At last, the stage finally goes black and the backlighting illuminates the two palm or fern trees that have adorned the stage. I’m not too sure of the significance of the plants – maybe there is something, but it certainly adds a slightly different dimension to the stage setup. Vassel 1 opens with “Chokehold”, which is the first track off their latest album and I’m in love. Having not listened to much Sleep Token before, but understanding that their audio palette is quite varied, I was prepared for the style change, but personally, I would prefer them to stick closer to one style or another. Maybe it’s just me but listening back to their music while I write this review, I find their style changes a bit too much. The set itself was exceptional and the sound quality had carried over from Loathe’s set so no complaints from me on that front. Sleep Token are another band that I will be paying much more attention to, moving forward.
My visit to Takedown was a relatively impromptu one as I only found out I was going a few weeks beforehand, but having heard of the event before, and knowing that they have a great history of popular, well attended and well run events meant that I had no fears or reserved judgements. It was great to see the metal community out in full force and in such great attendance, and I am honoured to have witnessed some unbelievable sets.
Overall, I will give the event an 8 out of 10. There are many many things the organisers managed very well, including the majority of the core aspects. There are a few things I think they could have done better but nothing fundamental. There are many events up and down the country that can learn from events such as Takedown and it is really great to see something of this size happen on the south coast. If you’re thinking of going to Takedown 2024, don’t hesitate to get your tickets now while they are on early bird sale.
Photos by Shells
