Well, it has been quite some time since writing my last review after Oxford M2TM competition has ended with such an amazing final, I found myself without many events planned. Bloodstock already being covered by a group of incredibly talented individuals, plus Oktoberfest up in Glasgow also being covered, I was able to go to two festivals as just a normal pundit. Well time to get back into the saddle and review something again. Fortunately for me though, The Rabidfest Family had me covered as their fifth festival was fast approaching. Now despite living in the Oxford Area for a little over 13 years, I have lived quite a sheltered life about live music venues, and I had not heard of this festival until earlier on this year, so with that it was time for a change.
Upon arriving at The Bullingdon on Cowley Road, I was greeted by a vast amount of friendly and mostly familiar faces, and the welcome I received was extremely warm and loving from many members of the Rabidfest team. Within minutes of waking through the front doors of the bar area I had my very first press pass thrown around my neck by non-other than our very own Sheri Bicheno, and a massive hug to boot. Our co-host for Manic Mondays Show Greg was exceedingly kind enough to give myself a quick tour around the venue to familiarise myself with the layout, and to explain their plan about arranging band interviews, set times and so forth. Immediately, my first impressions had massively exceeded my expectations on the professionalism and organisation of this event. The team were such a great bunch of people to be around throughout the entirety of the festival, and of course that would include Moomin himself from Moomin Merchandise.
Door times were more than clearly advertised throughout the weeks leading up to the big weekend, but that did not stop a large amount of people arriving well in advance, and quite honestly the amount of ticket sales for such a small festival was outstanding. This was my second visit to The Bullingdon, and it just didn’t seem big enough to get the vast number in there, but I am glad to say I was very much mistaken. The numbers were spot on for both days, and everyone seemed to be smiling during the event in its entirety. Now whenever I have gone to a venue as a part of the Moshville Times team, it is quite simple from a reviewers point of view. Go to the event, have a few drinks, listen to the bands, and then write about my opinions of the performance. But this time it is going to be vastly different due to one thing, finding out only a couple of days prior, that not only is Ricky of Moshville Times travelling all the way down from Glasgow, but that I will also be aiding him with face-to-face interviews. This came as quite a shock to me, as without having discord to hide behind, and from the comfort of my own room, this was going to add a whole new world of pressure.
This is rather a strange review for me as, for the first time ever, I am not just writing about one or two bands and their performance on stage. This review is about Rabidfest as a whole and I will be damned if I am going to write about all 20 bands that have been booked over the course of the weekend. Not only this but having to organise face-to-face interviews with the bands and trying to get to see as much of the bands as I could in between was much harder than I had initially expected. I believe this may have been due to bands not having their own roadies to set up and pack away their instruments like at most of the UKs major festivals, so by the time all their kit is packed away by themselves, and we managed to round them up the following band were already onstage and absolutely belting it out to the crowd. This to me is the only downside to being part of Moshville Times, however, I am also more than happy to sacrifice missing a few songs here and there to be able to get be on a much more of a personal level with all the amazingly talented bands.
The first day had my kind of line-up, with quite a few bands that are very well known to myself after seeing four of them compete in this year’s M2TM. It was genuinely great to see Stone Soup, who for some reason I cannot get away from, Reveller and their audible “HoooYaaa” echoing everywhere. And of course, not forgetting both Second Hour and Lest We Forget. It was really starting to become a M2TM reunion.
Proceeding through to the early evening with quite a few bands who I haven’t been introduced to yet such as Mortishead and Ward XVI. Working alongside Ricky was going extremely well, helping him by recording his first two interviews whilst showing me the ropes, led me on to interviewing my first ever face-to-face band. Now I am not sure what I may have done wrong in an earlier life, or if someone decided to play some sort of prank me, for first up was Stone Soup. Now nothing could go wrong with this right? Guess again Jay! If you want to know what happened, then please feel free to watch the video interviews and prepare yourself to laugh. But for now, all I will say is there was definitely a few laughs and a small amount of nudity involved.
What better way than to just dive in headfirst. As the evening went on, the vibe in front of the stage just kept getting better and better with the increasing bands gracing the stage. Before I knew it the time had come for the Saturday nights headlining band, a name I recognised from years gone by, Blaze Bayley. I have not been so lucky as to see the almighty Iron Maiden live on stage yet, but this is the closet I have got to this day. Blaze put on an epic performance for the entire hour he was on stage, and it was clear to see that he hasn’t lost any of his talent, interacting with the crowd and just genuinely having a fun time on stage performing in front of a crowd. No better way to top off an action-packed day. But as with everything, it had to finally end, so with that it was back home staggering slightly sideways to bed and rest up for the second day.
In hindsight travelling to and from Oxford on the bus was probably not the best idea I have had, as being a cheap sod, I wasn’t paying for the bus to take me from the centre of Oxford to the venue on Cowley Road. Plus, I had no idea where the bus stop was that I needed so I just took the half hour walking choice, not great whist still tired and marginally hungover from the previous night’s antics. Nether the less I arrived back at the Bullingdon to do it all over again, but with much more of an insight as what to expect this time round. It instantly became clear that the Rabidfest team took a different approach, as they were energetic and pumped up ready to open the doors with a smile on their face, no different from their smiles the day before. Maybe I should take a leaf out of their book and not get too intoxicated whilst working… Nah screw that!
So, the doors opened once more marking the halfway point of this weekend and what better way to open than with Mark from the Rabidfest team, front lining with his own band Maelstrom. Despite Mark looking out of place on stage with the mic in hand, wearing a collared shirt, suit trousers and a pair of brown brogue shoe, the crowd that had already arrived in vast numbers were loving them. It was clear that the bands booked for the second day were not what I usually listen to. Maybe one day I may adjust my music preferences, but that will not stop me from enjoying myself regardless.
The line-up was like the previous day with a couple more local bands that featured in the M2TM competition, so it was great to see some familiar faces again and having the opportunity to interview them, with a personal request of Depolarize performing their 2-Step just for me. It was very unfortunate that we were unable to watch Draconian Reign, as due to an unforeseen circumstance they had to withdraw from the line up at truly short notice. Fortunately, I was there to save the day.
A few weeks prior to Rabidfest I agreed to raise money for The Sophie Lancaster Foundation by shaving off my hair, and the Rabidfest team use this as an opportunity to grab me on to the stage to fill some of the gap. My plans before had been to have it shaved off in the bar area in-between bands but what better way to do it than on the very stage, we had seen 13 bands previously perform on. And the support I received was phenomenal, with cheering and chanting alike followed by a massive applause at the end. I cannot thank everyone enough who put in a donation, which is still open till the end of the month by the way.
But back to the rest of the evening, and the following band did not disappoint. Either I was getting increasingly intoxicated of the music was just fantastic throughout. I am inclined to say it was a combination of the two. Shoot to Kill, whom no doubt you know by now being this year’s winners of M2TM performed another outstanding set both on and off the stage, joining in with the moshpit, and setting up for what became an epic finale that was Bound in Fear. An unbelievable band that has an amazing amount of talent, and despite not being my genre, had me enjoying them for the entire time that they were on stage. What better way to end a festival.
So, what was my take on my first experience of Rabidfest? Well, that’s quite simple… why have I not been to the last four festivals? It may not be anywhere near the volume of the major outdoor arenas, but quite frankly I glad that it was the size that it is. A smaller festival seems to give you more of a connection to bands that are playing, and being able to chat to them outside without the need of VIP access just tops that off. The team that run this are genuinely some of the nicest people that you could ever meet, who are friendly for the first minute to the last, and worked nonstop to ensure their customers get the best experience that they can give. I have already booked the time off to Rabidfest 2024 and I would easily suggest you do the same. You do not believe me? Book your tickets for next year and see for yourself, as I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. I cannot thank the Rabidfest team enough for making me feel welcome the minute I walked through the doors to when I left. I will see you next year.
