Having recently attended Slam Dunk Festival North, we know all too well what havoc overnight rain can cause. So, it’s safe to say I was more than a little apprehensive as we drove towards the festival site for the final day. Thankfully, my fears were unwarranted. When we arrived, we found that a combination of staff working hard overnight laying wood chippings and the reappearance of the sun had repaired much of the damage from the rain. The only visible reminders of last night’s thunderstorm were a few puddles and a mixture of clothes and boots drying in every possible place, including on cars and hung over fences and tents.
Returning to the Blue Stage, we caught the end of the performance by Nova Rock staple Wendi’s Böhmische Blasmusik, a traditional Austrian brass band that plays while large amounts of free beer are handed out. While highly unusual at a rock music festival anywhere else in the world, the lure of free beer clearly tempts people out of their tents early to start the party. There was plenty of dancing and people being thrown into the air in time to the music.
With the earliest pyrotechnics of the festival so far (that we saw anyway), Escape the Fate led the day’s heavier proceedings, opening with ‘H8 My Self’. Throughout the set, Matti Hoffman on lead guitar spent a lot of time down the runway showcasing his talent. You could see the dedicated fans right at the front, singing and moshing their way through what looked like every song of the set. Lead vocalist Craig Mabbitt followed some of the first crowd surfers down the runway with a quick “Good job” when they made it over the barrier, seeming a little nervous about their safety. ‘Broken Heart’ became one big sing-along with amazing energy both on stage and from the increasing crowd. Escape the Fate is currently on a large UK/EU tour with many dates running low on tickets.
Black Stone Cherry are probably our favourite band (so I’ll try not to fangirl too hard!). This was one of the first times during the festival that I braved standing in the middle of the first wave breaker. I couldn’t resist getting closer to the stage, and it felt like the crowd had all spread out into groups. Opening with one of their biggest hits, ‘Me and Mary Jane’ had heads bobbing instantly and John Fred Young on drums started with his stick tricks straight away. From the band’s newest album Screamin’ at the Sky, ‘When the Pain Comes’ wasn’t an obvious choice of track, but it still gained a great reaction.
Ben Wells and Steve Jewell Jr constantly encouraged the crowd throughout the set, spending a lot of time down the runway to get closer to their fans. Lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Robertson stated, “It’s been too damn long since we’ve come back to Austria,” to which it sounded like the crowd agreed. Seeing Robertson and Jewell switch their guitar and bass for the final song ‘Lonely Train’ shows just how talented they all are as musicians.
With the temperature continuing to rise, we took a quick stroll around the site and saw people trying to hide under whatever they could and create their own shade any way they could. The water misters to the side of the Blue Stage had a constant gathering underneath them of people soaking themselves in the cold spray, and the queue for the water stations was constant but moved quickly.
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We last saw Beast in Black touring with Nightwish in 2018, and I have to say, it’s very strange seeing them in daylight—they definitely suit the darkness of night more! With how warm we were, I did not envy lead vocalist Yannis Papadopoulos in his all-black ensemble when they were walking down the runway into the direct sunlight. The crowd spent most of the songs with their fists punching the air in time to the music. By the end of ‘Born Again’, it was time for us to find some lunch and try to cool down.
Solence are a band that we recently discovered and were looking forward to pre-festival, and I’d go as far as saying they were just the pick-me-up the crowd needed as energy levels had plummeted this far into a four-day festival. Getting the crowd laughing before they’d even completed their sound check, Markus Videsäter joked, “Everyone cover your ears, this is just a sound check.” Opening with their two newest singles and their biggest hit (‘A Banger a Day Keeps the Doctor Away’, ‘Good Fucking Music’, and ‘Fuck the Bad Vibes’) had the party vibe going strong from the start. After their set, we practically bounced around the festival site for the rest of the day despite our sore feet.
Now, when you’re reading this, please just remember everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I’m sure there are many, many of you who disagree with me, but Baby Metal just are not my cup of tea. I can 100% appreciate the detail and effort that goes into their performance, and we did stick around for a few songs. However, we went for our afternoon affogato (coffee and ice cream being two of my favourite things) from the pancake shop to help keep us going through the rest of the day.
Having seen Dropkick Murphys on one of our previous visits to Nova Rock Festival, we knew how popular they are with the Austrian audience. With the rest of the band taking their positions, lead vocalist Ken Casey literally sprinted on stage and straight to the end of the runway to start the Celtic punk party. Beginning with ‘The Boys Are Back’ definitely set the tempo for the rest of the set, with each member of the band then taking their turn to make their way to the end of the runway to impress the crowd. If the first song of the afternoon didn’t get enough of a reaction from the crowd, the second song ‘Smash Shit Up’ certainly got the audience riled up. Hearing ‘Rose Tattoo’ live again was a personal highlight as it brought back memories of seeing the band for the first time and hearing the crowd sing along as the sun set. Of course, the band couldn’t leave without playing ‘I’m Shipping Up to Boston’ and saved this until the end of their set, leaving the stage with the promise of returning to Austria “real soon”.
I’m guessing there aren’t many acts that would want a headline slot at the same time as a band like Bring Me the Horizon. However, Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes seemed to relish the experience of playing to what I would call an intimate crowd. We stayed around for the first 15-20 minutes of their set and witnessed Carter jump down and spend time within the circle pit. Stating, “Fucking hell, those flames look sick! We never get to see the fire,” Carter gained a cheer from the crowd while also getting bombarded with fans taking selfies. I would have liked to have stayed for what I can only assume would have been a very impressive performance, but the Blue headliners were too hard to resist.
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Bring Me the Horizon came to Austria to do what they do best: provide a spectacle of a show. From opening with ‘DarkSide’, it was clear that the tracks off the band’s latest album Post Human: Next Gen fit into the set seamlessly and only add to the story portrayed throughout the experience.
Throughout the set, lead vocalist Oli Sykes spent a lot of time on the platforms at the rear of the stage, staying out of the way from the impressive pyro and fireworks happening towards the front.
Bringing Baby Metal back on stage for ‘Kingslayer’ was a massive hit with the crowd, although the cameras missed the shot a few times while trying to show their choreographed dancing. With Sykes’ power pose of choice being falling to his knees, his once white straitjacket-looking outfit turned a dusty shade of brown throughout the set.
Before ‘Can You Feel My Heart,’ Sykes joked, “Here’s the deal, if you don’t jump, you’re a massive dickhead!” This gained a huge round of laughter, which spiked the crowd’s energy before the final encore. Similar to Avril Lavigne the night before, there was a quick pause for a video showing clips throughout the band’s history and their rise to the giants in the industry that they are today. You could hear the raw emotion in Sykes’ voice when he said, “I cannot believe our band has got to the point where we are the top of the fucking bill!”
Something I noted from previous night’s headliners is that they did not utilise all of the stage screens to show the performance, whereas BMTH did, much to the joy of the crowd who were gathered as far back as physically possible.
Ending with ‘Throne,’ Sykes took the opportunity to get down onto the barrier and sing the song with the crowd. While Bring Me the Horizon can be a bit of a maritime band, with people either loving or hating them, I think the band has evolved over the years into one of the biggest bands in the genre right now, and they are more than worthy of the headline spots they are currently playing at festivals all over the world. Their set is something special, which tells a story and is more than just about the music. Having seen tonight’s performance, I am in awe of what they can do.
With the band leaving the stage, the fireworks began over the stage, signifying the end of Nova Rock Festival 2024. We have had a fantastic weekend seeing over 35 bands and can’t wait to hopefully be back again next year. At this point, we would normally be advising that you save a few pennies and book the early bird tickets for next year. However, we clearly weren’t the only ones to enjoy ourselves this year, as the cheaper early bird tickets sold out almost instantly. So, keep your eyes peeled for the next batch of tickets coming soon.
Photos by Jack Barker Photography
