Destination Festival

Forge Warehouse, Sheffield

Saturday, September 12

Adam and the Hellcats

Hail the apocalypse Adam and the Hellcats style. Not only do they give the impression they’re gonna break into ‘The Time Warp’ at any minute, they also bring on guests like there's no tomorrow. And so they should. Because Adam and the Hellcats are opening Destination – but this is far from an opening set. Legendary guitarist Jackie Chambers (Syteria and Girlschool) and Saxon’s Paul Quinn join the big rock n rollers with a theatrical twist and a storming set, fronted by outrageously stunning dual vocals. Lyrics are sung like they’re being licked. These are Hellcats by name and by nature. Live music is alive and well when we have bands like this.

LN

The Forge is pretty much full. Of Peasants (the LN faithful). Of those who heard LN’s battle cry and have come to fight for the first time (the brave). And of lead singer LN Hirst’s personalities. Wielding a head on a stick (Donnie), smothering herself in blood, commanding her crowd, a voice swinging from sweet to savage …all with a look that says ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ one second and ‘faces will melt’ the next. The pit is split for final fight ‘Shield Wall’. Whisper this bit though – the ensuing wall of death ensures friends are made rather than lives are lost. Because LN’s ferocious presence takes the crowd far away from their day to day and unites them in their Pagan Viking Metal land. LN don’t just put on a performance today. They etch it onto Destination’s soul.

The Rattlebacks

Beyond feral. Utterly rabid. You’re definitely gonna catch something from The Rattlebacks. Their unique brand of unhinged, exhilarating rock and roll has zero class, gives no fucks and is startlingly stunning. Once is never enough with these boys. You can witness their live destruction again and again and it’s always eye-widening and electrifying. A heroic guitar solo played at the back of the room after running through the crowd? Shaking? Snarling? Screaming? Standard. Is there a surface these boys won’t stand on? Doubtful. The Rattlebacks have no concept of danger. Possibly because if you look up ‘danger’ in the dictionary you see a picture of the band…

JOANovARC

JOANovARC bring big and bold rock to the stage which hurls out feelings felt all the way to the back. You can hear and see the emotion in opener ‘Silver Sun’. ‘Get Funked’ crackles with punk power. Getting stuck in at the low end, heavier ‘Mister Mister’ is an unsettling little tune that has the potential to both bring tears to your eyes and rip out your throat. Stadium-sized JOANovARC signature song ‘Escape the Fire’ demands fists in the air and singing yer heart out. This is (as always) a polished set with plenty of punch.

Juliet’s Not Dead

A band that have never let the fact they’re not playing an arena stop them from sounding and performing like they are, here come crowd faves Juliet’s Not Dead. Opening with ‘Sinner or Saint?’ like their lives depend on it, the hard rock energy doesn’t stop until the boys sign off on ‘Feeding Frenzy’. And neither does their crowd. Every lyric of the entire set gets sung back to the band from their fan family. That’s something special right there – but the band still take every show as an opportunity to recruit more to their ranks. JND sets are always pure rock n roll adrenaline – and with album number three incoming their live shows are gonna get even more thrilling.

Dobermann

Italy’s finest make the trip to Sheffield intent on tearing down the city of steel. How so? Well, here we have three musicians, much hair and a set of dirty great big gritty rock songs that veer into melodious territory when those harmonies come out to play. The fact that the three of them all have instruments in front of them doesn’t make their stage presence static in any shape though. Somehow Dobermann manage to put on a show you stretch yourself to see. Anyone else liberally spraying on the Deep Heat? That’ll be the Dobermann effect. Dog gag? Resisted it mate. These boys are leaders of the pack and bring a set with bite. Ahhhhh fuck.

Black Lakes

It’s no secret we flippin’ love Black Lakes over here. And it’s a no-brainer to be fair. This heavy, haunting, electro goth amalgam honestly do keep getting better and better. And they were bloody good to start with. These black-cloaked boys are big of tune (‘Burn’ is an irresistible epic shout-along and that’s how they start the set fercrissakes) but also big of heart (pro-humanity anti-racist-knobhead anthem ‘White Cliffs’). The breakdowns hit so damn hard tonight. ‘Fragments’ is a chance to whip your hair back and forth for all you’re worth. No hair? No problem. The Dobermann boys can spare you a lock or two. Headline sets are a-comin’ for Black Lakes…

Chez Kane

Chez Kane is what the best of the 1980’s sounds like. Apparently. Because I wasn’t there. Obviously. And going on the energy and euphoria that’s coming from the stage, and the utter nostalgic escapism that Chez and her hugely enthusiastic band are bringing… what a time it must have been to be alive. ‘Too Late for Love’ is thrown into the set early like a stick of dynamite, and the pit explodes from the packed barrier to the back. The Chez Kane experience comes with warm banter and an attitude that says bollocks to bubblegum pop. Because if you’re after a blast from the past with big hair and bigger ambitions, Chez is yer gal.

H.E.A.T

H.E.A.T blow the roof off Forge Warehouse. They blow minds in the pit. And they blow the whole goddamn sound out during ‘Dangerous Ground’. Not that it matters if it was down to the might these classic heavy metal madmen or a slight technical hitch. The temporary loss of sound was made up for by band-audience interaction, and the full floor taking over vocal duties. Outstanding to hear and touching to witness. Today has been incredible, with each band fuelling the fire more and more to get Destination ready for their headliners. And while you can never quite be ready for the musical monsters H.E.A.T throw down, you can at least brace brace brace and expect a show of the highest rock calibre fronted by one of the best voices at the minute/ever. It feels like cheap journalism to tell you a cliché like, ‘H.E.A.T bring the fire'. But it ain’t bragging if you can back it up. And they do. This is how you headline.