Would it be bold to call Rifffest the best northern punk event there is? In light of January’s showcase, we definitely don’t think so. 2019’s event left little to be desired – they had stellar talent start to finish. But 2020 blew us away: Rifffest scaled up massively in just a year, putting on yet another day of beyond top-quality calibre, and organisers Brooders should be as proud as they’ve ever been.
99% Cobra kick off the day – half three in the afternoon and already the crowd look settled in for 9 hours of punk magic. And that’s exactly what 99% Cobra are providing to get us well appetised – Hull-based, and the first of the three-pieces that make up most of this evening’s lineup, they make as much noise as if there’d been thirty of them; writhing riffs that offset the impassioned vocals and steady aggressiveness of the drums, 99% Cobra look ready to make as much noise in the Yorkshire and UK music scenes as they are on that stage.
DENSE follow in the same vein – their band name is a perfect descriptor for their sound, both for the fuzz that wraps around their flickering riffs and punctuating vocals, and for the wall of sound they’re thrusting off the stage into the audience. The Leeds outfit are giving us dense, intense, and visceral, and we’re definitely captivated.
Dead Naked Hippies are next up, and they’re nothing short of captivating. Frontwoman Lucy Jowett enthrals the crowd, at times darting around the stage like a bolt of red-headed lightning and at times seizing the crowd’s attention with static, puppet-like movements as their high-power punk tunes build into an explosion. Rapture is the best way to describe the most appropriate response to the immense cacophony of howling vocals, pounding bass and frantic guitar, and it’s certainly what’s being felt in Belgrave today.
It might be a cold, dark January evening, but Calva Louise flood the stage and the room with absolute sunshine – frontwoman Jess Eastwood’s vocals positively glow, and the band themselves seem to do so as well. They’re humble yet remain as bubbly as their tunes, Eastwood continually nattering with the crowd, telling us we’re actually on a first date – definitely putting a smile on everyone’s faces. Their music is the most light-hearted of the day, but far from lacking in energy, it brings the mood in the room as high as it’s been so far – Calva Louise are already well loved, and their set here proves why.
Brooders themselves – how could they not be a highlight? They’re never not a pleasure live, combining wicked energy with slick-yet-viciously-grungy music, and tonight feels like a victory lap for them. On a stage that’s been showing off so much talent, they look right at home, owning the crowd (and occasionally taking a spin round it). They seem to be aware (or at least we hope they are!) of how impressed everyone is, both by the event and by Brooders performance, absolutely epitomising the brilliance that we’ve seen all day.
Following the fantastic Brooders, we enter into the first two of Rifffest’s headline sets. Strange Bones erupt onto the stage with so much intensity and force that the crowd hurls themselves into vicious mosh-pits in seconds, and it’s easy to see why. We’ve seen charismatic frontmen in spades today, but Bobby Bentham careens around the stage like nothing we’ve seen before. Feral vocals mash together with electric riffs and grinding bass to make for a set you absolutely can’t take your eyes off, or help but throw yourself into.
If you thought a break was anywhere in sight after the mania of Strange Bones, you were sorely mistaken. Crows top off what’s been a truly fantastic night with a set packed with grinding riffs that seem to blend together for a glorious 45 minute closing set that’s nothing but noise. The crowd, elated after a solid evening of the greatest Yorkshire (and its surrounding areas) have to offer, barely stop moving either.
It’d be impossible to pick a crowning jewel of the evening – Brooders have, once again, picked out a brilliantly wide selection that demonstrate the best of every vein of the scene, from the visceral 99% Cobra to the magnetism of Dead Naked Hippies to the electro-hysteria of Strange Bones. It’s been truly amazing, and if 2021 is going to follow the trajectory we’ve been on since last year’s Rifffest, it’s looking to be unbelievable.
