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Festival feature: Hellfest 2015

• 4th Jul 2015

We sent our intrepid metalhead Bryony Moss along to French temple of the riff Hellfest 2015 this year to report on the highlights from the annual metal Mecca, including Godsmack, Motörhead, Cradle of Filth, Lamb of God and more…

Day one:

After a scenic flight and train transfer I finally arrive in Nantes (Western France) with the droves of metalheads, to make the short trip (again by train) to Clisson and Hellfest Openair! As the we pull in to Clisson the driver shouts out over the tannoy in his most metal voice “Hellfeeest” and the train erupts with cheering of the crowd on board. Once off the train it’s a mad dash to catch one of the waiting shuttles and then a short drive up to the festival site. The drive through Clisson shows that the locals have embraced Hellfest with cafe’s advertising “Hellfood” and bars hosting metal nights, as we draw closer to the festival people have even set up small food and drink stands in their driveways to make the most of the influx of people to their small town, the excitement in the air is palpable.

I make my way in through the festival gate and enter Hell City square, and it really is like a city has popped up on the edge of this small French town. There is the Hellfire tavern where Gromash is challenging us to tests of strength and people are trying their hand at battling for the horde in World of Warcraft and having tavern brawls In Hearthstone. The square itself has a resemblance to Camden high street of old, with cars and gorillas exploding out of the top of a row of town houses and shops and even a tattoo parlour beneath. There is also the extreme market, an indoor market with stalls selling everything from guitars to records to hand made prosthetic masks. I head off, set up my tent and aim for the main arena. Where I am met by the sounds of Godsmack playing the familiar riffs of Awake, I pause and enjoy the remainder of their solid set which included I Stand Alone and Voodoo, as a band they are still putting on engaging performances that carry the reminders of a well spent youth.

Immediately following Godsmack on main stage 1 is the effervescent Billy Idol performing all those songs that make him great – it’s a blinding performance and really gets the crowd geared up (I now have ‘rebel yell’ firmly ingrained on a loop in my head). After Billy’s epic set I head off for a bite to eat before dashing back to main stage where the mighty Lemmy and Motörhead are coming onstage. I have seen these guys play a number of times but each show has been different and this is a really strong clear heavy set, without the restrictions on noise levels often faced by U.K festivals in built up areas, and without any wind to interfere, the sound quality so far at Hellfest has been second to none and the bands seem to be feeling that too, making their performances that much more solid and engaged. I decide to stick with the main stage a while longer as Five Finger Death Punch are up next and I’m not disappointed, these guys are as infectious as ever and their immense sounds booms out over the festival field, their set a mixture of hard fast angry metal and melodic emotional moments. I decide to stretch my legs and take a wander around the other stages, as I pass The Temple I spot U.K. death metallers Cradle Of Filth, the familiar and unique sounds of Dani’s vocals scream out over the crowd who are lapping it up.

I get a short break for much needed liquid refreshment and a spot of shade from the searing sun so I head over to the glade on the way where they have a series of sculptural installations in metal, and get a little rest from the sun before Lamb Of God on Main Stage 02, they explode on to the stage and straight in to a full on performance with their heavy sound that hits like a freight train of sound that has mosh pits erupting left right and centre, circle pits forming and then disappearing in a storm of metal. They are followed by long time rockers Judas Priest with Rob Halford donning one of his many signature coats and cane. I however leave ‘Priest’ to see what’s going on at The Warzone and find myself watching UK punk rockers Cock Sparrer they are classic punk with a bouncy beat and everyone around me is jumping and dancing along to their songs, they finish off their set with England Belongs To Me and the whole audience (English, Scottish, French, German and more) sing along with fervour it is fantastic to watch. They’re followed at The Alter by Meshuggah, they’re fast, heavy hitting and intense and the tent is filled with the air of sweat and wild testosterone as everyone jostles for the space to mosh heavy and mosh hard. My night is then topped off back at The Warzone, with the mighty Dead Kennedy‘s and their foot stomping melodies rang out to a joyous and upbeat crowd.

With all the main acts for the day finished it’s time to head over to Metal corner where the party goes on till 4am…..see you all when the sun’s up!

Day two:

I awake to song birds calling and revellers cheerily chatting to one another in that quiet lull just after an intense nights partying where the very idea of sleep is a distant memory. There is little choice but to pull myself up and out of my tent to face the world, as even at such an early hour the sun’s intense heat has turned my tent in to a suffocating sweat box. I am however delighted as I step out and find that the campsite info stations have been turned in to breakfast bars with coffee and deliveries of trays full of delicious fresh pastries arriving to fuel us all for the day ahead.

Having got myself together I start to make my way back through toward the main arena and decide to make a stop in to see what’s happening at the Hellfire Tavern I find the place filled with men of all shapes and sizes attempting to prove their strength and masculinity against the Gromash (a character from the World of Warcraft) high striker and a large audience cheering them on, I move to take a look inside and grab a drink, heading past their art wall which graffiti artists are working on from ARTitude. There are many people trying out the games on offer from Blizzard with 4 PC’s set up for World of Warcraft and a series of tables for people to play their online card game Hearthstone, it seemed to be a real mix of people who knew what they were doing and those that just fancied having a go and was a real hive of activity. The concept of having gamers at a metal festival seems to be going down very well with the Hellfesters.

It’s time to go and see what’s happening inside, so I head through the Hell Chateau gates and make my way over to Main Stage 01 where a substantial crowd is gathering to watch The Butcher Babies, this female lead thrash metal group from California are doing a good job of waking up the subdued audience and showing that women can shout, sing and scream as loudly, deeply and aggressively as any of their male counterparts. With everyone (including myself) thoroughly woken up I head off to see what happening at The Valley, here the tone is quite different as Monarch are performing their own brand of doom metal with slow booming bass riffs and stilted drum beats topped with the almost gentle cries of their female vocalist and keyboardist.

Back at the Main Stage 01 are classic rockers The Answer who are picking the mood up again, their riffs are jolly and upbeat and they are bouncing about the stage, the sound is great so I stick about and enjoy their set, perfect for lunchtime in the summer! After a break from the intense midday heat and a little refreshment I’m back at Main Stage 01 for a bit more classic hard rock from Airbourne they have a classic and clean sound that has all the familiarity in style of the 80’s hard rock and hair metal. They are followed up at Main Stage 02 by the infamous L7 an all girl grunge band who really truly take no prisoners, they may be older but are still as full of attitude and kick ass as ever, it was great to hear many old favourites and they topped their set off with the classic “Pretend we’re dead”.

After my trip back to the 90’s I dashed back to The Temple to catch Finntroll who combine metal and Finnish folk music, fast guitars and drums interspersed with bouncing keyboards, all adorned in pointy ears and dancing around the stage they are a lot of fun to watch but I can’t hang about for the full set as Slash is about the start his set with the awesome Myles Kennedy on vocals, they perform a mixture of Slash’s solo work and classics from his Guns N Roses days, including Nightrain, Sweet Child O’ Mine and to finish off in style, Paradise City. Myles is the perfect vocalist for it, his voice is sheer power and clarity and it all seems entirely effortless.

I take a short breather and return just in time to see ZZ Top. The audience seems to have taken over every inch of available space as these legendary ageless blues rockers take to the stage, their entire performance is seamless and the synchronised dancing is infectious, their songs are almost all classics and are filled with catchy riffs, the perfect start to an amazing evening of entertainment. They are followed fairly quickly by Faith No More who since their reunion in 2009 have been showing their old and new fans alike that they haven’t lost their magic, the stage is swamped in flowers and they are all adorned in white linen, making them stand out even more from the sea of black clad metallers, they played a truly varied set showing just what a range they have as a band and fronted by Mike Patton who’s enigmatic stage presence seems to allude some mad genius, ever the rebels they also insist on “putting the heaven in to the Hellfest” and as thanks the crowd sings and dances along swept along by the bands energetic performance.

As I stand with the rest of the audience awaiting the penultimate act, German Rock legends The Scorpions, we see a message popping up on the stage screens from the Hellfest organisers, it’s a thank you to everyone who has supported them over the years, from volunteers, to workers, to the fans, as this year Hellfest is celebrating it’s 10th edition. There is a flair to our left as the fiery Hellfest logo appears in the sky followed by a huge fireworks display that would rival any major cities New Years celebrations, as the Fireworks come to an end the cheering crowd start to sing “Bon Anniversaire” and the whole festival erupts in a series of celebrations.

The atmosphere here is wild as The Scorpions take to the stage with a bang, a huge electric screen backdrop has booming speaker systems behind them as they start the set with “Going out with a bang” which leads on to a series of old favourites for the fans who cheer and dance their hearts out throughout and then as they play “still loving you” we see yet more fireworks exploding behind the stage in a monumental night of celebrations.

Day three:

It is the third and final day of Hellfest Openair, and unlike most festivals I’ve attended the sounds on the campsite are those of people still miraculously full of energy and raring to go and party as hard as they have all weekend. I pull myself together and head back through Hell City Square, as there is a bit of a queue to enter the arena I decide to take a look around the indoor Extreme Market and let it go down a little. I’m expecting to see the usual festival stands (of which there are a few), but am surprised to find lots of other stuff besides, there are 2 stands with guitars to try and buy, Sea Shepherd are here with an information stall to raise awareness of their work, there are several artists who have worked with Hellfest, some who do cover art for albums etc, and they are all selling prints, limited poster runs and so on, craftsmen are sitting making adornments from leather and horn to sell, there is even a man making prosthetic horror masks and offering prosthetic make up sessions so you can add fake wounds, or zombify yourself, the list is endless.

With a couple of small gifts purchased and the queue dying down I make my way back in through the chateau gates, on the main stage ETHS a French metal group are playing to an eager and wild crowd, they have circle pits forming already, the Female lead vocalist has a deep growl interspersed with light soft voiced melodies. I took a walk about after their set had finished and stopped at the skatepark, built in the shape of a cross and surrounded by cage, it’s skating a la Mad Max, there is a friendly completion going on and a fair sized crowd built up watching them pull their jumps and tricks, there is even a giant metal Flying V guitar for them to grind and jump, it’s a fun Sunday atmosphere. I continue up to the Warzone where American hardcore punk band Snot are playing, they put on a high energy performance with funky bass lines and fast drums their fans are hardcore in both a musical and loyalty sense and are loving every minute of their set. I make my way out of The Warzone before the exodus starts and back up to Main stage 01 where I catch the end of The Hollywood Undead‘s show which seems to be going strong with their blend of Rap and metal and certainly doesn’t fit the sedate musical offerings you so often see for a Sunday morning festival lineup.

I decided to ask a few of the people nearby about who they were most looking forward to seeing and got several recommendations for French band Les Ramoneurs De Menhirs, so I swiftly bowled back over towards the Warzone which was already so packed that, had there been rafters I’m sure people would have been swinging off them. I decided to stay near the side of the stage as I could still hear (if not see) and when the band kicked in to gear it was an exciting and energetic mix of Celtic folk and punk with an almost Greek folk music vibe, the whole arena seems to be bouncing and people are crowd surfing in circles around the not insubstantial space.

I gradually escaped the excited throngs once Les Ramoneurs De Menhirs had finished and made my way up to The Temple where Alestorm were beginning their unique set. Hailing from Scotland this fun loving metal band refer to themselves as “Bacon powered pirate core” or “pirate metal” with the feel of the sea shanties of old backed by speed metal riffs and many silly lyrics they are a lot of fun and it seems much of Hellfest would agree as the Temple to full with the crowd spilling out in to the 2 neighbouring stages, bars and beyond, even craning to hear them at a point where the sound was becoming mixed with other areas of the festival site. They put on an excited show and had everyone clapping along an a giant inflatable shark crowd surfing throughout.

As Alestorm finished up it was time for Cannibal Corpse to start their show on the neighbouring Alter stage, playing their rhythmic death metal music that is designed to leave you with a sense of darkness and does what it sets out to. It’s time for me to get back up to the aptly named Warzone where The Exploited are playing, again the space is full to the brim with expectant punk rockers revved up for some old school punk rock, The Exploited don’t let them down they’re fast and heavy and everyone is roaring in appreciation.

I take a short break before In Flames back at Main Stage 02; the sun has gone down on the final day and the bar fires are alight, the audience are still in full swing as In Flames come on stage and put on a powerful, fast and impressive show with the biggest circle pit I’ve seen all weekend. The atmosphere is electric as Korn come on to play – an intense and exciting set filled to the brim with their catchy hits and even an interlude where Jonathan Davis came onstage playing bagpipes as an intro to Shoots and Ladders. The party continues on for most of the night in Metal Corner and then past dawn in the campsite, with people singing happy birthday to Hellfest and even drumming and fiddle playing in the very early hours, I rise early to pack up my tent and start the long trek home! this time leaving the site by their newly laid out exit route, via the vineyards and cottages that mark out this beautiful area of France.

For their 2015 leg, Hellfest Openair opened up a rip-roaring barrel of metal infused fun – it manages to find that fine line that allows it to be a wild non stop party with the feeling of no holds barred and yet also remains family friendly and has little visible trouble. There is plenty of security on hand if needed, but they are not intrusive and in fact seem to be having a great time themselves remaining jovial even when dealing with over the top drunken people. The site itself covers a large area so there can be a fair bit of walking about, but the ground is relatively flat and I noticed many people with sticks and wheelchairs who seemed to be negotiating the crowds and space without too much difficulty. As for the layout, it was generally very well designed so the stages were within easy reach of one another and the “traffic” flowed quite easily. With the number of people attending it actually remained remarkably tidy of rubbish, unlike many other festivals on this scale, (after a day or so I spotted a poster that may indicate part of the reason for this miracle was that in exchange for bags of sorted rubbish festival goers were entered in to a draw to win 4 tickets for next years festival, pure genius!) I can definitely recommend this as a must in the alternative festival calendar.

If you are thinking of attending Hellfest, travelling from the UK there are direct flights from London Gatwick and London City to Nantes and from there you can either book a shuttle direct to the festival site or catch a train to Clisson where there are regular shuttles back and forth to the festival. I thoroughly recommend booking flights early as they sell out quickly and it can save costs, the same applies if you are thinking of staying in a hotel. If you do end up leaving it late and there are a group going, then car travel via the ferry or channel tunnel can be a lot cheaper (and quicker if you only have flight transfers through Paris as an option) there are also several companies offering ticket packages that include your weekend pass and coaches to and from the festival.

– Bryony Moss