There’s something about the idea of proper heavy music heads coming together in aid of soft and fuzzy animals that I find endlessly endearing. The entire ethos behind Glastonfurry is proof that metalheads are some of the biggest softies out there. The seventh volume of their ongoing fundraiser for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA might have been mind-blowingly loud, but the love in the room was far louder.
By the time I arrived at Glastonfurry, the day market had been reduced to a few racks and three bands had already played. Inside the beer hall of Woodstock Brewery, though, the night was only getting started. I walked into the middle of Ill System’s set of noisy nu-metal, a truly exhilarating performance featuring excellent live percussion and high-energy stage antics. The band’s style of nu-metal is the sort of danceable hard rock that incites conga lines in the centre of the mosh pit, and I was immediately put at ease by the noxiously fun vibe these guys set.
Woodstock Brewery proved to be a charming venue. Sure, it was sort of kitsch, with a ceiling lined with flags and random floral bouquets, alongside a projection wall screening a rugby game on DStv, but it’s the sort of kitsch that lends itself to metal’s inherent camp. No one on the lineup embodied that more than Sabretooth, the stalwart band whose hair-metal set was full of retro ’80s camp, theatrical vocals and epic, face-melting guitar solos.
They were followed by one of my favourite discoveries of the night, DOOMTRIGGER. The Stellenbosch metalcore outfit have been making proper noise on the underground circuit with their distinctive cataclysm of doomcore and heavy punk. Songs like “Scorched Earth”, an aggressive lament on climate change, and the tracks from their Circles project, have a certain socio-political edge that makes them a perfect fit for Glastonfurry’s mission statement. They make the kind of purge-inducing heavy metal where wrathful, screamed verses give way to mournful, melodic choruses that feel like anthems. Matched by a playful stage presence, the band was easily one of the night’s most enjoyable.
Glastonfurry came to a climax with headliners BEAST, who delivered yet another stellar set, albeit a familiar one in sound. It’s always a pleasure to witness Inge Beckmann in her element, though, and it’s clear that she is having more fun with the BEAST project each time she takes the stage with her bandmates.
The night concluded with the heavy catharsis of Constellatia, another band I was seeing live for the first time. Though I could only make it through half their set before my body gave in to exhaustion, what I did see of the Cape Town post-black metal cum dark shoegaze outfit was impressive. I found myself genuinely moved by the tortured voice of frontman Keenan Oakes, whose performance was vulnerable enough to rip your soul to shreds and make you really want to adopt an emotional support animal. Perfect conclusion, then.
Though I arrived for the nighttime programme, I could tell that Glastonfurry’s earlier hours had been just as much of a success. The crowd stayed put for most of the night, allowing themselves to go on the journey that the festival’s diverse and exceptional lineup had to offer.
By the end, Glastonfurry had raised around R60,000 in profit for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, thanks in no small part to the bands donating their earnings, vendors donating percentages of their day market sales, and DOOMTRIGGER putting R100 from every merch sale towards the cause. Hardcore doesn’t get more soft-hearted than that.
All photography by Brig Stanford.
