Live Coverage || Vainstream Rockfest 2018

Vainstream 2018 was one for the books. Yes, yes, I know, I said the exact same thing last year BUT trust me, this year it topped every expectation I had. To be honest, the first band announcement was a bit vanilla; however, the ones that followed made the festival more and more appealing until it finally ticked all the right boxes and off to Munster I went.

I made it to the arena just in time for Stray From The Path slaying. The reception they had was mad good, despite their early slot and the sun burning like hell already. A fitting start for the festival, the band was tight and got the kids pumped, especially when vocalist Drew Dijorio proclaimed loud and clear that this scene is inclusive and "all is welcome except racism", before introducing the song "Good Night Alt Right". (8)

Blessthefall vocalist, Beau Bokan, has a habit of coming on stage squirting water to the crowd. The band easily managed to keep up with Stray's energy, engaging more people into singing along, while Bokan himself jumped onto the barrier and started kissing crowd surfers. (8)

Blessthefall

#truestory

Back to the Lonsdale stage, Any Given Day delivered solid metalcore and headbanging lessons. The band took the stage by storm and their banging performance was equally as good as when I last caught them at Impericon festival. (7)

Lionheart, on the other hand, was advocating what we should all be fighting for; "our right to party". I kid you not. I didn't realize how much I had missed them until they got on stage. The heat didn't stop the crowd from moshing and cheering "LHHC" at the top of their lungs, nor the Californian outfit from doing what they know best -and having a great time while doing it. Even if that meant that the show ended with bassist Ricky Trigga slipping and finishing the song on his back, under "big boy down!" hoots from vocalist Rob Watson. (8)

Any Given Day

On to Bury Tomorrow. Nothing new here, the boys have mastered the art of performing incendiary shows and made sure to keep security busy again. Despite lacking a bassist (Andy from Any Given Day filled in so well that you couldn't even tell the last-minute change), the Brits were in their element. Their contagious energy filled the arena, as they played both older songs, as well as the singles of their upcoming album. Dani Winter-Bates' smile I think is indicative of the frenzied reactions of what went down. (9)

On the contrary, Neck Deep and their pop punk was a cute break from the noise but their stage presence was quite poor. I understand that spending 30' directly under the sun is hard for basically any pale person -myself included- but the fans who were pulling up had been waiting for many hours on their feet (and would continue doing so for many hours to come) and deserved the vigorous show Neck Deep is known for. (5)

Modern Life Is War didn't get the turnout I expected, but their performance was top notch regardless. With a setlist not straying from that of Paris, they got the kids more involved as time went on. I'm pretty sure the Iowa powerhouse gained a few more fans after this show. (9)

Modern Life Is War

I took a break from the scorching sun while Silverstein played, but I got to enjoy them from the shade nearby. I (quite reluctantly, if I'm being honest, since I was already developing a nasty sunburn) moved back to the front for Terror. Scott Vogel and co. were in a great mood, kicking off the set in the most pissed off way possible. Currently featuring a certain Chris Linkovich of Cruel Hand fame on bass, they were one of my absolute favorites of the day mainly because of their vibe. While Linkovich seemed over the moon to play with his favorite band, guitarist Jordan Posner was the chillest motherfucker ever (proof follows) (9)

(Exhibit A)

(Exhibit B)

Terror's set clashed with Higher Power's for the most part so, having already seen the band the week before, I made the conscious decision to catch Terror's entire set. I relocated back to the Throwdown stage for The Bronx but didn't stick around. The band never fully grew on me and I remained around just to satisfy my curiosity.

Stick To Your Guns hit the stage a little after 15:30 and their interaction with the crowd was intense, to say the least. Their setlist included the usual pit hits, old and new, ("Nobody", "Married Too The Noise", "The Reach For Me", "Amber", "Nothing You Can Do To Me"), and it was rather pleasant to be able to enjoy the music without many preaching outbursts. (9)

Time had come for me to ~~finally?~~ catch Asking Alexandria and I was admittedly very curious. The first shock came from the mere realization that Danny Worsnop could actually sing and nimbly support most of his belting notes. Their music still isn't my cup of tea but their performance was quite alright. (7)

Asking Alexandria

Missing Culture Abuse, I got to the Throwdown stage just in time for Touche Amore. The band's performance was splendid; the set kicked off with "~" and "Just Exist". It was great to catch these guys again and witness how much they've grown. The fans knew almost all the lyrics, even to their latest single, "Green", while vocalist Jeremy Bolm jumped on the barricade for the final track, "Honest Sleep", deliberately sharing the mic with the kids in the front rows. (9).

I had been waiting to see Boysetsfire for a really, really long time and it was never the right timing, so you bloody bet I was singing very loudly while framing their cute faces. The band played one of my favorite sets of the day; fully energetic and communicative, they took the time to address their objection to the recent US policies separating kids from their families and the need for unity before introducing "One Match" (and if Nathan's voice cracking in the end of his speech didn't give you goosebumps, I don't know what to say). (9)

Boysetsfire

I never fully got the hype around the type of music Casper plays but apparently a lot of people do, so it came as no surprise that he played on this slot with so many fans cheering in front of the stage. Although the big curtain fell while the band wasn't on yet (which I think sort of defeats the purpose), the overall stage presence was good and the lightwork was excellent, while the very excited Casper himself was constantly on the move not skipping a beat. (7)

The name Bullet For My Valentine is synonym to teenage feels. The band dropped an album just in time for the festival and was more than happy to showcase it. Frankly, it was great to see they are still at the top of their game, even though Matt Tuck has stepped back from growling. The crowd was very responsive, with most kids in the arena (even paramedics) singing along to the older stuff. (8)

Thank you, Vainstream, you were amazing once again. See you next year!

All photos courtesy of Dearohwell photography.

Boysetsfire

Bullet For My Valentine

Bullet For My Valentine

Asking Aexandria

Modern Life Is War

Any Given Day

Blessthefall

Neck Deep

Terror

Bury Tomorrow

Lionheart

Stick To Your Guns

Stick To Your Guns

Touche Amore

Touche Amore

Touche Amore

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Live Coverage || Vainstream Rockfest 2018

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Live Coverage || Vainstream Rockfest 2018

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