Infest (festival)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
Infest Festival | |
---|---|
Genre | Industrial music, Electronic body music, Synthpop, Futurepop, Rhythmic noise, Gothic rock, Deathrock, Darkwave and related genres |
Dates | Annually in August, usually Summer Bank Holiday weekend |
Location(s) | Bradford, West Yorkshire, England |
Years active | 1998 to today |
Founded by | 1998 "Black Lobster Promotions", 1999 "Slag Industries", from 2000 until today "Terminal Productions" |
Website | http://infestuk.com/ |
Infest (originally stylised as InFest) is an annual three-day music festival held at the University of Bradford Union in the United Kingdom, featuring alternative electronic music acts, from genres including industrial, EBM, futurepop, synthpop and power noise. The event usually takes place on the August bank holiday weekend.
History[]
Background[]
InFest was born in early 1998 through the efforts of three students of the University of Bradford - Gareth 'Gadge' Harvey, Chris 'Crusty' Molyneux, and Max 'Maxi Slag' - and the Students' Union Entertainments Manager, Floyd Peltier. The concept of the festival was originally envisioned as a one-day event for local goth bands in West Yorkshire, but the crew were able to also onboard much bigger acts, such as gothic/deathrock band Alien Sex Fiend. The student organisers were already fans of the Whitby Gothic Weekend and took the idea for Infest to the Whitby festival-goers and traders to gauge how popular the show might be. The response was positive and the first Infest festival was confirmed as 14 and 15 August 1998.
The following year (1999), the festival paid more attention towards the electronic side of the goth and industrial scene by booking Apoptygma Berzerk for their first UK show.
Reinvention[]
By 2000, the University of Bradford's Students' Union felt that they could not carry the costs of the festival any longer. However, an independent goth/industrial promoter and DJ named Mark 'Gus' Guy (former drummer with the indie band ), who had been advising Molyneux during the show's early years, stepped in to fill the void. As a result of the heavy involvement with Guy and his company, Infest took the form it is recognised as today: the festival's theme has moved from goth/industrial crossover to alternative electronic, with a greater emphasis on power noise, futurepop, synthpop and electronic body music. However, occasionally more darkwave-style goth bands do still appear on the line-up.
The stylisation of the name had changed in 2003 to be "Infest", and from this time has grown significant international recognition. The show continues to provide a market for traders, which helps to bring the music and the lifestyle of the show's fans together. There is also a full festival program where nightclubs, DJs, bands and businesses can make their voices heard. Infest has been supported by a number of electronic record labels, notably Ant-Zen, Hands Productions, now-defunct online music store Music Non Stop, Storming the Base (part of the record label Artoffact Records). Support outside the scene has also come from software publisher Ableton, and drink manufacturers Jägermeister and Barr.
In July 2013, the festival organisers announced that "it is highly unlikely that there will be an Infest in 2014";[1] but following "an avalanche of messages of support" the organisers have decided to "throw caution to the wind and go ahead with Infest in 2014 (The reason for announcing that infest 2014 was highly unlikely was due to AltFest being proposed to occur a couple of weeks before Infest in 2014. In the end Altfest was canceled due to lack of ticket sales and financial insecurity for the viability of a new big festival that had no history on the alternative music scene)."[2]
Today[]
Today, Guy has a small team of people at his side, including Molyneux (the remaining member of the founding team), graphic designer Richard King, Ticket Office Manager Lee Thornton and a crew of volunteers and live production professionals.
The festival celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2018, adding an extra day that year for the occasion.
Performers[]
1998[]
- Alien Sex Fiend, , , , , , , Rosetta Stone (cancelled), Sneaky Bat Machine, Squid, Ultraviolence
1999[]
- Friday: The DJ Wars: The Bratcave DJs Vs Deathstar Disco
- Saturday: Apoptygma Berzerk, , , Sneaky Bat Machine,
- Sunday: Spahn Ranch, Inertia,
2000[]
- Friday: Ultraviolence,
- Saturday: VNV Nation, , , , Project X,
- Sunday: In Strict Confidence, Dream Disciples, , , Libitina
2001[]
- Friday: Inertia, , Swarf,
- Saturday: Suicide Commando, Beborn Beton, , , , Illumina,
- Sunday: Covenant, Dive, Icon of Coil, Monolith, Goteki
2002[]
- Friday: XPQ-21, Psyche, Revolution by Night
- Saturday: Funker Vogt, Sonar, S.P.O.C.K (replacing Neuroticfish), , ,
- Sunday: Mesh, Noisex, Welle: Erdball, Asche, Aslan Faction
2003[]
- Friday: cut.rate.box, ,
- Saturday: God Module, , Seabound, Tarmvred, Culture Kultür, , SINA (cancelled)
- Sunday: VNV Nation, , [:SITD:], , Arkam Asylum
2004[]
- Friday: Lights of Euphoria, ,
- Saturday: Suicide Commando, Proyecto Mirage, , Combichrist, Angel Theory, Skinflick
- Sunday: Assemblage 23, , Spetsnaz, Mono No Aware (replacing Sara Noxx),
2005[]
- Friday: Fixmer/McCarthy, ,
- Saturday: Covenant, , Decoded Feedback, HIV+, The Azoic,
- Sunday: Blutengel, KiEw, Iris, Final Selection, Deviant UK
2006[]
- Friday Lab 4, Destroid,
- Saturday Rotersand, Architect, Unter Null, Reaper, ,
- Sunday Front Line Assembly, , Stromkern, Frozen Plasma,
2007[]
- Friday Portion Control, Greyhound, The Gothsicles.
- Saturday Apoptygma Berzerk, , Dope Stars Inc., Caustic, Faderhead, Synnack.
- Sunday VNV Nation, Soman, , , .
2008[]
- Friday Grendel, Snog, .
- Saturday And One, , Heimataerde, Santa Hates You, , .
- Sunday Front 242, Noisuf-X, Tyske Ludder, Marsheaux, Deviant UK.
2009[]
- none
2010[]
- Friday De/Vision, , .
- Saturday Rotersand, , Agonoize, ,
- Sunday Project Pitchfork, Nachtmahr, Ayria, , , Parralox (postponed from Saturday).
2011[]
- Friday , Code 64, Tactical Sekt.
- Saturday , , , Absolute Body Control, Xotox, Hocico
- Sunday (added during the weekend), , Julien K (cancelled), , mind.in.a.box, Sonar, VNV Nation
2012[]
- Friday , , , Klinik
- Saturday , , A Split-Second, XP8, , , DJ Kohl
- Sunday Resist, Tenek, , Absurd Minds, , Suicide Commando
2013[]
- Friday , , Dive, Pride & Fall
- Saturday , , Click Click, , , Imperative Reaction, DJ Kohl
- Sunday , , , Sono, Cervello Elettronico, Covenant
2014[]
- Friday Dreams Divide, Cyanotic, Acucrack, Haujobb
- Saturday The Ladder, Be My Enemy, Xenturion Prime, Architect (replacing ), Legend, Juno Reactor
- Sunday Syd.31, Mr.Kitty, ESA (replacing Le Moderniste), , Ashbury Heights, VNV Nation (replacing Project Pitchfork)
2015[]
- Friday Ctrl Alt Del, , Cocksure, Empirion
- Saturday , , , L'Âme Immortelle, , mind.in.a.box
- Sunday , , , Syrian (replacing Melotron), Monolith, Project Pitchfork
2016[]
- Friday Pop Will Eat Itself, , , Massive Ego
- Saturday Atari Teenage Riot, Velvet Acid Christ, , , ,
- Sunday 3Teeth, Leaether Strip, Displacer, , ,
2017[]
- Friday Rotersand, Noyce, Accessory,
- Saturday Die Krupps, , , Empathy Test, ,
- Sunday Revolting Cocks, iVardensphere, , , ,
2018[]
An extra day (Thursday) was added to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event.
- Thursday Peter Hook and the Light, Empirion, ,
- Friday Cubanate, , ,
- Saturday Mesh, Sarin, Liebknecht, , , ,
- Sunday Aesthetic Perfection, , , Elegant Machinery, Valhall, ,
2019[]
- Thursday Warm Up Party featuring Das Ich, Inertia, , , Matt Hart.
- Friday Light Asylum, , Torul, Bitman
- Saturday Zardonic, She Wants Revenge, Dive, , , , .
- Sunday , Nitzer Ebb, , , , ,
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Infest 2014, Official Infest Homepage". Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ "Confirmed: Infest 2014 Will Go Ahead, Official Infest Homepage". Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Infest (festival). |
- Industrial music
- Industrial music festivals
- Electronic body music
- Goth festivals
- Music festivals in West Yorkshire
- Goth subculture
- 1998 establishments in England
- Music in Bradford
- Electronic music festivals in the United Kingdom
- Music festivals established in 1998