PREVIEW: RADAR Festival 2024
This weekend, the prog powerhouse festival RADAR takes place in Manchester. While RADAR is still in its infancy up north, but it has managed to attract some of the world's best for another year.
Since its inception in 2019, RADAR made its name primarily in the south of the UK, in Guildford. A post-Covid boom saw that relationship end, and last year’s instalment marked the first RADAR-sized crater in Manchester, featuring acts like Sleep Token and Periphery. While festivals like Northwest Calling have spent years at the Ritz, RADAR went straight to the big venue, Victoria Warehouse. Several names on this year’s lineup have generated considerable buzz and will be familiar to those faithful to the festival. The organisers have called upon acts from some of their most successful years to try and surpass last year.
This year’s lineup is a banger, featuring some white-hot new blood in Holding Absence, Graphic Nature, and Ichika Nito. The festival has also maintained its emphasis on community and appreciating what goes into the production of the music. There's a new host of afterparties and masterclasses this year, as well as a continuing partnership with Aristides Guitars. This year’s lineup includes a vast array of instruments, interactive games, a board game café, video games, and more. All enquiries regarding both the market and the masterclass areas can be made upstairs in the warehouse. Finally, ahead of the fest, RADAR's official social media has boasted improvements to the second stage, promising an even better viewing experience for those wanting to catch bands like Caskets, Thrown, and Conjurer.
Prepare for an unforgettable weekend with our day-by-day breakdown of the festivities.
Friday
Geordie prog-rockers Giant Walker feature on Friday
The first day of RADAR features an unexpectedly packed lineup for a two-stage event. Hot favourites for us this year are spread across both stages. Giant Walker and the excellent unpeople are scheduled earlier in the day on the Sneak Energy Stage. However, Ichika Nito and Vola also have our interest, playing back-to-back in the main room. Friday is capped off by the aforementioned Caskets headlining the second stage in a well-deserved spot. But all eyes are on The Midnight to end our first day (I wanted to make the obvious pun, but the set ends at around 10:30).
Saturday
Graphic Nature feature on Sautday’s bill. Photo by Nic Howells
Saturday at RADAR Festival promises to be a feast for music lovers. It's the kind of day that makes you wish you could be in two places at once, though with RADAR's No-Clash setup, you won't need to be! Kicking off the day on the Main Stage, Kyros will set the tone with their eclectic blend of prog rock and synth. They'll make way for some ferocious metalcore from Londoners Ithaca before moving over to the second stage for Hail The Sun. The Sneak Energy Stage has an amazing run of bands on Saturday, with Graphic Nature bringing their heavy, nu-metal-influenced sound before the always impressive Fall of Troy. Conjurer will wrap things up on the second stage, providing a fittingly heavy end to a day packed with standout performances before the main stage headline, TesseracT. This progressive metal powerhouse is known for their intricate compositions and captivating live shows, making them the perfect act to close out the day.
Sunday
Sunday sees Adharma on the festivals second stage.
Sunday at RADAR Festival promises to be a standout finale. Things kick off again on the second stage with Atheana, setting a high-energy tone, with Adharma to follow before Future Static completes a huge trio to start the day off. Over on the main stage, scene favourites Oxymorrons had to change their EU tour plans, so unfortunately, they won't be part of this year's coverage. However, RADAR welcomes back alumni Mike Dawes as their replacement. Mike will enchant the crowd with his virtuoso guitar skills, while Sungazer will follow with their unique fusion of progressive rock and electronica. As the day progresses, Blood Command will energise the second stage with what's sure to be a messy affair. The festival concludes with a special set of performances like very few others. Holding Absence had a huge amount of hype behind them as the final band announced for the year, before making way for the final headliner of the weekend. Leprous will finish things off on the main stage with a set made up entirely of audience song requests in real-time. This is a huge undertaking for any band, but it's sure to send fans home happy until 2025!
