Rabidfest 2023: Breaking Down The Bands #17: Second Hour!

“It’s the return of the “Oh, wait, no way, you’re kidding. He didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?” And Dr. Dre said… nothing, you idiots! Dr. Dre’s dead, he’s locked in my basement (Ha ha!)”

After a couple of weeks away for track reviews for “Iron Thunder” by Imperium and “Alone & Against” by Monasteries, it’s time to get back to business. We’re talking Rabidfest business and breaking down the bands. There are four left in this series and each of those bands is itching to read about themselves in this feature [Itching? Need to see a Doctor about that ~ Ed] so here’s what you need to know: The fifth anniversary incarnation of Rabidfest will take place at The Bullingdon in Oxford over the weekend of the 4th and 5th November 2023. It’s the hottest ticket in town and here’s the line up in full…

Bound In Fear
Blaze Bayley
Absolva
Ward XVI
Mortishead
Tribe Of Ghosts
Gutlocker
Imperium
From Her Ashes
Draconian Reign
Monasteries
Reveller
LestWeForget
Johanna Rey
Cage Fight
Stone Soup
Second Hour
Depolarize
Indecorum
Sworn Amongst

It’s time for the main event. So who the f*** are Second Hour and why should you get a ticket for that someone you’ve had your eye on for the past few months but haven’t dared ask out for a beverage of choice yet? Put simply, they call themselves a Hard Rock (think Iron Maiden influenced “Black” album era Metallica and you get the idea, they have growls and screams interwoven into their clean vocals for goodness sake! Talk about genre mis-appropriation!) five piece from the heart of Oxford with a big live reputation… but there is way more to the story than that. They spent the better part of fourteen years known as Last Rites before changing their name in November 2022 and while they have only one single under the new name out in the world in “Kaleidoscope” at this point in time, there is more on the horizon. The plan is to enter Whitehouse Studios (Ruby Rogers, Split The Dealer, Ocean Ruins) at the end of the month to record their next offering “Seven Sins” for an August release. This year they reached the quarter final stage of the Metal 2 The Masses competition for a chance to play the New Blood stage at Bloodstock this summer, losing out to Stone Soup who will be joining them at Rabidfest in November. So you have been warned, both bands will be heckling each other during their respective sets!

We’re proud to be a Media Partner of Rabidfest again this year alongside Red Death Media, Moomin Merchandise, Metalplanetmusic, Moshville Times, GraphicsFix, Unearthed Music and main stage sponsor Devolution Magazine. The Festival is all for charity and this year the profits going to the The Sophie Lancaster Foundation!

Rabidfest will take place at The Bullingdon in Oxford over the weekend of the 4th and 5th November 2023:

Get your tickets here -> https://www.rabidfest.co.uk

Get your merch here -> https://shop.rabidfest.co.uk