Rabidfest 2023: Breaking Down The Bands #22: Shoot To Kill!

Making a mockery of our numbering sequence, bands have dropped out and been replaced since they were originally announced to take part in the special occasion that will be the fifth anniversary of Rabidfest. For clarity, there will be no less than 20 bands taking to the Devolution Magazine sponsored main stage at The Bullingdon in the heart of Oxford over the weekend of 4th and 5th November, baying for blood, sweat and spilled beers in the mosh pit… with all the profits will be going to the The Sophie Lancaster Foundation! So there is absolutely no excuse not to invite your brother, mother and that crazy looking cat lady from down the road for the best weekend this side of the summer! Here’s the line up in full…

Bound In Fear (headliner)
Blaze Bayley (headliner)
Absolva
Ward XVI
Mortishead
Tribe Of Ghosts
Gutlocker
Imperium
From Her Ashes
Draconian Reign
Shoot To Kill
Maelstrom
Reveller
LestWeForget
Fetus Destruction
Cage Fight
Stone Soup
Second Hour
Depolarize
Sworn Amongst

Who the f*** are Shoot to Kill you ask? Well… not to be confused with the Springfield, Massachusetts Crossover Thrash outfit who gave us the 2009 classic “Alter Of Pigs” via Frequency Deleted Records, this South Bucks five piece tread the path that Gods fear to. Conjuring a sound that sits somewhere between Hardcore, Metalcore and Nu-Metal thrown into a blender before being refined in the fire, they actually made their live debut at the 2021 incarnation of Rabidfest. That’s the one that was subtitled “Straight Outta Lockdown” as Diamond Head, Bloodshot and Divine Chaos took to the stage for us to go crazy for having turned feral and climbed the walls for far too long. Two years on and Shoot to Kill are back with a twelve gauge stolen from Elmer J. Fudd’s gun cabinet, an April released EP in “Torment” and September single “Thin Blue Line“. That EP features not one but two guest vocal appearances as Dylan Alves of Harbinger and Connor Connolly of Feel Shame lend their throats to a pair of cuts that have now become fan favourites. What sets Shoot To Kill apart is how they’re not afraid to get up close and personal, dealing with issues like bullying with cuts like “Torment”, something which resonates without feeling all woe is me, that grit and integrity going a long way to giving them an edge. So expect a fierce, incendiary, venom spitting live performance from these dudes and if you’re lucky they might even bring a sledge hammer…

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 will be 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