Infest (festival)
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.
| 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" |
| Date(s) | Annually in August, usually Summer Bank Holiday weekend |
| Genre | Industrial music, Electronic body music, Synthpop, Futurepop, Rhythmic noise, Gothic rock, Deathrock, Darkwave and related genres |
| Website | http://infestuk.com/ |
Contents |
[edit] History
Infest was born in early 1998 through the efforts of three students of the University of Bradford and the Students' Union Entertainments Manager, Floyd Peltier - the founding team of students being Gareth 'Gadge' Harvey, Chris 'Crusty' Molyneux and Max 'Maxi Slag' Niblock. The concept of the show was a one day event for local goth bands in West Yorkshire. Even before the first event however, it spiraled into an altogether bigger beast when the Students Union agreed that funds could be found to book some much bigger acts; most notably 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 14th 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.
By 2000, the University of Bradford's Students' Union felt that they couldn't carry the costs of the festival any longer. In addition, the original students who had promoted the show had all but moved on. Fortunately, an independent goth/industrial promoter and DJ named Mark 'Gus' Guy (former drummer with the Indie band Kerosene), who had been advising Chris during the show's early years, stepped in to fill the void. As a result of the heavy involvement with Gus and his Terminal Productions company, another twist to the show's music style took place, defining Infest in its current form. The show's theme has moved from goth/industrial crossover to alternative electronic, with a greater emphasis on power noise, futurepop, synthpop and electronic body music. Occasionally more darkwave-style goth bands do still appear on the lineup.
Since 2000, Infest has gained an international reputation, with festival-goers travelling from as far as Canada, and acts flying from as far as Australia to play the UK. 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 is supported by a number of electronic record labels, notably Ant-Zen and Hands Productions and has been sponsored by the online music store Music Non Stop, the drink Jägermeister and the software publisher Ableton.
The festival was originally known as "InFest" when it was started in 1998, however in 2003 its name was altered to "Infest" on all material produced by the organisers.
[edit] Today
Today, Gus has a small team of people at his side, including Chris (the one remaining founding member of the team) and other long serving crew members Lee and Richard, who still run & maintain the festival to this day.
The thirteenth Infest Festival was held over the Bank Holiday weekend 2011 "Official Infest Homepage". http://www.infestuk.com/..
[edit] Infest performers
[edit] 1998
- Alien Sex Fiend, Dust to Dust, Horatii, Leechwoman, man(i)kin, Nekromantik, Passion Play, Rosetta Stone (were on the bill but cancelled one week before the festival), Sneaky Bat Machine, Squid, Ultraviolence
[edit] 1999
- Friday: The DJ Wars: The Bratcave DJs Vs Deathstar Disco
- Saturday: Apoptygma Berzerk, Faithful Dawn, Killing Miranda, Sneaky Bat Machine, man(i)kin
- Sunday: Spahn Ranch, Inertia, Narcissus Pool
[edit] 2000
- Friday: Ultraviolence, Synapscape
- Saturday: VNV Nation, Manuskript, MS Gentur, Intra Venus, Project X, Void Construct
- Sunday: In Strict Confidence, Dream Disciples, Imminent, man(i)kin, Libitina
[edit] 2001
- Friday: Inertia, The Nine, Swarf,
- Saturday: Suicide Commando, Beborn Beton, P.A.L, Leechwoman, Katscan, Illumina,
- Sunday: Covenant, Dive, Icon of Coil, Monolith, Goteki
[edit] 2002
- Friday: XPQ-21, Psyche, Revolution by Night
- Saturday: Funker Vogt, Sonar, S.P.O.C.K (replacing Neuroticfish), Winterkälte, Greenhaus, Synthetic
- Sunday: Mesh, Noisex, Welle: Erdball, Asche, Aslan Faction
[edit] 2003
- Friday: cut.rate.box, scrap.edx, Tarantella Serpentine
- Saturday: God Module, Needle Sharing, Seabound, Tarmvred, Culture Kultür, Je$us Loves Amerika, SINA (billed on flyers but did not appear due to illness)
- Sunday: VNV Nation, Hypnoskull, [:SITD:], Resurrection Eve, Arkam Asylum
[edit] 2004
- Friday: Lights Of Euphoria, Ah Cama-Sotz, Action Directe
- Saturday: Suicide Commando, Proyecto Mirage, Plastic, Combichrist, Angel Theory, Skinflick
- Sunday: Assemblage 23, Converter, Spetsnaz, Mono No Aware (replacing Sara Noxx), Silence Is Sexy
[edit] 2005
- Friday: Fixmer/McCarthy, Powderpussy, Univaque
- Saturday: Covenant, Punch Inc, Decoded Feedback, HIV+, The Azoic, Tin Omen
- Sunday: Blutengel, KiEw, Iris, Final Selection, Deviant UK
[edit] 2006
- Friday Lab 4, Destroid, Schmoof
- Saturday Rotersand, Architect, Unter Null, Reaper, S.K.E.T., O.V.N.I
- Sunday Front Line Assembly, Wai Pi Wai, Stromkern, Frozen Plasma, Autoclav1.1
[edit] 2007
- Friday Portion Control, Greyhound, The Gothsicles.
- Saturday Apoptygma Berzerk, 13th Monkey, Dope Stars Inc., Caustic, Faderhead, Synnack.
- Sunday VNV Nation, Soman, Painbastard, Rupesh Cartel, E.S.A.
[edit] 2008
- Friday Grendel, Snog, Coreline.
- Saturday And One, 5F-X, Heimataerde, Santa Hates You, 100blumen, Skinjob.
- Sunday Front 242, Noisuf-X, Tyske Ludder, Marsheaux, Deviant UK.
[edit] 2009
- none
[edit] 2010
- Friday De/Vision, Heimstatt Yipotash, Mandro1d.
- Saturday Rotersand, x-Rx, Agonoize, Memmaker, Northern Kind
- Sunday Project Pitchfork, Nachtmahr (L'Âme Immortelle side-project), Ayria, Patenbrigade: Wolff, Concrete Lung and Parralox (originally scheduled for Saturday but postponed due to illness).
[edit] 2011
- Friday Uturns, Code 64, Tactical Sekt.
- Saturday V2A, Maschinenkrieger 52 vs Disraptor, Alien Vampires, Absolute Body Control, Xotox, Hocico
- Sunday Sci-Fi Mafia added on the weekend, Analog Angel, Julien K cancelled, Shiv-R, mind.in.a.box, Sonar, VNV Nation