Amplifest 2024 – Hard Club, Porto (PT), 8-10 November 2024 (ENG)
“The Canadian trio’s blend of post-rock, krautrock, shoegaze, and psychedelia kept the audience captivated despite being sandwiched between two of the weekend’s most popular sets”
Amplifest, held in the beautiful city of Porto and now in its tenth edition, is a unique festival. It achieved this status through careful and bold artist selection over the years, attracting a like-minded audience that has regularly sold out the event way in advance. This year was no exception. We found former Portuguese music journalist Fernando Reis available to cover the event on our behalf, so we nudged him out of hibernation, to witness what he called “a masterclass in taste, presenting music beyond the obvious and challenging its audience”. So that’s a promise worth checking out.
14 november 2024 I Text: Fernando Reis, photography: Vera Marmelo
Friday 8 november 2024
Okkyung Lee performed an intriguing show at the Serralves Museum. Playing the cello, she deconstructed the instrument’s sound in a highly experimental and improvisational manner. Using sampling and moving throughout the hall (even leaving it at times), the Korean artist explored sounds as diverse as they were challenging.
Later that night, at Ferro Bar, John Cxnnor demonstrated why they’re quickly becoming one of the most hyped collectives in Europe’s industrial/techno/noise scene. Hailing from Denmark and featuring three members of LLNN, they included guest vocals from Portuguese singers Paulo Rui (Besta, Avesso) and Sofia Loureiro (Hex Arcana, ex-We Are The Damned), joining Victor Kaas. Their show was unusually energetic and intense, with a packed club and a sound that was brutal, saturated, danceable, and powerful. Subtle trap incursions fit seamlessly, and the breakdowns almost tore down the club.
Saturday November 9th
Insect Ark opened the Büro Stage, bringing their cinematic noise as a true musical feast. Led by bassist/vocalist Dana Schechter (currently also a member of Swans), the Berlin-based band sounded more urgent and visceral live, without ever losing control of their sound
Later, Mizmor mesmerized Amplifest with their intense black/doom/funeral doom performance. It’s impressive how guitarist/singer A.L.N. remains composed amidst a maelstrom of shrieks and cavernous growls. The contrast between straightforward black metal blast beats, organic doom, and funeral doom felt even more cohesive live, and the quartet (A.L.N. joined by three session members) was one of the festival’s biggest surprises.
LLNN, fully recovered from the intense party of the previous night, effortlessly translated their apocalyptic, atmospheric, cinematic, and chaotic post-metalcore to the stage. Backed by sampling, industrial sounds, and a relentlessly pounding drummer, the band conquered the audience from the first second. Vocalist Victor Kaas is magnetic, with his desperate screams and stage presence.
The return of Russian Circles to the Hard Club thrilled post-rock fans with a flawless performance, making full use of one of the day’s best sound setups.
In contrast, Ufomammut replaced Russian Circles’ precision with a massive wall of psychedelic sludge/stoner and doom drones, leading the completely packed Büro Stage to a collective peak with Levre’s relentless drum attack and monolithic riffs.
Avesso opened the Dois Corvos Stage, representing Portugal as the only Portuguese band on Amplifest’s first day. The quartet, with members and former members of EAK, Redemptus, Budhi, and Besta, delivered a vigorous post-rock/metal performance in their debut show. Paulo Rui led with a charismatic presence, singing in Portuguese and showcasing songs from their newly released debut album, adding some much-needed extra weight to the live versions.
Cinder Well presented her folk singer-songwriter material in a simple, charming manner, though the arrangements became somewhat repetitive.
Fvnerals broke the monotony with an intimate yet noisy set of dark-ambient-infused doom/drone and post-rock.
Living Gate, led by Lennard Bossu (Wiegedood, ex-Amenra) with members from Yob, Amenra, Crouch, and Oathbreaker, flawlessly delivered abrasive, technical death metal.
UF’s attempt to start a techno/noise party, however, was marred by microphone issues, impacting the set despite efforts from OAKE and Samuel Kerridge to improvise.
Sunday 10 november 2024
The second day of Amplifest started strong with Inter Arma on the Büro Stage, delivering their sludgy blackened death metal attack. Drummer T.J. Childers stole the show with an incredible performance, and the music seemed built for the live stage, with rapid shifts between two-guitar black/death riffs, post-metal passages, and crushing sludge breakdowns.
Spurv, on the other hand, was one of the weekend’s surprises, offering instrumental post-rock with three guitars, trombone, trumpet, and a highly engaging live energy.
The Body, joined by Dis Fig, delivered an hour of trance-inducing experimental noise/industrial.
Chelsea Wolfe captivated the packed Büro Stage, delivering an unforgettable dark folk performance. Starting with “Whispers In The Echo Chamber,” her presence was magnetic, and the set even included a poignant encore with “Anhedonia” featuring Emma Ruth Rundle.
Oranssi Pazuzu closed the Büro Stage, bringing their ritualistic psychedelic black metal to life with a polished, organic approach that matched the atmosphere of their records. “Uusi teknokratia” was a highlight of their set, spotlighting their latest album “Muuntautuja.”
The Dois Corvos Stage faced technical issues on the second day, causing delays and a rough start for Menace Ruine. Their performance was intimate and avant-garde, with Geneviève and S. De la Moth gradually overcoming the initial nerves to deliver an engaging show.
Mary Jane Dunphe brought a singer/songwriter performance, delivering left-field pop songs before abruptly leaving the stage well ahead of her set time.
Portugal’s Decline and Fall, featuring veteran Armando Teixeira (Bizarra Locomotiva, Balla), guitarist Hugo Santos (Process of Guilt), and writer Ricardo Amorim, suffered from a missing guitar sound, which affected their Portuguese-sung darkwave material.
Fortunately, Yoo Doo Right encountered no such issues and delivered one of the best performances of the festival. The Canadian trio’s blend of post-rock, krautrock, shoegaze, and psychedelia kept the audience captivated despite being sandwiched between two of the weekend’s most popular sets (Chelsea Wolfe and Oranssi Pazuzu).
Eihwar, with their self-described “viking war trance,” ended the festival on a high note, delivering a lo-fi, rhythmic, and costume-enhanced set that kept the audience dancing, singing, and smiling well past 1 a.m. on a Sunday.
All pictures by Vera Marmelo
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