By Matt Haynes
(Image: All photos belong to IN MY LENS Photography. Festival Poster belongs to Amplified Media]
This review covers the Main Stage bands.
For 'Amplified Festival Part I: Overall Thoughts', click here
For 'Amplified Festival Part III: 2nd Stage Bands', click here
6am start, not a lot of sleep and 3 hours of travelling meant I was more than ready for some folk to scream angry sounding lyrics at me and hear those sweet melodic tones of guitars, basses and drums. Arriving at Corporation for the 9th rendition of Amplified Festival, the attendees were due to be treated to 12 bands of all sizes from across the UK – Scotland, Wales, down south…one band even made the journey over from Denmark on the day of the festival just to get the crowds pumping and the roof shaking.
For me, there were 3 bands I was excited to see again – Eschalon, The Five Hundred and Infirm of Purpose – and 9 bands that I would be seeing for the first time. All the names on the bill were ones I was familiar with from the scene, but either hadn’t had chance to see prior to this or hadn’t made my way to getting onto their music. So when you see fans commenting on posts that the organisers had made some great choices, it always leaves you intrigued as to what you’re going to come across.
As there’s simply too much to say in one review (evident with the fact this one of three reviews for this festival alone), this part has us focusing on the 6 Main Stage bands who performed over the course of the day.
FROM TYRANNY
Prior to the festival, From Tyranny had actually been in my radar after their recent track ‘Imposter’ had been featured on the Tuesday night stream over at Get Heavy UK. It was a track that was heavy yet melodic, hitting all the right chords (no pun intended…much) for a geezer who loves the metalcore genre. The quartet – who were returning to the Festival line-up following their appearance in 2025 - had the challenge of opening the Main Stage, following from Our North who had opened the festival not long before them on the 2nd Stage. Needless to say – the group smashed all expectations and kept the energy flowing from 2nd to Main Stage. The group radiated Bleed From Within vibes (not just because of the Scottish roots), presenting a sound that genuinely felt like it could fill the larger venues and even arenas in years to come. ‘Imposter’ in particular sounded even bigger and powerful live compared to what had been heard on the Get Heavy stream. With the perfect balance of crowd interaction and focusing their energy on stage, From Tyranny truly earned their spot on the Main Stage. Hopefully we will see them return on a higher slot in future versions of the festival.
MEET YOUR MAKER
An interesting find for me about this band was that they had the prestigious title of ‘Bloodstock Newblood Stage headliner’ under their belt. So naturally, I was intrigued to see what drew people to this band and their sound. From the first to last song, Meet Your Maker were truly infectious with their on-stage antics and craftsmanship. Deep thoughtful lyrics were matched with masterful instrumentals that got under your skin and left you hooked. Within the set, we did witness the first technical glitch of the day (something that’s always due to happen at an event of this scale) where the bass seem to cut out. Luckily, this didn’t deter the band from continuing their set or take away from the energy, and was very quickly resolved by the sound techs who were on and off the stage within moments to replace the dodgy cable. Overall, Meet Your Maker ensured the energy and enthusiasm continued to run high as the day progressed
DOWNPOUR
Now admittedly, it was from this point in the afternoon where I started to miss some parts of bands’ sets due to either running around helping conduct interviews or just taking a simple breather after an early start in the day…after all, there’s only so much standing one man can do in one go. Whilst I did miss the first song of their set, what drew me to Downpour was the fact that you could hear them from outside as soon as their first note was played. Making my way inside, I found myself walking into Melodic Hardcore vibes. A set that combined ‘fun and upbeat’ with ‘hard and heavy hitting’, the Bristolian group were showing just how they’ve mastered the hardcore genre whilst still retaining a strong sense of bounce and energy between the lines. With the added joy of a trapped beachball being freed from the ceiling by fans and being batted around by fans and band alike, Downpour offered that nice little refresh that was needed after a very early start to the day.
CONTINENTS
Representing the Welsh music scene, Continents started their set with the lights dropped and eerier build up. Cheers filled the room as the group walked on stage which amplified even louder when the group launched into their full set. Powerful and crunchy metalcore hooks filled the air as the band proceeded to blow the roof off of the venue. ‘South Wales Metalcore at its finest’ is the tagline used on the band’s social media and honestly, it’s a line that suits the band perfectly. Each song was metalcore perfection, flawless and goosebump-inducing goodness note after note. Whilst I did have to leave the room to be interviewed outside, the fact you could still feel the band’s energy when away from the stage showcases just how much the group pour into their craft.
ESCHALON
The penultimate band of the Main Stage. The last time I saw this group was back in August last year, sharing a stage with those daft buggers in Raised By Owls in a London warehouse. Back then, I had friends telling me just how good the band were and of course, I was thoroughly impressed by them back then. Now here we were once more, ready to see them bring their flair and dazzle to the stage. Riding on the energy of their recently released album ‘Devour’, Eschalon truly proved just why they had landed themselves the main support slot of the main stage. Loud and just downright inticing, Eschalon delivered a 45-minute set that kept the crowd moving and the heads banging as the night drew to a close. Whilst Eschalon have already headlined a couple of festivals in their time, what we truly witnessed are a band that are clearly destined to become headliners of a grander scale
SIAMESE
So here we are, the final band of the whole evening and one that many (including the organisers) were very much looking forward to. Using the festival as a one-off stop before their full EU/UK tour (which starts on the 2nd of October – find more info here), Siamese travelled from Denmark earlier that morning to arrive for their headline set. Earlier in the evening, I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting to frontman Mirza. One question I asked was ‘what could fans expect from a Siamese set?’ to which he responded that Siamese are all about honesty in their music and bringing fans together (slight paraphrasing there, I’ve slept since then…). Similar to the comments made about Continents, this was a quote that suited the band perfectly. The reception the group received when they arrived on site was phenomenal, fans cheering them on and engaging in headbanging and singing along from the start. The pure joy on the faces of the band told you this was a group who loved not just doing what they did, but also loved seeing the sense of unity they helped create when performing. I’d never really sat down and listened to Siamese religiously before the day so only knew the odd track, but this was a set I found beautiful and haunting in its own way. It wasn’t just about ‘making music’ with Siamese, it was all about the connection and emotions as well. At this point, you could tell everyone was tired after a long day – fans, bands and staff alike - but Siamese were able to help create a last burst of energy to sign the festival off in spectacular fashion and leave everyone wanting more.
Before I share my final thoughts on the six Main Stage bands, I have to add some thoughts on the stage crew. Having played several stages in my time and also attended quite a few shows, I always find myself watching the sound crew as well as the bands – observing how they handle any glitches on stage or at the back of the room by the sound desk. All I can really say is Corporation’s crew are an extremely well-oiled machine. The speed of getting bands on, checked and off again was flawless and helped ensure the running times ran as smooth as possible. Each band sounded crisp and clear across all their members with the mixes being at perfect levels so you could appreciate all instruments and vocals. And when any glitches or issues did arise such as the minor issue during Meet Your Maker’s set, the crew were quick to react and resolve the matter whilst being somewhat ‘invisible’ – moving swiftly and ensuring they didn’t get in the way of bands or photographers during the sets. So to coincide with the Part I review about the overall running, I have to tip my hat to Corporation and its staff for their flawless and extremely professional resolve during the day.
Back to the 6 bands on the main stage, there wasn’t a single one that stood out because they all stood out in their own way. Each band proved they could easily be headliners of festivals or their own tours, whilst all sharing the value of community by supporting each other on and off the stage. Knowing that there is easily around 700 to 800 bands in the UK scene alone, the team at Amplified had one hell of a time choosing a line-up that would not only appeal to the fans, but also help highlight the current rising stars of the grassroots scene. And once more, they smashed that out the park with this half of the line-up.
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