[Report] Sylak Festival: where hardcore is a playground

This year, the Sylak Festival did not do in lace. Whether on the side of the artists or the public, the energy did not wisely stay at home. She saturated the small festival site for 3 nights and 3 days!

To immerse yourself in the atmosphere, here is the aftermovie of Sylak: the return in image of the festival! [Video by: Digital lanterns. Music: Mickael Kassapian]

Friday, August 3: a start that does not go unnoticed

Ritually, the evening of August 3 opened at 5:30 pm with the foam evening. The concept is as follows: just behind the pit, devices randomly swing bath foam. It is therefore possible to find yourself covered with foam up to the ears, right in a pogo of Benighted. It's a change from the usual festival dust, and it's refreshing! In view of the sun that left the sky of Sylak only to make room for the moon, it was circumstantial.

Since the first group mentioned here is Benighted, let's talk about it! The band had to interrupt their concert. For good reason, the public moshed so loudly, that the security barriers moved and threatened to fall! "This is the first time this has happened to us," said Julien Truchan . In his microphone, half-sorry to suspend the performance for technical problems he did not master, half-proud of his audience.

Benighted is a band accustomed to Sylak, it is far from being the first fois that it goes on the stage of Saint-Maurice en Gourdans. That evening, he closed the evening of August 3 after the passages of Mus Flat, Roadies Of The D, The Decline!, Flayed and Sticky Boys.

We were waiting for Sticky Boys with particular interest, because their video Better Days, balanced between a certain humor and all the imagery of metal (Satan, blood, abandoned places) had aroused our curiosity. No disappointment on this side, the band ensures on stage! A beautiful energy, honored that evening by bands with rock accents (crush on The Decline! also), before the deathcore finale offered by the Stéphanois de Benighted.

Saturday, August 4: hail to Hardcore

For us, the day of August 4 began with the very good Kamizol-K. In full splashing in the Ain – located 15 minutes walk from the campsite – you could already hear their scales. A woman who sings hardcore, because it's not yet commonplace, it impresses. Chucky, the blue-haired lady does not hesitate to harangue the crowd and chant obscene words. From a sound point of view, the effectiveness of Kamizol-K is formidable. 

The next group, In Arkadia gave a remarkable and noticed show. Alix Jeanguillaume started bleeding from her nose during the concert, and refused the handkerchief that was brought to her. He continued to sing, blood on his mouth. If it's not metal, that. 

Comeback Kid was the band we were most looking forward to with the Americans from Hatebreed and we were not disappointed. A live hardcore punk concert is never a bad time. 

Hatebreed was such a broth that the bruises on our skin reminded us for several weeks that this pit had been memorable. Below is the live of Destroy Everything, although Hatebreed left it to the Benighted audience to destroy the barriers:

Sunday, August 5: the colourful finale

Mantar was cancelled the same day, following food poisoning of the group (without long-term consequences) at Wacken. So it was the Grenoblois of Eight Sins who went on stage at 2:40 p.m., and we do not keep the supsens any longer: the group managed. Their energy and humor (the singer Loïc has a perceptible weakness for puns) was at the height of Mantar, in a style however very different. 

As for Terror, the Californian band, watching this excerpt of the live should allow to identify an ounce of the wild energy deployed by the crowd and the artists.

After a visit to the photo booth of the festival (and the bar …), we settled in the front row to enjoy Municipal Waste as it should be! Next to us, an inflatable Donald Trump was walking in the pit, in front of the gigantic poster of the President of the United States shooting himself in the head installed by the artists. Atmosphere, music and sun: definitely, the Sylak is a very happy mess. 

Sepultura and Alestorm were eagerly awaited to conclude the festival on a note more classic than hardcore. 

Seen two months ago at the Download Festival France, Alestorm chose the same joyfully messy staging, in front of a smaller audience than in Paris but just as uplifted. The giant yellow plastic duck that seems to accompany them throughout the tour was present. After being propelled into the crowd, he punctured. We hope that a small piece of adhesive tape will be enough to put it back on its feet to continue the concerts!

This is the first year that the Sylak has sold all its tickets. The small festival of hardcore and metal music is taking off, and we hope to make it an annual ritual! (Big up to security disguised as unicorns)