SOS Festival confirms first acts

Rocksector Records revealed yesterday the name of the first seven bands aimed to take the stage on the fifth edition of the indoor rock and metal SOS Festival.

This year the event will feature a mix of the Rocksector artists showcased alongside well-known bands, plus emerging bands from around the UK and abroad, plus a local Manchester area contingent too.

In 2011, the festival was headlined by Scottish rockers Gun and band Fury UK. Previous headliners have included Blaze Bayley, Black Spiders and Heaven’s Basement, and now it is turn for Tygers Of Pan Tang, Exit State, Max Pie, Gone Til Winter, Triaxis, and Wizzard & Broken to perform for the Manchurian crowds.

Tygers Of Pan Tang will be leading the first night. The band is currently writing and recording towards a new album to be out in 2012. The record with a working title of “Ambush” will be the follow-up to the critically-acclaimed “Animal Instinct” from 2008.  

Exit State will take the chance to promote in the same evening the new album “Black Veins”, which was released this month. The four-piece ensemble, which reached the Number One spot on the Kerrang TV Chart Request Show with Lost Beyond Belief from debut album “Death Of A Rockstar”, are currently on tour in the UK and will be heading off to play Hard Rock Hell V in North Wales alongside bill-toppers such as Ace Frehley, Therapy?, Magnum, Black Stone Cherry and more.

Another band to appear the first day is Triaxis. The South Wales group should be well-known to fans from both Bloodstock and Hammerfest festivals, where the band have played headline-grabbing performances during the past couple of years. The audience will have the opportunity to listen to their self-released album “Key To The Kingdom” which won plaudits from high places such as Metal Hammer, Terrorizer and Zero Tolerance. They are currently touring with Fury UK, Kobra and The Lotus.

Wizzard will be the first Belgian band playing in this edition. The traditional hard rock/metallers played at SOS in 2011 winning many fans in the process. Headed by vocalist Wizz, they will bring a heavily NWOBHM-inspired sound which has been helping their growing reputation during the past two-three years.

Broken will complete the line-up. They are relative newcomers on the UK scene, but the Yorkshire-based are quickly earning a reputation for their infectious, kick ass hard rock grooves delivered with a rock n roll swagger, all helping the band develop a loyal following.

The following day we will see the Manchester-based gothic female-fronted melodic metallers Gone Til Winter conquering the audience with the songs from their self-titled mini-album on Headroom Records, including the hit Hear Me. They are currently planning for a follow-up album in 2012.  

Max Pie which hail from Belgium will bring their own brand of power metal to the festival. Their sound, characterised by their aggressive, power, melodic and progressive elements, resulted in debut album “Initial Process” appealing to fans of bands such as Rhapsody, Kamelot and Symphony X.

The festival will take place at Radcliffe Civic, in Radcliffe, North Manchester in July 21 and 22, and will run a main stage and an acoustic one.

Tickets are £10 for single day and £15 for two days and can be bought from Ticketline or the Rocksector Records webstore.

More bands will be announced soon.

For more information about the festival check the website by clicking here.