LIVE FROM THE PIT: Amplified Festival 2025

One of the last festivals of the summer Amplified took place in Corporation in Sheffield last weekend with an impressive line up of: Confessions of a Traitor, Red Method, Continents, Seething Akira, Cobermouth, Swarm 6ix, DJINOVA, InRetrospect, Pulse, Waterlines, Asleep At The Helm, Within Reach & From Tyranny. 13 amazing bands, no clashes and hosted indoors for an affordable price. Amplified has the makings of a festival you could add to your summer rotation.

FROM TYRANNY

From Tyranny opened up the festival on the second stage and made a lasting impression on this writer. The Scottish metalcore band had the crowd headbanging once they entered the venue, with their heavy riffs and harsh vocals, making sure if this was your first time ever hearing them, you’d be adding them to your playlist as soon as you got home.

WITHIN REACH

Within Reach were the first band on the main stage and kept the momentum up that From Tyranny brought. The whole crowd was enamoured with their set, nodding and two-stepping from the front to the back of the room. For the people who had just arrived at Amplified, a welcome surprise and a sign of things to come throughout the day. 

ASLEEP AT THE HELM

Back to the second stage and Asleep At The Helm continued with the high energy and helped keep up the precedent of the day. Jimmy’s Vocals had arms and legs swinging in the crowd, paired with Dan, Nat & Lewis melodic riffs spelled a recipe for success. 

WATERLINES

Highly anticipated Waterlines were next, and this was a very special occasion, as it was Front man Benji’s birthday. Where better to celebrate than on stage surrounded by the Waterlines’ fans. Waterlines had the crowd so hyped, Corporation’s neighbours could definitely hear the party that was happening. Between rows of daisy chains of people and the wall of death during Brace, this really was a phenomenal set.

PULSE

We headed back to the second stage for Pulse and after chatting to them in the green room knew we couldn’t miss their set. The Pulse lads are so lovely and their set was so good, definitely check out Sanity to hear some stunning gutturals and practice your best two step moves. 

IN RETROSPECT

 You can’t go to a gig in Yorkshire and not check out Leeds finest InRetrospect, and we were lucky enough to hear their new song ‘Toxic’ which is unreleased at the time of writing this. As per usual InRetrospect don’t miss! The crowd loved the performance and proves that this set is a sign of big things to come. 

SWARM 6IX

After taking a break from Headbanging and moshing, we came back just in time to catch Swarm 6ix, and they left a lasting impression on me! Their vibes, the music and their overall stage presence had me sad when their set was over! 

SEETHING AKIRA

Now if you’ve never heard of Seething Akira you’re 100% missing out! As usual their performance was high energy and chaotic in the best way! Kit jumped off stage and ran into the pit losing one of his shoes but continued to sing while being in the middle of a spectacular mosh pit. All the crowd were true fans singing along to all the songs and showing that concert etiquette is alive and well making sure the person next to them was okay!

CONTINENTS

Second to last on the main stage was Welsh faves Continents! The crowd had been at Corp all day but Continents made sure to keep the fans spirits high and let them know the night wasn’t done yet! They played all the classics, brought incredible energy to their set and ended with one of my favourites ‘LIFELINE’. Continents had the crowd enthralled with their talent and made sure they left lasting impression.

CONFESSIONS OF A TRAITOR

Confessions of a Traitor ended the festival in style, showing why Amplified made the right decision in making them the headliners. Stephen showed off his vocal skills while balancing between the stage and barrier, something I wouldn’t be able to attempt in my wildest dreams! Running into the crowd and letting the crowd know that although it;s the end of the night, the energy is still very much there. This was an excellent choice on Amplified’s part on how to close the festival and had people wanting to know when they can buy tickets for next year! 

In summary, if you're looking for a way to end the summer that won't break the bank but still give you the same quality as any other festival, Amplified is a contender. With no clashes and a stacked line up with bands from different parts of the metal umbrella, you’ll be spoilt for choice and there is something for everyone.

Words: Dollie Himuyandi

Photos: Robert Halls