LIVE FROM THE PIT: Noizzefest 2025

Noizzefest returned to the beautiful and bustling city center of Cardiff, Wales amongst the seemingly unusual amount of hen parties happening for its second year running, and it was definitely one for the heavy metal books! With the festival being held between Fuel Rock Club and Clwb Ifor Bach on opposing sides of the same street, you would’ve been more likely to get whiplash from sprinting back and forth to see the phenomenally eardrum-bursting line up that the festival had in store than you were from the constant headbanging.

Noizzefest was first held in Cardiff in 2024 to mark the 10th anniversary of the heavy music publication Noizze, the festival had such a great turnout in its first year that they just had to come back for more. The publication and now also the festival was founded by Jac Holloway, who at the time was working in the legendary Fuel Rock Club where half of Noizzefest is now held. The publication has come full-circle back to where it began and is cracking the very foundations of the two buildings with some of the best up-and-coming alternative bands that the heavy music scene has to offer. 

The artists are staggered between the two venues in order for audiences to make it to their favourite acts uninterrupted and with ease, and the first band to bring the heat to Fuel Rock Club was Falselove. Upon the release of their new EP, they had plenty of fresh tracks to share with the crowd, and they ate up every single bite. It’s a nerve-wracking ordeal being the first band to break the anticipation at a festival, but Falselove warmed up the audience with such ease with their Metallica-esque sound and singer Jacob Eynon’s vocals bringing the music to staggering new heights. 

Next up on the day's itinerary was Sleemo on the upstairs stage of Clwb Ifor Bach, a three-piece alternative and punk group from Norwich who’s stage presence and energy sent the crowd into a moshing frenzy. This is a band who doesn’t let the stage confine them as they were more than happy to bring the energy off the pedestal and into the audience of their own accord, really solidifying their place as one of the highest-energy groups of Noizzefest 2025. 

After a quick sprint back over to Fuel Rock Club, the audiences already-shattered eardrums were met with the insanely powerful riffs and astonishing vocals of South Wales born post-hardcore band Atlas Theory, the audience could’ve sworn that they had seen debris falling from the ceiling from vocalist Eve Jones’s screams which blended perfectly with the pounding drum beats and deafening riffs from Joel Davies on guitar, Christ Jeffries on bass and Owen Holcombe on the drums. If you’re in the mood for a good old metal growl and to let off some steam, Atlas Theory are a must-see. 

Hyperpop-inspired queercore trio Gender Warfare were up next to burst out onto the upstairs stage of Clwb Ifor Bach, and their sound incited a feral energy from the crowd that only their music can manage to drag out of an audience, evident by the amount of hair that was swooping around in the sea of fans. Their in-your-face, perfectly crafted lyrics and breaking down of gender stereotypes left the audience feeling an intense sense of liberation and also a dire need for the earplug dispenser downstairs.

Hertfordshire is known for churning out some of the biggest names in the Indie and Alternative world with the likes of Declan McKenna and Enter Shikari originating from the London border, and High Regard is one of the latest groups from the area to break out onto the scene and onto the stage of Fuel Rock Club. With vocalist Georgia Casey hitting the pop-punk high notes and the remainder of the bands’ unreal riffs, High Regard had the entire room pumped with feral energy and set the bar for the rest of the festival insanely high, they are a must-see act and are touring around the UK for a large part of this year. 

Love Rarely, an insanely talented five-piece alternative math rock ensemble from Leeds, were next up on the itinerary and vocalist Courtney Levitt’s astonishingly earsplitting screams were laced with raw emotion and got the entire room in their feels in a crying mid-headbang type of way. The band are newbies to the heavy music scene with their first EP being released in March of last year, so if you get the chance to see them perform make sure to give them the loudest cheers and feralest screams possible! 

A light-hearted change of tone was up next when Orchards blended indie-pop and math rock upon the Fuel stage with their optimistically infectious energy and fun dance moves (and the best facial expressions in existence from lead vocalist Lucy Evers). Getting the entire audience bouncing with elation over exhaustion at this point of the day was no easy feat, but Orchards managed it with such ease and had the entire venue partying with them. 

The British capital has blessed us with much musical talent in the past, and genre-bending alt-rock group Unpeople is fast topping that list since beginning their journey and releasing their first EP in 2023. They bossed the upstairs stage of Clwb Ifor Bach with passionate discontent for the state of the world and gave an unforgettable and energetic performance specially tailored for all the other ‘Unpeople’ among them. 

Last but certainly not least and a fantastic way to end a whiplash-inducing day of great music, we had Knife Bride thrashing on the upstairs stage of Fuel with the venue bursting at the seams with doting fans. With lead vocalist Mollie Buckley’s ethereal voice effortlessly merging with the string-snapping riffs from Craig Glynn and Sean Windle, the venue echoed with raw melodic bliss through the entire city of Cardiff. 

Noizzefest is a festival you will want to experience if you are looking to discover tons of new and upcoming artists in the heavy music industry - and who knows? You may just find your new favourite artist there.

Words: Billie Wheeler

Photos: Simon Arinze