Review by Emily Castles
Photos by Artur Tarczewski

In a dark, cold warehouse in the middle of an industrial estate on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, you’ll find the Bowlers Exhibition Centre. Following a short walk across one perilous junction and several perilous puddles, we arrive at Damnation Festival. In stark contrast to when I first attended Damnation, back at Leeds University Students’ Union, there is nothing else for miles. Just like the bigger outdoor festivals, you rely on the venue for your every need – unlike the capital’s indoor festivals such as Desertfest and Incineration, where you can quickly pop to The World’s End for a pint and Pret for a swanky Ploughmans.

The main downside to doing an indoor festival in this way is seating. With no pre-mud grass to sit down on and no nearby coffee shop to have a break in, you have the choice between sitting on an industrial concrete floor, or standing for thirteen hours. Despite this slight downside, which likely won’t affect those under the age of 30, the venue is spacious and worthy of this prestigious underground festival. There is even an entire marquee dedicated to merch (which for half the day is just filled with Amenra fans waiting for them to arrive and set up shop – it takes, a while…). 

Taking on the Eyesore Merch Stage early on are Sheffield-based Kurokuma, with their unique blend of hallucinogenic metal.  This afternoon the band perform several unreleased tracks, exploring everything from ancient Mexican history to Middle Eastern influences – introducing elements of folk music to their otherwise psychedelic set.  

Following on the same stage shortly after are post-metal sludge favourites Ohmms, who after 10 years have declared that this is sadly their final show – releasing a Facebook statement ahead of the festival stating: ‘No drama to report – just riffs.’ This is proved correct – they go out with a bang.

Meanwhile, over on the Holy Goat Brewing Stage is Strigoi, brainchild of Paradise Lost whiz Greg Mackintosh.

Having just released their latest EP, Bathed in a Black Sun, the blackened death doom outfit have proved their power and brutality in their five years together.  

Over on the Pins & Knuckles stage, the phenomenon that is Julie Christmas takes us on a magical journey, dressed in a suitably festive fairy-light dress (which is undoubtedly a fire hazard). Largely associated with the defunct noise rock band Made Out of Babies, Christmas has most recently been associated with atmospheric doom outfit Cult of Luna – featuring as a guest vocalist on their album Mariner. However, Christmas is very much a force in her own right, with several solo EPs under her belt and an unwavering stage presence. She throws herself down on the floor, unleashing tuneful animalistic cries, writhing with the music. The crowd is captivated as she plays several brand new solo songs – expect big things. 

She is followed by one of the most anticipated bands of the day (that is, based on the previously mentioned crowd in the Merch tent) – Belgium’s gloriously dark Amenra. Never less than captivating live, Amenra use a monochrome backdrop of visuals to illustrate the story and emotion they conjure through their music, frontman Colin H. van Eeckhout writhing around with his guttural howls. This is an introspective, delicate, fierce world that we are invited into.  

Back over at Eyesore, black metal legends take to the stage in the form of Japan’s Sigh. On the scene for 35 years, they released their latest album Shiki back in 2022 and are showing no signs of slowing down. Their deep, brutal riffs draw in the crowds – and after the first song there is no way that any latecomers would be able to wiggle themselves in. The combination of progressive blackened metal with traditional Japanese instrumentation creates a truly hypnotic sound.

Unfortunately, Katatonia don’t have an easy run as we head into the evening. Plagued with technical issues that leave the band twiddling their thumbs on stage, their set begins 20 minutes late and is much shorter than many would have hoped. The Swedish heavy metal band, whose sound has evolved greatly overtime, now routed in progressive rock rather than the death metal that they began life with, make the most of their short time on stage – playing crowd favourites including ‘Lethean’ and ‘Leech’. 

As the night draws in, Norwegian Vikings Enslaved offer up one of the most impressive stage shows of the day, with glowing Nordic Runes reaching right up to the roof. Hot off the back of their brand-new album Heimdal, the black metal brutes get the crowd riled up with a fiery set.  

Closing the night with an equally captivating, if less curated, stage show are Brummie boys Anaal Nathrakh. Frontman Dave Hunt tells us that he created the slideshow of footage behind them by typing in keywords to a programme that sourced them from the internet – it’s a chaotic film that jumps from The Simpsons to the battlefield. It’s very Nathrakh. After several years off the scene, up until recently the bands future seemed uncertain – but their performance tonight proved that the boys are back, and more brutal than ever. What a great way to end another brilliant Damnation.

• For all the latest line-up and ticket news for Damnation 2024 click here.