Now firmly ensconced at its new home at Hackney’s EartH venue, the annual Portals Festival makes a triumph return for a two day celebration of math-rock, post-rock and all things progressive. Held over three floors, and in three different performance spaces, the organisers have really surpassed themselves this year and have trawled the world looking for the best talent and have assembled a line-up that will make other festivals green with envy. With 34 bands spread over the two days the only major quandary are the inevitable stage clashes, so without further ado…let’s rock!

If there are any hangovers amongst the assembled throng then they’re smashed to smithereens by the ferocious blast beat that heralds the arrival of Hidden Mothers. Signed to the ever-reliable (and terminally cool) Church Road Records, this quintet from Sheffield peddle a nice line in ethereal post-hardcore/screamo and as you’d expect from such a combination there’s plenty of light and shade to their sound; but they tend to veer towards the dark side (which is a good thing, obviously) to deliver a bunch of tunes that threaten to shake the venue to its very core. It’s been a long time since the band’s last official release, but today’s set marks them very much in business and their lively show sets the bar exceptionally high for the rest of the weekend.

Another band hailing from the Steel City are New Ghost, and they have the honour of opening the Theatre stage. With its high ceiling and tiered seating, this venue is conducive to a great sound, and New Ghost certainly take advantage. They’ve a sound that flies at the listener from all angles and they prove themselves an intriguing tension of opposites; male and female vocals each add contrast, the sorrowful sax tangles with the bass, and ethereal keys weave amongst powerful drums. Furthermore, the band’s emo tendencies are delivered with a punch and it all adds up to a sound that’s pleasantly hard to characterise. The live debut of ‘The Wolf Of Allendale’ goes down very well and ensures New Ghost won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

I’m not sure what they’ve been putting in the water in the Brighton and Hove region, but whatever it is, I want some. That conurbation has birthed some amazing bands this side of the millennium, and perhaps the most sparkly are Orchards. Currently pimping their latest single ‘I Feel Terrible’, the band are at something of a creative peak and they rock like a crew who know they’re on the crest of a wave. Turning in a spirited, good natured set, Orchards cover every inch of the stage and unleash a bunch of songs that come marinated in melody, then garnished with a pop sensibility and this make Orchards a very likeable bunch, but when the tunes are this good, why wouldn’t you like ‘em?

Such is the buzz surrounding Din Of Celestial Birds that even their soundcheck has pulled in a fair-sized crowd, and once their proper set starts they pull in the biggest audience of the day thus far with a sound that draws the crowd magnetically towards the stage. Proving that instrumental music can be just as powerful (if not more so) as vocal arrangements, this Leeds crew are very much of the “theatre of the mind” school and the images they conjure are of the megalithic; imagine a large sledgehammer pounding the earth and smashing it in half, then you’d have something approaching Din Of Celestial Birds. Utilising the full stage, they create a spectacle befitting of their sound and marks the band as future headliners.

Hell fire and damnation! Norwegian noise rock pioneers Årabrot are a trio who sound far bigger than their constituent parts and immediately set the Hall stage aflame with their incendiary songs. Swirling across the venue like a tornado, they sweep the crowd up and hold them in the eye of the storm for 45-minutes. With a crystalline sound that cracks like frosted ice, Årabrot are the kind of band who refuse to be ignored, they stomp like an angry Golem intent on revenge, and woe betide those not paying attention because the band are throwing musical punches that hit the solar plexus with some force. In terms of stagecraft, Årabrot are a band made in the mould of The Stooges; they drain every drop of energy from themselves and leave it all on the stage, which is exactly how it should be.

Over in the Theatre, Yama Warashi are a collective who evidence the more avant-garde side of Portals. Originally formed by Japanese artist Yoshino in 2015, this band explore various forms of world music from African tribal music to Japanese folk and the result is mixed into a concoction like nothing you’ve ever heard before. Imagine Miles Davies collaborating with Yoko Ono and you’d have something approaching the originality of Yama Warashi. It’s a tightly controlled set, yet feels as if it could veer off on a free form jazz tangent at any moment. Much of the band’s material draws inspiration from the moon and it has a similar cyclical effect that beats with a natural rhythm which slowly ingratiates itself into the crowd’s consciousness.

The histrionics that Årabrot displayed on the Hall stage make them a hard act to follow and by comparison Enemies seem quite tame. There’s plenty of jumping up and down, along with the usual rock band poses, but there’s nothing here that elevates Enemies from the pack. It feels a workmanlike performance and the track ‘Beaches’ is a prime example. When I tell you it’s a mid-paced rocker by a band with math-rock affectations you’ll probably have a good idea of what ‘Beaches’ is all about (even if you’ve never heard it). There’s no sparkle or chutzpah here, but if you’re playing the Hall at Portals there should be more to it than this.

Town Portal are another three-piece who really stomp on it and they deliver a masterclass on how a band should slay a stage. As soon as the first chord rings out (and I mean the very first chord) those at the front of the stage lose their shit (but in the nicest possible way). Powered forth by a drummer whose a man mountain (not a mountain man), he brings every fibre of his being into play and makes every beat count and the result is a sound that fills every cubic inch of the venue. Not to be outdone, the bass and guitar entwine and in combination with the drums, swing like a huge wrecking ball. The effect is a white-knuckle, needle-in-the-red ride, and one we don’t want to end, and the wall of feedback that curtails their set ensures they won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

Back at the Hall stage, there’s an excitement building as we await Japanese band Lite. In fact,

there’s a definite Beatlemania vibe going on here that could rival anything the Fab Four faced. When the band finally appear all the tension drains from the room and it is replaced by a feelings of joy and serenity. Yet, it’s hard not to like Lite; they radiate good vibes and when you factor in spellbinding musicianship you have a haunting experience. With the lights kept low and the band attired all in black, Lite tend to fade into the background, this means that the music is brought to the fore and when it’s this good, that’s exactly where it should be. The band are a kind of skillet and they throw a bit of everything into the pot and this gives them an enormous amount of freedom, so when jazzy sections appear from left of field, they don’t feel out of place at all. Things don’t get much better than this.

The Theatre makes the perfect frame for Slow Crush. Just like the venue, their sound is huge and cavernous and bounces around nicely. Despite being heavy as hell, Slow Crush create soundscapes that transport us to another dimension. They make the crowd forget they’re in the heart of a bustling metropolis and transplant them amidst lush forests and sparkling fjords. There’s an element of danger emanating from the stage, as if the band will put their instruments down at any moment and invade the crowd. Slow Crush are often classed as “shoegaze”, but don’t expect any naval-gazing introspection here; this is music that demands your undivided attention. It’s bold and bombastic (and from Belgium!) and gets right in the listener’s face like a bar-room brawler looking for a fight. But the band aren’t all crushing brutality; with Isa Holliday (a native of Manchester) on vocals Slow Crush are given a soft edge which acts as a counterpoint to make the heavier passages…heavier. Slow Crush, indeed.

There’s something so very special about a band playing a fan voted set list. It often feels as if the group have given themselves to their audience, at least for 75-minutes. I must say that the crowd at Portal have exceptionally good taste and have picked 11 of This Will Destroy You’s best. However, almost half of the tracks come from their eponymously-titled sophomore album so it feels a little lopsided in that respect. This is not the type of set list that This Will Destroy You would have chose; but that’s exactly the point, and tonight the public get exactly what they want. It’s a track from that second album that kicks the evening off in the shape of ‘A Three-Legged Workhorse’ and it finds the band throwing down the gauntlet, and in some style. It makes for the perfect opener and one which is typical of the band’s modus operandi; adding layer of sound upon layer of sound the band build a soundscape that slowly encases the listener. It’s akin to being sucked into quicksand; before you realise you are buried up to your neck. It’s rhythmic and hypnotic, and means that when the band hit at the four-and-a-half minute mark, they hit hard. This Will Destroy You are another band who seem tailor made for the Theatre venue and their use of reverb and other effects bounce around the walls which makes cuts such as ‘Quiet’ akin to stepping into a haul of mirrors with sound fracturing around in all directions. This is a set that illustrates perfectly why This Will Destroy You have been leaders in their field for twenty years and closing track ‘Little Smoke’ brings down the curtain on the Theatre stage and suggests the band will remain at the top of the tree for twenty years more.

This Will Destroy You Set List:

1. A Three-Legged Workhorse
2. Threads
3. The Mighty Rio Grande
4. They Move On Tracks Of Never Ending Light
5. Quiet
6. The World Is Our _
7. Burial On The Presido Banks
8. There Are Some Remedies Worse Than Disease
9. I Believe In Your Victory
10. New Topia
11. Little Smoke