From the furthest Eastern edge of Canada comes the second edition of Heavy NFLD Fest. Taking place over three days in three venues across two cities, Newfoundland and Labrador’s new heavy music festival will bring 30 bands to the stage. The lineup includes Nova Scotian artists Thousand Knives, Helsreach, and Fear and Filth, along with a legion of Newfoundland and Labrador's finest punk, metal, and alternative artists.
Given its geography as the most easterly province in the country, Newfoundland and Labrador is not a frequent stop on most artists’ tours, even those from its closest Maritime neighbors. The festival aims to draw artists to the province while showcasing their own.
“Heavy NFLD originally started as a YouTube channel intended to archive heavy music from Newfoundland and Labrador, and eventually morphed into a blog where I began covering news about the local music scene in the province,” explains founder Greg Ravengrave. “Growing up in Glovertown, where the population is 2,000 people, there was no music scene to speak of. It all felt very isolating. When I moved to the province’s capital of St. John's, I discovered the vibrant punk and metal scene here, but I always felt like the rest of Canada never really paid attention to us. It's been my dream since the start of this project to throw a festival that both celebrates local metal and punk from Newfoundland and Labrador and entices bands from elsewhere in the country to make the trek out here. Eight years down the road, and it's finally happening.”
St. John’s based musician, audio engineer, and event producer Ben Chapman-Smith serves as the festival’s Programming Manager. Of his role as architect of the event, he says, “Organizing Heavy NFLD Fest into a recurring annual festival is not just about filling a clear gap in the market. This is about developing a way to celebrate Newfoundland and Labrador's bustling, but often underrepresented, heavy music scene. We are creating new infrastructure for our artists and strengthening our connections with the rest of Atlantic Canada and even the rest of Canada as the festival grows.”
In its local programming, Heavy NFLD Fest boasts a broad offering of both established and new artists from across the province. The festival includes both all-ages and bar shows in Corner Brook on the west coast of Newfoundland and in the capital city of St. John’s on July 19-21, 2024.
Heavy NFLD Fest passes can be bought in advance here - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/heavynfld-fest-2024-tickets-914779127997. Daily entry tickets are available at the door.
Corner Brook: $25 advance pass (entry to 2 shows on July 19) or $15 at the door per show
St. John’s: $50 advance pass (entry to 3 shows on July 19, 20, 21) or $25 at the door per show
Facebook Event - https://www.facebook.com/events/8586729454690496
Heavy NFLD Fest 2024 Lineup:
DAY 1: FRIDAY, JULY 19th, 2024 @ THE ROCK HOUSE (19+) [St. John’s]
– Doors – 8:30
– Bog Rot
– The Tangerine Machine
– Mantra
– Vertebraeker
– Sons of an Eastern Moon
– Hag
– The Birchmen
DAY 1: FRIDAY, JULY 19th, 2024 @ RETRO ARCADE (All Ages) [Corner Brook]
– Doors – 5:00 PM
– October Wasp
– Paranoia
– The Order of the Precious Blood
– Fear and Filth
– Helsreach
– Thousand Knives
DAY 1: FRIDAY, JULY 19th, 2024 @ RETRO ARCADE (19+) [Corner Brook]
– Doors – 10:00 PM
– Dwight
– The Order of the Precious Blood
– Helsreach
– Thousand Knives
– Fear and Filth
DAY 2: SATURDAY, JULY 20th, 2024 @ THE ROCK HOUSE (19+) [St. John’s]
– Doors – 8:30 PM
– Desperta
– Of the Black
– Smoke Signals
– The Order of the Precious Blood
– Fear and Filth
– Thousand Knives
– Helsreach
DAY 3: SUNDAY, JULY 21st, 2024 @ PAVLOV’S ELECTRIC VERANDAH (All Ages) [St. John’s]
– Doors – 11:00 AM
– Nerve Shack
– Sweet Baby Angels
– Fog Lake
– Breadclip
– Alter
– October Wasp
– Dodgeband
– Little Fauna
– Liz Fagan Band
– Snitfit
– Release the Hounds
– MiR
– Fear and Filth
– Chokeslam
– Giant Giant
– Killer 9000
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