Mangata Festival 2024 Review

Taking place on Saturday 13th July in the centre of Nottingham and across four iconic venues (Rescue Rooms, Red Rooms, Ghost Nightclub, and Tap n Tumbler), Mangata Festival 2024 has been and gone. We attended, drank way too much, head banged until it hurt, and had a blast overall.

It was a fun festival experience with a great line-up and a very positive vibe. Something notable from the very start, which we didn’t necessarily expect as multi-venue city festivals can feel more like different events at different places, but it did feel like a joined-up festival. Especially with how easy it was to move around each venue, even with Ghost’s excessive security checks.

Great sound quality in each venue, so many friendly people, affordable merchandise, and a Mangata IPA that was enjoyed a little too much, as far as organisation and vibe goes, we can’t fault a thing. Especially when you factor in the low price of tickets and the incredible line-up.

Speaking of which, we saw a lot of bands, more than we expected to, and we can’t fault a single performance. So, we’re going to tell you about them! This is our (Brendan and Carl) thoughts on the bands we saw at Mangata Festival 2024.

Brendan: Reckoner – Liquid Light Stage – Rescue Rooms

Being in the location where we picked up our wristbands meant I managed to squeeze in a couple of songs by Reckoner before heading off to see the band we always meant to see first at Mangata. Not really enough to judge the band fairly, but seeing enough to know they were putting on a good show with plenty of energy and decent sized crowd meant they looked right at home and were a good band to get things underway.

Brendan: Syncolima – Graphicsfix Stage – Ghost

I’m a big fan of Syncolima and have been waiting for an opportunity to see them for a while now and they didn’t disappoint. Packing all the riffs and groove you can muster; they sound even harder live than they do on record and you can feel the bass shaking the floor and walls around you in the very cool Ghost club. A couple of favourite tracks got played just to make it even more special. They are a band that just have the right type of energy and sound to have any festival crowd moving and banging heads. Great set.

Carl: Syncolima – Graphicsfix Stage – Ghost

There’s no better way to start a day of rock and metal than with a band as groovy and riffy as Syncolima and the trio delivered a thumping start to the festival. Tight as f**k, in a fun mood, sounding heavy as balls, and having a back catalogue of songs that never fail to get the body moving, they were awesome.

Brendan: Kryptess – Blue Monkey Stage – Red Rooms

Having come to enjoy Kryptess on record while trying to get up to speed on bands playing that I didn’t know, I can safely say that Kryptess brought the death metal to the small and awkward Red Rooms venue, my least favourite of the venues there. Seemingly very popular as I found myself shoulder to shoulder in a packed room, the band, still missing the drummer due to be unveiled today, because of an unfortunate accident, managed to hit hard still with big riffs and visceral vocals.

The stage isn’t great – being at almost the same level as the crowd, a bit behind pillars if you aren’t dead centre, but the band’s energy cascaded around the room meaning it wasn’t necessary to see more than their foreheads to feel the energy and vibe anyway.

Carl: Hidden Mothers – Graphicsfix Stage – Ghost

A band that is super-hot right now, something that is reflected in the size of the crowd in Ghost during their set, Hidden Mothers proved (again) just why their live show is so lauded. Brilliantly heavy, deeply atmospheric, dripping in emotional power, and daringly anthemic, this might be my favourite time seeing them live, and I saw them at ArcTanGent 2023!

Brendan: Street Soldier – Liquid Light Stage – Rescue Rooms

A band raved about in our own internal friends and family circles, and a band with a rapidly growing reputation, I was very excited to see them for the first time. Everyone else I was with had seen them own the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock but I was at In Flames so this was a first and they didn’t disappoint. I love the mix of “core” in their songs with plenty of grind, death as well as the hard. The lights were insane and added to the intensity in a set that brought huge energy, big smiles and plenty of interesting dance moves. The vocals are great, lead and backing, and they really own the stage with lots of movement and prowling from the frontman. I see why they have become so popular and am firmly on board the Street Soldier train. One of the best sets of the day, easily.

Carl: Street Soldier – Liquid Light Stage – Rescue Rooms

Listen, I’m not much of a two-step guy and I’m certainly one to avoid a hardcore pit, but if there is ever a band to get me doing the former and almost doing the latter, it’s Street Soldier. A phenomenal hardcore band with brutally heavy layers to their sound. I thought they killed it at Bloodstock 2023, but this set proved that show was not a one-off, it’s just them and they do f**king slay. One of my favourite sets of the entire day and I can’t wait until the next time I get to see them.

Carl: El Moono – Blue Monkey Stage – Red Rooms

In between bands, getting a drink, and saying hello to some people, I popped upstairs to catch a bit of El Moono. Right from the back too as the venue was pretty packed, and as Brendan already said, it’s an awkward place to get a good view, so I only watched two tracks. I love this band on record, and they sounded immense here (really deep and dreamy, but also immensely moody and heavy), but I’ll reserve judgement until I can properly see them play.

Brendan: Ghosts of Atlantis – Liquid Light Stage – Rescue Rooms

Bringing the epicness to Nottingham, Ghosts of Atlantis yet again impressed with a huge sound packing contrasting vocals, massive choruses, intelligent melody and strong orchestrations. In amongst their professional sound and stage presence, you sometimes forget how heavy they are too but here, with a short set, they pulled out some of their most fiery tracks and made sure to remind us of that fact. With longer songs they even manage to splice the opening two to ensure they can fit them in, they pull a crowd and have everyone around us banging heads and smiling which is a wonderful sight to see. Lead vocals are delivered with real force and menace, clean vocals ring out beautifully while we get absolutely pummelled by an onslaught of forceful music. Yet another mind-blowing set from a band that really should have been higher up on this bill.

Carl: Ghosts of Atlantis – Liquid Light Stage – Rescue Rooms

You’re not going to believe this, but I also loved Ghosts of Atlantis here, and while 30-minutes just wasn’t enough to satisfy my hunger for their intense grandiosity, I came away stunned by how brilliant they were. Not half-assing it in any way, sounding heavier than ever, and putting the biggest smiles on a huge crowd. They continue to prove to be one of the most impressive bands in the scene right now.

Brendan: Skarlett Riot – Liquid Light Stage – Rescue Rooms

We only managed to catch a few tracks of Skarlett Riot before heading off for a short break from festivities and to grab some food. Having seen them a few times now, I know they are a strong band with a big sound and they sounded very good here again. The smaller room (I last saw them on the main stage at Bloodstock) meant their drums and guitars hit even harder as riffs bounced off of the walls and they sounded a lot meatier than I remember. For the couple of tracks I watched, I was impressed.

Brendan: Godeth – Sickset Media Stage – Tap ‘n’ Tumbler

My only visit to the Tap ‘n’ Tumbler was to check out some of Godeth’s punchy and energetic sound and they sounded great. That’s the best I can tell you because there wasn’t a hope in hell of me being able to fight my way through the crowd to be able to actually see them. That’s really great for them, having that place packed out and I could still hear everything clearly and enjoy the music from way back at the bar. Such a strong band, they really give everything to their sets whenever I have seen them play and are no different here.

Carl: Godeth – Sickset Media Stage – Tap ‘n’ Tumbler

Goodness me, this was impressive. Not only did Godeth pull in a sizable crowd (no easy task considering it is 5pm and many people may have peeled off to get some food etc), but they play as though they’re on the big stage. Taking this moment to have some serious fun, but also deliver a truly rousing spectacle and deafen just about everyone in attendance. Another massive highlight of the entire day.

Carl: Veiled – Blue Monkey Stage – Red Rooms

The symphonic deathcore band were not to be missed, and I made sure I was right at the front this time for the loudest set of the entire day. Veiled are one hell of an intense band, and while elements of their symphonic layers are lost in this venue, there is no lack of impact regardless. The future already looks bright for this band but when you see them live, it becomes downright blinding.

Carl: Boss Keloid – Liquid Light Stage – Rescue Rooms

…and the band of the day was, Boss Keloid, because of course it was. I expressed my love for this band in our preview article and said that I expected them to be my band of the day, and I wasn’t wrong. Their funky prog rock and groove sound is made for stages like this, and they create a fun and frolicking atmosphere that puts everyone in a good mood. Even a flubbed start to Smiling Thrush only results in a lot of laughs all round. It’s not often you see them do that, and from that point on, it’s perfection all the way. 45 minutes goes in the blink of an eye. There’s nobody quite like them.

Carl: Pijn – Blue Monkey Stage – Red Rooms

I will admit that I was running out of energy at this stage, so wasn’t too sure I could handle all of Pijn, but credit to the post rock group, I got more into this than I expected. From the moments I stepped into the room, I was hit by a wave of thick melodic atmosphere and heavy rock that fully enveloped me and reenergised me. The body might not have been moving (aside from some swaying) but my soul was bouncing around.

Brendan: Raised by Owls – Graphicsfix Stage – Ghost

I debated going and seeing these guys or going to see someone else. I have seen Raised by Owls plenty of times, and will again at Bloodstock very soon but the pull was too strong, so we went and am very glad we did because they were insanely good. Their whole “we suck” confession doesn’t really work anymore because, well, they are really fucking good playing out some seriously talented and catchy metal while managing to manoeuvre and manipulate the crowd like we are puppets.

They brought a lot of their tricks and gimmicks, including Satan himself, Mr Blobby and the worst Danzig lookalike I have ever seen but despite the humour, the well-crafted show it is the music that gives these guys growth and longevity. That and the memories they deliver for people. For example, when else can I say that “I was in Nottingham, listening to a band where the front man is channelling his inner Fed Durst, has the whole crowd down on the floor ready to jump up to their cover of Limp Bizkit’s Break Stuff while Mr Blobby is headbanging on stage holding two double ended dildos”.

Brendan: Hacktivist – Liquid Light Stage – Rescue Rooms

I was tired and drunk by this stage so watched most of Hacktivist from the balcony through blurry eyes. I’m not a massive fan of these guys on record but wanted to see if the live performance changed anything for me and I must say I much preferred them live. I really like the vocals, I’m a fan of rap, and the two contrasting styles work for me but the live experience made everything sound much heavier. Bigger drums, bigger riffs – it was good and a fun and energetic band to be the last one I saw for the day.

Carl: Hacktivist – Liquid Light Stage – Rescue Rooms

My day is just about done, and after initially debating if I should watch Hacktivist, I gave in to the desire of seeing some crossover rap metal intensity and they did not disappoint. I think, based off this performance, it’s fair to say that Hacktivist live are better than Hacktivist on record, as their show is electrifying and the energy that they exude spreads into the crowd. I’m pretty drunk at this stage, and very tired, but they even get me moving.

Slowly we stagger back to our hotel, picking up bundles of food on the way, absolutely buzzing from our Mangata experience. Smiles that were still on our faces the morning after, even with the worst hangovers ever. We will be back next year. You should come along! Early bird tickets are on sale already and you can pick them up here.

Cheers Mangata!