CAULDRON BENEATH THE FAIRY-TALE CASTLE: Friday at Bouzov scorched by a rainstorm, Rybičky 48's fiery onslaught and Trautenberk's massive mosh pit
The summer festival tour Hrady CZ has completed its iconic stop beneath the majestic Bouzov Castle. Although Friday afternoon and evening were hit by bad weather, with heavy rain and an icy, powerful wind battering visitors, fans of hard-hitting guitar energy, uncompromising sound and stage destruction refused to be stopped. Despite the adverse conditions, the grounds on the meadows below the castle promontory turned into a genuine festival cauldron packed with flames, fierce riffs and an uncompromising mosh pit.
Rap with a taste of gunpowder and live drums in the rain
The gates opened at exactly 3:30 p.m. for the first soaked fans eager to get in. The programme kicked off with the young act Vega Elektra, followed by Slovak rap legend Rytmus. His hour-long barrage cut through his hardest solo tracks as well as Kontrafakt anthems and culminated in the song Deti stratenej generácie.
The real guitar edge, however, was brought to the rap block by Grey256. The twenty-five-year-old artist was not content with simply playing backing tracks and arrived with a full band. Live, uncompromisingly mixed drums and a fierce guitar turned his set into a raw, aggressive crossover performance with a distinct rock charge that reliably warmed up the chilled audience. Before the main guitar invasion, the announcement of the best festival costumes cut through the rain-soaked gloom and drew the crowd towards the stage.
Šumava tanz-metal and the windblown dance party of Mig 21
As soon as Trautenberk stormed the stage, all pretence went out the window and the rain was forgotten in an instant. The Šumava tanz-metal crew delivered a full-on assault that drove a crowd of a thousand people in rain ponchos into a massive mosh pit. During the hits Kus Aničky, Himlhergotdonrvetr and the new song Hory volají, dust mixed with raindrops, beer and bodies in crowdsurfing. Beneath the castle walls, the atmosphere boiled over in a way that even a purely metal open-air festival would have been proud of.
A much-needed chance to catch one's breath in the strengthening wind came courtesy of Prague band Mig 21. Jiří Macháček and the band launched into their trademark tongue-in-cheek show, packed with hits such as Malotraktorem and Chci ti říct, before bringing the entire dance frenzy to a close with the anthem Mávej.
Final pyro manifesto: Rybičky 48 burned Bouzov to ashes
The highlight of Friday night belonged to Rybičky 48, who returned to the festival after four years in full force. What they delivered at the end, despite strong gusts of wind and sheets of rain, was a massive pyrotechnic war. Metre-high flames shot from the stage ramps, sending heat all the way to the back rows of the festival grounds.
The band fired one banger after another into the roaring crowd, one after the next - Emily, Američan z Poličan, Slibuju, že už nebudu pít, along with newer tracks Sofie and Nebeská prána. Then, as the lights came alive above the dark silhouette of Bouzov and the band launched into the final onslaught, My ještě nejsme starý, thousands of voices in the cauldron drowned out both the gale and the cranked guitar amps. Friday night's mass beneath the castle made one thing clear: a live guitar show and loyal fans can withstand even the wildest
Matess