Infest is an annual three day music festival held at the University of Bradford Union in the United Kingdom, featuring alternative electronic music acts from genres including industrial, EBM, futurepop, synthpop and power noise. The event takes place on the August bank holiday weekend.
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History
Infest was born in early 1998 through the efforts of three students of the University of Bradford and the Students' Union Entertainments Manager - the founding team of students being Gareth 'Gadge' Harvey, Chris 'Crusty' Molyneux and Max 'Maxi Slag' Niblock. The concept of the show was a one day event for local goth bands in West Yorkshire. Even before the first event however, it spiraled into an altogether bigger beast when the Students Union agreed that funds could be found to book some much bigger acts; most notably gothic/deathrock band Alien Sex Fiend. The student organisers were already fans of the Whitby Gothic Weekend and took the idea for Infest to the Whitby festival-goers and traders to gauge how popular the show might be. The response was positive and the first Infest festival was confirmed as 14th and 15 August 1998.
The following year (1999) the festival paid more attention towards the electronic side of the goth and industrial scene by booking Apoptygma Berzerk for their first UK show.
By 2000, the University of Bradford's Students' Union felt that they couldn't carry the costs of the festival any longer. In addition, the original students who had promoted the show had all but moved on. Fortunately, an independent goth/industrial promoter and DJ, who had been advising throughout the show's early years, stepped in to fill the void along side 3 other people at his side, all who still run & maintain the festival to this day. As a result of the heavy involvement with Terminal Productions, another twist to the show's music style took place, defining Infest in its current form with its theme moving from goth/industrial crossover to alternative electronic, with a greater emphasis on power noise, futurepop, synthpop and electronic body music, with occasional bookings of more darkwave-style goth bands.
Since 2000, Infest has gained an international reputation, with festival-goers travelling from as far as Canada, and acts flying from as far as Australia to play the UK. The show continues to provide a market for traders, which helps to bring the music and the lifestyle of the show's fans together. There is also a full festival program where nightclubs, DJs, bands and businesses can make their voices heard. Infest is supported by a number of electronic record labels, notably Ant-Zen and Hands Productions and has been sponsored by the online music store Music Non Stop, the drink Jägermeister and the software publisher Ableton.
The festival was originally known as "InFest" when it was started in 1998, however in 2003 its name was altered to "Infest" on all material produced by the organisers.
Today
The twelfth Infest Festival was to be held over the Bank Holiday weekend in 2009; however, the venue within Bradford University was unavailable due to major refurbishment of the Student Union building, and it has been announced as cancelled on the "Official Infest Homepage". http://www.infestuk.com/..
Infest performers
1998
- Alien Sex Fiend, Dust to Dust, Horatii, Leechwoman, man(i)kin, Nekromantik, Passion Play, Rosetta Stone (were on the bill but cancelled one week before the festival),Sneaky Bat Machine, Squid, Ultraviolence
1999
- Friday: The DJ Wars: The Bratcave DJs Vs Deathstar Disco
- Saturday: Apoptygma Berzerk, Faithful Dawn, Killing Miranda, Sneaky Bat Machine, man(i)kin
- Sunday: Spahn Ranch, Inertia, Narcissus Pool
2000
- Friday: Ultraviolence, Synapscape
- Saturday: VNV Nation, Manuskript, MS Gentur, Intra Venus, Project X, Void Construct
- Sunday: In Strict Confidence, Dream Disciples, Imminent, man(i)kin, Libitina
2001
- Friday: Inertia, The Nine, Swarf,
- Saturday: Suicide Commando, Beborn Beton, P.A.L, Leechwoman, Katscan, Illumina,
- Sunday: Covenant, Dive, Icon of Coil, Monolith, Goteki
2002
- Friday: XPQ-21, Psyche, Revolution by Night
- Saturday: Funker Vogt, Sonar, S.P.O.C.K (replacing Neuroticfish), Winterkälte, Greenhaus, Synthetic
- Sunday: Mesh, Noisex, Welle:Erdball, Asche, Aslan Faction
2003
- Friday: cut.rate.box, scrap.edx, Tarantella Serpentine
- Saturday: God Module, Needle Sharing, Seabound, Tarmvred, Culture Kultür, Je$us Loves Amerika, SINA (billed on flyers but did not appear due to illness)
- Sunday: VNV Nation, Hypnoskull, [:SITD:], Resurrection Eve, Arkam Asylum
2004
- Friday: Lights Of Euphoria, Ah Cama-Sotz, Action Directe
- Saturday: Suicide Commando, Proyecto Mirage, Plastic, Combichrist, Angel Theory, Skinflick
- Sunday: Assemblage 23, Converter, Spetsnaz, Mono No Aware (replacing Sara Noxx), Silence Is Sexy
2005
- Friday: Fixmer/McCarthy, Powderpussy, Univaque
- Saturday: Covenant, Punch Inc, Decoded Feedback, HIV+, The Azoic, Tin Omen
- Sunday: Blutengel, KiEw, Iris, Final Selection, Deviant UK
2006
- Friday Lab 4, Destroid, Schmoof
- Saturday Rotersand, Architect, Unter Null, Reaper, S.K.E.T., O.V.N.I
- Sunday Front Line Assembly, Wai Pi Wai, Stromkern, Frozen Plasma, Autoclav1.1
2007
- Friday Portion Control, Greyhound, The Gothsicles.
- Saturday Apoptygma Berzerk, 13th Monkey, Dope Stars Inc., Caustic, Faderhead, Synnack.
- Sunday VNV Nation, Soman, Painbastard, Rupesh Cartel, E.S.A.
2008
- Friday Grendel, Snog, Coreline.
- Saturday And One, 5F-X, Heimataerde, Santa Hates You, 100blumen, Skinjob.
- Sunday Front 242, Noisuf-X, Tyske Ludder, Marsheaux, Deviant UK.
External links
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