EU Festival Reflections (TC BLOG AUG 18)

So for this blog rather than spend too much time reflecting of the performances themselves, I've decided to focus more on everything else, the behind the scenes of my personal experience especially in regards to our place in the scene and how being part of this mammoth events impacts the way I view the band. Enjoy! - Tim

What a whirlwind it is to do a festival tour in Europe. Flights, hotel check ins/outs, multi hour vans/shuttles followed by more flights, mixed in with lugging gear here there and everywhere, counting merch, dropping off and picking up merch daily; fixing faulty gear, organising deliveries…. Oh, and trying to use the 45min or so you get on stage to enthral and inspire an audience that is always some mix of existing fans, people checking you out for the first time, and people who just happen to walk past whilst you’re on stage.

Add to that, the other BANDS! And oh my there are so many great bands playing. Bands that I have grown up listening to, bands that we have grown up alongside in the scene, bands I have heard about from afar but never seen… so many great bands everywhere you look. Even the one’s who maybe aren’t to my taste, I appreciate the level of professionalism and the high standard of performances. I find it really inspiring to be part of these travelling circuses. Where I get to be an artist on stage and also a fan enjoying the art of others (as well as a fellow artist studying how other bands do things at the highest level).

10 years ago, way back in 2015, we launched NeO onto the European metal scene with an amazing run of a dozen festivals, our first ever tour in this part of the world. At that time we very much were trying to prove that we belonged, trying to show that we deserved a chance to be amongst all those great bands. (Over the next week we’ll be posting some videos from some of the guys reflecting on memories of that first ever European tour for you to check out, so stay tuned for those!)

Since that first trip to Europe 10 years ago, things have definitely changed a lot for us. Whilst NeO is by no means one of the biggest bands going around, this tour marked our 8th trip to Europe in the last 10 years. These days we now slot nicely somewhere in the middle of many festival line-ups, and when we go backstage instead of eyeing all the “famous” musicians from after trying to muster the courage to go say hi, we are instead constantly running into friends in other bands, crew & industry people that we have made over our last 10 years. We no longer feel like a new kid trying to prove we belong, we’re just a part of it all. Which honestly, is pretty damn cool.


At Brutal Assault, Czech Republic it’s a social affair with our good friends Fleshgod Apocalypse & Rivers of Nihil both playing. I also run into the guys from Dying Fetus briefly and have a quick joke with their Tour Manager who ran the Chaos & Carnage tour in USA in April as we walk past each other. Plus Psycroptic have arrived the day before they are due to perform and sitting having a meal at artist catering with some of the NeO guys as I walk past. During Fleshed’s set I watch them play one of my all time favourite songs ‘Epilogue’ from side of stage and both their drummer Eugene and singer/bassist Francesco joke with me during the intro, both fully aware they’re playing one of favourite songs. I watch Rivers of Nihil that afternoon and man oh man their new songs sound immense. We hang out backstage and talk about our excitement for future plans we have coming up. We have a signing session with fans that goes well beyond our allotted time due to the immense line. So grateful for each and every person that came along.

At Alcatraz in Belgium our set is sandwiched in the middle of an afternoon that consists of BTBAM, NeO Rivers of Nihil & Vola. (What a line-up that day!) I run into Einar (vocals) and Baard (Drums) from Leprous before their set that evening. I know those guys well as I was their tour promoter on their 2019 Australian tour, and though I had run into Einar at Hellfest 2024 when he was there with his solo project, I hadn’t seen Baard since that tour. After their absolutely incredible set (wow, the mix was just perfect and the whole band performs at such a high level every time I see them) I quickly congratulate Einar on the show before I have to run to get our shuttle back to the hotel. What a great way to finish the day.

That evening I walk into the hotel lobby and I’m greeted like an old friend by Ihsahn (Emperor) and his sound engineer, Vegard, who worked with us on a previous tour. I give them both big hugs and mention we are going to be at the festival the next day to watch his set with Emperor. The next day I walk backstage after Emperor’s set to let Ihsahn know how much I enjoyed the show and a small part of me is reminded that it’s kind of crazy I’m friends with so many of my favourite bands. Bands that I have looked up to and been and still are inspired by. After all, back in 2007 when I started my music business, Welkin Entertainment, I even took the name from Emperor’s album ‘Anthems to the Welkin At Dusk’.

At Motocultor, France I’m walking to our stage to begin setting up and I hear another of my favourite bands playing in the distance. None other than Tesseract. I had noticed their set was finishing just before ours and so despite not a clash for fans, it is for me seeing we are setting up on stage during their set. Later that evening after our set I head to artist catering for dinner and Tesseract’s singer, Dan Tompkins, waves at me from a distance and I go and join him and some of the other Tesseract guys for dinner. Just another day, apparently.

At Dynamo in The Netherlands, we’re on the main stage with Fleshgod Apocalypse on right before us and Kataklysm right after. Rivers of Nihil are also there as well… the 3rd time on this run we’ve been playing the same day as them! At artist catering I join Fleshgod Apocalypse, but not before one of the staff recognises me in the line for food and asks for a photo which he sneakily takes in amongst his work duties.

That evening all the bands backstage are talking about one thing… the anticipation for Gojira. But before they’re due to go on I manage to catch some of I Prevail. Though after a few songs of combining I Prevail and an impromptu meet & greet with many a photo requested from fans recognising me, I head backstage until Gojira. I guess this is why you never see the singers of bands bigger than NeO out amongst the crowd very often. I wonder if it'll ever get like that for me... my friend suggests I simply wear a hat to disguise myself better haha.

On to Gojira, and my oh my were they deserving of their headliner status. A triumph of a show in every aspect with creative and impactful lighting, pyro, set list and performances. As Gojira walk off stage I see our drummer Dan walking alongside drummer Mario (Duplantier). Dan walks past me a bit gobsmacked and repeats some extremely nice things Mario told him about his drumming and NeO. I think to myself how crazy it is that Gojira even know who our band is, let alone have any band members as fans of ours. I’ve been listening to Gojira for almost 20 years.

The next morning in the hotel restaurant, I run into Fleshgod Apocalypse yet again and join them for breakfast. As we dissect the previous days festival, including Gojira’s epic set, it crossed my mind how normal it feels to be hanging out with these guys (and girl) and how cool that is when I reflect back to 2015. At the start of our first ever EU tour we opened up for Fleshgod in Japan and Hong Kong on the way. I remember being simply blown away by their live show. They were (and still are) quite simply one of the best and most professional live bands I have ever seen. Their dramatic and theatrical flair mixed in with their intense songwriting and unique sound had me transfixed. Fast forward a decade and it seems we are hanging out every few months, and there’s a deep respect between the two bands.

For me personally, it’s a lot of these little interactions that make me feel like NeO has “made it” just as much as the amazing audiences and crowd responses. I’ve always been a huge music fan and ever since I was a teenager I was obsessed with going to shows. I was that young guy in the front row screaming my lungs out to so many of my favourite bands, thinking wow how cool would it be to do what they do one day. Now some of those same bands I was in the front row for, I’m friends with. I always try to minimise any need or desire for external validation within myself, but it definitely feels gratifying to have people I respect so much to respect what we do in NeO. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a bit on this tour just gone… all these little moments that a decade ago would have seemed completely surreal, and now the surreal element is how normal they feel.

Now as we all arrive home we set asides towards two final tour announcements… Imminence in December now officially announced and one more to come early this week!

Thanks everyone as always for your amazing support. - Tim