A few weeks back, at the beginning of the year I was given the news of a new all-day fest that will be held at The Tunnels in the granite city of Aberdeen, Scotland, known as North Coast Fest!

This is the first instalment of North Coast Fest and it brings an array of heavy bands to the north shores of Scotland on the 14th March. Giving a n alternative community dying for this syle of music something to rave about!

North Coast Fest has been curated by Datura vocalist Sean Black and his co promoter Abigail Smith.

When I spoke to Sean on how the idea of North Coast Fest came about he said the following:

“North Coast Fest was an idea I had sitting about for a while to bring something for the heavier style of music & the community that’s come from it to Aberdeen & North East Scotland. In the vein of Violent Night, Beat ‘Em Down & similar festivals but with a focus on the community aspect as well as providing a space for local businesses that have supported the scene through out to pitch a stall and sell their products.”

“First off was to get my promotion partner Abigail Smith on board to co-pro the event & then reach out to some of the best bands we know from throughout the UK and drag them all up to the cold Scottish North.”

We also spoke about the bands fitting the bill. Some bands will be making their northern shore debut, whilst also providing well established bands in the Scottish alternative scene:

“To get bands like Black Mould, Swarms, Murderhill & more all making their northern debut alongside well established names up this direction like Below The Neck, DaturaHXC, Vows & Blunt Force Trauma to create a unique lineup that until now seemed like a distant dream.“

The importance of hardcore and the alternative scene in this region is apprent and Sean told me why The Tunnels in Aberdeen was their venue of choice for the festival:

“Legendary northern venue, one off appearances, band northern debuts, local alt traders, what more could you ask for. This festival is the love letter to the scene we grew up with. This is our way of giving back to the scene and community that’s supported us all these years, it ain’t just for us, this one’s for all of you’s!”

“Finally to cap it off, Tunnels, Aberdeen to house it all, a rare no barrier show & a venue that’s housed the likes of Knocked Loose, Better Lovers, Every Time I die & more.”

North Coast Fest will also be host to some stallholders who as Sean described are massive supporters of the alternative music scene in the north of Scotland. Lucid Thoughts Apparel & Doric Clothing are two brands that will join this years festival with a few more to be announced.

You’ve already read a few of the artists joining the festival above through Sean’s words. However, the full list of bands playing can be seen below:

• Claymore
• Shortest Straw
• Blunt Force Trauma
• Woodhall
• Screwdriver Lobotomy
• Swarms
• Vows
• Black Mould
• Murderhill
• Datura
• Stitched

With the headliner for this years fest being Below The Neck, who hail from the capital of the highlands, Inverness.

A few bands to mention:

Black Mould hail out of the Midlands and released their debut EP ‘Genesis Tracks‘ back in September 2025. They bring their heavy style of classic hardcore to the north shores this March.
I recently spoke with Black Mould vocalist Helene, so keep an eye out for something on the page in due time!

Murderhill are well established in the hardcore scene up in Scotland. Their beatdown style blended with dark and gloomy riffs is nothing to shy away from, and definitely something to mosh to. From what I’ve heard their live performances are none other than unforgettable.

DaturaHXC also hail out of Scotland and are out to make a name for themselves. Since they released their two singles last year in ‘Skinwalker‘ & ‘Violent Breed‘ they’ve got nothing short of drive and determination to make a name for themselves. Their sound is nothing more than what I can call modern hardcore.

Stitched bring their dark and groovy style out of the Black Country and into North Shores after having a solid 2025 with shows across the UK and even heading over to Finland. They recently played Return to the Moor in Bristol and put on an amazing set. You don’t want to miss this.

Below The Neck as said above come out of the capital of the highlands, Inverness. The heaviness of their sound I would only describe similar to Knocked Loosebut with a dash of melodic hardcore which makes such a nice blend. They have recently toured the UK with Bitterwound towards the end of last year and I can safely say you should keep an eye out for these lads in the future.

Tickets for North Coast Fest are available now and are extremely affordable. Priced at only £15. So if this is local to you, why aren’t you thinking about it?

You can purchase tickets from the link here. Click Here

Until next time, I’ll catch you in the pit!

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