Power Metal Quest Fest takes place very soon. It’s the event that is marked on every power metal fan’s diary, calendar, scroll, or however they like to remember dates. Rock Out Stand Out’s Lotty Whittingham spoke to festival organiser Amie Chatterley about the festival, mental health, and who would be in her dream band.
Hello Amie, thank you for joining us. How are you doing?
I’m very well, thank you, Lotty; and how are you?
I’m starting to feel better within myself, thank you. So, Power Metal Quest Fest is on a new date this year. Was there a particular reason behind this?
Yes, there is. First of all, the venue wasn’t available on the date I requested. Also, a lot of people wanted it to be shunted forward a little bit, as they wanted to attend other things; so we thought we would trial October. It’s still after the September payday, but it gives people more of a chance to figure out their travel plans, wait for payday, and figure out hotels. That’s why we shunted it forward, to try it out. It’s all dependent on the venues and what we can book at the time.
It’s a very exciting line-up this year. First I would like to talk about Skiltron; am I right in thinking they are the first folk metal band you have booked for Power Metal Quest Fest?
Yes; they are kind of the first folky, slightly different band that we’ve booked. I’ve tried booking an acoustic heavy metal act, so we had Luke Appleton doing an acoustic set before. I’ve tried the lighter heavy metal; we had The Black Hounds opening last year. Obviously this is a prog, power, and heavy metal festival, and folk does kind of fit into that, so it’s a bit of an experiment to see what people make of it.
They put on a great show. I caught them at Epic Fest earlier this year.
They fit that vibe and they are very good live.
We can definitely expect lots of bagpipes.
Well, the drummer of Dakesis really loves bagpipes. When I say he really loves them, he actually hates them, so I take it upon myself at every given opportunity to bring a little bit of bagpipes into his life because I’m so nice like that. So really this band is a tribute to Adam [Harris, of Dakesis]! [laughs]
That’s incredible. Winterage are also playing; I am personally very excited about them.
They are another solid band. They have been on the horizon for a little while. It was time to bring them over to the UK.
Dragony are also playing. Do you know whether this is their first UK appearance?
I haven’t seen them in the UK before. I’m pretty sure this is their first time or it’s been a long time since they’ve been here. They have a new album coming out and their music is amazing. They are fantastically cheesy, like the perfect power metal band. So we’re really excited to have them on board.
I’m excited to catch them live for the very first time. Headlining is Twilight Force; I loved the teasers you posted about them before they were announced officially.
I can’t believe people got them on the first teaser; that was so outrageous! [laughs] I’m trying to remember what they were.
One of them was a picture of the Twilight film franchise.
Yes, so we had a picture of Twilight Force but it was just a silhouette and Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony, with Newton’s Law of Forces in the background. We then had Twilight the movie series.
I think that was my favourite one.
Yes, that one went down really well. We’re not too serious here at Quest Fest; we like a bit of tongue-in-cheek humour.
Speaking of tongue-in-cheek humour, you have Hanowar playing.
It’s about time we had them play, really; we have had Womenowar, but we’d not had Hanowar yet so it was time to bring them onto a Quest Fest line up and get the party started, because they are the perfect band to get people in the mood for silly nonsense.
Quest Fest is a great platform for bands who are starting out. I know it’s Tales Of Time’s first time at Quest Fest.
I think Tales Of Time are very new to the scene. One of my passions is showing new and upcoming music, and also to highlight the great music we have here in the UK, as well as bringing in international acts who are not as big as the more established power metal bands that get all the exposure. That was always the plan with Quest Fest: to get the UK bands meeting the European bands and to show the UK fans we have amazing music.
We have Lycanthro as well. They are coming all the way from Canada, and they’re a bit thrashy but mostly power metal. This is the furthest we have brought a band over from so far.
I was going to ask which is the furthest, as I know Skiltron are from Argentina.
We’ve got Argentina; we have had bands from Italy, Greece, and we have had mainland Europe; so Canada is definitely the furthest place from which we are going to fly a band over.
It would be great to see Lycanthro; I remember describing their sound as “if Judas Priest and Blind Guardian had a baby” when reviewing.
That’s a really good description, actually! They are doing really well in Canada and have had some big support slots over there. They’re really well known on the scene in their home town and the surrounding areas. It’s really nice to be able to give these bands a chance to come over here for sure.
Have you noticed a popularity increase within power metal? It’s something I’ve noticed.
Yes; since we have had the likes of Fellowship, Battle Born, and Forlorn Hope coming on scene and taking over Bloodstock a little bit, it’s really spurred the UK power metal scene on. We’re now seeing younger bands on the scene such as Lost Citadel, Lost Dawning, and Dave Bisset who was in Varseer and is now in Risen Prophecy. There’s been quite a nice emergence of the melodic, power, and heavy metal bands that we were lacking before.
You’re in a power/prog metal band, Dakesis, as you mentioned before. You performed last year, so while you will still be busy, I bet it will be nice to have that bit of breathing room this year.
Absolutely. The only reason we were added to the line-up last year is because of the HRH fiasco. We had a lot of fans from our home town who bought tickets to that, but as a band who is fully independent, really passionate about supporting the scene, and ensuring there are better working conditions for artists in general, the ethics around that festival didn’t align with our brand. So there was no way we could perform when bands weren’t being paid, as we have been in that situation before. So that’s why we pulled that show, and to say thank you to the fans, we offered them a direct swap to come and see us at Quest Fest instead. That’s why we were added to the line-up last year.
It’s particularly stressful performing at and running an event at the same time. I have done it a handful of times now with Dakesis and Womenowar, but it’s going to be nice not to have that stress.
One of the things that draws people to Power Metal Quest Fest – well, definitely draws me back – is how inclusive your space is.
We’re really passionate about creating inclusive spaces; and I recognise as an event director that it’s not always possible to accommodate for different needs, particularly with various disabilities, but we’re doing the best we can.
The Asylum is one of the most accessible venues in Birmingham: it doesn’t have stairs, has ground floor disabled access, has the outdoor space where you can sit, and is in a quieter part of town. For the most part, we are restricted on the facilities we have at the festival, and it would be really great to have more quieter areas for people who need a time out. Currently, we are trying to do the best we can with the space we have, so getting that balance right is difficult, but it’s something we are very passionate about.
On our team we have a lot of disabled and neurodivergent people. We also have a lot of women, non-binary, and transgender people who have been part of our volunteer staff as well, so it’s important for us to create a safe place for everyone, where they can come and have fun and enjoy music. That’s what it’s about.
Speaking of having time out: as you know, one of the main missions at Rock Out Stand Out is to keep talking about our wellbeing. One thing I am learning about is looking out for warning signs, such as feeling more tired than usual. If you feel comfortable to share these, what are yours?
For sure, all of those things really. Executive dysfunction fatigue, so inability to respond to messages. When you’re a promoter and involved in various music projects, it can be very hectic and stressful. People demand a lot of your time and attention, and that can get very overwhelming sometimes. It’s important to take breaks and set some boundaries too, particularly with your working life. I am actually really terrible at that; I will tell other people to set boundaries, but I would never do that! [laughs]
I am exactly the same, but starting to get better. We’re bad at following our own advice, as the saying goes.
Oh, definitely. I am great at giving out mental health advice, but not great at following it. It’s my biggest red flag.
Are there techniques that work for you to help ground yourself? I’ve started by not engaging with technology for ten minutes.
Definitely. I have a Do Not Disturb setting on my phone, so nobody can contact me between the hours of 10pm and 7:30-8am unless it’s urgent. So unless you’re on my approved contacts, no one can contact me during that period; it’s my protected time. Also, I try not to use my phone when I wake up as that’s really bad for you, and I try and get some natural sunlight to start the day. Exercise is also very good.
I’ve started setting my alarm on my tablet rather than my phone. My tablet doesn’t have social apps so that really helps, and my phone doesn’t switch on until 8am.
That’s a really good idea, actually. Certainly when I was younger, I would never trust an alarm clock on my phone. I used to have a manual alarm clock I would set, and it would run on a battery. To me, having an alarm on my phone was a dangerous game, because what if it didn’t go off, or what if the battery died? We didn’t have that kind of technology back then; they were just there for text messages and phone calls.
Do you have a message for someone who might be struggling with their mental health?
I think my go-to default response for this is Mind and Samaritans. Sometimes people aren’t ready for that, and I think moving your body or doing the bare minimum can help; for example, washing your face or getting out of bed; anything where you are moving your body. Samaritans are great people to get in touch with, and Mind are also good for that, especially if you’re in a crisis.
Which five people can you see being in a band together? They can be anyone.
Normally I would go for a male line-up, but how awesome would it be to have Wonder Woman, Xena, Buffy, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Boudica in a band? Just badass people in a band together. Wouldn’t that be epic?
I would pay to see that band. Do you have a message for Quest Fest goers and our readers in general?
Keep on supporting our little festival: share with friends, family, drag your mum down, get your grandma. Also, pre-order your tickets and T-shirts; the more pre-sales we get, the better it is for the future of the festival. It’s a tough climate at the moment and we can’t do it without everyone’s support. I feel we have made a really nice niche community for ourselves, and I would love to be able to continue it for a long time. I can’t do that without my power metal family.
Power Metal Quest Fest is happening this Saturday at The Asylum, Birmingham. Tickets can be bought here. The numbers for the organisations Amie mentioned are below.
Samaritans: 116 123
MIND: 0300 102 1234
One thought on ““It’s important for us to create a safe place for everyone, where they can come and have fun and enjoy music.””