As the braying crowd swells and surges forward like a writhing mass of battered flesh, it’s bedlam from the first strains of Glitch, with bodies piling over the barricade, fist-bumping Winston as he hurls himself round the stage, barking into the audience with every ounce of energy and adrenaline his muscular frame can muster. And the momentum never stops, with a punishing Prey almost causing a small earthquake across the East Midlands, as circle pits rev into gear and a deafening chorus engulfs the marquee.
After last year’s dominant display on the main stage, proving they are more than worthy to headline this thing one day, today’s performance underlines just how much power and ferocity is contained within the Byron Bay bruisers under smaller, more rough-and-ready circumstances. The chant-along riff of Vice Grip is just one of a multitude of reminders that Parkway are one the greatest heavy bands going today, with an ability to not just write monster hooks but back them up with monolithic heft and brawling aggression. “I need fucking more!” screams Winston as more bodies are forced over the barricade for Bottom Feeder, with thousands of Downloaders snapping their necks in unison.