24 pictures show UK's newest metal and beer festival Tynebound in Newcastle's Anarchy Brewery

I was excited to visit Newcastle for a brand new two-day extreme metal event organised by Reaper Agency - the same people behind Fortress Festival in Scarborough.

As a huge fan of black metal, I have grown to associate Reaper with bringing outstanding quality shows to the north of England - bills that are curated with fans of this genre in mind, by a team that really care about the music. Since I first attended a ‘Reaper Fest’ in Manchester several years ago, I felt they were really doing something special.

And for a new festival in it’s first year, Tynebound was brilliantly organised, and attracted almost a sell-out crowd including many people who travelled from outside the North East for the occasion.

The venue felt like a perfect fit for the event - and I felt like the organisers discovered a true hidden gem with Anarchy Brew Co. This fully rigged out music venue is inside an actual working brewery, and I love that the actual brewhouse features are part of the decor - tanks visible from behind a perspex screen that have a subtle atmospheric glow once it goes dark.

During the weekend, the venue also served some of their limited and exclusive brews - including the Fortress IPA beer - created specifically for Fortress Festival and designed to complement the night: dark, bitter, strong and unapologetic.

Tynebound’s line up featured acts I have enjoyed at previous Reaper Agency events - including Aristarchos, Vesperal, and Moonlight Sorcery, all whom played excellent sets. The comeback show for The Sun's Journey Through The Night (TSJTTN) was as crushing as I remember, with their masked frontman an enigmatic entity on stage.

Vesperal brought their depressive but catchy style to Newcastle, after a debut UK performance at Fortress Festival earlier this year. Their raw sound translates incredibly well through their gloomy stage show, and it was one of my favourite performances of the weekend.

Blood Countess impressed me with their visceral no-nonsense black metal - their sound reminiscent of early 90s Cradle Of Filth, and with one of the most formidable and intense frontwomen I’ve seen and heard.

But the surprising highlight of my weekend was Inferno - a Czech avant-garde act which absolutely blew me away on the Saturday night. I was captivated by their earthshattering intensity, nightmarish aura, and otherworldly visuals that enhanced their show, making it quite the transcendental experience.

Tynebound ‘Black Metal & Beer Festival’ was a fantastic weekend that deserves to become another annual fixture on the extreme metal calendar. The event was almost at sell-out capacity, and it was a great friendly atmosphere, even having a few stalls, food vendors and an outdoor seating area.

For updates on Tynebound 2027, and to purchase tickets for Fortress Festival 2027 and other Reaper Agency shows visit https://reaperagencyuk.bigcartel.com/