The next instalment of Crypt of the Riff is set to take place in Voodoo, Belfast on Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th of December. It’ll be a monumental weekend, as it’s the tenth edition of the always highly anticipated riff-worshipping festival, seeing ten bands take to the stage across the two days.
Night One sees sonic heavyweights Slomatics headline with heavy riff maestros Elder Druid, Nomadic Rituals, Molarbear, and Haint completing Friday’s royal flush five-card hand, while Night Two is about as hardcore as you can get, with it being the Last Chance For You to experience Embrace Execution live in 2024, and the first chance to witness the return of Gravepath, with Bad Dose, Impulse to Resist, and Frayed Ends BC rounding out Saturday’s intense line-up.
Organised by Conjurer of Riffs and Gigs Jake Wallace, who will be doing double duty on the weekend running the show as the brains behind Dark Arts Promotions as well as dealing riffs as Elder Druid stringslinger, Crypt of the Riff has long established itself as a prominent staple in the island’s heavy music scene, with there being Summer and Winter editions over the last few years.
Jake kindly took some time out of his busy schedule to explore The Crypt, from initial creation to present day.
December sees the 10th iteration of Crypt of the Riff. Massive, massive congrats on that.
Thanks a lot man, very hard to believe it’s number 10 after all these years.
When you first started, did you ever intend on getting this far let alone think you could? If not, at what point did you realise you had momentum enough to start making it a yearly and then bi-yearly event?
When I first started, I had the idea in the middle of the night while sitting in my kitchen. I wanted to start some kind of small fest and have a name and a brand etc rather than just running another regular gig. Back then, it was literally just a one-off event and I hadn’t really considered a second one because I genuinely had no idea how it would be received. After the first one, most of the crowd that night were very forthcoming about having Vol. 2 and it kinda snowballed from there.
I’d say by about the 3rd or 4th one I realised it was gaining some momentum and I was able to book bigger bands and start thinking about making it a bi-annual event.
You’ve established The Crypt as one of the most looked-forward-to events on the yearly gig calendar. People often liken it to Belfast’s version of The Siege, which says a lot considering the differences between the two in size, scale, scope, and longevity. How does it feel to have achieved all you have with Crypt of the Riff?
It feels great to have achieved all I have with Crypt of the Riff. I’ve had plenty of brainwaves over the years in all kinds of categories of life but this is one that really worked out and continues to work out and I’m honestly very proud of it.
What are the main things you’d attribute its impact and reverence to?
I’d say there was just a hole in the market in Belfast for something that focused, initially, on doom/stoner/sludge metal etc as there was always a great scene for punk and thrash in Belfast, but Crypt of the Riff allowed some of the more underground fringe bands find a platform to express themselves.
Keeping the name of the fest and brand the same all this time helped it gain popularity and even the shorthand version, where people refer to it as ‘Crypt’, was a huge bonus because it really started to take off and the influx of messages and emails from bands wanting to play increased a lot.
As far as I’m aware, other than having such a seismic cultural and personal impact on those attending, each and every Crypt has been financially successful, either turning a profit or at the very least breaking even. That’s highly impressive, especially considering the current state of things relating to live gigs, the wider state of the music industry, inflation, and all sorts of other bullshit.
Talk a little about the business side of things: what came naturally for you, what did you have to learn the hard way, what are the main and perhaps unexpected lessons you’ve learnt over the years?
I appreciate you saying that man. I had ran a few shows before Crypt and then over the years I’d ran a few in between each iteration of the fest so it wasn’t my first time dealing with that side of things. Honestly the wisest thing for me is to budget absolutely everything. I’ve always got an extensive list on my Notes section of my phone with fees for bands/promo/riders/room hire/sound engineer/door person etc and I make sure I know exactly how many tickets I have to sell to cover these things.
The very fortunate and nice thing is that, almost always, I’m able to offer the bands a bit more and that’s a really nice feeling.
The unexpected lessons I learnt from running gigs occurred outside of the realms of Crypt, where I’ve taken a risk of bigger US bands, for example, and I had no plan B and ended up losing a lot of money. Keeping Crypt close to home and manageable is definitely one of the most important things, even though I’ve had bands from all over the UK and Ireland play the fest.
I’ve been to enough Crypts to know you don’t just see who’s available and fire random bands together. For instance, this tenth Crypt sees a riff-heavy, relatively progressive stack of head bangable bands breaking necks on the first night, while night two features an intense line-up of fist-to-the-face hardcore bands that’ll break just about everything else – metaphorically speaking (hopefully). Talk about your process and mentality when it comes to consciously curating line-ups.
I always have a few bands dancing around my head that I have in mind, even around a year in advance so usually I go for the headliners first and then fill in the rest over time.
Nearly every time I have headliners in mind, there’s some reason why they can’t do it so it’s never been a very straightforward process booking the whole line-up. Initially, as I said, it was more of a doom/sludge/stoner metal vibe but over the years I’ve focused more on “riff-heavy” bands so that can mean pretty much any heavy genre that is riff-oriented.
I also like the idea, which I tried for the first time at Crypt 9 earlier this year, of having a more doom/sludgy line-up on Friday and more of a hardcore punk/thrash line-up on the Saturday. Most people come to both days anyway so it doesn’t really split the crowd too much and it’s good to let people know exactly what they’re in for each day. It worked last time so hopefully it works this time too.
With the likes of Bad Dose playing later this year, rising from the ashes of Bailer, as well as If It Bleeds who played the Summer’s Crypt, and The Boat Sank and True Home both having opened previous instalments, you tend to have your finger on the pulse when it comes to championing and showcasing bands that are new and/or up and coming. Does that ever feel like a gamble in the sense that a more established band could have more draw for ticket sales or more experience when it comes to ensuring the night itself goes as smoothly as possible? How does the answer feed into your decision to do it, and why does putting on lesser-known bands matter in the first place?
I get asked this quite a lot and it’s fairly simple. The headliners are usually always the heavy hitters and the main draw for ticket sales etc but the line-up as a whole is equally as important as the big guns at the top. I would never exclusively have well established bands because how the fuck is any up and coming band going to make an impact or get a real decent crowd to play to unless they have an opportunity to play a filled room at something like Crypt or Siege of Limerick, for example. I think it’s extremely important and personally, with Elder Druid, if it hadn’t been for people taking a risk on us, we’d have struggled to achieve some of the things we did over the years.
All those bands you mentioned above are worth their weight and absolutely delivered when they opened at their respective Crypts. It’s a really lovely thing to see a band grinning ear to ear and getting to throw down to a room of sweaty strangers who dig their shit.
Other than Soothsayer, who have been your favourite Crypt headliners to date?
Very tough question. Ten Ton Slug always crush it so those guys are up there but I’d say Vol. 3 when we had Conjurer and Dead Witches co-headline. That was a wild one.
Which full line-up, and which Crypt in general, are you most proud of and why?
I’d say the last one probably. It was a big risk splitting it into two different styles across the two days because if people were more interested in the Friday, they could’ve easily just not went to the Saturday, and vice versa. Thankfully, with the reputation Crypt has built over the years and the fact people just love getting smashed and listening to riffs at the weekend, it worked.
You put your own band Elder Druid on at each Crypt, often just before the headliner. Other than the obvious answer of, “Because I fucking can,” what’s the reason for this? A prime opportunity to showcase the band? A sense of pride? Something else?
Because I fucking can. Joking. No, it’s fairly simple. If I’m going to put the guts of 6 months work into something like this, with all the effort and stress that comes with it, the least I can do is fire my own band on and get to play as well.
It’s become a tradition obviously as we’ve played every single one so people know to expect it at this stage. It’s a great feeling getting up there on the night when all the hard work has been done and I always have a blinder of a time playing with the lads at Crypt and the crowd always seem to dig it, so why the hell not?
I’ve many, many fond memories and moments from different Crypts throughout the years, some of which include yourself giving it stacks and revelling in the energy and atmosphere of the night – which is how it should be done. When promoters are also fans, you know there’s passion and conscious intent behind the event, for reasons other than just the lining of pockets. What are some of your own favourite Crypt moments?
Right at the beginning, when I did the first Crypt in the old Mandela Hall building, I organised a showing of a new underground doom metal documentary called The Doom Doc. People showed up before the gig and watched the Irish premiere of the doc on a big screen in the venue and that was a really cool thing to happen so I cherish that memory because I had no idea what I was doing back then.
Getting Conjurer and Dead Witches, two very big bands at the time, to play Crypt Vol. 3 was a big deal for me and that night went down an absolute storm so that’s gotta be up there. Crazy to see the trajectory that both those bands went on in the years that followed a humble show on Fountain Street.
The return of Crypt after Covid was an important one for me too because there was so much uncertainty and I had to postpone shows before that so it was really up in the air whether or not it would happen, never mind how successful it would be. Thankfully the loyal audience returned and we had a hell of a time after those couple dark years of the pandemic.
Appreciation time. Who all helps you facilitate Crypt of the Riff?
First and foremost, the staff and management of Voodoo. It’s been the home of Crypt since Vol. 2 and they’ve always been extremely accommodating and helpful every year, so massive thanks to everyone there including Ciaran the owner, Micky the manager, Andy the sound engineer and all the staff who help facilitate each event.
I also have to give a shout out to my friends April and Deccy, who in recent years have done the door for me and sat through all kinds of weather at that front door putting wristbands on people so huge thanks to those guys and anyone else who has jumped on the door to help.
I’d also like to thank all the bands who have been nothing but respectful and professional at every event and they’re the real heroes here, putting on stellar performances and encouraging people to come bang their head, so cheers to all of you legends.
I’d like to thank the sponsors for the years that I’ve had some local businesses supporting the fest. I’m always happy to work with local shops/restaurants/studios etc and it works both ways as it allows the fest to promote them and allows them to help spread the word about the fest.
I can’t forget my family and friends, who have always believed in this journey and no matter how melted I get, they’re always there to give advice or assist in some way, shape or form so that means a lot.
Right that’s enough of that, it’s starting to sound like a fucking Oscars speech.
What advice would you have for anyone interested in putting on live shows and being a gig promoter? Note: “don’t do it.” isn’t an acceptable answer…
I’d say don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start small, be patient, evolve naturally and don’t give up. Simple as that.
What does the future hold: more Crypts? Another break? Something a bit more ambitious perhaps? And speaking of the future, when are you getting Soothsayer back up to Belfast?
So far, I’ve only thought as far as Crypt X in December. It’ll be back in 2025, absolutely no doubt about that, but I have a couple ambitious ideas which may come to fruition so watch this space.
In terms of Soothsayer, I’d have those lovely gentlemen back anytime. They’re a force to be reckoned with and very handsome men. We’ll see what we can do!
Crypt of the Riff X takes place at Voodoo on December 13th and 14th 2024. Both day tickets and weekend tickets are available for Crypt of the Riff X can be purchased here.
