Flemington Racecourse was jam-packed with metalheads, the crowds like masses of black moshing together in the pit.
You can bet I was a part of that mosh because it was irresistible whenever those breakdowns would hit.
The first band to entice some mad moshpit antics was hardcore four-piece Sunami, whose raw and unadulterated performance injected thrill into the veins of the already large crowd.
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I escaped from the mass of bodies to fuel up on a burger and chips, surprised at the quality considering it’s festival food.
I never usually look at the market stalls at festivals, but this time I did. Even though I didn’t plan on buying anything, I found myself amused at the knockoff band tees and other hilarious clothing items. One particularly popular stall was selling ‘mosh shorts’, which many people happened to be sporting.
Courtesy of Beat Magazine, I got access to the Slipknot Museum. Memorabilia ranging from the iconic jumpsuits to every single mask they’ve worn were on show, providing a rare look into the band’s history. And I got a polaroid on the way out for memories sake!
Two Redbulls later and Polaris took to the stage, kicking off their set with a huge streamer cannon bang. The crowd was starting to properly pack out, but it only added to the excitement as the night drew near. Babymetal’s mashup of metal instrumentals and chanty J-pop melodies had the crowd delighted – it was hard not to smile when the band members looked so happy to simply be there.
A couple of hours later was the moment we were all waiting for. It felt unreal when Slipknot took to the stage, but after pinching myself I was certain it wasn’t a dream. It was a performance of gargantuan size.
Slipknot played all the best songs with a few lesser-known cuts to please the longtime fans. They even played a song which they hadn’t played live for 25 years, which sent the crowd absolutely wild.
Needless to say, there wasn’t a single unhappy fan at Knotfest 2025.
For more on Knotfest, head here.
