The second edition of Cosmic Void was eagerly awaited by many, Black Metal fans and bands alike. I arrived at the O2 in Islington to find many people already in the venue. Managing to get through them to the photo pit, I found several of the togs that I had become friendly with in the past few years, including, surprisingly, one who I had met in Bergen at Beyond the Gates a month before.
The bill was a strong one and included one of the stronger UK bands as opener, the Anglo-Iranian Trivax. They played another of their strong sets and won over new fans.
After a break, the stage was populated with banners with Arabic designs on them. These provided an interesting stage decoration, although partly obscuring the band, making dancing around the other 14 togs in the photo pit a bit more involved. Mephorash, from Sweden, came onstage dressed in robes and masks and played another great set to wow the crowd.
The anticipation was high for Iceland’s Misþyrming, who hadn’t played London for a while. They did not disappoint, playing a loose and powerful set, exciting the crowd more.
Finally we had the spectacle of festival organiser Giulian lighting candles for the Friday headline act. The candles were the only stage lighting for Mare, making for interesting photography. Mare played a good set to finish the evening.