Froth & Fury Festival 2026 is sneaking up on us rapidly, and with so many bands playing there is no way HEAVY will have time to speak to them all. Which is why we have sent out a carefully curated set of questions to each band and let them take their time in answering. Today we chat with Silent Knight.
Welcome to the FROTH & FURY FROTHY DOZEN where you get a chance to let everyone know what it is about you and your band that makes them special. There are no wrong answers, but choose wisely, hehe…
HEAVY: Firstly, tell us the name of your band, tell us a bit about yourself and why you were put in charge to answering these questions?
SILENT KNIGHT: My name is Stu McGill, and I play guitar in Silent Knight. I founded the band with my buddy Cam in 2009, and it’s been a huge part of my life ever since. I like Power Metal, pointy guitars, coffee and Lego. Real grown up stuff like that.
I was self-appointed to answer these questions because I do a lot of the organising/managing of the band’s affairs and sometimes if you want something done, just do it yourself.
H: Froth & Fury 2026 is just around the corner, what have you been doing to make sure you are ready to kick ass come show time?
SK: We’ve been keeping a pretty low profile for the last few months as one of our members has just welcomed a new baby to his family, so everyone is keeping in shape at home, until we look to get together again to blow off the cobwebs in the new year.
We’ve been doing this for a long time now, so luckily, we don’t have to rehearse too often in the lead up to a show or tour.
H: Each year sees a great mix of international bands and local artists descend on Froth & Fury, but this year there’s also an Australian band, Polaris, with their name at the top of the posters as headliner. What does that say to you as a band in the Australian music scene?
SK: I think that’s fantastic to see and a real testament of the talent in our country. I find it funny that when we play shows in Australia supporting a big international band, we always get comments like “oh I didn’t realise Australia had any good original bands”. So, it’s great to see some bands getting the recognition they deserve for all their hard work over the years.
I remember seeing a poster for a previous Froth & Fury where Fear Factory were playing below a couple of Aussie acts and I just thought wow, that’s really something!
H: It’s a long day of music, with lots of froth and lots of fury. What will you be doing to make sure you will still be standing come your set time?
SK: I’ll be trying to keep a low profile and drinking a lot of water. Not very rock n roll, I know. Beers after the show, for sure! My kids are coming out for this one, we don’t play many shows that under 18’s can attend so you might see me in dad mode, but don’t be afraid to come say hi!
H: Give me your Top 3 Festival survival tips.
SK: Stay hydrated. You can’t withstand the fury if you don’t have enough froth. Pace yourself, it’s a long day in the sun. Time your toilet breaks wisely, you don’t want to lose your spot in the pit!
H: Which band – other than maybe yourselves – do you think will get up to the most mischief on the day?
SK: Abbath is my pick to watch out for, he’s a real character and knows what he’s doing.
H: What song do you think the crowd would want you to play to finish your set?
SK: Power Metal Supreme is the usual favourite and is perfect for a festival crowd as we add in a fun call/response sing along section when we play it live, so I’m sure that would be expected or at least make a few people happy.
H: We’re assuming you won’t giveaway to us what the last song of your set will be, but can you let us in on what the first song of your set will, or potentially be?
SK: We haven’t gotten that far yet, usually we will work out a set just before we organise rehearsals for an upcoming show. It’s always something fast and energetic though, so we can set the tone, and you know that we’re not there to muck around.
H: One of the best things about festivals is the chance to see bands you might have not even heard of before, so say someone is coming and has no idea who you are, what three songs of yours should they listen to, so they know what to expect?
SK: Silent Knight are all about high energy songs that make you feel good and ready to go kick some ass. If you’re a new listener, I would say check out the tracks Full Force, Masterplan and Power Metal Supreme.
H: You get to jump up with one band on the day to do guest vocals to one of their songs. Which band do you get up with and what song do you sing?
SK: Oh gosh, are you trying to get me booed of stage & put in solitary confinement for my own safety here, guys?
H: Time to rip out the crystal ball and predict two Australian and two International bands you think will be on next years line-up. The closest to guessing all four gets a big frothy tinny and a furiously big high five…
SK: Let’s go with Perth bands Buried Shallow & Allocer for some super heavy locals and for the internationals, I’ll take Megadeth & Alestorm and prepare my hand for that furiously big high five.
H: Finally, what plans does your band have for the rest of 2026 after F&F goes back into hibernation until 2027?
SK: We are well overdue to do a new album; it’s been 3 years since the last one came out so 2026 is hopefully going to see that recorded and who knows whether it’ll be out 2026 or later… Can I use that crystal ball again please?
PERTH LINE UP – JANUARY 24, 2026
POLARIS • SOULFLY • IN HEARTS WAKE • NAILBOMB
LAGWAGON • ABBATH ‘DOOM OCCULTA’ • OCEAN SLEEPER
FRENZAL RHOMB • ARCHSPIRE • VOYAGER • SHAI HULUD
ABORTED • PRIVATE FUNCTION • TERMINAL SLEEP • ABRAMELIN
FREEDOM OF FEAR • VALHALORE • SILENT KNIGHT • ZUKO
NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER • INIQUITOUS MONOLITH • ALL THIS FILTH
YOMI SHIP • PATIENT 67 • PINCER+ • RAT KING
ADELAIDE LINE UP – JANUARY 31, 2026
POLARIS • SOULFLY • IN HEARTS WAKE • NAILBOMB
LAGWAGON • ABBATH ‘DOOM OCCULTA’ • OCEAN SLEEPER
FRENZAL RHOMB • THE MARK OF CAIN • COMEBACK KID • ARCHSPIRE
SNOT • BLEEDING THROUGH • ABORTED • BIG NOTER • GRIDIRON
MORTAL SIN • PRIVATE FUNCTION • TERMINAL SLEEP • BATTLESNAKE
DOUBLE DRAGON • DIESECT • ZUKO • THE BEARDED CLAMS
FLANGIPANIS • I CHOOSE VIOLENCE • BONE REAPER
ROCKYS PRIDE & JOY • BROKEN LOOSE • CONTROL THE SUN
Tickets & info: www.frothandfuryfest.com
