'It was mega': The Mercians praise Halo Festival after performing to thousands in Suffolk
Scouting For Girls, Two Door Cinema Club and The Vaccines performed
A week after thousands of music fans descended on Trinity Park for Halo Festival, one of the event's rising acts says performing alongside some of Britain's biggest indie bands has given them confidence they're heading in the right direction.
Halo Festival was created with the ambition of becoming a new annual fixture in Suffolk's music calendar, bringing established artists and emerging talent together across three stages at Trinity Park in Ipswich.
Among the bands on the line-up were The Mercians, who shared the bill with artists including Scouting For Girls, The Vaccines and Two Door Cinema Club.
Speaking to us, bassist Harry Walford described the experience as a career milestone.
"Our managers just kind of pulled through with this crazy thing because he was just like, 'We've got this festival, it's like a day festival, it's never been done before.'"
"Scouting for Girls run the line up... Two Door Cinema Club... The Vaccines... I was like, 'I'm here for it.' That was a very quick yes in the group chat."
Walford said one of the highlights was seeing more and more people gathering in front of the stage as the band's set went on.
"We've supported quite a few people and we know that our job is to hype everybody up," he said.
"It's nice to see the first photos of the set compared to the last ones... it's nice to see so many more people go, 'Hey, I like this. I'll get up for this.'"
A growing Suffolk connection
Although based in Leicestershire, Halo wasn't The Mercians' first visit to Suffolk.
Walford said the band's manager lives in the county and they've previously performed in both Woodbridge and Martlesham.
"Suffolk is amazing," he said.
"We've been down quite a few times... We did one in Woodbridge... We did Martlesham Leisure twice."
He added: "I love the people as well... everybody talks to you like you've known them for years. And I love that."
The band formed around four years ago after drummer Charlie invited Walford to join, having remembered him from a pub band years earlier.
Since then, they've toured extensively across the UK, living and travelling together for months at a time.
"We spent years together every single day," Walford said.
"You don't know somebody until you've lived with them. And we've lived together for a very long time."
Their journey hasn't always been straightforward.
The band lost their touring van, along with their equipment and belongings, early in their career, an experience Walford says ultimately strengthened their bond.
"We had a van nicked... we lost everything that we cared about," he said.
"It did bring us closer together... If that hadn't happened, it wouldn't have led to the tracks that would have led to that album."
Looking ahead
The Mercians are now preparing to release their debut album next year and Walford believes their appearance at Halo is another sign the band is moving in the right direction.
"One thing we've always backed ourselves on is live performance," he said.
"We know we can perform. We know we can turn a cold crowd to a warm one."
Looking ahead to the band's next chapter, he added: "The ones on the album that are coming, trust me... honestly, I genuinely feel like they're going to change everything."