Black Svan formed in 2009 in Drogheda. They are a five piece heavy metal band whose sound is heavily influenced by American rock and metal bands like Pantera, Alice in Chains, Soil and Disturbed. In 2010 they toured Europe with Fozzy and Stuck Mojo and their debut album, 16 Minutes was released in 2014. That went straight to No. 2 in the Irish Metal Charts. It was only beaten to the top spot by Slipknot. Lead singer Keith Caffrey spoke to Musos’ Guide before their Main Stage show at Vantastival last Friday.

MG: What's brings you to Vantastival?

KC: We've played at pretty much every Vantastival that there’s been. Ever since it started out we’ve been on the bill.

MG: Are you local to the area?

KC: We're Drogheda based. We used to travel out to Dundalk. We grew up playing The Spirit Store in Dundalk and places like that. We have a lot of connections there. Our guitar player, Jagger, lives in Dundalk at the moment. The Vantastival gig was always one that we did and it’s great to have it here in Drogheda close to home.

MG: Your album came out in October '14 and it's really good.

KC: Yeah, 16 Minutes. It took a long time to do. It was hard work. We're self funded, like every metal band on the planet. A lot of hard graft went into it and we're happy with the finished product. We had a good team working with us. The producer was Jacob Hansen, who produced Volbeat's albums. He has a really good sound. We like the Volbeat sound. It good and clean but still aggressive. We really like the sound.

MG: How did you end up touring with Fozzy and Stuck Mojo?

KC: So the European tour, the way it came about, Jagger and myself growing up were massive wrestling fans. Jericho, The Rock, Stone Cold, anyone who was a teenager during those years was a wrestling fan. That continued on into our early twenties. Fozzy was coming over and Jagger was a member of, or in fact was, the Irish street team for Fozzy. He got in contact with Anne in the UK street team. One thing lead to another. They heard our music and they really liked it.

Originally the bill for Belfast was filled but they liked us and stuck us on the bill for Belfast and Dublin. We thought that this was awesome. So we did Belfast, we did Dublin, and we got a call a few days later saying a slot has become available on the European tour and we were like “Absolutely!”. Next thing you know we were flying into Paris and doing the tour and we did the whole tour. And as soon as that one finished up we got the Mojo one. Some of the guys in Fozzy cross over to Mojo. They were starting another one so they said “You might as well come with us as well”. We ended up doing both tours.

MG: This was long before you had an album out or anything.

KC: We were only together since 2009 so this was a year into our existence. We've supported the likes of Diamond Head as well which was a big honour, in The Spirit Store. We did the Academy with Kerbdog. Kerbdog are awesome, really sound as well. We've had some cool things happen.

The blurb for Jericho’s autobiography says “One of the top ten WWE wrestlers, Fozzy gets praise from Kerrang, and his church bake sales are second to none'.

He just never stops. To get an acknowledgement on one of their albums was awesome as well, in the “Thank you” part, we get credited there, that was cool. A nice homage to the tour we did together.

MG: You've said before that you learned so much from that tour.

KC: Yeah, you learn the keys to setting up and getting offstage quickly. That comes from knowing you have your slot and you can’t fuck around. You have to be on point. Like any support band you get a line check and that line check is crucial. You want to sound your best and you're not going to get a soundcheck like Fozzy are going to get. You have to get on, get set up, and be as professional as you can and get off as quick as you can. Metal For The Masses is quite good for that as well. You have half an hour to really shine.

MG: What are you up to at the moment?

KC: We're writing at the moment. We have three or four songs that we've nailed down. We are deciding what to do. A lot of bands seem to be going the EP route at the moment. So we'll see. We’re open to it. It's a bit secretive right now.

MG: So you won't be playing them tonight?

KC: We've got one new song for tonight.

MG: You're off to Kerry tomorrow.

KC: Yeah, K-Fest. In Killorglin somewhere. About half an hour from Kerry in the wrong direction. We've got the Unleashed Festival in Dublin as well, in On The Rox. Serious line up there. We've got The Spirit Store with Words That Burn. We team up and play a lot of shows together. They're from Dundalk. Their album is coming out this week so look out for that. We're going to Hellfest. We've got an interview set up with our label because they’re French. They have a stand set up, M & O Records. We’re going to have an interview there and our merch will be available there.

MG: Any other craic?

KC: The album is there, it's on Spotify and we just put in on Reverbnation too, so it's free to listen to. We'd like people to listen to it and if they like it, come see us, buy the album. We've a full 12 page booklet. We like the old school, physical thing as well. We'd like to do a new video. That's something we're working on.

MG: I'm surprised you aren't more well known. It's a very accessible sound.

KC: Yeah, it’s a niche market anywhere you go. Maybe more so in Ireland. It's hard to get that extra lift to get you where you need to go. You need money behind you when it comes to touring and that. We all work full time and this is our passion. We just give 100 percent. And keep moving forward.

16 Minutes is available from amazon & iTunes.

The camping fields are noticeably more full this morning and Vantastival attracts a lot of local day visitors so Saturday is shaping up to be a good one. The sun continues to favour us with its presence and there is a roaring trade in breakfast rolls. The Volkswagen main stage kicks off in hard rocking style with Accidents In The Workplace. Their hypnotic lead singer is like a Gothic Stevie Nicks with bright red hair, a florescent crucifix, and shimmering butterfly wings handing from her outstretched arms. And we finally catch up with Nix Moon for an interview. They are as much fun off-stage as they are on it.

Dublin hip hop fusion group Just Mikey bring a slick show with a distinctively Dublin flavour (flava?). Their sound is a mash up of Donaghmede troubadour Damien Dempsey and Macklemore & Lewis. It's structured rapping with a full-band pop rock backing and roof-raising choruses, if there were a roof over the Goldenplec stage. Raising the tree canopy doesn't have the same ring to it. Next up it's Northern Ireland's' The Bonnevilles, who'll be familiar to regular readers. It's hard to resist comparing the drummer and guitarist /vocalist duo to The Black Keys or The White Stripes but my brain is no longer functioning sufficiently to reach beyond such obviousness. But the Bonnevilles aren't some two dimensional imitators. When he's not cranking out the searing leads and crunchy power chords, singer Andrew McGibbon Jr. can emote like an old-fashioned, soulful, blues singer. They have brought their own crowd too. I lose count of the number of Bonnevilles t-shirts.

We've just been told that a burst water main in Drogheda means that the water is going to run out. There's not a cloud in the sky. There will be some parched throats come Sunday morning and the queue for the drinking water tap stretches quickly. Thankfully the anticipated water shortage doesn't occur. Fox E. And The Good Hands bring some welcome soul to the scorching afternoon as the crowd at the main stage spread out around the tent to make the most of the sunshine. Mutefish are already legends around here. Their busking sessions attract hundreds, so it's a real treat to catch a fully electrified set from them. And electrifying it is. Their set is a non-stop dance party that noticeably shakes the heaving tent. They incorporate musical instruments and styles from all round the world and amalgamate them with electronica, Celtic rock, and folk music, to astonishing effect. Their Bollywood version of the Knight Rider theme tune is a notable highlight.

This year's featured artist is Badly Drawn Boy and there's a real air of anticipation in and around the main stage as The Hour Of Bewilderbeest approaches. Damon Gough comes out for a line check then disappears as the crowd starts to build. He gets a massive reception when he re-emerges. Woolly hat in place, he plays a verse of 'What A Wonderful World' before segueing into 'Too Many Miracles' and the packed tent is enraptured. It's hard to say what makes this wee festival so good. Badly Drawn Boy is the only non-native act this year. Last year it was Goldie Lookin' Chain. The guest stars are hand-picked to appeal to the parents of young families, and so are the events around the music. People come back every year. Many of the same bands come back every year. There are nearly as many children as there are adults in attendance. The new location has been a big hit and the breadth and depth of the local talent on show is very special. Whatever it is, it'll have us coming back to see what next year's Vantastival holds.