Polaris: 'We’re Keen To Deliver The Spirit Of Knotfest, But In Our Own Way'

This month, the heavy metal juggernaut that is Knotfest returns to Australia for its third year.

Hitting sites in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, metal music and alternative culture come together, offering up three massive opportunities for music fans to celebrate not only a stacked line-up of international and Australian artists, but also a special milestone for festival curators and 2025 headliners, Slipknot.

Celebrating a remarkable 25-year career, the metal icons are bringing their catalogue and renowned live show to fans while also providing a platform for tourmates, including A Day To Remember, Babymetal, Slaughter To Prevail, Enter Shikari and more, to flex – connecting with new and long time fans alike.

For Sydney metalcore group Polaris, being part of the Knotfest family this year is doubly special. Not only has it provided a bucket list moment for the band, who, like many, have grown up being Slipknot followers themselves, but these Knotfest shows will likely also be the only shows Polaris will play in Australia this year.

“It’s arguably the biggest thing we’ve done in Australia to date,” vocalist Jamie Hails says. “We’re really looking forward to putting on as big of a show as we can, really trying to deliver the spirit of what Knotfest is, but in our own way.”

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Looking ahead to the three-date festival tour from a rare moment of downtime, Hails is excited to elevate the Polaris live experience and feed off the energy of the environment they are soon to find themselves in.

“Knotfest is not just a metal festival; there is a culture around it, and for it to be in Australia for another year is awesome,” Hail says. “You’d always see it happen overseas and wonder if Australia would ever get a Knotfest…and now we do. I’m so grateful to be part of it, part of the history of it. I’m keen to experience it.

“Over the last couple of years, I’ve never been to a Knotfest; we’ve always been overseas. To experience it for myself and to be around it, I’m keen to see how it is different from other ones that I’ve seen or that we’ve been part of.”

“We are blessed in Australia with a lot of tours, but a lot of bands may not usually hit Australia as frequently without these festivals, if at all. It’s a unique blend of bands that is part of it this year. Babymetal is coming to Australia! I’m very excited to see them; I’ve watched many of their videos online, and they put on an insane show. To be able to witness it in person is going to be crazy.”

Having spent 2024 touring their acclaimed third studio album Fatalism in Australia and abroad, Polaris capped off what had been an emotional and monumental year with a show that matched such energy: performing in Mexico for the first time, supporting Bring Me The Horizon.

Appearing on the same bill as the UK icons, as well as Spiritbox, The Plot In You, and Thrown, Polaris were able to experience the expansion of their own influence in visiting Mexico for the first time.

“It was definitely the biggest crowd we have ever played in front of, the biggest stage we’ve ever played on,” Hails remembers.

“To support such a monumental band like Bring Me The Horizon… Oli [Sykes] has been an idol of mine since day one of discovering Bring Me as a teenager, years and years ago. It was incredible. To have the opportunity to play in front of so many people for our first time in a country that doesn’t always get that many tours as well, we knew it was going to be something special.

“Anytime we got the crowd to jump, the whole crowd would be shifting. It felt like a day at a festival; the crowd was electric for every single band. I couldn’t believe it, walking out there…we’d never been to this country before, and people were singing along and were so excited to see us!”

Returning home to Australia for the summer, the focus for Polaris has switched to what the next chapter looks like. Fatalism, arguably one of the strongest heavy releases of any Australian band from 2023, stands as a unique entry in the Polaris catalogue.

Their final album to feature lead guitarist Ryan Siew, who passed away earlier that year, Fatalism is a record that comes laden with intense emotion for Polaris. Upon its release, it united their community of fans and peers while also celebrating some of the band’s most brutal and refined musicality to date.

As the album grew in terms of its reach and impact, so did the Polaris live shows. A grieving process fused with live catharsis for the band and fans around the country and abroad.

Key to Polaris’ ability to bring the music to life in a way that paid respect to Siew while also bolstering Polaris’ already tight live dynamic was the introduction of touring guitarist Jesse Crofts – previously known for his work with Melbourne metalcore outfit Windwaker.

Originally brought in as a touring member of the band, Crofts has now joined Polaris as part of their songwriting sessions for what will be their first studio project, post-Fatalism.

Hails says of the band’s recent songwriting trip and sessions: it has been refreshing to get back into the headspace of creating new material.

“It was good to dust off the cobwebs. It was the first time we’d done a group writing session with Jesse, so that was also a positive experience as well. Bringing him into it and seeing what he’s like, how he writes; he’s been really excited to come in with us and see the dynamic of how Polaris works and how he can slot in.”

“All he knew of us was our records,” Hails adds. “He didn’t know what other material had or hadn’t been in the works. He didn’t know what we may or may not like. We were going through some of our older files and some of our newer stuff that we’ve had in progress for over six or so months; he was seeing the broader picture of Polaris, not just what’s been released. He was saying how helpful it was for him. It was very positive, and I’m keen to do another one.”

While the new music is still in its infancy, the live chemistry within Polaris has become stronger over the last year.

“There was a bit of a transition, obviously; it took a bit to get used to Ryan not being on stage, but our friendship with Jesse… we almost instantly became really, really close. We’re like brothers now.

“Onstage, the chemistry between us all, he’s just slotted in perfectly. He’s doing his own thing. Even in the early days of everything, he said he was worried because he didn’t want to feel like he was coming in and overstepping. He didn’t want to do Ryan’s memory a disservice. But it felt really natural, him coming in and doing what he’s been doing for us. It’s been fantastic.”

Looking ahead to this year of touring major events, including Knotfest Australia, and then a full run of European summer dates, including Rock Im Park/Rock Am Ring, Download Festival and Nova Rock, Hails is excited to see what comes next.

“Jesse’s first tour with us was [at] European summer festivals two years ago,” he remembers. “His second show was Download Festival, main stage – it was the biggest show any of us had done! That was his second show with us! We really threw him in the deep end. It whipped him into the headspace of doing those kinds of shows really quickly.

“We experienced everything that happened with Ryan together; he was on tour with us when it all went down, so I think that was also a pivotal moment that brought us together. It solidified that friendship and bond as time has gone on.”

Polaris will perform at Knotfest Australia next month. You can find tickets on the Knotfest and Destroy All Lines websites.