Possibly with something relevant but where's the fun in that?
Having followed them since they released Inside I was really excited to see if Alaya could actually pull it off live. Especially due to the jawdropping vocals Evan belts out while playing some pretty complex parts on the guitar. In short: they passed with flying colors.
To go into a bit more detail, I found out later (probably around 4 in the morning or so) that Alaya's set was plagued with technical difficulties before they actually started playing but thanks to Paul Ortiz (Chimp Spanner) they managed to save it and perform without anyone realizing that this almost didn't happen. Playing songs from the masterful Thrones (which will undoubtedly end up on my year-end list) they felt completely at home at Tech Fest so I'm hoping they'll be back next year, perhaps with a couple of new songs to tease what's yet to come. Overall the band was tight as hell and considering the fact that they're a trio makes that an even more impressive feat to accomplish. Bassist Michael is more than sufficient in the rhythm department so you never feel like they lack a rhythm guitarist when Evan is playing leads and David (drums) keeps all syncopated madness feeling smooth but impressive.
Apparently they haven't gotten the love they deserve on their side of the Atlantic so if you're an American reading this, buy their album, go to a show and give the guys a hug because they're excellent both on stage and off.
So great job Safety Fire! Also worth noting is the fact that purple Telecasters need to become a bigger thing, I want an 8 string version of the one I saw on stage.
Behold...The Ocean
My fondest surprise though was the fact that they played Part of the Friction. As this was my first time seeing the band I never really knew if this song was a regular part of their set but as it's always been one of my favorite tracks it felt amazing to witness it live.
Speaking to Justin and Mikee after the show I told them how happy and surprised I was to hear it to which they replied "Surprised? Really? That's our best song."
I could go on and on about every band at the festival but I'll leave it at posting this live video of Flogging the Horses (I'm quite noticeable in my bright blue Now, Voyager shirt) and tell you that if you ever get a chance to see Sikth live, I don't really care if you're into tech metal or metal in general, see them because they truly are a force of nature.