Photo Credit: Nat Wood
The 12th edition of Outbreak, the biggest hardcore event of the year, is coming back to Manchester. Every year, the line-up includes well-known figures from the hardcore scene in addition to providing an occasion for up-and-coming bands to play to large crowds. This year’s line-up had a variety of surprises, such as reunions, full album sets, and an outdoor stage for the first time ever.
Philadelphia emo band SWEET PILL were handed a last minute Saturday slot to fill in on the main stage in addition to their scheduled Sunday appearance. The band’s performance is heavily influenced by shoegaze, emo and post-hardcore and the audience were very enthusiastic about the band’s overseas visit despite it being their first time performing in the UK. The band aren’t scared to drop a few powerful components to get the crowd moving, and that was just one of the ways they were able to keep the energy flowing throughout their set.
Legendary metalcore band POISON THE WELL finally made their much-needed comeback to the UK with a jam-packed set of sing-alongs, regular stage dives, and crowd favourites. The Florida band had the place rocking with ‘Botchla‘ at the beginning of the set, and ‘Slice Paper Wrists‘ had the front opening up straight away with its intense breakdown and complex guitar passages. ‘Crystal Lake‘ increased the intensity just before ‘Artist’s Rendering of Me‘ and ‘Nerdy‘ concluded the act. The latter was cut short halfway through by fans swarming the stage diving platform, but luckily fans got to hear the entire song in the end, with singer Jeffrey Moreira leading the platform as the audience was moved to the floor by security as a safety measure.
Next up came North Carolina outfit MAGNITUDE, who performed in the main room of the 2022 edition. For the 2024 event, the enormous indoor area functioned as the second stage, allowing spectators to cram the venue to capacity as if it were 2022 all over again. Although the band’s more metallic sound is a welcome departure from the typical hardcore sound, they are still capable of producing rapid strong hooks that compelled the audience to get involved throughout.
2022 headliners TOUCHÉ AMORE were on next on the outdoor stage, which saw them put on a whirlwind of a performance. ‘Flowers and You‘ opened the act, and the crowd wasted no time in utilising the stage as a sea of people began to pile upon one another. With a full repertoire to their name, the band announced that a new record is on the way, to a resounding reaction from the Outbreak audience. Jeremy Bolm’s scratchy vocals complement the band’s more ambient sound nicely. Soon after, TA launched into their brand-new song, ‘Nobody’s’ and then everything went back to normal with a tonne of hits and fan favourites to keep the party going.
After a seven-year journey that witnessed the release of two studio albums, Boston straight edge hardcore icons HAVE HEART, who quickly rose to prominence in the genre, broke up in 2009. The band was lured back to the UK for two special reunion shows in Leeds by the Outbreak organisers ten years later. After five years, the Boston band got back together to play at this year’s Outbreak Festival. ‘War‘ by Sinead O’Connor played over the speakers as each member made its way onto the stage, with the crowd was waiting patiently for the first move so they could pour on to the stage. The violence in ‘The Machinist‘ unfolded as soon as the guitars began. As throngs of fans rushed to Pat Flynn to seize the microphone, the words were screamed by those on the floor during their much-needed comeback. Fan favourites ‘The Same Son‘, ‘Bostons‘ and ‘Life Is Hard Enough‘ were all featured in the set, with ‘Pave Paradise‘ coming later. That excitement persisted though, no matter which song was playing.
After an emotional tale about having to leave Fiddlehead’s recent UK tour early due to a family issue, Pat Flynn addressed the audience and assured them everything was well. He then spoke about the current state of affairs in Palestine, a topic that is strongly supported by the hardcore scene, with one fan waving a flag in front of the stage. Soon after, everything reverted to normal service, with ‘Watch Me Rise‘ capping off the act in classic fashion, the stage filled with hordes of fans. It got to the point where it was impossible to watch the band perform, with guitarist Ryan Hudon leaping above the hundreds of fans while during the final song. The momentous return of HAVE HEART to the UK was well worth the wait.
Returning to the festival as a headlining act, BASEMENT‘s last performance was two years ago, during their slot at the 2022 Outbreak Festival. The Suffolk band, who made its Outbreak debut in 2015, has been a mainstay of this scene for over a decade. The band began with the well-known song ‘Earl Grey‘, which encouraged movement from the very beginning. Songs like ‘Whole‘ and ‘Bad Apple‘ continued this trend. Guitarist Alex Henery’s guitar work is captivating, while frontman Andrew Fisher still uses the stage to his advantage by jumping around between lines. Whether it was one of the band’s faster songs, ‘Spoiled‘ or a more carefree one, like ‘Oversized‘, fans still took advantage of the opportunity to bounce around and get on top of one another on stage. The highly anticipated ‘Promise Everything‘ and ‘Covet‘ completed BASEMENT‘s comeback to the live stage following a two-year hiatus, capping the band’s second headline slot.
The following day nearly surpassed the Saturday’s stellar line-up. First up for were the returning BALANCE & COMPOSURE. Travel complications caused the band to reschedule, and an 11:50am start the next day was the only way they could pull it off. Fans were ecstatic to see them perform in the UK for the first time in ten years, so this didn’t appear to cause any controversy at all, since the courtyard was already nearly full. Stand-alone single ‘Body Language‘ was played to warm up the audience, and was soon followed by their new track ‘Cross to Bear‘, offering fans a preview of what to expect from their forthcoming album ‘With You In Spirit’. Then followed two tracks from their debut release ‘Separation‘, those coming in the form of ‘Void‘ and ‘Quake which had plenty of fans getting more involved. However, the real excitement came at the conclusion of the performance with five tracks from the band’s highly acclaimed second album were played. Everyone across the outdoor space were singing along to ‘Tiny Raindrop‘, and ‘Parachutes‘ and the more sombre ‘Reflection‘ provided the ideal cap to their journey back across the pond.
After just over twelve hours since their previous main stage appearance, Pat Flynn, Shawn Costa (Have Heart), and Alex Henery (Basement) returned to the stage in the form of FIDDLEHEAD as part of the Sunday line-up. Having recently made several trips across the pond, the ensemble are already well-known in the UK, so those in attendance were accustomed to participating in the songs. ‘The Deathlife‘ and ‘Sleepyhead‘, two songs from their most recent full-length, kicked off their mid-afternoon performance. Since the show began early, it was evident that the audience was already warmed up. ‘Grief Motif‘ was the first song in the set to truly get everyone moving. Fans began seizing Pat Flynn’s microphone throughout the performance, and he was acceptable for it. They powered through a 12-song set that ended with the beloved tune ‘Lay Low‘, lending vocal assistance on songs like ‘The Years‘ and ‘Million Times‘.
From the beginning of 2023, when they made their debut with the song ‘Get Inside‘, Bristol’s up-and-coming talents SPLIT CHAIN have been making waves across the UK. Despite taking a more grungey-emo rock style, the band has gained a lot of popularity in the hardcore community, landing major spots in the previous 12 months. Regardless of the sound difference between them and much of the line-up it didn’t detract in the slightest from their performance. The crowd outstripped the energy on stage, with a mob forming immediately to the delight of vocalist and guitarist Robert Martinez-Cowles, who voiced his utter amazement at the enthusiastic response. Slightly colliding with Fiddlehead, the enormous arena was completely packed, with several people stage diving and two-stepping. It makes sense that SPLIT CHAIN are quickly rising to popularity in the UK.
The Sunday line-up had a real emo-rock vibe, but THE HOTELIER offered a more subdued and lively take on the genre. The group commemorated the tenth anniversary of ‘Home, Like Noplace Is There‘, their breakthrough album. Fans were excited for every song even though they knew what to anticipate from the start when the record was played in its entirety. The timeless ‘An Introduction to the Album‘ kicked off the decade festivities, and fans were already yelling at the top of their voices. ‘The Scope of All of This Rebuilding‘ received raucous applause at the opening guitar tone. People were shedding tears throughout the crowded courtyard as ‘Your Deep Rest‘ was in full swing, yet they were still able to sing the lyrics with great difficulty. Meanwhile, the stage was quickly crowded with fans who were yelling the lyrics back at each band member. The nine-track album was moving along rapidly, and when it came time to close the celebrations, THE HOTELIER delivered a performance unlike anything they had ever done before in front of a UK audience and will remain as one to remember for years to come.
Following their successful 2022 performance at the same festival, Orange County’s MOVEMENTS have been touring relentlessly around the UK often in conjunction with the release of their most recent album, ‘RUCKUS!‘ The California band, on their third tour of the UK in less than a year, attracted a large crowd even before taking the stage. ‘Lead Pipe‘ really had the crowd singing along, and even those rushing across the platform were yelling the words at Patrick Miranda as he remained on stage to escape the commotion. Fans of “Feel Something” were swarming the stage for ‘Third Degree‘ and ‘Colorblind‘ as the crowd became more engaged, and ‘I Hope You Choke‘, from their most recent release, demonstrates how well-liked ‘RUCKUS!‘ truly is. Once again, a full stage invasion followed, as the band ended in classic manner with ‘Daylily‘. Miranda stated the group had been looking forward to returning to Outbreak the most, with the same feeling being shared across the site.
Keeping up with the album celebrations, this year marks the tenth anniversary of JOYCE MANOR‘s third record, ‘Never Hungover Again‘. The Torrance band opened with 2022’s ‘NBSTA‘ and ‘Beach Community‘ from their debut release, three years before the much adored album that was about to be performed in full. ‘Christmas Card‘ kicked off the set as it does on the album track listing, and the audience continued to keep up the energy for the rest of the band’s performance. A substantial section of the crowd was hooked by the punk-inspired ‘Victoria‘, while ‘Heated Swimming Pool‘ concluded the album in a more sombre manner. Nevertheless, the group made the most of their time by concluding their Outbreak debut with ‘Constant Headache‘ in the set.
Appearing at Outbreak for the fourth time since 2013, New York hardcore titans INCENDIARY made their return to the festival. These guys are among the oldest on the line-up having formed back in 2007, but in these parts, age is only a number. As ‘Primitive Rage‘ launched the show, an army of people flocked to the stage, while Brendan Garrone stood by, witnessing the chaos around him. The room erupted in applause when the band thanked the organisers. However, after a short break to allow everyone to settle in, the customary mayhem resumed as the band concluded with ‘Front Towards Enemy‘ to cap off their one and only UK performance of 2024.
Post-hardcore/emo stalwarts THURSDAY, making their festival debut, closed the weekend with a nostalgic show that was quite appropriate as they topped the lineup of the second stage. Playing tracks from both ‘War All the Time‘ and ‘Full Collapse‘, which are now over 20 years old, didn’t deter the new blood whilst the old school fans soon joined in. Geoff Rickley was obviously in favour of it, as evidenced by the fact that he hadn’t performed in a no-barrier show since the mid-2000s in the UK. In a much-needed comeback to the UK after a five-year absence, Touche Amore’s Jeremy Bolm appeared for ‘Paris In Flames‘. The band ended their headline slot with the title track from their third album, ‘War All The Time‘.
It was another successful year for Outbreak Festival yet again. The biggest UK hardcore festival returns to BEC Arena after a year away, which included the launch of the outdoor stage, a host of special acts, and a lineup of hardcore industry heavyweights. The Story So Far, Citizen, Narrow Head, Angel Du$t, and more are scheduled to perform in the autumnal edition of the event, which is scheduled to take place at BEC Arena again before the details of 2025 are disclosed. Tickets are on sale now HERE.
Taped Magazine 