Outbreak Festival 2024: In Review
Photo: Nat Wood
The way festival season in the U.K. has started off it’s quite nice to finally be attending a festival that’s mud free! Outbreak Festival returns to Manchester for another year, this time taking over the The Bowlers Exhibition Centre for the first time, which now includes an outdoor stage. This festival has quickly grown into one of the major festivals in the alternative scene and has brought in many names that have gone on to play huge stages across Europe. I went for the Saturday and Sunday of this year’s event, so come along and see what the 2024 instalment had to offer.
Saturday
Despite the overcast and muggy day that Manchester had in store for us, the energy was insanely high – kicking off our day within the already sweaty indoor stage for some post punk chaos with Taqbir. The Moroccans fight for the freedom of self-expression and it’s evident in their live show. Their powerful message is backed with the sheer passion both on and off the stage making the live experience even more of a spectacle.
Photo: Anna Swiechowska
High energy will be a common theme with both today and tomorrow’s acts – Perp Walk are next on the third stage who bring their Brighton hardcore noise to the north. Despite being quite new to the scene, the crowd that watched on were in a serious mood for action with a sea of pits and stage divers throughout.
Staying indoors for Jivebomb was perfectly timed as the heavens opened for yet another festival this year. The Baltimore hardcore band were on a lengthy list of bands here from the states across the weekend. Vocalist Kat Madeira has the voice of a powerhouse who has been in the scene for years, covering every inch of the stage she showed exactly why they were booked for this and given a solid slot midway through a stacked day.
Photos: Anna Swiechowska
Between bands it’s nice to have a little wander around site – the food vendors on show this year were on such a high level it was always a tricky choice on who to choose whether it was kebabs, brownies or the highly popular vegan options. The on site photo booth always gained a lot of attention as well as the always packed merch room with a large variety including the festivals own choices that didn’t last very long before cleaned out.
Higher Power
Photo: Nat Wood
Show Me The Body
Photo: Anna Swiechowska
Poison The Well
Photo: Anna Swiechowska
Touché Amoré
Photo: Anna Swiechowska
Have Heart
Photo: Nat Wood
Closing off day one was the incredible Basement. Despite the fact they haven’t released any music since 2018, the hype around this set was as big as I’ve seen for a festival headliner and rightly so. Pulling out all the stops with a set filled with as many bangers as they could possibly fit into their slot.
Photos: Nat Wood
Straight to business kicking off with ‘Earl Grey’ into ‘Whole’ set the tone for what was to come from this set. A packed out main stage sang their hearts out in the Manchester drizzle. The weather was never getting in the way and both band and crowd made this into something very special. To the surprise of many, two brand new songs made their way into the set however no names were given – sparking the excitement of a new chapter for Basement. Judging by what was previewed, it’s a strong sounding venture that certainly went down a treat. From the new you the old stretching all the way back to 2011 with classics like ‘Crickets Throw Their Voice’ and ‘For You the Moon’ got their outings and a heroes reception from the fans. ‘Covet’ rounded off a spectacular set and closed out the Saturday with the ultimate singalong.
Photo: Nat Wood
Photos: Anna Swiechowska
Sunday
Sunday and the final day of the weekend sees a very stacked line-up including a massive Glasgow hardcore takeover bringing 5 of the cities big names over the border.
First up sees a very early set to get the day rolling from Balance and Composure who were set to take to the stage on Saturday however due to several cancellations with flights, the Americans worked with the festival to ensure they still had a slot to play placing them on at lunch. Even with the early start, fans came in their numbers to pack out the main stage showing the true love for this band.
With this set being the first time they’ve played the U.K. in almost a decade the band states, it’s clear to see why there was such hype around this. Fan favourites ‘Cross the Bear’ and ‘Notice Me’ got the front section moving with the regular stage diver making their way across the front platform. Taking into account how early this is, it was quite special to see the whole place in unison singing along to everything that was played and setting the bar high for the rest of the day.
Photo: Nat Wood
Another Baltimore band up next, Angel Du$t. Their live show is on another level; the band do a brilliant job in transplanting the hardcore aesthetic into a sound removed from the genre, it’s their live set that shows the how the band are essentially unrivalled in infusing the ethos and ideology of hardcore with unbridled positivity. Their set has shown how well they have carved their own niche within the hardcore scene proving why they’re the respected band that they are.
Photo: Nat Wood
Split Chain bring their refreshing mix of shoegaze, grunge & nu metal to the mix. Their set was jammed full of guitar immersed in chorus, whilst coherently synthesising the familiar grit of modern day hardcore. They’ve quickly risen to the band they are today and taking on a healthy run across some big name festivals. When they hit their groove, their live show is special to watch and the actions both on and off stage by fans and band was to be admired – everything was executed to perfection with their seamless blend of genres spread throughout their performance.
Today saw a Scottish invasion showcasing some of the best the Glasgow hardcore scene has to offer curtesy of the kings at Northern Unrest. Hellbound were first up to bring the action and that they did. The energy was as high as I’d seen across the stages today, the numbers crammed into the front pit was close to if not at full cap, the stage divers and two steppers were on constant form with no sign of slowing down. The thing that stands out to me the most at each set is that no band needs to encourage the fans to get going, the action is as strong as the bands are on the stage. Hellbound’s sound hits hard and it’s near impossible to stay still. One of the sets of the day – the Glaswegians had arrived.
When the lineup dropped, the addition of Movements filled me with endless joy and to see them back on the U.K. festival circuit is all we need for happiness really. Being in the scene for as long as they have, it’s a pleasure to see the love grow and grow for them, their songs connect with their fans in ways that will never let them feel old. The common question asked was who had seen the band before versus who was new to the Movements experience and unsurprisingly the ‘seen before’ crew more than out noised the newbies and the size of the crowd was no surprise to anyone being such a highly anticipated show. It was a chance to showcase their latest child ‘Rukus’ that was unleashed upon us last year. The set was primarily made up of new stuff as vocalist Patrick Miranda urges new fans to listen to that first and states it’s their best work.
Photo: Anna Swiechowska
‘Lead Pipe’ & ‘I Hope You Choke’ made the biggest noise off the new record while having the treats of the classics thrown in there for good measure. ‘Full Circle’ and ‘Colourblind’ sparking the first couple of major stage invasions before the special closing of ‘Daylily’ saw the majority of the front section fill the stage from side to side. It was an incredible way to close of my personal favourite set of the day – Movements are still as good for the soul as they always have been and today was all the proof anyone needed of how relevant and at their best they are.
Photos: Anna Swiechowska
Mannequin Pussy
Photo: Nat Wood
Harms Way
Photo: Nat Wood
Thursday
Photo: Anna Swiechowska
American Football
Photo: Anna Swiechowska
For me, my day came to a close with one big final singalong to the incredible Joyce Manor who pulled out all the stops to provide one hell of a set. Another live performance that was a massive standout across the weekend bringing out some songs that take me all the way back to my days in school and giving off the ultimate nostalgia feel – today at times has just felt like a usual day on my Tumblr.
Joyce Manor have been doing this for years and it shows each time they’re on stage. Every time it’s just a lot of fun and the length of songs means they can power through so many classics to get the best out of any set they play. For the first time since 2018, we were given the iconic sounds of ‘Heated Swimming Pool’ & ‘In the Army Now’, something was just so wholesome about hearing these songs live for the first time since then. The crowd were lapping up every second and giving back as good as the band were giving out – why wouldn’t you want to be anywhere else in the world.
Photo: Anna Swiechowska
The set ranged from the early days of 2011 right up to the modern drops of the 2022 record ‘40 oz to Frenso’. Covering all the basis giving fans a special evening because the question remains when we will see them again.
Photos: Anna Swiechowska
Outbreak has shown why it’s one of the best names on the festival circuit showcasing some of the best bands the hardcore scene has to offer. The family vibes across the site from bands to staff, from security to fans, the whole place is one big unity and it’s a special place to be whether it’s your first time if you’ve been doing this for the decade it’s been going, there really is no place quite like it. An incredible festival that deserves the love it receives and later this year we have one more instalment that will see them return to BEC in October for another big one.
Words by Craig McInnes
