Outbreak Fest, Manchester 2025 (Day 1): The Review

Militarie Gun

In a beautiful moment, as Militarie Gun took to the stage and the effortlessly charming Ian Shelton apologized to the crowd for the rain, the moment the LA punks started playing the sun burst from behind the clouds. It made sense, because their music is made for hot, bright days. Bouncy hardcore with some pop punk elements, they could easily be higher up the bill despite a few crowd stoppages for injuries, provides more than a few incredibly uplifting moments to kick off the weekend. We’re even treated to a few new songs, but it’s songs like ‘Very High’ and the titanic closer of ‘Do It Faster’ that create good-natured chaos. CE

Gleemer

Taking the third stage to dreamier, more shoegaze territories are Gleemer. A modern take on the 90s alternative sound with floatier elements mixed in, they lull the Saturday evening into a sea of waving arms and haunting vocals. There’s enough bite in the band’s sound to interest the newcomers and casual fans, while the diehards could be spotted screaming their hearts out to tracks likes ‘Gauze’ and ‘Brush Back’. CE

Glassjaw

 A feverish crowd ranging from late teens to early forties are primed to welcome Post-Hardcore royalty Glassjaw back to Manchester and to honour an album so important to the alternative music landscape like Worship and Tribute there is a celebratory atmosphere. Daryl Palumbo is electric as he demands maximum participation to the point where he is drowned out by the crowd singing back to him, leaving him to prance and canter around the stage to greet every passing stage diver who crosses his path, one even carrying a pink rose honouring the track of the same name. Hit tracks ‘Cosmopolitan Blood Loss’ and ‘Ape Dos Mil’ elicit the loudest participation, dominating the onstage vocals as every lyric is on the lips of every person crossing the stage. The instrumental backbone of Justin Beck and drummer Chad Hasty are in complete tandem alongside stand in bass player Code Hosza (Thoughtcrimes) who slips seamlessly into the album’s iconic rhythm. The Long Island veterans are relaxed and lapping up the admiration for Worship and Tribute, enabling them to embellish on the original material live, with Palumbo not afraid to add inflections on a whim knowing the audience are fully in control singing back with true devotion to the recording. Utterly dedicated to playing the album in its intended form, we are treated to ‘El Mark’ and ‘Convectuoso’, the b-sides which are held just as dear as the popular tracks, showing just how close it’s held to the core of peoples hearts. Glassjaw deliver a stylish performance which never needed to be perfect, but it needed the electricity of hearing the album for the first time, and we were treated to an avalanche of nostalgic energy. AC

Photo Credit:

Nat Wood

Gouge Away

One of the punkier propositions of the weekend, Gouge Away sub headlined the third stage and despite the late hour, provided one of the most high energy feel good sets of the day. Riding a high from their well received ‘Deep Sage’ record from last year, newer tracks like ‘Maybe Blue’ and ‘Stuck In A Dream’ sit well against old favourites like ‘Uproar’. Featuring numerous mic grabs and an all round feel good vibe throughout, it’s clear that Gouge Away would have been at home on perhaps a bigger stage this night, something for the organizers to think about if they were to come back. CE

Danny Brown

Headlining the second stage on the Saturday, the Detroit rapper Danny Brown admittedly drew a smaller, yet more intense crowd than Glassjaw. An uncompromising, aggressive and alternative take on hip-hop, the last fifteen years of his career have seen him blend elements of Cypress Hill and Tyler, The Creator with heavier, hardcore adjacent elements to great effect. The crowd is feral from the off, swarming the stage with some questionable dance moves and creating a flurry of energy in the pit, particularly for a JANE REMOVER cover which sees JANE REMOVER themselves join him on stage for a memorable moment. Throwing some JPEGMAFIA tracks into the set is a recipe for success, and despite being against some stiff competition, Danny Brown keeps the hip-hop adoring section of Outbreak alive and well. CE

Photo Credit:

Jamie Carmichel