Outbreak Fest, Manchester 2025 (Day 2): The Review

Speed

Can any band on the planet right now hold a candle to Speed? The answer to that is very few, as the Australians possess an energy and authenticity that is simply unparalleled. Frontman Jem is earnest and endearing, with a smile adorned across his face at all times as he leads the crowd through modern hardcore anthems like ‘Not That Nice’ and the monumental, ‘The First Test’. Bringing a medley of guests vocalists to the stage including Derv from Impunity delights the crowd and as every word is roared back at them, the smiles on the band faces show they’d not want to be anywhere else on the planet. CE.

Long Goodbye

The first North East hardcore band to grace a stage at Outbreak, Long Goodbye endured perhaps the most brutal clash of the weekend with legends Terror. But they stepped up, on a set akin to the maelstrom that was Killing Me Softly‘s set from last year. (And coincidentally, the set features a guest spot from the Leeds metalcore crew). The band’s chaotic mix of Norma Jean and On Broken Wings metalcore saw more than a few injuries, drops of blood and moments of violence grace the floor. Opening with new song ‘Fix The Memory’ and peaking with the brutal ‘Autolosis’, they performed like seasoned veterans. One of the most exciting prospects in all of metalcore, not just the UK, those who bore witness to the madness left knowing they’d just seen a set for the ages. CE.

Contention

Without a doubt the most anticipated band to grace the third stage all weekend. The H8000 worshipping, nuclear warfare obsessed Floridians had the task of taking to the stage after Long Goodbye, but their powerful riffs and breakdowns akin to bunker busters had the baying crowd alive in seconds. With ready-made anthems at their disposal like ‘I.C.B.M’ and the closing straight edge anthem of ‘Inflict My Will’ see a mass of bodies swarm the stage for a passionate moment of togetherness, brotherhood and unity amongst brethren. CE.

Photo Credit:

Nat Wood

Deafheaven 

Bathed in fuchsia lights, Deafheaven rush the stage and match the day’s hardcore energy with ‘Doberman’ from new album Lonely People with Power which dominates the set list and with good reason. It stands to be one of this year’s most lauded metal albums and will appear on plenty of end of year lists. Their performance this year is the weekends highlight and George Clarke is a conductor electrified, and his appendages fly high to look like wings, his rabid tenacity to imbue the audience with a feral energy lifts the crowd off its feet and onto the stage for the majority of the set putting the security to work almost immediately. Blast beats ring around the stage throughout old cut ‘Brought To The Water’ as Kerry McCoy takes to the podium to shower us with heavenly guitar which is elevated by the quality sound production on stage, bringing a rare glimmer of delicacy to an otherwise ferocious outing. There is an impressive amount of stage invasion for a blackgaze band which Clarke encourages one after another showing, although they are perhaps the anomaly of the weekend they are hardcore at heart and eager to celebrate the culture as a participant rather than a passenger. Back to Lonely People with Power we have some hellish circle pit action bathed in blood-red lights as the Emperor flavoured ‘Revelator’ creates a hurricane of bodies as our crash course in Lonely People With Power draws to a close with ‘Winona’ which Clarke demands to be the centre of as he crowds surfs the stage invasion and gives his body over to the loyal masses beneath. A gargantuan set to prove they are at the tip of metal spear in record and live. AC.

Splitknuckle 

One finale chance to drag knuckles and rattle the teeth on the third stage as Essex crew Splitknuckle have a packed and febrile room and from the go bodies fly. Early cuts from 2018’s Innocence Bleeds in ‘Lingchi’ and ‘Bad Taste’ are the filth people came to see before we get a treat in Leah Massey-Hay of Pest Control taking to guest vocals on ‘We Share Blood (Not Love)’ to show her teeth and command the pits to open, and the security are put to work to carry a few casualties from the crowd to safer passage. Splitknuckles reputation for frenzied live shows have enticed Isaac Hale (Knocked Loose) and Brody King (God’s Hate) to admire from side stage, and they are witness to the brutally low and slow metallic assault which comes with ‘Fuck Your Whole Life’ from 2024’s Breathing Through the Wound. Their unhinged take on UKHC with splashes of low gutturals and blast beats taken from the death metal playbook makes Splitknuckles ascent a frightening proposition for venues hoping to contain them. Expect to see them head for the stratosphere of UKHC and beyond. AC.

Knocked Loose

Perhaps the last time we’ll get to see a band the size of Knocked Loose headline Outbreak, they put on a set for the ages and one that well deserved a lack of barriers. Early set warnings told the crowd to not spend too much time on the stage and for the most part, they listened and prevented any set stoppages. Bryan Garris and Isaac Hale (Hale sporting a striking, flowing skirt for the set) make for one of the most lethal, exciting vocal duos around today, with Bryan’s shrieks balanced wonderfully with the growls churning up from Hale and on tracks like ‘Belleville’ and ‘Suffocate’, their dynamic truly shines. The highlight of the set is the one two punch of ‘Where Light Divides The Holler’ and ‘God Knows’, the latter of which has George Clarke from Deafheaven seemingly vomiting his soul out on stage for a guest spot that simultaneously delighted and disgusted the crowd with its unholy barbarism. With the wall of death for ‘Everything Is Quiet Now’ spilling out of the mosh area and resulting in a sickening collision of bodies, the set ends on the xWeaponx outro, leaving the crowd one final bludgeoning before sending them away with smiles on their faces. A set that will go down in history and one that shows that no matter how big Knocked Loose get, they know where their roots lie. CE.

Photo Credit:

Nat Wood