Live Review: Reality Unfolds Fest 2026

Established in 2021 and taking place in mid-January, Reality Unfolds Fest has swiftly become the best way to catch some upcoming and underground bands. Known for introducing new hardcore and metal bands to the London scene, the legendary New Cross Inn plays host to this three day live event.

Friday

Regress
The weekend opener set the tone immediately being heavy, stompy, and downright filthy. Regress wasted no time smashing the room to pieces, proving just how badly people need heavy hardcore right now. Dancers were out early with fresh joints and rested bones, all before the weekend could wear them down. Flailing arms, cartwheels, and total chaos broke out before the first song had even finished. A perfect, punishing start.

Break Them
Peterborough four-piece Break Them were firmly on the ones-to-watch list, and they showed exactly why. Despite a slight delay to their set time, they took it in their stride and still brought the house down. Dropping Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’ mid-song was a guaranteed crowd igniter, instantly lifting the room. Their diverse sound and confident stage presence make them masters at winning over new audiences. Ending on an explosive cover of Machine Head’s ‘Davidian‘, the temperature spiked, and the windows steamed over. Seeing members of other bands dancing along was a reminder of just how respectful and supportive this scene really is.

Casket Feeder
By the time Casket Feeder hit the stage, the room was primed. Screaming forward and stomping a hole straight through New Cross Inn, they delivered their savage blend of death metal and hardcore with full force. Hair hanging over their face, the vocalist growled through a beard, conjuring a graveyard atmosphere over otherwise relentless drums and riffs. Two-stepping collided with blast-beat fingers throughout the set. In short: very heavy and if you like that sort of thing, you’ll love them.

Negative Frame
The addition of an extra guitarist has elevated Negative Frame to another level entirely. Louder, heavier, and more intense than ever, their already ferocious performance felt supercharged. Walking onstage to Van Halen was a moment of perfect irony, sunshine rock ushering in something deep and crushing was not lost on the crowd. Despite the weight of their sound, their sense of humour remained intact, breaking unexpectedly into a jazz drumbeat to the audience’s delight. The vocalist watched the acrobatics in the pit, nodding between screams. Negative Frame once again smashed it, go catch them before they get too big!

Your Demise
Nothing hits quite like nostalgia, and with no new releases since 2013, that’s exactly what Your Demise were booked for. Still, the performance felt anything but tired and the energy produced could’ve powered a ferry. Galloping drums landed squarely in the chests of moshers and head-nodders alike, forcing everyone to feel every beat. Raw and unfiltered, they tore through the set list, belting out anthem after anthem to a crowd that included plenty of fans too young to have caught them the first time around. But, that’s the beauty of a comeback, rediscovery, and it’s probably why they’re still playing worldwide. Your Demise get bonus points for an anti-landlord speech and the public service announcement: “Insulate your floors if you live above people.”

Photo Credit:
Your Demise shot by Sarah Tsang

Saturday

Bullet
Brand new and brimming with intent, Bullet kicked their way into New Cross Inn with zero hesitation. Their raw sound was driven by a ferocious front person, forcing every syllable out until their whole body shook. With muscles not yet weary from the night before, the two-steppers were out in force for the opener, although slightly terrifying the newcomers in the audience finding their feet in the scene.

Agency
Scene heroes Agency detonated the room instantly, sending windmills and cartwheels flying from the first note. With “LBU” emblazoned across the vocalist’s clothing, it was made clear; this is London hardcore, through and through. A new band, but already well established thanks to past projects, their reputation alone carries weight and their live performance proves they’re going far. Shouting out Friday’s opener Regress and their shared label, Rucktion, Agency teased big things to come. If this set was anything to go by, 2026 is shaping up to be a huge year for London hardcore.

Mindless
As the venue grew hotter, the bands grew louder. Mindless followed suit, tearing through thrash-tinged riffs at breakneck speed. Sonically well-rounded, they brought extra musical depth to the bill. Midway through the set, they dropped into a filthy d-beat, barking their way through the final stretch. This is a band that could comfortably pull in die-hard metalheads and hardcore kids alike.

Rescue Cat
Italian punks Rescue Cat exuded pure punk energy, smashing the stage and playing fast and heavy as they stamped their mark on the day. The drums rumbled relentlessly, giving the band the force of an oncoming thunderstorm. Halfway through, they tore into a cover of Have Heart’s ‘Pave Paradise’ in a nod to hardcore’s more melodic, heartfelt side that landed perfectly.

xApothecaryx
Straight-edge hardcore doesn’t get much sharper than this accomplished five-piece. Everything about xApothecaryx is tight, precise, and clearly well-rehearsed. The mic was passed freely to fans who knew every word, a testament to the impact this band has already had on the scene. Taking a moment to make their politics clear—“fuck Donald Trump and fuck ICE” and the sentiment echoed through the room. Vicious and focused, xApothecaryx are incredible live.

Believe In Nothing
A stark shift in pace and atmosphere, Believe In Nothing brought discomfort, disgust, and shock. Using a hammer to gag themselves onstage, spitting, holding mirrors up to audience members while repeating phrases like “I am not a coward”, the vocalist introduced New Cross Inn to something genuinely unsettling. Spin-kicks gave way to doomy, slow, crushing riffs and disjointed noise. Methodical, intimidating, and provocative, this noise band knows exactly how to command attention.

Harrowed
Possibly one of the fastest bands of the weekend so far, Harrowed screamed their way through a set that lurched between blistering speed and doomy, sludgy collapse. It was chaotic enough to encourage pure silliness, with people climbing onto each other’s shoulders and spinning wildly in the pit. Whether they like it or not, Harrowed are kind of fun to watch.

Calcine
Screaming onto the stage, Calcine pulled no punches. Running through textbook hardcore beats with conviction, the four-piece sounded far bigger than their numbers. Effortlessly cool, the vocalist repeatedly leapt into the pit, unable to contain the performance. Backed by a guitarist adding extra weight to already seismic yells, every drum flourish was met with wagging fingers and raised arms. Big-stage energy from a band that plays all over Europe. As the set progressed, the room erupted.

Endless Swarm
Rolling straight into chaos, Scottish powerviolence outfit Endless Swarm transcended sensibility and invited the crowd to get weird. It wasn’t lost on anyone that the vocalist wore a Rangers jersey while Celtic tops dotted the audience, but this was in unity, not division. Tempo shifts came thick and fast, keeping everyone guessing as fans hurled themselves off the stage with fists flailing. A massive highlight, absolutely worth the lost bodily fluids.

Splitknuckle
An unrelenting force to close the day, Splitknuckle flipped effortlessly between crushingly heavy riffs and jokes about IBS. Brutal, unapologetic, and strangely charming, they were the perfect reminder that hardcore can hit hard without taking itself too seriously.

Photo Credit:
Agency shot by Sarah Tsang

Sunday

Sunday Best
The final day began on a noticeably dancier note, bringing sun-soaked festival vibes into a cold January. Sunday Best carry a euphoric aura wherever they play, gently nudging moshers out of their comfort zones. Never ones to shy away from politics, they used their platform to call for a free Palestine, trans rights, and support for protests against the UK government’s backing of oppressive regimes. Opening a third day is no easy task, but Sunday Best stepped up, injecting genuine fun and warmth into a room still shaking off the night before, jumping into the crowd and inviting everyone to dance along with them.

Mountain Peaks
Continuing the day with a second screamo act, Norwich based Mountain Peaks kept the emotion flowing. Most bands leave it all out on the stage, but Mountain Peaks manage to pull the audience fully into that journey. Their set provided a beautifully atmospheric start to the final day; thoughtful, immersive, and a genuinely inspired booking.

Afraid To Die
Formed from members of Svaldbard, Burning Skies, Counting Days and many more, Afraid To Die made their live debut in explosive fashion. Without warning, the set erupted into something far heavier, instantly dragging the moshers back to the floor. For a first performance, this five-piece confidently played through their set list, making for an exciting introduction.

Temple Guard

Donning balaclavas and barking their way through their set, Temple Guard show the New Cross Inn who’s boss. Playing songs with names such as ‘Morbid Sacrament’ and ‘Embrace Your End’ they pull no punches live, and the audience know exactly what to expect; pure unadulterated aggression and anger. This metallic hardcore outfit brought the moshers back out as the audience either tried to avoid flying fists or cartwheeled the set away. Not for the faint of heart but perfect for this crowd.

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