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June 18, 2026| Noizze |FEATURES

Outbreak Fest Manchester 2026 – The 14 Artists You Cannot Miss

Outbreak is back for its 15th anniversary, and to no one's surprise, the lineup is killer. Here are 14 bands we definitely think you should see over the weekend. Words by Chris Earl & Pete Wall.

Converge

Few bands have the reputation that Converge do. Still going ridiculously strong after nearly 30 years (and after releasing two stunning albums this year alone), the metalcore pioneers will no doubt be bringing unbridled chaos to Saturday evening. Memories of playing untouchable tracks like ‘The Saddest Day’ foster hopes that the track will once again make an appearance, but there are few bands who have a catalogue as deep and as top quality as the Salem, Massachusetts natives. Given the form they’re in creatively, they look set to have another legendary set ahead of them, and you wouldn’t be surprised if they stole the whole weekend. – CE.

Still In Love

A veritable supergroup of musicians from UK ‘core history, Still In Love have proven themselves to be an incredibly exciting proposition over the last few years, with their debut album Recovery Language being one of the highlights of 2025. Containing ex-members of bands like Dead Swans, Throats and Bring Me The Horizon, they’ve put their heads together to create a metalcore sound that takes the old and the new and blends it into an uncompromising mix. Raw and emotive, it’s just the right kind of music to batter your mates to while also having their hooks burrow into your brain. – CE.

The Armed

A curious addition to the Outbreak lineup, The Armed stand as one of the most unique musical acts in the heavy scene today. With a sound that blends scathingly unpredictable hardcore, experimental rock madness and post-hardcore beauty, one thing’s for sure: their set will be chaos. With a plethora of tracks that range from the baffling to the blistering, there’ll be some who have no idea what the hell they’re watching, and there’ll be others revelling in having their brain scrambled by an ensemble cast of insane musicians. – CE.

Joyce Manor

Slotting in perfectly into the Friday evening slot, emo-punks Joyce Manor are no strangers to Outbreak, having performed Never Hungover Again in full two years ago. Expect a set that pulls from more of their stellar back catalogue this time, complete with plenty of audience participation, catharsis laden singalongs and plenty of wistful gazes as the night draws in. When tracks like the short but impactful ‘Catalina Fight Song’ or the lighters in the air anthem of ‘Big Lie’ kick in, it’s sure to be a hell of a good Friday. – CE.

Haywire

Are there any live bands in hardcore at the moment with the presence and power of Haywire? It’s doubtful. A group who seemingly never stop touring, the Boston punks delight in the crowd joining them on stage and throwing in local covers to their set. Whilst there might not be actual fireworks set off (but who knows?), you can bet your house on an explosive atmosphere, more stage dives than you can count and the structural integrity of the mosh stage getting a firm workout, particularly when their cover of ‘Sweet Caroline’ kicks proceedings off. – CE.

Ingrown

Intense. That’s the word that describes Idaho hardcore punks Ingrown. Sporting a sound that you’d never believe could come out of a three piece, they’re fronted by one of the most intimidating, energetic musicians today in Ross Hansen, who resembles old school referee Pierluigi Colina if he were trying to kill you. Sonically, they twist metallic hardcore with good old fashioned dirty punk for an in-your-face sound, focused on short, sharp shocks and instilling a desire in the listener to punch a hole through the floor. – CE.

Crowquill

A late addition to the lineup, Leeds’ very own Crowquill are one of the UK’s best new bands, fresh off releasing a brand new teaser EP for a promised debut album later this year. Chaotic, dark and insidious metalcore, they’re here to replace the vibe that Sanction would have brought, and that vibe is violence. With tracks like ‘The Family Faucet’ blending clattering rhythms and soaring cleans into a package of beautiful nightmares, they may be opening proceedings on Sunday, but it will be one you’ll be thinking of all day. – CE.

Balance and Composure

The Pennsylvania emo/soft-grunge standouts Balance and Composure are no strangers to Outbreak, having played what ended up being a hastily rescheduled set back in 2024 after travel complications threatened to nix their appearance entirely. The scale of the turnout for their set was testament to the impact of their hooky, introspective, and irresistibly sing-it-with-your-chest relatability. For this year’s outing on Friday evening, the band will be throwing it back to the 2010s with a setlist comprising songs from their first two records, the much-loved ‘Separation’ and ‘The Things We Think We’re Missing’. Take your heart, place it on your sleeve, and head to the main stage. – PW.

Tigers Jaw

Hot on the heels of their acclaimed seventh studio album ‘Lost on You’, Tigers Jaw return to the BEC a year on from their stage-opening performance last time out. They bring with them the kind of dreamy, emotive songwriting that will weaken the resistance of many a harmony-averse hardcore fan. The depth and breadth of a catalogue spanning over twenty years ensures that this will be a set crammed full of fan favourites, and the sublime intertwining of Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins’ vocals is bound to convert the initiated. – PW.

Quicksand

It’s pretty hard to overstate the impact and significance of Quicksand’s seminal debut ‘Slip’ and its stellar follow-up ‘Manic Compression’, but jump forward some thirty years to the present day and the post-hardcore luminaries are set to release what promises to be another classic with July’s ‘Bring on the Psychics’. Sure, there have been a couple of hiatuses, long stretches with no new music, and a switch in lead guitarist that saw the addition of scene titan Stephen Brodsky in place of founding member Tom Capone, but regardless of the time and the tumult, this appearance on Saturday night will be something very special and a chance to see a band that fully warrants the tag ‘legendary’. – PW.

La Dispute

You don’t so much watch a La Dispute set, you feel it in your gut. The Michigan post-hardcore five-piece write the kind of emotionally raw, elaborately constructed music that takes hold of you and just won’t let go. Having released the phenomenal ‘No One Was Driving The Car’ last September, the band have added the likes of career-highpoint ‘Environmental Catastrophe Film’ to a setlist that already bristles with uncut emotion through staples like ‘King Park’, ‘Why It Scares Me’, and ‘A Letter’. The main stage on Sunday afternoon is going to be the place to be for mainlining cathartic energy. – PW.

Initiate

Returning to the UK for the first time in a long time, Initiate have been making waves over the past few years with their hardcore spine and eclectic palette of influences. Fronted by force of nature Crystal Pak, the California outfit, are equally at home with melodic interludes and introspective passages as they are with searing hardcore fundamentals. Building on the breakout success of 2023’s Cerebral Circus, the band’s Sunday lunchtime set on the third stage is set to be a true coming-out party for a band that deserves to be massive. – PW.

Greet Death

Making their UK debut, Greet Death are one hell of a proposition. The Chicago natives blend existential dread, pitch black humour, and empathetic songwriting to devastating effect. On their latest record, last year’s superb ‘Die in Love’, they felt like a band fully spreading their wings and exploring the full spectrum of their creativity. There’s a tenderness to Greet Death that reveals itself through the clouds of fuzz and melancholy. Late afternoon on Saturday feels like the perfect time to drift away with one of the most intoxicating bands in the alternative scene. Do not pass up the chance to catch a band that is simply too good to be ignored. – PW.

Nothing

Philadelphia shoegaze boundary-pushers Nothing has come a long way in its decade and a half of existence. Now six full-length albums into an impressive run of releases which includes this year’s acclaimed ‘a short history of decay’ and their superb collaboration with Full of Hell, 2023’s ‘When No Birds Sang’, there’s no self-respecting fan of the genre that is going to miss Sunday afternoon’s main stage set from a returning band that impressed last time out at Outbreak 2024. – PW.

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