FESTIVAL REVIEW: Outbreak Fest 2026

The weekend of Outbreak Fest Manchester’s 15th anniversary was struck with an intense heatwave. The type that might prevent most from leaving the comfort of their homes. However, it was instantly clear why the clear why the festival has been able to continue for over a decade. Fans from all over the country and worldwide showed up regardless of the heat radiating in the Bowlers Exhibition Centre throughout the three days. More shade might have been beneficial, but fans were able to stay hydrated. However, the barrierless element of this festival made it an exciting one to attend especially for those into the hardcore scene.

Friday – June 28th

POOL KIDS – Main Stage

Opening the entire weekend is POOL KIDS, an American math rock band newly signed to Epitaph Records. Despite a last-minute stage change due to the immense heat building in the venue, the band have absolutely no reservations as they bound onto the stage, full of energy and excitement. With an already growing crowd, they begin with I Hope You’re Right, effortlessly warming up the audience. They find a perfect balance between fresh-faced eagerness and incredibly skilful playing, seeming perfectly at home. Although their set is only short, they command the stage with insane energy and vocalist Christine Goodwyne’s powerful voice, which she coolly maintains while crowd surfing. Short but sweet, they’re a strong opener, setting the tone for the weekend.

Rating: 7/10

FREE THROW – Main Stage

Throughout their years in the genre, FREE THROW have rightly earnt their place as emo favourites, and despite still being early in the day, they’ve already brought in a massive crowd. Once again, they don’t have very long, but they waste no time storming through their well-loved hits such as Pallet Town and Tongue Tied, as well as testing out some newer tracks like MissingNo. and A Hero’s Grave, which go down almost as well. The Outbreak Fesst mosh pits are in full swing at this point, and Two Beers In is the perfect song to prove this, with just enough angst to give everyone an opportunity for a scream-along.

Rating: 8/10

TIGERS JAW – Main Stage

TIGERS JAW are incredibly well loved, proved further by the queue just to get into the front section of the crowd, and this is clearly the kind of room they play their best in. While their music may not seem like it would typically attract crowd surfers, their Outbreak Fest audience definitely don’t get the memo, and bodies are quickly launching into the crowd. With a mixture of older classics like The Sun and Plane Vs. Tank V.s Submarine, and a handful of tracks from their new album including BREEZER, TIGERS JAW don’t let up for a second, and as they close with the anthemic I Saw Water, they prove themselves to be perfectly suited for this kind of show.

Rating: 8/10

TOOTH – Second Stage

Despite the Main Stage having so much to offer, the Second Stage had a lot of strong contenders, and the alt-rock band TOOTH from London definitely put up a fight. With inspirations from bands like AMERICAN FOOTBALL and TITLE FIGHT, they are right at home at Outbreak Fest. Their hazy, indie kind of sound is instantly likeable, and their choruses inspired some singalongs throughout their set. Playing mostly tracks from their recently released debut EP, as well as a couple incredibly promising still unreleased songs, they absolutely cemented themselves as a band to watch, and vocals from singer Tom Pollock are nothing short of impressive.

Rating: 7/10

BALANCE AND COMPOSURE – Main Stage

Again, BALANCE AND COMPOSURE are one of those bands that on paper don’t seem as though Outbreak Fest is really their place, but their set undoubtedly disproved that. Their catalogue is debatably more mellow, but that doesn’t stop their songs from packing an emotional punch, and for a few moments in their set, the packed-out room singing together was a beautiful sight. Playing songs solely from their earlier albums, Separation and The Things We Think We’re Missing was a strong choice, and where some people may be disappointed by this, nothing about their set felt like a let-down. Tiny Raindrop was a personal favourite, and the mesmerising sound was a refreshing change from the chaos of the day.

Rating: 9/10

JOYCE MANOR – Main Stage

JOYCE MANOR have been staples in emo for a long time, and with the release of I Used To Go To This Bar earlier this year, they only seem to be getting better. This set is clearly them at their best, high energy and sounding amazing, mirrored by the crowd screaming back at them. Blending songs old and new, they prove themselves again and again, hitting an absolute peak with fan favourites Constant Headache and Eighteen (by request from the audience). Although stage invasions are a topic for debate, they definitely worked here, only bringing up the energy and giving these songs they intensity they deserved. Although it’s difficult to pinpoint what exactly makes this band so good, their presence is undeniable.

Rating: 9/10

THE FRONT BOTTOMS – Main Stage

If a festival is going to have a Midwest emo heavy day, it is only fitting that genre pioneers THE FRONT BOTTOMS headline, playing their most-loved album in full. Opening with Au Revoir (Adios), frontman Brian Sella sounds better than ever, and the crowd launches into screaming the words. While the energy from the band is high, it would be difficult to not deliver an amazing set with these songs, and they storm through one banger after another, including arguably their biggest track, Twin Sized Mattress, which is popular for a very good reason. A standout performance comes from touring bassist and backing vocalist Natalie Newbold, who carries the majority of crowd interaction and consistently keeps the energy high. Sella prefaces Lone Star with a personal anecdote about his first wife who he met in Manchester, as if that song isn’t already enough of a gut punch, and there are definitely some tears spotted in the audience.

After Talon Of The Hawk, the band take fan requests, and despite some notable stand outs, such as Maps, Punching Bag, and The Beers, there seems to be a bit of a lull, both from the band and the crowd. They are cut off rather abruptly for running over their time, but nonetheless, this is still a go down in history type performance.

Rating: 8/10

Saturday – June 27th

STATIC DRESS – Main Stage

Saturday afternoon was an exciting time for fans of secret sets at festivals. Who was it? Some festival goers guessed DRAIN, some TITLE FIGHT, but the majority, who proudly repped the band’s merch successfully guessed STATIC DRESS. Throwing a red herring with a TITLE FIGHT sample at the beginning of their set, the Leeds legends brought both songs from their new album Injury Episode and their past anthems. The energy of the crowd was kept up as calls from the band to create a behemoth of a circle pit wall of death hybrid.

Rating: 7/10

THISTLE – Second Stage

THISTLE felt like a unique set to attend during the festival. Although there were other shoegazey acts, this one felt particularly peaceful. The Northampton formed trio’s music took the audience away for a brief moment with their marshmallow like consistency. With their riffs reminiscent of surfer rock, the group provided a soothing melody to grace the second stage. Visuals behind were fitting videos of deer frolicking through a snowy plain. At the conclusion of their set, the visuals turned to say, “audio and visuals provided by THISTLE”, just to avoid any uncertainty.

Rating: 7/10

UPCHUCK – Third Stage

One of our favourite discoveries at Outbreak Fest, UPCHUCK felt like a celebration of culture. Lyricism made it clear that advocacy for black and brown people in America is at their core. The band does not lack for stage presence. Crowd participation was key as lead Kaila ‘KT’ Thompson joined the mosh, moved rhythmically while on stage and producing compelling vocals. Drummer Chris Salado began to call for freedom for those in Palestine, denounced President Trump and I.C.E. Signing passionately in Spanish, he was right at home as a second lead. Notable is also the incredible performances of the rest of the group who oozed with incredible bass and guitar tones.

Rating: 9/10

PUP – Main Stage

Despite the sudden and unexpected rain, PUP was not an underattended act. Creating feelings of being young and getting to know yourself is the best way to describe not only the lyricism but also the overall feel of their performance. A mere day before their support to THE OFFSPRING, it was evident that PUP was a suitable choice as an opener for the band. Both pop-punk and traditional punk elements were present in the group’s tunes.

Rating: 7/10

KNIVES – Third Stage

Our prediction is that KNIVES will be playing bigger stages soon. While joining at the Third Stage, not a single attendee stood still during the performance. Saxophone solos, punchy vocals, and members with their feet hardly on the ground due to jumping around makes KNIVES. Stage divers were constantly flying from the stage and embracing the freedom to do so. Moshers sang the lyrics back to the band while two-stepping and dancing with each other. Blending soothing jazz elements with aggression has given the band a unique feel to it and has created very danceable soundtracks.

Rating: 8/10

SHADY NASTY – Third Stage

Despite sharing a name with a jazz club in Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, SHADY NASTY is not a jazz act. However, the band did meet as jazz musicians and the influences are clear. Consistent with each other and the vocals, the gradual riffs, dreamy cymbals and snares echoed throughout the room. Hailing from Australia, the trio is introspective and carefully paced. This set gave room for reflection with songs that told stories of past encounters and grievances. SHADY NASTY serves as a good choice for Fred Again…’s favourite band and it will be exciting to see what’s next for them.

Rating: 8/10

Sunday – June 28th

DYNAMITE – Second Stage

An exciting act from the beginning, we pleasantly began the day with DYNAMITE. The Second Stage was filled to the brim as dancers bopped and two-stepped to the beats. “Feels like the entire festival is here” was murmured from somewhere in the crowd. Regardless of who it was, it’s likely that they returned to dancing as the thrash like nature of the band, including fast paced guitars and vocals accompanied by intense and punchy drums made it difficult to remain still. The set was closed with a reminder of the importance of caring for one’s mental health.

Rating: 7/10

INGROWN – Third Stage

Everyone at Outbreak Fest was at the Third Stage to see Idaho hardcore breakthroughs INGROWN on Sunday afternoon. Or at least that’s how it felt. Trickling into the room of the second stage, the volume of the crowd made it clear that this was not an act to miss. Growls erupted from the stage as the audience launched around the arena. Accelerated instrumentals, especially with a screaming guitar, thrashing bass and aggressive drums echoed throughout the room. The stage was filled with a vengeance as divers two stepped to ruthless breakdowns.

Rating: 8/10

END IT – Second Stage

END IT does NOT care about the opinions of those who find them controversial. To begin the Outbreak Fest set, vocalist Akil Godsey announced that “this is not a safe space, this is a motherfucking hardcore show… I have the same power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Joseph Stalin… fuck the IDF, free Palestine.” Before a single note of a song, fans made use of the lack of barriers to join the group on the stand while assertive instrumentals and sweet vocals rang out. The set concluded with a honey coated cover of BILLY JOEL’s Only the Good Die Young.

Rating: 7/10

LA DISPUTE – Main Stage

Nostalgia itself graced the Main Stage. Pivotal to many teen upbringings as noted by many attendees, the set was evidently a healing moment for most. The emotionally charged lyrics and radiating instrumentals produced many a sway and many a sing along. Jordan Dreyer, the band’s vocalist took time aside to declare the band’s disdain for wealth inequality and called for a free Palestine. In a surprising addition to the post- hardcore, emo show, Crystal Pak of hardcore act from INITIATE was brought out as a guest and brought a unique contrast in vocals to the performance.

Rating: 8/10

SNAIL MAIL – Main Stage

This was definitely a stand-out act during our time at Outbreak Fest. Differing from most of the festival, SNAIL MAIL was a fun injection of indie into the lineup. A refreshing trip back to movie soundtracks of the early 2000s, Lindsey Erin Jordan’s solo project felt enjoyable. The act is definitely not as difficult to receive as snail mail. Instead, drumbeats and guitar tones smoothly complimented each other. However, audience members declared that she may be better fitting and more appreciated by the masses at another festival as she was overshadowed by HATEBREED (which punters were at capacity for, and some could not attend). However, SNAIL MAIL was rightfully given a chance.

Rating: 8/10

FEBRUARY – Third Stage

Midwest emo riffs grace the Third Stage. One might come across the conclusion that it is a peaceful set to come. In fact, there’s a picture of a frog on the stage. However, the instruments started screeching. FEBRUARY is a screamo band and intensity is not something that they lack. Rila Ogawa, lead singer snarled and made it clear that you should get up, jump around, and Run Like a Girl (feminism was a core theme here). With the music arrangements that made one ponder and screams that snapped everyone into reality, this act was a treat.

Rating: 8/10

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES – Second Stage

We were told by festival goers not to miss this set. So, we made sure to tune in. SUICIDAL TENDENCIES doesn’t necessarily traditonally fit into genres but they’ve come to be okay with it. This is what the band prefaced their performance with as well as a disdain for police violence and advocacy for mental health. Whatever genre they are, its rhythmic and clear why they were recommended. Having formed in 1980, the band has been crucial to the lives of many and their influential status is a fitting closure to the festival’s Second Stage. As much of the crowd as possible flooded the stage to belt out tunes pivotal to their youth. Don’t stay still during a SUICIDAL TENDENCIES show though, many calls for a circle pit from the band were made.

Rating: 7/10

BASEMENT – Main Stage

BASEMENT has been making the rounds on social media lately, but they’re not a fad. Dedication to their craft did not lack from their performance one bit. Having formed in Ipswich in 2009, the group have played the festival a few times before and made it clear that they were grateful to be welcomed back. It was noted by the band that they have played on the smallest stage before and found it “monumental” to be the closing act for the festival. Playing blasts from the past such as Whole and the trending Covet, the end of the festival was coloured with tasteful distortion and raw vocals. Songs from their new album WIRED also made it on the setlist as excited fans sang the fresh lyrics back to the band.

Rating: 9/10

Throughout the weekend, it is absolutely confirmed that Outbreak Fest is one of the best festivals in alternative music. Despite some organisation battles and of course, the raging heat, it’s charm and personality, as well as incredible choice of bands, ensures everybody leaving had an incredible time.

Words: Millie Warwick, Renée Bennett

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