FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Outbreak Fest 2023

June 16, 2023 Ellis Heasley

Outbreak Fest has really outdone itself this year. Bigger venue, bold line-up choices, and some absolutely mammoth bookings both from within its usual hardcore lane but also far beyond it with the likes of DEATH GRIPS, DENZEL CURRY and EARL SWEATSHIRT. Not sure where to start? Hopefully this preview can point you in the right direction of all the good stuff – but be warned there really is a lot of it!

Thursday June 22nd

Before things get underway at Depot Mayfield, those lucky enough to have picked up a ticket will be round the corner at The Bread Shed for a sold-out pre-show. Headliners aside, the bill is completely UKHC-dominated, with representation from London (NIX and DYNAMITE), Glasgow (DESPIZE) and Leeds (FATE, THE FLEX and HIGHER POWER). The latter of those is likely to provoke particular excitement as they promise to do a ‘Year One’ set, and after that we’ve got returning Wilkes-Barre straight edge crew ONE STEP CLOSER to round out the night with all the melodic hardcore mic-dashes you could ask for.

Friday June 23rd

Turning to the main event – and stage – make sure you get down early as crossover thrashers PEST CONTROL return to the festival this time with their killer debut full-length in tow. Waiting in the wings are the hugely hyped LA hardcore bruisers SUNAMI, although if you’re looking to ease yourself into the weekend you may have more luck with the shoegazey stylings of MERCURY on the Second Stage. Admittedly that won’t last long there either though, with aggro guaranteed from the likes of Sweden’s EXISTENCE, Scotland’s DEMONSTRATION OF POWER, Sheffield’s ROUGH JUSTICE and many others all the way through to PAIN OF TRUTH and SPY who close the stage with representation for East and West Coast US hardcore respectively.

If you prefer things a little more sing-along ready and melodic you’d probably do well to set up camp at the Main Stage for most of the day really – well, at least once SUNAMI have done their thing that is. The glorious run of FLESHWATER, KOYO, NO PRESSURE, MILITARIE GUN (presumably celebrating the release of their debut LP Life Under The Gun which comes out that same day), ONE STEP CLOSER (yes, again) and HIGH VIS is sure to scratch a more emotive itch on all counts, with bits of shoegaze, post-hardcore and even pop-punk getting a look in on one level or another.

A similar theme will continue into the evening as melodic hardcore veterans DEFEATER raise a flag for Massachusetts which should remain firmly flying through the sets of legendary co-headliners CONVERGE and BANE. Neither outfit should require any introduction, the former widely and rightly regarded as the greatest metallic hardcore band of all time, and the latter having come out of retirement because they just couldn’t stay away – it’s going to be glorious.

Saturday June 24th

Ready for round two? What better way to start your Saturday than with some absolutely filth-soaked hardcore from CANDY? This one may bring your breakfast back up, but fortunately NARROW HEAD will be hot on their heels with something a little dreamier should you need it. Don’t get too comfortable though, there are blistering sets from Californian hardcore punks SCOWL and FURY to follow soon after, and the brilliant SOUL GLO and JESUS PIECE – both armed with absolutely phenomenal new albums – will no doubt bring even more carnage later in the day too.

It is also today where we get a real look at something of the new direction Outbreak Fest has taken this year. Over on the Second Stage you’ll find the likes of North London rapper TALIABLE, experimental collective NUKULUK, and back to back sets from alternative hip-hop artists DENZEL HIMSELF and WU-LU to close things out. The Main Stage will scratch similar itches throughout the day, not least with the art-rap of ARMAND HAMMER, the soul-infused hip-hop of MIKE, and the chaotic electronica of MACHINE GIRL.

As the day draws to a close, what better band to champion the genre-defying spirit of the fest than the mighty CODE ORANGE. Having finally given us ‘proper’ new music in the form of Grooming My Replacement and The Game, these new tracks will only add to the Pittsburgh powerhouses’ obscenely stacked arsenal that’s already bursting at the seams with cuts from their classic records Forever and Underneath. And they’re not even headlining; that honour goes to the iconic experimental hip-hop outfit DEATH GRIPS, their in-your-face, abrasive style just as capable of inciting as much mosh-pit violence, crowd-surfing and stage-diving as any hardcore headliner this fest has ever had.

Sunday June 25th

Still with us? Good. Sunday at Outbreak Fest kicks off gloriously on both stages, with Chicago hardcore crew BUGGIN opening up the Second Stage and armed with their recently released and excellent debut full-length Concrete Cowboys, while Black powerviolence outfit ZULU and Aussie superstars SPEED go back to back on the Main Stage. These are legitimately three of the best and most exciting bands in the scene right now so get ready for some sprinting so you can catch at least a bit of all of them.

Once that first breathless run is out the way, today actually becomes by far the most hip-hop dominated day of the fest. Florida’s PLAYTHATBOIZAY seizes the baton first, with Brooklyn rapper MEECHY DARKO up next and another Main Stage essential thanks to his fantastic solo debut from last year. There’s also the experimental LIL UGLY MANE to look forward to, but not before New York noisemakers SHOW ME THE BODY get to do their aggressively unique thing, while rappers like TOM THE MAIL MAN, LORD APEX, WIKI and many others will ensure the Second Stage stays pretty hip-hop heavy with the exception of Canadian post-punk/indie rock artist EKKSTACY somewhere in the middle.

Diverse to the very end, the final run of acts on the Main Stage provides something of a perfect little microcosm of the range and quality of the sounds Outbreak 2023 has to offer. There’s UK alt-metalcore talismans LOATHE, Baltimore hardcore legends TRAPPED UNDER ICE, ever-evolving alternative rockers TURNOVER, and finally a pair of absolute world-beating hip-hop megastars in EARL SWEATSHIRT and DENZEL CURRY to close. Exhausted? You’d hope so!