Festival Review: Outbreak - Manchester June 2026
Photo Credit: @wondergirlphoto
The UK hardcore highlight of the year continues to bloom with every line-up that passes, and this 15-year anniversary special was no different, with bands from all walks of the underground alternative scenes, it once again became the centre of the universe for another rampant and chaos-fuelled weekend.
Outbreak 2026 will likely go down as an all-timer for all of its attendees and will likely become the personality of the 10,000 people that descended upon the B.E.C arena this weekend. It goes without saying that hardcore and its adjacent genres have always had a truly communal and special feel to them, and with every day differing slightly in genre, it was truly beautiful seeing a variety of two-steppers and crowd-killers living it up and singing their hearts out to the emo bands on the Friday lineup, and seeing all the less experienced fans get to try out the joy of the dive platform,. Whether you’re a newcomer or an experienced pit veteran, Outbreak will take you in and treat you like its own, and it’s reassuring knowing that spaces like these exist for people to vividly express themselves and truly cut loose for a weekend.
As Friday the gates opened, Friday and tattoos and septum piercings flocked to the indoor stage, two things were clear: the energy was magnetic, and the weather was sweltering. If you’ve ever wondered what a 10,000-person musical sauna feels like, it’s not pleasant, but that did not deter the enjoyment of the crowd nor the bands, as when the first two bands took the stage, every ounce of exhaustion faded away simultaneously as people screamed and danced to some of the best and most influential emo songs ever recorded. The first of these two was Free Throw, an iconic band who have been delivering great albums and earth-shattering live performances for the better part of fifteen years now. They opened their set on a new song from their 2026 album, before gliding straight through a laundry list of their iconic heartbreaking anthems. Free Throw were the perfect sing-along opener and paired perfectly with the next band, Tigers Jaw. Their set was absolutely mesmerising, blending their fresh sounds from ‘Lost On You’ with a wide array of all of their old tracks, altering the more acoustic songs to pack the same punch that the more distorted and melodic songs contained. Both these sets were absolute all-timers and proved yet again that no matter what sub-genre of this scene, no barrier is always the way to go.
Over on the second stage and fresh off the heels of a new release, Love Rarely took to the third stage and captured a large crowd with their spell-binding and mind-melting blend of math-rock and metalcore. Having only heard a couple of tracks and stellar reviews, I was excited to see where they went with their allotted time, and I spent the entire 30 minutes trying to pick my jaw up from the floor. The collision of multi-note scales and technically mind-blowing instrumentation with the raw aggression and force of the drums and vocals made for a truly spectacular showing. After they had blasted through tracks from their new album ‘Pain Travels’, and some from the back catalogue, the audience left mesmerised at the sheer talent of the Leeds four-piece. This set has gained them both momentum and new listeners as their music felt truly revolutionary and fresh, and hopefully, this will act as a platform that will allow the band to grow exponentially.
Love Rarely - Photo credit: Anna
Next up were pop-punk darlings Joyce Manor, being no strangers to Outbreak, they took to the stage as if it were their home away from home. Gunning through tracks from their banger-rich career and powering on the most phenomenal sing-alongs in this festival’s history. This was not a set where people were waiting for the one massive hit they knew, but instead it was a riot of pop-punk mastery with even new songs and deep cuts like ‘Grey Guitar’ and ‘Leather Jacket’ built pockets of endless excitement within the crowd. Joyce Manor’s sound can be enjoyed by any music fan or artist worldwide, teeming with energy and vibrance while remaining heartfelt and brutally honest in their songwriting, making it a perfect set to bleed into the catchy hooks and choruses of the headliner, The Front Bottoms
The Friday headline set may be the first time in history I have heard a crowd be consistently louder than the band. As the Front Bottoms blasted through their second album, ’Talon of the Hawk’, the crowd resonated with the weight and emotional depth of these songs while still grasping the playful and simplistic tone that drives the core sound of this fantastic band. Every single song on that album was backed by joyful instrumentation and an unbelievable chorus of voices. It’s common to hear this of a popular song or two, but not for the entirety of the set; even some of the album’s deep cuts and lesser-known tracks, such as ‘Santa Monica’ and ‘Tattooed Tears’, were bellowed with the same enthusiasm as the bangers. After finishing their ’Talon of the Hawk’ section of the show, they were unrelenting in their pursuit of straining everyone’s voices, hammering through another 40 minutes of their greatest hits from every era and every album of this band’s rich history. By this point in the evening, anyone would have expected the crowd to become an amorphous blob of dehydrated tattoos, but due to the quality of performances and that feeling of witnessing history, it was impossible to be bothered by the north’s hottest June day on record and it acts as a true testament to both the willpower and commitment to the music from the band and the crowd. As their set drew to a close, it dawned on me and many others that we had just borne witness to one of the single most stacked days in the subculture’s history, and the premise of another two days of wall-to-wall bangers drew nothing but excitement from the crowd as they funnelled out of the arena into the coolish breeze of the night, ready for yet another day of chaos.
The Front Bottoms - Photo Credit: @wondergirlphoto
After rushing off to recover from the heat and attempt to get a modicum of sleep, it was back into the thick of it for day two. The second day was more varied than the first, with bands from beatdown hardcore, metalcore, shoegaze and the more emo-heavy bands littering each stage. This set-up allowed for everyone, no matter their preference, to experience such a deep and rich number of bands and likely acted as the turning point for a lot of fans who usually stay in one lane to explore a number of other offerings.
Opening on Saturday was Turn of Phrase, the UK-based melodic hardcore 5-piece outfit. One of Outbreak’s greatest offerings is seeing the bands that hold all the potential in the world open stages before they rise to stardom, and Turn of Phrase will likely be one of these bands. Their sound pulls on the post-hardcore instrument voicing of bands like Title Fight while keeping abrasive and raw lyrics centre stage. This sound plays out just as well live as it does on recording, and seeing them play with so much passion put the crowd in the exact headspace the rest of the day required.
This set was followed shortly by the fantastic Reclus.é, who put on a wondrous display of indie, shoegaze and post-hardcore-influenced tracks, displaying a real wide variety of talents, making every sound fit under their banner and proving they have many strings to their bow. They will certainly be a band to keep an eye out for as their varied songwriting and vocal styles make for a very interesting performance.
Saturday had a great number of metalcore-influenced bands playing throughout the day, with sets from Bodyweb and later on in the day Loathe, all showing up to bring the heat. Bodyweb’s performance on the second stage was utter pandemonium and put the nu-hardcore and jungle-influenced band on the map for a lot of people as their infectious energy and non-stop mosh calls caused a ruckus early on. Loathe played a gorgeous set of songs, new and old, even managing to fit ‘Is It Really You?’ Into the setlist, which I can now tick off my bucket list. Both the power of their performance and their adoration for the festival itself were felt in spades, something that nearly every band the whole weekend would sing the praises of.
Fans were also tremendously pleased with the secret set this year despite their evil trickery of coming out to Title Fights ’Safe in Your Skin’ with a mock Floral Green Static Dress logo to boot, the band stormed the stage, falsely introduced themselves as Guilt Trip and proceeded to absolutely slaughter for a straight thirty minutes. Static Dress’s performance will undoubtedly go down as one of the festival’s best, and I can’t wait to see them headline one day as the calibre of talent and professionalism from this still very young project is second to none.
Static Dress - Photo Credit: @wondergirlphoto
There were also a ton of Outbreak veterans playing this year, with the standouts being Higher Power, a Leeds-based pop-punk-adjacent hardcore band that guarantees a great party on any stage they grace and the well-beloved and unbelievably passionate Touché Amoré. The former had a ripping set on the second stage, cranking up the volume of crowd surfers and pits to a maximum and blowing the roof off with absolutely zero interruption, playing songs from the new album to great applause and an even greater number of stage divers. The latter were completely emboldened with passion as they played their biggest album to date, ’Stage Four’, from cover to cover. I’ve seen plenty of bands enjoy the music they play, but none as much as Touché Amoré. They seemed just as excited as the crowd for us to scream these songs back at them, and after such an iconic tenure as a band, seeing every single member do so with a gigantic smile on their face really spoke to how much this music and this scene mean to not just the listeners but the artists themselves.
This set was shortly followed by Canadian pop-punk anthems from the band PUP, who absolutely killed it, bringing great energy and even greater songs like ‘DVP’ to the main stage crowd who championed the Canadian natives through their first-ever Outbreak set. We will likely see them return soon, as not only are they scene legends, but they also drew a giant crowd for their set, every member of which danced their way to dehydration from b beginning to end.
PUP - @wondergirlphoto +@liammaxwellphoto
After an already mammoth day of such a great selection of genres and bands, it was time for the final two, the heavy hitters, Alexisonfire and Converge. The headline slot was up first with Alexisonfire performing their 2006 cult classic ‘Crisis’ in full. I will forever kick myself for taking so long to dive headfirst into this band as they’re now going to be a guaranteed watch every single time they are in this country. Every song was so beautifully composed and played so well to a no-barrier crowd, who used the opportunity to celebrate the post-hardcore legends the way they so deserved. The album ran from track to track seamlessly, with the dual vocals of George Pettit and Dallas Green creating a gorgeous dichotomy, blending Pettit’s harsh and scathing tone with the groundbreaking symphony of Dallas Green’s clean vocals working perfectly in tandem with each other and the marvellously talented band around them, who have managed to hone their craft even more since the release of this truly stellar album. So many of the songs from this album are true anthems, and to see them all played with such ferocity has since left me obsessed with both that project and their discography at large. So don’t do what I did and start listening to them post haste before they wind up on a line-up you’re attending, and you realise you may have robbed yourself of one of the greatest sets you’ve witnessed.
As Alexisonfire drew to a close, people scurried to the indoor stage for one last late-night throwdown at Converge. Converge are a band that have been at the top of their game for as long as they’ve been playing, and to see such a legendary band put on such a powerhouse display so many years in speaks to the longevity and quality of their music. Tracks like the brand new ’Hum of Hurt’ and 2001 classic ‘Concubine’ were brutal displays of the band's long-standing instrumental prowess and were the perfect way to end an absolutely stacked day of killer bands.
Alexisonfire - Photo Credit: @wondergirlphoto + @liammaxwellphoto
Sunday was arguably the most heavily stacked day of this 3-day hardcore extravaganza, containing absolute world beaters and giant up-and-comers. The beatdown style hardcore on display during the Sunday was arguably one of the best runs of shows I have ever seen, but before we could get to the lawlessness of those sets, a slightly softer but infinitely cool band, Ecco Vandal, set foot on the main stage after a brilliant opening set from Glare. Having witnessed a lot of buzz around the band and catching their guitarist Richie Buxton on bass for the mighty Limp Bizkit at Download, the crowd built a solid level of expectation around them, one that was delivered upon tenfold. Ecco Vandal played a chunk of songs from their new release, and each was infused with R&B and hip-hop influence that was malformed and distorted into a fast and heavy backing sound, all accompanied by very intriguing and fresh instrumentation. Their set opened the ears and hearts of the whole crowd and worked as the perfect early afternoon wake-up for the absolute onslaught of the following sets.
Over on the second stage was. Truly unmissable run of shows, each as violent and exuberant as the last. The first of the three was London hardcore heavy-hitters, Dynamite. Having seen Dynamite a few times in the past and absolutely loving their take-no-prisoners energy, I was really expecting this set to be similar to their no-barrier shows, but I have never been so happy to be wrong. Dynamite was a perpetual onslaught of stage diving, crowd surfing, two stepping and maniacal fun. Every song seemed to garner a greater reaction than the last, and to see such a large number of other bands watching in awe and joining in was a clear indicator of the cultural significance of this band in the UK scene. Next up on the second stage was the Baltimore city hate crew, End It. After recent controversy surrounding a banana and a subsequent peace treaty made the day before with yet another banana, End It took their aggressively careless attitude and put on on of the best displays of hardcore I have seen in recent memory, the pits were absolutely irresistible to the cast majority of the front section and beyond, with pits opening all the way back to the bar creating a brilliant energy in the already baking indoor stage. A highlight of this set was their cover of Maximum Penalty’s ‘Could You Love Me?’ A song I truly hope they add to their consistent rotation. Finally, to close off this 3 show stretch was Haywire 617. Need I say more? If you know the name Haywire, then you know that they raise hell everywhere they go, and this was no different. Every song was blared back at the band, especially their illustrious cover of Title Fights ’Shed’. This song, along with their hits ‘Like a Train’ and ‘Haywire’, were the best songs of the entire festival and carved them out as a band I could quite easily watch every day till the end of days.
Two of the biggest main stage offerings of the weekend also put out stellar performances. In retrospect, this will likely be a lineup, like Reading 2000 or Glastonbury 1997, that people in the scene just can’t believe happened. The next two names will be a very big part of that future spectacle, with the first being La Dispute. Widely regarded as one of the most poignant and emotionally scathing bands in the genre’s recent history, La Dispute showed up to play a collection of songs both new and old, gathering a wave of stage invaders for nearly every single track. The intensity with which this band perform is hard to believe unless witnessed, but you really feel every lyric and every chord cut deep. This set left a real and tangible emotional impact on its audience and is something that will magnetise many more listeners to their cause for years to come. The second band was hardcore royalty Trapped Under Ice. Made of members of world-famous bands like Angel Du$t and Turnstile, Trapped Under Ice have set the pace in the surface-level hardcore community for nearly two decades, and their reign is far from over. The main stage was packed out wall to wall to hear bangers like ‘Big Kiss Goodnight’, ‘Born To Die’, and ‘No Relief’. This set was another bucket list item for me and many other festival goers, as watching a band who have been at the top of their game for so many years remain so tight despite not releasing any new music in years is astonishing and only leaves their audience craving even more. Trapped Under Ice delivered on every promise, bringing a raw and impactful sound to the Manchester stage, delivering an absolute masterclass for their whole fifty-minute set.
La Dispute - Photo Credit: @wondergirlphoto
A much smaller collection of shoegaze and post-grunge style bands were also on offer on the Sunday, and even though they were often slotted between absolute killers, they still managed to deliver truly standout sets. Two of the shoegaze bands that stood above the rest to me were California three-piece Midrift, who were packed full of youth and vigour, absolutely nailing their set. Seeing a band so young possess not only a ridiculous amount of raw talent and potential but also carry themselves as true professionals instilled great hope in me for the future of their genre. It was also great to see the songs from their recent debut album ’Silhouette’ take so well to the live format, and they’ve really hit their stride early on as a band. The last band I caught before the highly anticipated headliner was Glitterer. Ned Russin has managed to carve an excellent career even outside of his previous Title Fight fame, and to not only see a legend of the scene but a maestro-level songwriting mastermind live at work was mesmerising. Their entire set was absolutely captivating, and the quality of their brooding but synth-heavy performance likely left hundreds in attendance rushing to buy tickets for their current UK tour.
After the third stage masterclass from Glitterer, it was finally time for Basement to close out what had been an unforgettable, adrenaline-heavy weekend, and there couldn’t be a better band they could have picked to do it. Basement’s history with this festival runs deep, and they have been playing it not far from its inception back when they were only big enough to open the festival’s single stage, and to say that they have ascended to stardom would be entirely selling them short. Andrew said during their set that ‘Basement is not a nostalgia band’, a comment that came moments after running through multiple new tracks from their album ‘WIRED’, The performance of these songs made that so evident s while their second album ‘Colourmeinkindness’ is largely what they are known for, their evolution as a band shows several even tighter tracks, ’Sever’ and ’Time Waster’ come to mind when thinking of the early portion of this set, the power and unrelenting passion that poured out during the performance of these new tracks and the non stop smiles from every single member of the band only heightened the experience for those in attendance. When they changed up the pace and played the slower tracks from the album, energy radiated from the stage and was immediately reciprocated in a sing-along. The performance of these new tracks really acted as a statement to such a large crowd and their mixture with classics like ‘Covet’, ‘Bad Apple’ and their closer ‘Promise Everything’. They have one of the best back catalogues out of any band from the last twenty years, and while their live shows always feel brilliant, this set felt magnetic; something felt monumental, and I’m so glad that such a longstanding pillar of the modern post-hardcore and grunge scene are getting their well-deserved, hopefully endless, time in the sun.
Basement - Photo Credit: @wondergirlphoto
Reflecting on the entire weekend, the aforementioned feelings of this line-up being one that will be long remembered ring true even more so. Every band that showed up to perform brought their absolute A game and preached the brilliance of the festival and the community and friends around it. The event staff, the bands, the organisers, and the traders all made the whole weekend feel like the epicentre of the universe and the true centre of the hardcore scene. I feel truly blessed to support this scene and have the privilege of going to shows, and just as Dynamite said during their set, Don’t let this festival be your last interaction with the scene, as there are many more bands and shows in your local venues that will provide you with an even deeper love of the game the more you attend. Outbreak 2026 was stellar as always, and I cannot wait to fling myself off of that sub stage next year!
Words by Josh Pook
