REVIEW: Outbreak Fest, Saturday
Sweet Pill by Nat Wood
Outbreak Saturday: A Sonic Yoyo in Manchester
Outbreak Festival at BEC Arena in Manchester rolled right on, with Saturday being a more familiar affair. The love for hardcore is alive and well in the UK, with some electrifying performances on deck for the day. The first full day of the fest was jam-packed, here's what we caught:
Higher Power
The Leeds mob kicked off our Saturday with an explosive set that set the tone for the day. Opening track, "Seamless" saw stage divers flying before the first note had finished. The audience was unruly, with the band's call for a mosh pit instead getting spin kicks along the stage edge. Jimmy is clearly in his element with this energy, and thanks everyone for coming down early. They deliver an outstanding set, with tracks like 'Absolute Bloom' and 'Stillpoint' complete with a guest appearance by Never Ending Game's Mikey Petroski. The band also mixed in some older songs, appeasing YouTube critics who accused them of going soft. This culminated in a chaotic stage invasion during "Low Season," proving that the day one freaks are alive and well.
Higher Power by Nat Wood
Gridiron, Nothing, Bodyweb & Taqbir
Next band of the day is over on the 2nd Stage as the first of a few quickfire early day sets. Gridiron brought gritty Philly energy to Manchester with a volatile set. They must've clearly been the talk of the town, as the indoor area is packed to the gills. The stage itself was also stuffed with crew and other musicians catching the set. The early day pit was nothing short of brutal, at times vocalist Matt Karll was nearly dragged into the crowd by fans eager to grab the mic.
By contrast, fellow Philly rockers Nothing back outside couldn't have been more different. They spend 30 minutes delivering an ambient and atmospheric performance. They have a very ethereal sound, which provided a welcome respite from the frenzy of the second stage. Despite the irony of their summer vibe-themed performance under cloudy skies, they were all smiles for the opportunity.
The final part of a very hectic hour was Bodyweb. They made a powerful statement with their opening declaration of "Free Palestine," draping a flag from the turntables. They presented a unique blend of atmosphere and energy, and with the guitarist doubling as the vocalist, left the front of the stage free for fans. Despite being their guitarist's second ever live show, Bodyweb delivered one of the stage's standout performances of the day.
The inner dwellings of Outbreak as the clock ticked into mid afternoon absolutely belonged to Taqbir though. Hardcore has always benefitted from variety, but Taqbir was an excellent example of just how important representation is. This band was feral on stage and had anticipation from many. They delivered a set filled with identity, dedicating much of it to their home in Morocco and its people.
Gridiron and Bodyweb by Nat Wood, Taqbir by Anna Swiechowska
Sweet Pill & Stiff Meds
You have to chuckle a little to see those names back to back. The main stage had a dose of unexpected medicine due to some travel issues for Balance & Composure. It is announced in the early afternoon that Sweet Pill will be playing an extra set on the main stage. Zayna Youssef wastes absolutely zero time in seizing this moment, screaming to first get everyone's attention. Then, something that was on anyone's bingo card, they have the crowd bark for them for the opening track 'Dog Song'. To their credit, it works as the crowd are waving back and forth with them. More new fans begin filling in for their first fill of Philly emo for the day. Zayna also points out that the set was short notice enough they don’t even have merch set up at that point. This was such a good reception for a group that came in clutch for Outbreak as they powered through tracks 'Starchild', 'High Hopes' & 'Cut'. It was a case of more Pill for your pound as the weekend attendees had twice their fill worth of the band for no extra cost.
Meanwhile, Stiff Meds signalled their arrival to the 3rd stage with a shout out to UK hardcore, past, present, and future. Despite their LED backdrop malfunctioning halfway through, the band maintained a high-energy set. The group got a huge pop for shouting "Let's go Glastonbury '' just before playing 'WELCOME TO HELL'. While this was definitely one of the rougher goings on for the 3rd stage, it was a heavily engaging set from the Londoners. The group just last year had a stint playing alongside Outbreak royalty Jesus Piece, and shows like this put them in great standing for bigger and better things.
Sweet Pill by Nat Wood
Poison The Well & Touche Amore
Back outside, Poison the Well was one of the most eagerly awaited bands of the day. Nostalgia and excitement had the standing area packed out for the groups first UK show since 2009. Their set featured stage diving en masse, despite the rain that turned the mosh pit into a slippery mess. Things truly picked up as Jeff Moreira introduced the track 'Slice Paper Wrists', taunting the crowd a little with a "you signed a waiver to be this close, get up on this bitch". Their set was briefly interrupted due to an overwhelming number of stage invaders. They had a slap on the wrist of sorts from security before returning with the last two songs, 'Artists Rendering of Me' & 'Nerdy'. When it comes to reunited bands that have more to offer, it's hard not to put Poison the Well on that list. With how this set went down with the Outbreak crowd it’s hard to argue otherwise even an album 25 years in the rear view.
Touché Amore inherited the rain that had just started during Poison the Well. Fans who braved the weather during the interval clumped right in toward the stage. This means that there is a concentration of die hard fans front and centre. The way Jeremy Bolm's voice cuts through the mug of the weather during 'Flowers and You' felt very striking. The fans up front repeat the words “A simple conversation about nothing much at all" with surprising gusto, as it echoes through the outdoors. Touche are profoundly laid back as only Californians can be whilst a flurry of fans fly across the stage. They batter through 'New Halloween', 'Just Exist' and 'Palm Dreams' as well as debuting new track 'Nobody's'. In 'Just Exist' Bolm kneels in front of a fan and screams the lyrics with them face to face, I pray someone got that photo. The band say they have a bond with Outbreak, and their first time here was their favourite show ever. That connection has very clearly stayed. The last two songs, 'Reminders' & 'Honest Sleep' descend into madness much like Poison The Well did. The front section of the stage again gets filled with pitters. To end the set vocalist jumps off the stage onto the 2nd crowd that has formed and sings the lyrics au natural as the PA goes blank. This was an amazing visual to cap off an amazing set
Poison The Well and Touche Amore by Nat Wood
Have Heart & Chat Pile
Have Heart's set had an unexpected start. The backdrop has no mention of the band, only “I will not hate” plastered left to right. This, combined with a spoken word version of Bob Marley’s ‘War’, set the tone that fans were about to see a set of substance. Patrick Flynn simply grabs the microphone, screams "Ceasefire", and we're off into the opening tracks 'The Machinist' and 'Unbreakable' early on. The Boston icons have the BEC in a chokehold for 40 odd minutes, and the energy is very clear when Flynn states early on "This stage is your stage". This proved to be a bit of a health and safety nightmare. There’s brief concern that someone in the crowd is down, but the band are back playing the second the marshal gives two thumbs up. The band themselves sound flawless, and the crowd participation is at a high for the day.
Flynn also explains the presence of the name “Izzeldin Abuelaish'' on the backdrop as well. He outshines any other bands "Free Palestine '' sentiments tenfold by explaining how that one moment with Abuelaish’s book amidst his daughters ill-health made him realise the magnitude of events overseas. He explains how day to day he's just a history teacher, but he wants to make a world where people know names like Izzeldin Abuelaish and follow their teachings. This honestly feels like as much of a moment as any other part of the set, as it's a real show of humanity. They follow that with 'Watch Me Rise' where the crowd chant "I'd rather die on my feet" with such vigour that fans fully invade the pit stage. There's again an entire 2nd crowd on the lower level of the stage. One fan crowd surfs draped in a Palestinian flag, which is a very striking and lasting visual for Have Heart's legacy at Outbreak. Despite the rain, there’s a few moments in this set where it has that summertime festival feel, the lights shine just right. It for a second feels like Hardcore in the only genre in the world.
The 2nd stage had an excellent candidate to follow Have Heart’s legendary showing. Chat Pile effectively became the de facto second-stage headliner, with Show Me the Body feeling more like an afterparty act having been programmed to play after Basement. Their brand of semi-sludge noise stood out, but worked in their favour as the crowd comes unglued from the moment their set starts with ‘Why’. Raygun Busch’s distressed vocals and pacing back and forth don’t seem too different from the hardcore fare, but a Chat Pile show feels much more like an exhibition. Busch takes time between songs to talk about Manchester films, and what films have been made in the city, which feels just like mid-show trivia, or maybe a repeating advert to filmmakers. The 4-piece never really venture near the stage lip, which led to some awkward moments, like a fan’s attempt at a mid-song high-five being ignored by bassist, Stin. It’s almost like their performance is in a box, and it's totally captivating during tracks like ‘Slaughterhouse’, ‘Funny Man’ and the very avante-garde set-closer ‘Garbage Man’.
Have Heart by Nat Wood, Chat Pile by Anna Swiechowska
Basement
For the praise heaped on Have Heart earlier, Basement is THE reason many will have been at Outbreak at all in 2024. This made the opening track of 'Earl rey' seem very melancholic, at first, then the latter half of the track brings people home. 3 minutes is really all they needed to have their feet back under the table, the crowd screaming along with them. In the 13 years since I Wish I Could Stay Here, none of the emotion on delivery has been lost. The early part of the set bounces between their two key albums, with 'Whole', 'Bad Apple' & 'Plan To Be Surprised' all following. This is really a trip though Basement's legacy as more recent tracks "Brother's Keeper" and "Summer's Colour" are also in the running order (I want to make an Era's Tour joke so bad). Now one of the surprises of the set, was 'New Song'. As in a new song, called 'New Song'. This was a bouncy modern rock number, with the usual left turn into some chunky guitar to throw limbs to. It was a surprise to all, given the band haven't played consistently or recorded new music since 2019. Basement does steer the ship excellently around the new track, as they immediately move into a crowd favourite with Andrew Fisher leaning in and simply saying "I am a child, and I am spoiled" before dropping into that number.
The Suffolk group are a picture of confidence and comfort. It feels like a very deliberate choice to put their next most recent single 'Are You The One' as the other side of a Spoiled sandwich. The lads dip into their more recent catalogue of Promise Everything, with 'Aquasun', 'Oversized' & 'For You The Moon'. Basement all timer 'Crickets Throw Their Voice' is nestled in the middle of those too, and thats sadly all they gave from the I Wish I Could Stay Here album. But they've lived that life and this, if they were to stay, feels like a new Basement. Andrew has a moment without a song, and touches on what Have Heart's Patrick Flynn said earlier, mainly to say they couldn't have said it better. With the state of the world, thye feel "fucking weird" about this opportunity. He implores the crowd to create, start bands, zines and don't underestimate the power of art. These two things might honestly be one of the most endearing things a headliner could say.
That "New Basement '' has an old classic as well, the only logical way for the boys to close their set is the now iconic 'Covet'. The moment that the crowd join in on the opening lyrics was chill worthy. For the last few minutes of wailing vocals, frolicing two-stepping, and coming of age musicianship, it sets in how far this band have come. It was a perfect set to take place the same weekend as Glastonbury, who dare say new rock acts are lacking. But they are one of our own. They have a history with Outbreak, having played 2022 to a rapturous response, and this set was much the same. My first knowledge of Basement was a tour with Your Demise & Trapped Under Ice back in 2012. The fact all of those bands have folded, and come back in some element, and played Outbreak, is kismet. The best part of all? Basement opened that tour back in the day, and now headline where the other two could not. The headline slot is so very deserved, for a band that in 2013 many assumed they'd never see again.
Basement by Nat Wood and Anna Swiechowska
