Outbreak Festival 2025: A Defining Moment for UK Hardcore
The festival returned to Manchester with a bang.
Photo: Eddy Maynard
Some festivals come and go, and then there’s Outbreak, a relentless, earth-shaking institution that refuses to be ignored. Outbreak didn’t just come around this year, it attacked. Coming to Manchester’s Bowlers Exhibition Centre for the 2nd and 3rd days of its 2025 edition, the UK’s premier hardcore and alternative gathering once again proved why it stands head and shoulders above the rest. With a lineup that balanced scene legends, explosive newcomers, and international heavyweights, this year’s festival was an unmissable event and one to be remembered.
It’s hard to even know where to begin when talking about the sheer energy the bands brought to Outbreak. The first day, mainly shoegaze-focused, kicked off with a starry energy, starting with They Are Gutting a Body of Water, which was contrasted immediately by IKHRAS, who demanded and decimated their set, bringing the hardcore vibes we all know and love.
Further on the first day, there were standout sets from all of the bands. Militarie Gun brought so much energy that the entire main stage was shaking. With Outbreak festival being one of the only festivals with no barriers on any stage, the crowd were just as involved as the band, with stage divers flying across the crowd and mosh pits opening everywhere, this was a sight to behold.
Straight after, Jane Remover turned the second indoor stage into a sweatbox of flailing limbs, their hardcore and EDM influences and no-nonsense energy igniting one of the most incredible pits of the weekend. Performing songs from their latest album Revengeseekerz, they had everyone in the building jumping up and down, bear in mind this was only at 3:20pm.
The real story of the weekend was the sheer diversity on offer. Outbreak has always been more than just a hardcore festival, and this year’s booking leaned into that harder than ever. Have A Nice Life delivered a career-spanning set, with Dan and Tim reminding us what they’re all about with a slow post-punk and shoegaze offering. On the flip side, Glassjaw brought their crushing, charged power to a sea of stagedivers, proving once again why they’re one of the most vital bands with such tenure in the game.
The rest of the day was filled with a joyous mixture of music, with other standout sets from Model/Actriz, who had the venue vogueing whilst hardcore dancing (a sight to behold), Julie, who had the crowd swaying from side-to-side with crunchy but starry rhythms, Sunny Day Real Estate, who brought in a huge crowd and the iconic Slowdive, who timed their set perfectly, as the sun graced Manchester’s BEC Arena.
The day ended with an emotional set from Alex G, an electric set from Danny Brown and a stunning set from Tigers Jaw, a trio that couldn’t have been more different, leaving something for everyone.
And this was just the first day.
The second day of Outbreak Festival brought the real hardcore energy that a lot of people were waiting for, us included, but we’ll get to that.
One of Outbreak’s greatest strengths is its ability to pull in global talent, and 2025 was no exception. American hardcore titans Terror were nothing short of pure violence, with Scott Vogel’s guttural vocals and the band’s razor-sharp instrumentation leaving jaws on the floor. Meanwhile, Speed from Australia turned the entire venue into a warzone with their anthemic, mosh-call hardcore — if you weren’t two-stepping during Not That Nice, were you even there?
Notable sets from day two include Gods Hate, who played their first UK show and destroyed the third stage, Pains of Truth, who delivered a beautifully brutal set and gave hardcore fans a grand cathartic experience and Denzel Curry, the returning legend who delivered an unreal set, playing a good mix of classic and new songs, and had so many fans on stage with him that the front stage was damaged, showing a true love for the fans.
Photo: Eddy Maynard
Other standouts came from Loathe, who were special guests of the day and gave an unexpected but unmatchable set, featuring Olli from Static Dress, and finally, Cruelty (Rest In Power, Jon Kirk), who played an emotional but savage set, holding nothing back.
But the most talked about international set had to be Knocked Loose. The Kentucky bruisers have reached near-mythic status in the scene, and their headline performance was a brutal, career-defining moment. From Deep in the Willow to Counting Worms, the crowd response was apocalyptic. Security had their hands full with the endless stream of crowd surfers and stage invaders. The thing about Knocked Loose is that they paid homage to all of their biggest influences within the scene, bringing on a myriad of vocalists such as Kadeem from Loathe, Olli from Static Dress and Jem from Speed throughout the set. They also played riffs from other bands such as XweaponX and shouted out all of the other well-deserving hardcore bands throughout the day, and proved that they have earned their spot amongst the top of the scene, whilst also still knowing where they came from.
Knocked Loose gave the crowd a wall of death to remember on their final song; spanning from the stage to the sound desk, they had the entire front section split from side to side, ending the second night on a euphoric note. If you get a chance to witness it, even if it’s only on social media, I’d recommend it.
Outbreak Festival 2025 was a celebration of a scene at its peak. The production was tighter, the sound was crisper, and the energy was unmatched. Whether you were there for the bone-crushing heaviness, the emotional catharsis, or just to lose your mind in a pit, this year’s festival delivered on every front. A festival like this deserves to be remembered, with a special shoutout to the patrons of the festival, who throughout every set of both days gave everything to protect each other whilst in such a volatile environment.
Outbreak Festival proves again why not segregating the fans and the bands makes for such a special and intimate experience. This one was one for the ages.
If I had to give Outbreak a final score, it would be a 10/10: Outbreak isn’t just a festival, it’s an absolute cultural landmark for heavy music in the UK. Roll on 2026.