From it's humble beginnings in 2011 at the Bromhall Centre in Sheffield to it's upgraded digs in Canal Mills in Leeds, Outbreak Fest has in the last decade cultivated a well-earned reputation as one of hardcore music's most important destinations.
The proof of it's now global reach was reiterated over the four-day celebration at the fest's new home of Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester. Marking the tenth anniversary of the congregation, organizers managed to assemble an astounding roster of multi-generational, genre-fluid hardcore - the kind of festvial bill that not only spoke to it's constituency, but also put the greater community of heavy music on notice.
Topped by performances from international powerhouses like Turnstile, Knocked Loose, the only show of 2022 for Basement, Vein, Deafheaven, Touche Amore, Terror, Ceremony, Incendiary, Counterparts, VEIN.FM and literally dozens more, the spectacle of Outbreak Fest was rooted in the kind of reciprocal exchange that characterizes the genre.
Split between two stages with minimal overlap, there were no lulls in the energy on the daily. From the very beginning of the day-to-day programming, the stage erupted with the kind of volatile performances that are, as a spectator, impossible to stand still to. As the energy swelled both on the floor and on the stage, the two continued to nurture one another in the kind of barricade-less pandemonium that makes this scene such a celebration.
10 years long, 10 years strong - Outbreak Fest 2022 was well worth the wait and clearly underscored how hardcore music has retained it's underground integrity, while still piercing the greater conscious of the mainstream. The comprehensive photo gallery below offers some insight to the kind of mayhem that took place in Manchester - however, it only amps the appetite to experience it IRL.
Outbreak Fest 2023 is already in the works and tickets are already available - HERE