The sun is relentless, a boot holding a sea of dad caps underfoot. The promise of a storm hangs low in the air. Thankfully the line up at Outbreak Fest in London, organised as part of the Lido Festival at Victoria Park, is stacked enough to make a bit of physical suffering worth the while. We were already planning on sweating.
If you have enough time, and are willing to cut a couple of sets short, you can see some of the most exciting acts in modern hardcore, post hardcore, and alt rock here over the course of one day. One person could hypothetically see music from They Are Gutting A Body Of Water, Momma, Drug Church, Fleshwater, Speed, Julie, Superheaven, Have A Nice Life, Alex G, and Turnstile. If they were, this is how that day would look.
Words: Will Bright and Jessica McCarrick
They Are Gutting A Body Of Water
They Are Gutting A Body Of Water open the third stage. Of the three, this stage has the most issues of the day â the fault of none of the bands. They Are Gutting A Body Of Water are plagued with sound issues with the drums seeming to be the only thing coming out of the PAs, all guitars heard only through stage amps. The band have made a stylistic decision to face away from the audience, perhaps to create more of a focus on the music. Itâs a choice that would be more effective if the music could have been heard more, but itâs still enjoyable hearing them play âEightballâ bookended between guitarist and vocalist Douglas Dulgarian using an electronic interface to create intermediary backing tracks. [WB]
Momma
On your way to see Drug Church, you have time to catch indie rockers Mommaâs opening track on the main stage. They open with âMedicineâ, from their 2022 album âHousehold Nameâ. Itâs a brilliant track, with gorgeous vocal harmonies from founding members Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten. Itâs a shame that there are more sound issues here, with Weingartenâs microphone coming through incredibly quietly for a large part of the song. [WB]
Drug Church
Itâs on to Drug Church, playing on the second stage. Thankfully, there are no sound issues on this stage throughout the day, which is hosting the festivalâs heavier offering. The band walk on to the dulcet tones of the Beastie Boys before launching in. The energy is immediately off the walls. Front man Patrick Kindlon does a brilliant job at getting a crowd that are already lethargic from the heat moving, bouncing, and crowd surfing. âIf you stage dive today, you will die,â he jokes, âso instead, itâs crowdsurfing until you canât no more.â Itâs a set which never slows, ending with the massive one-two punch of âMyopicâ and âWeed Pinâ. [WB]
Fleshwater
Fleshwater, playing on the same stage, bring a brilliant energy despite ongoing issues with the vocal sound. The band fly around the stage regardless, all three guitars bringing a huge sound. They play through most of their 2022 album âWeâre Not Here To Be Lovedâ, after hitting us with 2024âs sensational âStandaloneâ. Thankfully, the vocals return to cheers from the crowd, and the dayâs sound issues seem to be over. [WB]
Speed
Back to the second stage to see Sydney hardcore band Speed, who are intent on keeping the crowd moving. Speed wonât stop until they see the entire crowd erupting. As front man Jem Siow points out, âthis music is made for moshingâ. They may not get everyone here throwing fists and elbows, but the mosh pit is intense, frenetic throughout the set. [WB]
Julie
Julie take the main stage with an introductory sample of cello music. They sound fantastic â the bass is chunky, the guitarist is constantly cycling through at least three guitars, and the energy is spot on. Youâd be forgiven for having to double check that this is a three piece. They play songs from across their five year release history, opening with âcatalogueâ from last yearâs debut album and going as far back as 2020âs âFlutterâ. [WB]
Superheaven
On stage two, Superheaven follow up Speed with a brilliant set mostly made up of songs from this yearâs self-titled album, the bandâs first long-form release in a decade. Opening with âNumb To What Is Realâ, Superheaven take the crowd, exhausted and sweating, on a journey through their music. By 2015âs âPoor Aileenâ, the closing song, the crowd are singing along, ecstatic. [WB]
Glassjaw
âPretty Lushâ into âSiberiaâ isnât exactly what youâd call a cold open. Under the warped steel ribs of the tent, Glassjaw performs with staggering ease. Frontman Daryl Palumboâs voice is hot and heavy, a pressure that bears down on the crowd, folding into the fiery motion surging back at the stage. Every eye is fixed, every body locked. This is not a game to them, but a ritual.Â
They press on with a relentless setlist, âMajourâ cutting deep in its passionate pleas, whilst âBabeâ surges forward – guitar lines scrambling to keep pace with the drums storming onward. Then comes a moment in the set, a sudden stillness. The band freeze, their silhouettes caught in the moody glow of dimmed stage lights. The crowd hesitates, unsure. Has it ended? Palumbo stands at the centre, motionless. He runs a hand through his hair, fingers trembling, eyes lost somewhere beyond the haze, hovering in catharsis. The silence stretches – then shatters. It becomes clear weâre not participants – weâre witnesses. Glassjaw holds us completely. [JM]
Have A Nice Life
By the time Have A Nice Life begin their set in the third stage, the heat has built up so much that itâs hard to tell whether the haziness in the air is all thanks to the smoke machines, or a fog of sweat. The crowd is large here, and unexpectedly young. Have A Nice Lifeâs 2008 album, âDeathconsciousnessâ, has always been lauded online by music fanatics â apparently this has led to them having a viral moment on TikTok last year. Itâs refreshing to see so many young faces loving the music. Itâs soft, slow, haunting. They open with âThe Big Gloomâ â apt, given the haze in the room and the red lights behind the band that throw them into stark silhouettes. By the time âBloodhailâ comes around, the crowd are singing every word and front man Dan Barrett is among them, holding the microphone out to a raptured audience. A real highlight of the day.
Unfortunately, because this tent is an enclosed space, the festival organisers have to be strict on capacity. The queues for bands like Feeble Little Horse and Sunny Day Real Estate are long enough to pretty much make them inaccessible and the heat is unforgiving if you do make it inside. The festival would have benefited from having this tent open air, as with the second stage. [WB]
Knocked Loose
âWhere is my mosh pit?â Frontman Bryan Garris doesnât ask – he dares. Within seconds, the floor detonates in response. Then comes the gnashing riffs, rupturing screams, all at breakneck speed. By the second song, âDonât Reach for Meâ is in every throat, clawing to get out and itâs a frenzy. Hit after hit land with the weight of concrete slabs, the precision of the five-piece is unparalleled in power.
Bodies are being launched overhead as the band calls for more crowd surfers. The stage on the horizon shifting in and out of view. Itâs like being underwater, pulled by the current of bodies, whilst the music washes overhead. Weâre cued to scream, itâs primal as we dive headfirst into a flurry of songs. A clear highlight comes with âCounting Wormsâ – the moment those opening chords land, the crowd reacts, weâve been waiting all night. Weâre peaking and the momentâs almost gone, but before it ends we take one last look around, a united front pulsing to the same beat – and it belongs to Knocked Loose. [JM]
Turnstile
Headliners Turnstile open up with âNEVER ENOUGHâ, the opening and title tune from this monthâs fantastic album release. As they open up their set, so do the heavens begin to open. Rain, much-needed, builds up as Turnstile play through some of their more hardcore numbers before hitting a mashup of tracks from the new album. âI CAREâ flows into âDULLâ. When they play songs from 2021âs âGLOW ONâ, the lights switch from blue to pink, a nod to their album artwork. Turnstile first played Outbreak in 2013, and this is a triumphant return as a headline act that so comfortably straddles both the hardcore elements that have traditionally made up the festivalâs acts and the slightly poppier and more alternative elements that Outbreak 2025 has introduced.
We walk in the rain to the nearest station. Despite some sound issues, and despite not being able to access the third stage for a couple of bands â perhaps inevitable issues as this year is the first one in London â itâs been a nonstop day of wonderful music and beautiful energy. Bring on 2026. Theyâll have to work hard to top this. [JM]