Live Review: Outbreak 2023 - Friday
Words: Jacob Schwar
Photos: Nat Wood / Ashlea Bea / Anna Swiechowska
Finally the date had come, it was time for Outbreak! I was quite anxious for this as it was all a new for me with it being my first time at Outbreak Festival, first time at its new venue the Depot Mayfield and it being my second time ever in the city of Manchester. Though regardless I was just as excited to experience a new kind of festival which was to be host to some of my favourite current bands all on one stage and today was to be a perfect introduction for the weekend ahead!
Unfortunately due to some unforeseen issues with my travel I was unable to get to the festival on time, though not all was lost as I was able to arrive at the main stage just in time for my first band of the weekend Fleshwater. Consisting of members from Vein.fm with the addition of singer/guitarist Marisa Shirar at the helm, Fleshwater made quite the impression with their inspired take on mid to late 90’s metal with a healthy mix of shoegaze and grunge. Their set consisted of material from their highly-acclaimed debut We’re Not Here To Be Loved (2022) including the poignant ‘Closet’, their rather ‘emo-esque’ sounding hit ‘Kiss The Ladder’ and a personal favourite ‘Linda Claire’ which has a pleasantly blatant Deftones influence. Fleshwater put on an incredible performance bringing an almost dreamy, ethereal aura to the venue, a majority of the crowd seemed fixated though with it being a hardcore fest there were already people stage diving and slam dancing, demonstrating that no matter the style of music this crowd were keen to move and express themselves.
Following up with a slightly more high-energy performance we have No Pressure playing classic, anthemic pop-punk with a gritty hardcore edge. The band features Parker Cannon on vocals of the band The Story So Far and it was clear to see he was loving every minute of it, the crowd especially were going crazy with their stage invasion’s whilst singing their hearts out to each song almost patriotically! Anthems such as the oddly feel-good ‘One Way Trip’ or the ferocious ‘Too Far’ came across powerfully well in the live setting which really demonstrated to me that this is one of the best acts in pop-punk that are currently putting out new music and touring without a doubt! No Pressure exemplified the type of high energy entertainment we’d be in for at this festival, giving us a taste of crowd shenanigans, anthemic sing-alongs and feel good vibes which we’d be sure to experience throughout the remainder of the weekend!
Next up on the smaller second stage were Glaswegian heavy-hitters Demonstration Of Power serving up their vicious style of hardcore/beatdown. It was around this time we saw some of the most intense interaction from the audience with lads karate-kicking and flinging their bodies in time with the brutal chuggy sound of Demonstration Of Power, who for me were one of the heaviest groups of the weekend! Devastating tracks such as ‘Demonstration of Pain’ and ‘Strength of Old’ showcased the extreme sound this band are capable of putting out and I would be lying if I wasn’t a tad bit perturbed being near the front row at the time.
Keeping the heaviness factor strong on the second stage we have Sheffield’s own Rough Justice whose honest offering of classic hardcore was much welcomed by an already energised crowd. The mosh pit was incredibly wild throughout their set with it being especially nice to see a large turnout out in crowds for both Rough Justice and Demonstration Of Power previously who are both UKHC bands! It had also been almost 6 years since Rough Justice last appeared at Outbreak Festival originally when it was hosted in Leeds so a big crowd who were happy to bash-the-s**t out of each other I’d imagine was a much appreciated welcome, great show chaps!
On the mainstage it was now time for One Step Closer, who gracefully walked out on stage to the sound of Lonesome Town by Ricky Nelson, to hear that song echoing throughout the drab industrial interior of the venue was enough to give me goose-bumps! They kicked straight into ‘I Feel So’ in which the crowd came alive with leadsinger Ryan Savitski passing the mic to the crowd for them to participate in the singing. One Step Closer were emotionally charged, playing with such sincerity and honesty which was nice to see in genre that is normally the complete opposite if not to sound negative, hearing them perform the entirety of their Songs for the Willow release was unforgettable and a much appreciated change in the overall mood. In fact their set was so impassioned that I noticed a young lady next to me was in tears whilst singing along, for a straightedge hardcore band to have such impact on an emotional level really shows that One Step Closer are destined for greater things!
Returning to second stage it was Pain Of Truth’s turn to sonically assault the crowds with more hardhitting hardcore music as well as hammering home the fact that some of the best ‘hardcore’ at Outbreak 2023 could be found on the smaller second stage. They would play a number of great tunes from their debut album NO BLAME… JUST FACTS (2020) including the infectiously groovy ‘The Test’ revealing the strong Biohazard influences as well as hardcore epic ‘LINYHC” which saw some guest vocal appearances from various members in their stage entourage. Pain Of Truth put on one hell of a performance, ferocious and visceral to say the least which is how I like my hardcore, there’s nothing more that can be said only that you should check them out if you like that quintessential NYHC sound with a difference.
It was now the time many of us had been waiting for, on the mainstage came Converge and for the next 50 minutes, we were in for pure extremity. Opening their set with ‘Eagles Become Vultures’ which saw the crowd go nuts, pummelling their bodies into one and another making for one of the most savage pits of the weekend thus far! Their drummer Ben Koller was effortlessly and gleefully battering his kit as they cut straight into fan favourite ‘Dark Horse’ which saw a number of people moshing on stage and flinging themselves into a sea of feral Converge fans on the front rows. Some set highlights included staples such as the insanely intense ‘Concubine’ and a personal favourite ‘Hell To Pay’ offering a somewhat calm amongst the chaos for a few minutes, allowing the man Jacob Bannon to pause on the screeching and do some singing.
We shouldn’t get too comfortable as we would soon return to the chaos with songs such as the ballistic ‘Homewrecker’ and ‘Cutter’ proving that Converge are most likely the heaviest band of the weekend, that’s up for debate of course! It was especially cool towards the end of their set to see them pull out ‘Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast’ which is the more slower, sludgey side of Converge that I truly love and don’t often see enough of, being a fan myself of slower music I was suffering a deficiency this weekend without a doubt! The question remains though that whether this performance tops the last time I witnessed Converge at Damnation Festival 2022, that question will remain unanswered as I’m still recovering from their performance.
Photo credits: Nat Wood / Ashlea Bea / Anna Swiechowska
