Live Review: Novacaine Festival 2025 - Corporation, Sheffield
4th October 2025
Words & Photos: Martin Hingley
Summer festival season may be over, but the UK’s winter indoor scene is keeping the energy alive — and the inaugural Novocaine Festival proves exactly why.
Held at Sheffield’s Corporation, this all-day event packs a stacked line-up of ten bands, showcasing some of the best emerging and established acts from across the UK’s rock and metal scenes.
Reckoner enter the line-up early in the afternoon to a very respectable crowd for an event of this size. The East Midlands outfit bring something special to this stacked bill, with their blend of metalcore stylings and melodic guitar riffs packing a real punch. As the bassline cuts through, there’s a Duff McKagan-esque groove to their sound that meshes perfectly with Reckoner’s super-catchy choruses, setting the standard high for the rest of the festival.
Next up are local boys Our North, playing their latest EP Everyone For Themselves in full. Their rap-metalcore fusion makes them stand out, with dual vocalists bouncing around the stage under green and purple lights, clearly having the time of their lives. Their guitarist adds a lighter, more melodic tone that blends seamlessly with crunching drumbeats, getting the crowd moving and sparking the day’s first mosh pits. It’s a solid, high-energy set, although it leaves me wanting just a little more when they leave the stage.
Things get heavier as Broken Empire take to the stage. Citing Alter Bridge and Metallica as influences, the band immediately launch into a thrash-style riff that gets heads banging. Making the most of every chance to show off, they shred like it’s the 1980s. With strong vocals, tight musicianship, and lightning-fast guitar work, they capture the crowd’s attention and by the end of their set, almost every person in the room is clapping along.
Ocean Thieves slow things down after the thrash onslaught, delivering a bluesy punk sound with singalong choruses that keep the energy at 100%. Their punchy basslines dominate, paired with hard-hitting lyrics and even a birthday shoutout to a fan in the crowd. Teaching everyone the words to set-closer These Days, they create a full-crowd singalong worthy of a Bryan Adams finale. Ocean Thieves end by thanking the crowd, noting how special Sheffield’s Corporation venue is to them.
Bathed in green light, Reanimate crank the pace back up again. The Sheffield locals waste no time getting the crowd moving as mosh pits erupt from the first note. A synthesiser intro gives way to heavy breakdowns, growling vocals, and pounding basslines, showcasing the strength of Sheffield’s metal scene in 2025. Even when they debut a brand-new song, the crowd lap it up, headbanging along despite not knowing the lyrics
Night Thieves take things in a different direction; simple but effective. Dressed in black hoodies, they let their music do the talking. The crowd scream the lyrics back as the band thrash around the stage. Their vocals are softer than many of today’s acts, but this contrast works perfectly, especially when combined with their hard-hitting riffs and heavier choruses that land with real force.
Next up are Dacara and they’re easily one of my highlights of the day. Having heard only positive things about their live show, I was hoping they’d deliver, and they absolutely do. Obsessed with all things green and neon, the band bring an electronic edge to the line-up. Standing front and centre, they command the stage, screaming with the crowd and feeding off the chaos. Their stage presence is magnetic, their musicianship exceptional and it’s clear this is a band destined to win even more fans every time they play.
About to embark on a UK tour supporting Skindred, Bleed Again quite literally tear the place apart — and I mean that literally, as the drummer breaks his kick drum within the first two songs. During the brief pause, the rest of the band turn it into a Freddie Mercury-style sing-off with the crowd while the crew fix the issue. Once back up and running, they explode into action again, with frontman James Dawson’s growling vocals cutting through their fast-paced mix of guitar riffs and electronic layers. Bleed Again prove exactly why they’ve landed such an impressive support slot and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for their next UK shows.
After a full day of epic performances, it’s finally time for The Five Hundred, Novocaine Festival’s headliners. As vocalist John Woods-Eley looms over the crowd with one white contact lens and one normal eye, there’s a buzz of anticipation in the air. The Nottingham rockers waste no time getting started, blending crushing riffs with guttural screams and soaring chorus lines. For me, Rainmaker is the standout track of the night; its thundering riff and chant-along “Rainmaker!” refrain bringing the whole room together.
As band members fist-bump fans at the barrier, the venue erupts into massive mosh pits for the rest of the set. It’s a fitting end to a day that proves exactly why The Five Hundred deserve their headline spot. Their ability to ignite a crowd, paired with their metalcore power and post-apocalyptic lyricism, seals their reputation as one of the UK’s must-see heavy bands.
When the final notes fade and the inaugural Novocaine Festival draws to a close, it’s clear the day has been a massive success, a testament to both the organisers and every band on the bill. It’s also proof of just how strong the music scene is in Sheffield and its surrounding areas.
Novocaine Festival returns in 2026 and after today’s showing, it’s one not to miss!
Photo credits: Martin Hingley
