By Josh Bicknell

For well over a decade, Outbreak Festival has been a haven for all things hardcore, but in recent years its increasingly diverse line-ups have transformed it into a celebration of bleeding-edge alternative music. This year, the juxtaposed headline sets of Knocked Loose, Slowdive and Alex G brought fans from across the alternative spectrum together under one roof at Manchester’s B.E.C. Arena.

After arriving at the Exhibition Centre bright and early, there was time to scope out the fastest route between stages. Festivals with multiple stages often carry the risk of forcing you to miss the beginning or end of sets just to catch the next band (looking at you, Download), but thankfully, that wasn’t the case at Outbreak. The main stage was outdoors, while the two smaller stages were inside, and each was just a few minutes’ walk apart. Because of this, Outbreak feels like it’s hit the sweet spot in terms of scale. Established enough to book some of the hottest bands right now, yet compact enough that navigating the site never becomes a chore.

IKHRAS @ Outbreak 2025. Photo by Elliot Ingham.With the stages scoped out, day one kicked off in spectacular fashion with sets from IKHRAS, Momma and Feeble Little Horse.’Though not the most anticipated names on the line-up, all three delivered surprisingly strong performances, exceeding expectations and setting the tone for the day. Despite having just over four thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, IKHRAS stood out as the most ferocious of the bunch, launching into the day in true hardcore fashion, with one mosher leaving a trail of blood on the floor well before 2pm.

Despite Outbreak’s firm roots in hardcore, IKHRAS were one of the few Saturday acts to deliver a pummelling, groove-driven assault. This was largely due to the festival’s structure this year, with day one leaning heavily into shoegaze and alternative rock, saving the real onslaught for Sunday. Before the day-splits were announced, there were concerns that this might lead to clashes between acts with overlapping audiences, potentially forcing fans to make tough choices. However, thanks to the festival’s slickly timed multi-stage setup, such clashes were extremely rare.

As the afternoon pushed on, a standout trio of acts brought a welcome burst of variety. Militarie Gun lit up the main stage with a riotously fun forty-minute set, blending alt-rock hooks with hardcore energy, injecting a distinctly Californian spirit into the grey Manchester skies. This was immediately followed by Jane Remover, whose fresh take on hyperpop transformed Stage Two into a full-blown rave. With each massive bass drop, a seemingly endless stream of crowd surfers hurled themselves into the outstretched arms of the audience, quickly spilling into an epilepsy-inducing mosh pit.

With no time to catch a breath, Fleshwater hit the main stage for one of the day’s most anticipated sets. Their grunge-infused shoegaze kept the energy sky-high, with a steady stream of stage divers swarming the mic and blurring the line between band and crowd. At one point, they even sparked the biggest circle pit of the day. Having already torn it up at Outbreak’s autumn one-off in 2024, the band proved once again just how sharp and intense their live show has become. Jonathan Lhaubouet’s backing screams cut clean through the mix, bringing the afternoon to an electrifying close.

Fleshwater @Outbreak 2025. Photo by Eddy Maynard.

As the early evening settled in, a run of more melodic acts began to shine. Julie’s delicate harmonies floated across the festival grounds, soundtracking the long queues at food trucks as moshers took a much-needed breather. Once the crowd filtered back indoors, Maruja were already tearing up Stage Two. Over the past year, these guys have made waves with a breakdown featuring a flute, but this might be the first time a wall of death has been sparked by a saxophone. It was chaotic, it was theatrical, and it was brilliant fun. Maybe even alternative music’s next viral TikTok moment.

Before the headliners could take over, Sunny Day Real Estate drew one of the largest crowds of the weekend with their just second ÜK show in 15 years, the first being at LIDO’s sister event in London. For many, it was a long-awaited reunion with a band they had gone far too long without. Regardless of how familiar you were with their back catalogue; it was hard not to appreciate the moment for what it was.

Sunny Day Real Estate @ Outbreak 2025. Photo by Jamie Carmichel.

With the first day of Outbreak Festival drawing to a close, Slowdive took to the main stage. Their warm, harmonious shoegaze washed over the crowd like a wave, with deep basslines cleansing the air and shimmering guitars blending seamlessly with vocal harmonies. Behind them, a psychedelic LCD display pulsed with abstract shapes, adding to the dreamlike atmosphere. As the sun set over the festival, the whole scene felt magical and transportive, holding the crowd in a meditative trance for the full hour.

Slowdive @ Outbreak 2025. Photo by Natalie Wood/Wondergirlphoto.

Over on Stage Two, Glassjaw filled the space between headliners. While those around me were clearly absorbed in the performance, their live set didn’t quite land for me in the same way their studio recordings do. But before long, it was time for Alex G to snap everyone out of Slowdive’s trance with his strange but captivating multi-instrumental performance. He drifted through his off-kilter indie tunes with a kind of awkward confidence that somehow really worked. The crowd was definitely smaller than before, yet those who stuck around seemed to be having a great time.

Day one felt like the calm before the storm, a chill introduction before day two let all hell loose.