By Jase Walker
It’s day three, I’m shattered and it’s time to get myself back to Bowlers Exhibition Centre for the final day of Outbreak. Unfortunately, I hit some transport delays in getting back over so I’ve missed a couple of bands I wanted to see which is frustrating.
I just manage catching the set from Show Me The Body with their odd combination of hardcore and doom/sludge. Slow and pounding like an inexorable march to the peak, the aggression of the audience seems almost at odds with what they’re playing. Also don’t think I’ve ever seen a banjo being used in this sort of thing but it fits right in; banjos are hardcore, right?
Switching back to stage two for a bit of Chastity, these come off a bit more on the lighter side of hardcore and oddly sound a bit like Soundgarden. It really strikes me how these guys build up a real atmospheric feel, big swelling bass lines and guitars using suspended chords. One of the less shouty bands that’s on this weekend but definitely not knocking them on that, I’m really enjoying what I’m hearing here.
Next for me is Choir Boy, who stood out to me when checking them out because of the Joy Division and New Romantic overtones. And jumping into their show that’s exactly what I’m getting! Probably one of the more odd choices on the line-up but I’m really glad they’re here, there’s so many influences from the likes of Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Soft Cell, all that good stuff!
As someone who is massively into synthwave and ‘80s revival stuff, Choir Boy are ticking all the right boxes. God those vocals are bloody wonderful, so soulful, passionate and powerful.
Back over to the main stage to catch a bit of Nothing. There’s something distinctly 90s about their fuzzy, almost muddy sort of guitar tone that roars through the main arena. So far Outbreaks Sunday comes off as a much more chill affair compared to the rowdy acts of Friday.
In a similar way to Basement yesterday, their sound gives me a weird feeling of nostalgia for a band I’ve never listened to before. There’s something instantly familiar about them and I feel like I’ve uncovered a group of bands and a style of music that I’ve been subconsciously wanting to find but never knew where to start.
No stopping for breath going back over to the second stage for Soft Kill. Another band with a strong 80s vibe but more towards the post-punk side of things. Erring much more heavily on the side of using backing synths and atmospheric melodies, I’m already sold barely two songs into their set. Some songs remind me quite strongly of The Editors with their use of heavily reverb laden melodies that slowly climb in pitch. Adding another one to the list of bands I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see and hear for the first time.
I figured it’s time for a bit of Loathe. Admittedly I’m not the biggest fan of these but I can’t deny they put on a pretty bloody good live show so why not eh? I’m still determined to get into them sooner or later! Seeing them on a stage of this size really is something else, their fat, chunky, low-end driven sound fills the room with ease. Kadeem is blatantly thriving off the amount of people jumping up on stage and giving him shoulder pats before they dive right back in.
Putting these on a slot like this in the main stage was absolutely the right call as well, if anyone’s going to get this crowd fired up for the forthcoming headliners, it’s Loathe. And seeing their career rise take them to heights like this is well deserved too, especially with how they conduct their live performances. Loathe are crushing, pounding, relentless, and above all terrifying. These will definitely be one of the main acts that people will remember from this weekend above all else.
Dialling it up a notch compared to some of the other acts I’ve seen earlier, it’s the main stage for Vein.fm. Opening with one of the meatiest riffs I’ve heard all weekend, each member of Vein bounced around the stage like their life depends on it. Relentless aggression is Vein’s style, the notion of pulling any punches is completely absent. Chaotic dissonant riffs, furious screams, and a maelstrom of noise carry their set throughout.
Vein.fm are laying waste to the main stage right now, every crushing riff is met with the crowd losing their minds, running around and in some cases falling over on stage. Nevermind the band themselves looking like they’re headbanging hard enough to give themselves whiplash. Vein.fm have been a truly terrifying experience to behold, intense and gripping.
We’re now in the home stretch of bands now with the penultimate band of the weekend, Deafheaven. I’m finally making good on my missing Deafheaven and Touché Amoré’s double-bill show a while back. Raspy vocals and blast beats, here we fucking go! Deafheaven’s black metal inspired sound seems almost a bit at odds with the other headliners somewhat but every bit as brutal. It does seem noticeable that there’s a lot less people jumping up on stage, as well as a lukewarm response at the very front.
Disappointingly it seems that the drummer struggles to keep in time during the more intense blastbeat sections which throws out the flow of the songs a few times. Despite that the rest of the show is decent, each part of the band rings through nice and clear and as the show moves on, the crowd are warming up to them. I thoroughly enjoy shoegaze black metal stuff though, Møl being one of my favourite acts because of the jarring mix of often slow, melancholy parts with high pitched raspy vocals is great.
Deafheaven shine best when they hit their uplifting sections, swelling to a peak that feels “happy” in contrast with the aggressive vocals. There’s been some really great bits during this set but I feel ultimately it’s fallen short of my expectations, I don’t feel like the crowd responded particularly well to Deafheaven and the time issues let down the more intense sections.
And finally, Touché Amoré brings us to the close of Outbreak 2022. The moment they get started we’re back to people jumping up and running around on stage, a return to the usual antics of Outbreak. These are a post-hardcore group that’s been on my too-see list for a pretty long time and having them close out Outbreak couldn’t have been a better choice for my first time.
Their singer is getting mobbed relentlessly on stage, despite repeated notices from Outbreak to avoid invading the stage it’s evident everyone’s decided now’s the time to ignore that. The energy from this show is gloriously upbeat and wholesome. I’m stood watching this right now with a real content grin on my face, what a brilliant set this has been so far. This is just a real solid slice of fun to lose your mind to, Touché Amoré are completely smashing it here, every member of the band is bouncing away with a big smile on their face and it’s wonderful to see.
Touché Amoré has been a superb choice to finish Outbreak 2022 and what an incredible weekend it’s been. I’ve seen so many bands for the first time here and been exposed to stuff I never expected I would enjoy this much. What a special festival this has been, a fantastically unique experience, ranging from the bands on the lineup all the way to a barrierless setup that lets people jump up on stage and dive back off with reckless abandon.
Thank you Outbreak, I won’t forget this in a hurry. You’ve been insane.
Now I’ve got all of about three days to get some proper sleep again before I go off to UK Tech-Fest…