A couple of my buddies in the UK went to Outbreak and said overall it was good but nowhere close to perfect: -the rap acts were mid beyond Death Grips -the sound was terrible -the roof leaked and the plumbing was leaking and there was a thin layer of piss all over the floor But they said all the bands went off.
Direct quote: Last year Outbreak was in a venue called Bowlers Exhibition Centre which is basically a massive modern warehouse in south Manchester. This year it was in The Depot which is a huge old (think Victorian era) warehouse right in the middle of Manchester. I think they use it for raves normally. Big rave scene in the UK, probably the most popular form of live music. Manchester is a massive city (by UK standards). Think it's the third biggest in UK after London and Birmingham. They said that there is not an an option for outdoor venue unfortunately.
which blog got the best of hardcore so far since we about to be half way through the year so I can see what I missed
I live in Manchester and went to Outbreak last year and this year too. Last year's venue - Bowlers Exhibition Centre - is, as the name suggests, a large building which main purpose is for hosting large exhibitions and conventions. Sound and facilities were great, and is definitely a larger and more modern space than this year's choice of venue. I imagine part of pushing the boat out so much was with it being the 10th anniversary of the festival and also being such a stacked line-up. This year's venue - Depot Mayfield - is in central Manchester and much easier to get to, probably the easiest venue to get to in the whole city. It's situated across the road from the main train station into the city, and is mainly used to host the Warehouse Project which is a popular brand series of club nights, but I think that's its main base of events. Again, very well equipped in terms of sound, the screens, etc. but definitely has it flaws. At one point there was some brick dust/debris from the ceiling that fluttered down beside me whilst I was enjoying some chips/fries. One great thing I think they did on the main stage was have a kind of tiered stage, meaning where the crowd climbed up to run about or whatever was slightly lower than where the band would mostly perform, minimising risk of bumping into band members, damaging equipment, etc. It looks like Outbreak 2024 will be there again, so I imagine/hope that they'll tend to some of the flaws (albeit minor) that presented themselves.
stereogum might? tom breihan's got a pretty good grasp on the hardcore world and writes about it from time to time when he's not doing the number ones.
Thread regulars should post their mid year favs instead, also looking to catch up on anything I maybe missed!
Here’s what I got so far, I’ll add more when I remember them DRAIN- Living Proof Destiny Bond- Be My Vengeance Anklebiter- To Live and Withstand Zulu- A New Tomorrow Buggin- Concrete Cowboys GEL- Only Constant MSPAINT- Post-American SPY- Satisfaction Judiciary- Flesh + Blood Enforced- War Remains