Core. Festival 2026 – The 10 Artists You Can’t Miss

Time to squeeze in one more festival before the year ends? Core. returns to the cold of Glasgow for a weekend to celebrate noise.

Portrayal Of Guilt

Scathingly heavy black metal screamo grinders Portrayal of Guilt are purveyors of some of the most abrasive music of the current age. As uncomfortable as it gets in the live setting too, they’re a prize to get for Core. as their latest record, … Beginning Of The End is one of the best heavy releases of the year so far. It feels almost poetic for them to be playing just before the legends that are Saetia, as PoG owe so much to their sound but also have taken it further and darker than most would have thought possible in the early days of screamo. One of the absolute must see bands of the Friday.

Saetia

Screamo legends Saetia are a rare sight indeed. Originally active in the 90s and incredibly influential on all things screamo (and to a lesser extent post-hardcore), they reformed in 2022, and their set at Core. is one of just two UK appearances. A mix of unbridled chaos instrumentally and pained, fierce shrieking vocals, expect classic tracks from their only studio album alongside their selection of EPs and newest release from 2025. For many, this will be the first and likely only time to see a band who inspired so many and laid the groundwork for an unprecedented number of bands. A truly monumental set awaits in the Friday night headline slot.

Taqbir

Furious, politically charged hardcore punk from Morocco, Taqbir will be bringing their anger to the stage on Saturday at Core, fest and you just know it’s going to get wild. Blending more traditional punk sounds with a heavy touch of bounce and distortion, you can be your life there; there’ll be side to side all evening as they bare their souls in their native tongue of Darija and vocalist Nao pulls no punches on stage.

Incendiary

New York hardcore as it was intended. Pissed off, heavy and politically driven, Incendiary don’t play that often, so when they do, it’s always a special occasion. One of the most straightforward bands on the Core. bill, them following Angel Du$t is perfect placing. Possessing some of the best grooves and stomp in hardcore today, they take their rightful place as Saturday night headliners, and you know that despite the late slot, the windbreakers and fists will be flowing to tracks like ‘Hanging From The Family Tree’, ‘Jesus Bones’ and ‘Zeitgeist’. Make sure you stay all the way till their set because their live sets create an atmosphere that’s well… incendiary.

Xiao

Part of the exciting, burgeoning Stockholm hardcore scene in recent years, Xiao like to make hardcore the old fashioned way. Fast, pissed off and for the dancers, but they’re also not averse to throwing in moments of heaviness and even hints of powerviolence in the mix, making for a sound that brings in ‘core fans of all flavours. With their Control album from last year turning heads across the world, Xiao feel like a band on the cusp of blowing up and with their Core. appearance as part of supporting the internationally known The S.E.T. feels like the perfect time to catch the swedes.

Healing Wound

One of the most exciting new bands in the British scene right now, Nihilists Healing Wound is a band you might have seen popping up on support slots across the country and the continent in recent months. A dark blend of bands like Mastiff and The Acacia Strain, the Brighton crew specialise in close, oppressive metallic hardcore that invites furious moshing as much as it does staring off into the abyss and pondering the futility of existence. One of the bands who you definitely expect to see on bigger stages in the near future.

Bathed In Sin

One of the hometown bands on the Core. bill, Bathed In Sin are representing the world-renowned force that is Scottish hardcore, specifically Glasgow hardcore. Taking a metallic approach to things with a lyrical stance that focuses on self-struggle and mental health issues, they’re likely to be inciting violence from the first notes played. Look out for these on the Saturday alongside fellow GHC representatives Canny See if you want a good old dance.

HORSEBASTARD

Grind how it was meant to be played. Violent, disgusting and above all, short. The wonderfully named HORSEBASTARD are just one of many grind bands on the Sunday, but they certainly give the rest a run for their money in terms of concise slabs of blasting fury. Not ones for taking themselves too seriously, you can expect a bewildering set, with more tracks in their set than most smaller bands on the bill have in their whole discography.

Wormrot

Are there any bands around right now as insane to watch live as Wormrot? The Singaporean grind veterans have made a habit of blowing minds and leaving audiences slack-jawed in recent years with their at times unbelievable aural assault. Belying their status as a 3-piece, their grinding, blasting sound is as uncomfortable as it is fast, genuinely needing to be seen to be believed. With moments that invite jaws dropping, eyes wide and heads banging as hard as your neck muscles allow, you’ll be a changed person after seeing Wormrot, but thankfully the band on after them is one of the few in the world capable of following them.

Pig Destroyer

Few bands can truly claim to have reached the status of legendary and pioneer, but you’d be hard pressed to find one in extreme metal as renowned as Pig Destroyer. The grindcore eccentrics are responsible for closing out the festival on the Sunday night, and what a sight it will be. Fronted by the unparalleled J. R. Hayes, their near three decades as a band had produced some of the most vile, insidious grindcore ever put to tape, and you can guarantee that the set played will be packed with maddening slabs of brutality. Whether it’s from the classics that are ‘Prowler In The Yard’, ‘Terrifyer’ or their most recent album in Head Cage“, you’ll never be too sure what the band are going to burst out with and that’s part of the thrill.

The last few Core. tickets available here.

  • # Bathed In Sin, Core Festival, Festival Preview, Healing Wound, HORSEBASTARD, Incendiary, Music, Noizze, Pig Destroyer, Portrayal Of Guilt, Saetia, Taqbir, Wormrot, Xiao