Mother Vulture opened up RADAR 2025 with a sharp dose of controlled chaos, mixing pedal-to-the-metal energy with a level of musicianship that made everyone in the room stop and appreciate just how good they were. Georgi Ivanov’s fry screams could peel paint off the walls and definitely wouldn’t be out of place on a far bigger stage. Tight riffs, groovy breakdowns, and just enough madness to keep it interesting. It was like watching a crash course on adrenaline, but louder and sweatier.
Floya brought enough warmth and light to the Kerrang! stage to make you forget you were in a concrete warehouse in the middle of Manchester. Their alt-rock meets synth-laced sound hit that perfect emotional sweet spot, especially during ‘The Hymn’, which landed like an instant classic, swelling with feeling and flawless delivery. The surprise guest appearance from Jack Bennett (Lonely The Brave) was an added cherry on top, and these guys really brought big heart, big hooks, and seriously polished execution.
Lake Malice hit the main stage like a glitch in The Matrix; sharp, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore. Their digital-metalcore fusion, boosted by their recent addition of silver-clad dancers, made for a spectacle cheered by moshers and bystanders alike. Tracks like ‘Creepers’ and ‘Bloodbath’ whipped the crowd into a frenzy, with limbs flying and surprisingly graceful chaos unfolding in the pit. Bombastic, bonkers, and bursting with confidence, these guys are levelling up with every show.
Opening the night’s proceedings were Manchester’s hardcore outfit Guilt Trip, who were determined to “fuck Brixton up”. They opened with ‘Sweet Dreams’ and promptly asked anyone in the crowd with a hardcore t-shirt on to open up the pit – and the pit didn’t really let up since. Jay Valentine, the frontman, was unrelenting in his calls for an even bigger pit between each of the songs, and he had an incredible command of the stage and the crowd, together with jumping, 2-stepping and sprinting from one end of the stage to the other, showing the moshers how it’s done.
He was tough to please though, just before the band launched into ‘Severance’, Jay judged the pit to be “7, 8 out of 10 – I need you to be a 10!” – it was really difficult to turn it up to 11 (or even 7) in the sweltering heat of the Brixton Academy, but the mosh pit didn’t disappoint. The band’s heavy metal influenced hardcore was hitting the sweet spot with the audience, and proved to be the perfect opener.
It was also a full circle moment for Guilt Trip – Jay reminisced how A Day To Remember were the band that made him want to get up on stage and perform, so seeing the Mancunians perfectly warm up a sold out O2 Academy, Brixton felt incredibly special. Ending their set with ‘Tearing Your Life Away’ and ‘Thin Ice’, Jay thanked the audience on the behalf of the band for their “time, positivity and patience”, visibly moved by the reception.
The crowd clearly game for this evening, during the wait for ADTR, the room turned into a huge hardcore karaoke, as familiar tunes like Linkin Park‘s ‘In The End’, Papa Roach‘s ‘Last Resort’ and Bloodhound Gang‘s ‘The Bad Touch’ came through the speakers, resulting in a five thousand-strong sing along.
The sun is taking no prisoners on the large crowd gathered outside the Trinity Centre, excited as they flood into the community centre venue to see fast rising stars in the global hardcore scene, Pain Of Truth. Having previously supported the likes of Malevolence and played Outbreak fest numerous times, the pure blooded beatdown east coast hardcore act might seem a bit odd opening for the esoteric journey’s of Deafheaven; but clearly a lot of the audience tonight have come down early to catch the hotly tipped act. Frontman Michael Smith is an energetic maniac, constantly fanning the flames, demanding all the hardcore kids throw down in the pit and extracting every ounce of energy he can from the room.
Even the most ardent black metal fan in the room can’t help but throw their fists up and feel the call to mosh their brains out as Pain Of Truth show off just why they maintain this high level of buzz around them. Despite the doors opening fifteen or so minutes late, the band still get to thrown down the gauntlet of fourteen tracks through their opening set, leaving the walls covered in almost as much precipitation as those throwing down in the pit. One thing is for certain, Pain Of Truth could play anywhere at any time and win over scores of new fans.
Opening the Sunday were xWeaponx and to say they set the standard would be an understatement. Enveloping the second stage in a sea of violence, raised fists adorned with thick black X’s (In solidarity with their straight edge beliefs) soon began flailing. Filled with now iconic gang vocals, devastating breakdowns and pointed, to the throat lyrics such as “Weapon X hates you!” it couldn’t have started the Sunday in a better way. As the ‘Weapon X Outro’ is played for the first time today, you can barely hear the band over passionate cries of “Weapon X, Straight Edge, Fuck you”. CE.
One of the biggest sets of the weekend saw the UK debut of God’s Hate and in the moments before a note was played, the anticipation was palpable. Brody King is an incomparable frontman in terms of his imposing aura and in an instant, he’s commanding the stage. A set filled with powerful political call-outs, violent pits and gang vocals roared back at the band, the wait has definitely been worth it. Throwing a Merauder cover into the mix keeps things varied, but few hardcore songs of the last decade sound as vicious or as vital as ‘Be Harder’ and set closer ‘Finish The Job’, which ends up creating some of the most ludicrous and frankly terrifying scenes of the entire weekend. CE.
The South West’s Oversize is done dirty by the clash with Speed over on the main stage, but it didn’t stop a crowd forming and their brand of Hum style fuzz is a welcome embrace of different energy from wall to wall two steps. Those passing through the third stage becomes a stream of the dedicated as many more begin to stick around for the incredibly well received ‘Are You With Me?’ Extremely tight across the board and the balance of both vocalists is crisp as ‘Fall Away’ is a groovy head bobber for those getting into a Superheaven mood. The crowd have no intention of peeling away for the main stage and Oversize keep them in their grasp for the duration of their set, which doesn’t slow down as they rattle off track after track from this 2025’s stellar release Vital Signs. Signing off with the declaration of joy despite the gloomy music, undoubtably Oversize will become a big player in this new wave of shoegaze for years to come. AC.
Kicking off the third stage for the weekend were Brighton’s Ikhras. A raging, politically charged blast of hardcore punk, their set saw the first drops of bloodshed in the violent mass that erupted before them. This was a set for Palestine, for the oppressed. Brand-new tracks got an airing and amongst a sea of raised fists and passionate voices, they set the bar high for every single band that followed. CE
Cutting the ribbon on the Main stage, Momma coming all the way from California to bring a soundtrack perfect for enticing the sun from behind the clouds. A congregation of the curious approach as Momma shine bright with the confidence of a band who are at home on the big stage. Gliding through their most addictive numbers from ‘I Want You (Fever)’ and 2023’s stand-alone single ‘Bang Bang’ which is all they need to convince Manchester to pay attention as the crowd’s enthusiasm blossoms as the first stage divers of the day get their steps in during their grungier moments. The band is in full swing and even squeeze in a cover of Narrow Head before members swap instruments for the final track ‘Speeding 72’. A great way to end their current tour, be sure to catch them back in the UK this November. AC
A contender for the heaviest band of the weekend, the knuckle dragging death metal tinged hardcore of Final Resting Place saw a huge crowd gather. What was witnessed undoubtedly lowered the IQ of everyone in the room a couple of points. Devastating, down tuned destruction enraptured those in attendance, and you could see those unfamiliar with the band be actively blown away in confusion and admiration of the bestial sounds being made. CE
The afternoon sun is bearing down on the horde of excited metal fiends waiting for the gates to open to Blackweir Fields. It’s a stacked bill and tight curfews, hardcore legends Hatebreed have the pleasure of kicking off proceedings and despite going on fifteen minutes after the gates open, they’re fortunately greeted with a crowd thirsty for pits and aggressive riffs. It’s a bite-size twenty minute set, stacked with fan favourites, but Jamie Jasta and crew stuff it with as much energy as they possibly can. Flanked by an inflatable demon with a Morning Star, the band tear through seven tracks in pure Hatebreed festival energy. The balls of death make their way into the ravenous crowd during ‘Tear It Down’ and ‘Destroy Everything’ nearby levels the place alone. Closing out with ‘This Is Now’ and ‘Driven By Suffering’, it’s a flash in the pan of pure chaos to start the night off with a bang. The only thing to complain about is that we didn’t get more Hatebreed.
