A river of people entered the second stage of London Outbreak as soon as the gates opened at 2.30pm. A shame that they didn’t allow any settling time between the first act and the opening of the doors, as the tent took a while to get full. Regardless, it seemed like the majority of Outbreak audience chose Kumo 99 to open their dances, and rightly so. The LA duo absolutely captivated everyone with their techno/drum n bass performance.
Ami Komai’s vocals are so uniquely bratty and futuristic with a real punk attitude on stage, which was a perfect contrasting the more subdued goth presence of Nate Donmoyer on the beats. Not only great rave songs but also great melodies with some nostalgic feelings. The set went so fast, and it felt like the audience, still full of energy, definitely needed more of it. The duo would’ve perhaps profited from playing later in the day, as their sound was worthy of an evening performance. BL.
Drug Church can be named with no doubts as one of the most genuine performances of the entire festival. The love you felt coming from Patrick Kindlon to his fans was bouncing right back at them. A crowd of chants, smiles and a real positive energy. This is an example of a band that, among others, really struggled from the presence of the barriers that day. The singer kept inviting the audience to move and to crowd-surf to the front to make up for the lack of human contact instead, and it definitely worked. Smooth set, the band was super tight, the voice was on point, they were just having fun. Drug Church is an example of what good wholesome hardcore is, they are a band that works very hard, and you can tell that they are truly grateful and excited to show up to perform for their fans. On top of that, all of their songs have at least one memorable riff, banger after banger, it was just a great set for them. Melodic hardcore at its finest that deserve to go far and reach the Olympus of legends. BL.
Despite competing with other acts across the festival, Fleshwater managed to draw in a decent crowd, with excited fans sprinting to the main stage to witness their blend of dreamy melodies, hazy atmosphere and upbeat rhythms. With the sound carrying well across the open space, their ambient, immersive passages perfectly matched the outdoor 4pm atmosphere. Energy building as the set continued, Marisa Shirar’s vocals stood out as a stunning centrepiece, effortlessly cutting through the textures of the band. Their standout hit ‘Kiss the Ladder’, leading seamlessly into a sonic, well-received cover of Björk’s ‘Enjoy’, was a masterpiece and ensured movement ripped through the crowd. AB
The French quartet of FENCES \\\\, all dressed in white, stepped on stage to present their alternative rock and their driving riffs, led by dreamy vocals. The rawness of their sound defining the set, as heard on their tracks ‘The Great Listener’ or ‘A Breach To The Cosmos’ and on a new track, in ‘Any Last Word?’. The singing always on point, and the whole band contributing to the vocals as a unit. Maintaining the thrilled atmosphere of the crowd by making everyone clapping along the songs, FENCES \\\\ easily captivated the Parisian public. Rock’n roll is not dead, but they couldn’t say the same about Loïc’s drum snare, which ended up with a hole in it!
Tonight’s sold out show is already apparent, the Electric’s dance floor and balcony are already jam packed full of punters anticipating tonight’s headliner. Merce Lemon takes to the stage amongst some audience chatter and delivers a delightful forty five minute set of quaint country/americana leaning indie folk rock. Performing as a four piece lined up at the front of the stage, they get straight to it blasting through various cuts from their 2024 album Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild alongside some unreleased material and a stunning cover of indie-folk legend Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s ‘I See A Darkness’.
Everything sounds fantastic, if a little quiet, but it lays a solid and enjoyable foundation for the night to come. Soulful country rock influenced melodic guitar solos are woven between the heart on sleeve lyricism and intimacy of Merce’s songwriting. The final three-piece of ‘Backyard Lover’, ‘Foolish and Fast’ and title track ‘Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild’ give the best impression possible and makes a point that Merce Lemon is worth catching live and definitely one to keep an eye on for a bright future ahead of them.
Opening tonight; Deathcrash. There’s something just so fitting about watching a band of this nature in a room that is practically a warehouse sans any form of veneration in the middle of a British heatwave. Why, it’s almost as if this is a genre intended to expended whilst enduring a level of discomfort, regardless of it being mental, or in tonight’s case, borderline unbearably physical. Not that this a slight on Deathcrash however; they’re utterly fantastic.
Offering a kind of dreary slowcore that’s interspersed with moments of atmospheric post rock and pressurising doom, the London quartet peddle a kind of despair that’s questionably British. Simply, Deathcrash essentially channel that sense of lethargy and post-frustration exhaustion that comes with from having endure a life within a country that’s become more or less synonymous with misery.
The exasperated regret of ‘Third’ and the self punishment that characterises ‘American Metal’ encapsulates such a motif wonderfully, and quite frankly mostly physically given the sheer humidity in this room. After all, it’s impossible not to feel slow burning resentment towards a life thats stacked against you from the offset when expecting it in a room that doubles as an industrialist public sauna. Deathcrash may not the sound of the summer (don’t expect a Limmy endorsement), but they perfectly compliment the sheer authentic discount felt by all here tonight.
Re-emerging in 2024 after a six-year hiatus, Bristol post-rockers The Earth & Me start the night off to a glorious start. The decommissioned ship is transported to another place for a tightly packed thirty minute set of shimmering post-rock glory. Feeling like they’re musically somewhere between the high-strung emotional grandeur of This Will Destroy You, piano fused throwback of Maybeshewill and the playful math rock edge of Totorro. The occasional flurry of vocals and crowd chatter come without the use of a microphone, lending a post-hardcore edge to moments in the set and simultaneously feeling distant, yet intimate. It is a stunning showcase of the four piece’s material; highly melodic and soul stirring post-rock with a post-hardcore/DIY punk edge. Here’s to continued success for The Earth & Me after their time away, perhaps a slightly longer set in the future to hear them really flex those post-rock muscles, to have a bit more room to breathe and expand further. Regardless, they should absolutely have a space in any twinkly instrumental enjoyers’ music library.
There’s a palpable buzz in the air as the crowd fills the dimly lit venue. The slight delay on the doors has only added to the sense of anticipation. When God Alone finally take the stage it’s clear we’re in for something special.
Hailing from Cork—“same place as Cillian Murphy,” they proudly proclaim—the band are quick to pay homage to the rich cultural heritage of Bristol, “where Tony from Skins is from.” It’s this blend of humour and high-octane energy that sets the tone for a chaotic yet deeply engaging set.
God Alone’s sound is a wild ride: discordant blasts give way to technical intricacy, then bloom into something almost heartbreakingly impassioned. Drummer Jack O’Hanlon is a revelation—tight, inventive, and versatile enough to belong in five different bands across five completely different genres. Meanwhile, guitarist and lead vocalist Jake O’Driscoll spends half the show weaving in and out of the crowd, his riffs veering all over the sonic map but never losing coherence. By the end, he’s sprawled on the floor in the middle of the pit, guitar squealing its final notes into the ceiling.
There’s a vitality to their performance that’s impossible to fake. In the course of the six-song set, the band showcase a clutch of new tracks alongside familiar material from 2022’s ETC. Every song and component element feels urgent and necessary. ‘Kung Fu Treachery’ closes things out accompanied by an onstage display of the finest kung fu skills this side of Outbreak festival.
It might have taken a minute to get going, but once it did, God Alone delivered a set that was as emotionally raw and frenetic as it was musically accomplished. Their upcoming set on the Wednesday of this year’s ATG is unmissable.
