Gaining a good crowd shortly after doors with some local devoted fans, Newcastle’s own Undertow opened the show. The three pieces blend of nu-metally grunge and slightly proggier passages seems a little unfocused at times and the band excels more when they plow a more direct path, with some particularly driving solos the highlight of their set. At times a mix of bands like Creed and Hurt, a distinct identity is something that the band lack but you can’t fault their passion. A band very much in their infancy and possibly still finding their feet, they hold their own and definitely win over a few of those who turned up early, which is evident by the small surge to their merch desk after their final notes ring out.
Even before either of the night’s acts graced the stage there was an electric energy in the air. By the time LA based quartet LOWLIVES kicked things off the crowd were already ablaze with anticipation. Bringing the sounds of the 90s alternative explosion up to date with a healthy dose of modern British alt-rock, LOWLIVES filled the O2 Academy with a grinning, throwback energy reminiscent of acts like Weezer and Nirvana without sounding like a direct rip-off of any of their heroes. Opening with the title track from their recently released debut album ‘Freaking Out’, a non-stop post-grunge throwback with hints of early Foo Fighters, before leading into ‘Liar’, a more straightforward anthemic emo inspired number with an earworm lead guitar line.
Frontman Lee Downer led the band with confidence, embodying his heroes, from Kurt Cobain and Alkaline Trio’s own Matt Skiba to Rou Reynolds and Oli Sykes while carving out his own unique creative voice, feeling just as comfortable with gruff clean vocals and banshee-like screams. On the set’s biggest highlight ‘I Don’t Like You’, a song which Downer confessed “might be the dumbest song of the night”, the band led a sing-along that flowed perfectly into the headliner’s stadium ready punk-rock bangers.
Tonight, the only way to aptly and concisely summarise the Aussie shoegazey death-pop duo VOWWS would be to compare them to the soundtrack of a haunted house themed level from a 2008 Wii game. Not that this is a critique nor insult; such comparisons should typically only be reserved for the best names of this band’s nature. But within this stiflingly humid warehouse packed to the steel rafters, VOWWS’ frigid and gosh darn spooky musings don’t quite get everyone under their spell. Or, at least entrap them as efficiently as these songs should, as for the most part, VOWWS are great at what they do.
With their sound carrying the sacrilegious danceability of Gost, the moody darkwave swagger of Cold Cave and ashen foreboding of the plethora of goth acts that have clearly inspired them, the band’s take on gothic death-pop is animated and complimentary to towards tonight’s headliners and their respective previous collaborators. But with the setting sun shining in from yawning back door and with the majority of the coven here in shorts, sunnies and crop-tops, well, this isn’t the environment for their spooky tunes; the contrast is just too vast for their music to be fully appreciated.
Granted, things do continue as the set continues. ‘Impulse Control’ raises a few eyebrows and smiles amongst the metal minded with its Author & Punisher-esque harshness and ‘Inside Out’ gets a few hips a’swinging in thanks to goth pop romanticism on par with The Cure. But in all, whilst the spooky sounds of VOWWS will no doubt be perfect for those new to these sounds come Halloween, here tonight they fail to thaw the summertime crowd within this hot room.
Having had issues with their transport, it’s pretty lucky that Outbreak even gets to see Balance and Composure at all. Given the not so envious task of now opening the Sunday, they still give it their all. Performing to a growing crowd as many people were still queueing to get in when they began, the main stage gradually fills up. Being their first UK shows in about ten years, the set holds a lot of emotion and similar to Basement the night before, proves to be a beautifully cathartic experience for most. New song ‘cross to bear’ sounds massive while tracks like ‘Void’ and ‘Notice Me’ send the crowd into an early morning fit of ecstasy. – Chris Earl
Now having to play against verified legends, you’d forgive Bug Bath for perhaps being slightly more sedate than normal but that is not the case. The Reno, Nevada crew put on a mighty show that delights the admittedly small crowd. Vocalist and guitarist Brigdon Markward even managed to throw in some stances reminiscent of Oasis for good measure, while their guitar-forward pop rock provides a fun if slightly muted start to the indoor stage. – Chris Earl
When the Sunday stage at Outbreak was booked, you can imagine it was with a beautiful sunny day in mind that would make the likes of Angel Du$t hit that bit harder. Annoyingly, it’s pretty overcast but that doesn’t deter the bouncy Baltimore legends. Justice Tripp is his usual affable yet commanding best as the upbeat, almost danceable riffs rain down as routinely fans swarm the stage for a chance at the mic or to simply dance then throw themselves off, eyes wide and screaming along to classics such as ‘Love Slam’, ‘On My Way’ and the anthemic closer ‘Stepping Stone’. – Chris Earl
Following up Angel Du$t is Fiddlehead, who take the baton from their peers and continue to deliver the chunky, bouncing riffs. Possessing more of a hardcore edge (as said by Pat Flynn himself, describing Fiddlehead as a pure hardcore band) than the Du$t, a good few pits and two steppers begin to make their mark on the main stage. Despite having played the night before in an incredibly emotional Have Heart set, Pat is a tour-de-force of a frontman. Tracks like ‘Grief Motif’ and the incredibly emotional ‘Eternal You’ (dedicated to Have Heart member Ryan Hudon) cause a small avalanche of fans to fall onto the stage, their passion and love for the band on display for the world to see. – Chris Earl
Of all the bands to kickstart the Saturday with, Missing Link may have been the heaviest. Part of the Triple B record showcase of the day, the New York natives give the early crowd a sharp dose of downtuned, Neanderthal brutality. As the Triple B contingent watch on, tracks from their new album Watch Me Bleed create the first of many maelstroms of fists and feet, along with some two-steppers on the stage. The undisputed highlight is ‘Numbers On The Board’, which sees Matt Karll of Gridiron join them. A frantic ‘New York Minute’ ends the set but crucially, sets the standard for the rest of the stage to follow. – Chris Earl
Seizing the early zest of the crowd, the eruption of SCARAB on the stage could be felt in all four corners of the warehouse. Pulling in good numbers for one of the first sets of the Saturday, their violent whip of fast paced energy and face-slapping breakdowns creates a flurry of movement and coordinated nods from the crowd. Despite the instance of sound issues, the band launch straight back in, unfazed, channelling the frustration into the ferocious conclusion of their set. – Amy Bowles
As the sun peeks through the clouds, Higher Power take to the stage with bouncy track ‘Reflect’. Violent energy is placed on the back-burner being replaced by happy bobbing and hands in the air as the crowd vibes along. The band’s vibrancy on stage is infectious, all donning blue work shirts and bounding around the stage like golden retrievers, loving every second. ‘Absolute Bloom’ and ‘Low Season’ garner the most attention, inducing a swarm of duelling two-steppers appearing from each side of the stage. As the sun picks up for the conclusion of their set, excitable fans take to the stage and to the pits, smothering the mic and churning up dust. – Amy Bowles
New York three piece Flatbush Zombies know how to get a crowd going. Taking a slightly warmed up Friday night crowd head on, their stage banter and lyrical prowess get the early entrants into Outbreak going. There’s probably time for one or two more songs after all the crowd interactions are said and done, but they had the folks in attendance eating out of the palm of their hand so it doesn’t really matter and the songs that do make an appearance like ‘Bounce’ and ‘Palm Trees’ are so good that the established fans don’t even care.
Perhaps the act on the Friday that is the most adjacent to the world of hardcore, JPEGMAFIA arrives on stage to a rapturous reception from the Outbreak crowd, even though he is a tad late. For the first time those at the front really come to life and the first proper moshing of the weekend occurs for tracks like ‘Lean Beef Patty’, ‘Scaring The Hoes’ and a nod to last year headliner Denzel Curry with a rendition of ‘VENGEANCE | VENGEANCE ‘. It’s a fantastic set with a particularly awe inspiring light show and JPEGMAFIA working the crowd like a pro.
Deservedly headlining the Friday was Action Bronson, and not one to rest on his laurels, brought an incredibly talented full live backing band to accompany him. It gives the headline set an almost jazz like affair, with impromptu solos and drum beats accenting some of the big man’s most famous tracks. ‘Latin Grammys’ in particular is one of the earlier tracks in the set that gains another dimension. Hands are in the air, a certain aroma begins to permeate through the stage and people are swaying, losing themselves in the beauty. While in tone and style it’s perhaps a far cry from the more aggressive, scene adjacent headliner from 2023 but it’s very apparent that Action Bronson knows where he is and the type of festival he’s appearing at. The live band in particular shows that but he doesn’t try to be anything he isn’t. He just is himself, and for that, the crowd loves him.
