On the eve of the festival, we cast our eyes further down the billing to highlight our top five picks across the three days:
No Pressure (Friday, Main Stage)
Perhaps pop punk wouldn’t be expected to appear on the Outbreak Festival line-up, but perhaps No Pressure are a band who would never allow themselves to be limited by a reductive genre label. Something of a supergroup, consisting of members of bands like The Story So Far and Light Years, the collection of anthems on their self-titled album skirt around the edges of the material produced by these bands, but they manage to craft something wholly new. Their set might take a few by surprise, but as one of their first British shows it is sure to be memorable.
Militarie Gun (Friday, Main Stage)
The past three years have been a blur of stunning material from the hearts and minds of Militarie Gun and their Outbreak Festival appearance lands on release day for their full-length proper ‘Life Under The Gun’. Tracks debuted so far, such as the opening duo of ‘Do It Faster’ and ‘Very High’, are the sound of a band continuing to build on the already eclectic stylings of their extended plays (repackaged last year as the breakout offering ‘All Roads Lead To The Gun’). With the album finally unleashed, their visit to Manchester is likely to be a celebratory affair.
Spy (Friday, Second Stage)
A few weeks ago, Spy released their debut album ‘Satisfaction’. Coming on the back of two bristling Extended Plays in ‘Service Weapon’ and ‘Habitual Offender’ it offers a more controlled, but equally compelling, sound. This year at Outbreak Festival they are headlining Friday’s second stage but we are in little doubt that the coming years will see Spy gracing the main stage and working their way steadily up the bill.
Narrow Head (Saturday, Main Stage)
Where a lot of the bands on this year’s Outbreak Festival bill seem to have (justifiably) exploded into the wider public consciousness relatively swiftly, Narrow Head are much more of a slow-burning concept. In fact, it’s only with this year’s ‘Moments of Clarity’, the band’s third album offering, that they have truly captured the attention they have always deserved. Sometimes stumbling into an awkward ‘shoegaze’ classification, but truly producing tracks which move so much beyond that, they’re an interesting booking which will open some eyes come Saturday morning.
Show Me The Body (Sunday, Main Stage)
While direct comparisons with Saturday headliners Death Grips might be a little lazy, it’s undeniable that Show Me The Body channel a similar no-holds-barred approach to mining genres to craft a wholly unique sound. Theirs is a live show which captivates and inspires; no matter what your musical preference, there is a good chance that Show Me The Body are gunning to be your festival highlight.