For most people here, Outbreak is the real start of the gig year. With 15 bands making it a nine hour day, it's great to see there's no filler, no duds, just balls out awesome hardcore and metal. It's such a strong line up that the bar for 2012 is already stupidly high, but these aren't the kind of bands to let standards slip, and the proof of that is offered in buckets at Outbreak.
Kicking the long day off while people are still entering are Speak Up. The crowd's response at 1:30 is huge for a first band, not to mention the youngest band on the bill. Not too suprising really when tracks like 'Disassociate' and 'Extinction', which have rough recorded versions online, are a ton sharper, tighter and funkier live. Speak Up finished on a new song with a shredder of a riff, which surely had everyone agreeing that if Speak Up want to frequent more all dayers and gigs in general through the next year, well that's fine by us.
The first heavy of the day, Splitcase literally and metaphorically kicked the fuck out of everyone. A relatively unseen band compared to most on the bill, they start their year off with a much stronger live show than they've displayed previously; hopefully something that will continue as the year goes on with a future Purgatory Records release on the way.
Three bands in now and neither the bands or crowd reactions are slowing up one bit. Breaking Point guitarist 'DCB' starts his day off with his own outfit Iron Curtain, dare I say an even sharper outfit. Not to discredit the great Breaking Point, but if Speak Up were the first to have everyone let loose, and Splitcase were the first to bring the real heavy, Iron Curtain were definitely the first to blow the house down. The whole place spirals into lunacy and really sets the tone for the rest of the day as DCB roars; 'Left to right, front to back, if you don't like it fuck you, we're the London wolf pack'. Leeds wants some more of that.
2012 is going to be the year of Survival. Bays were a strong presence throughout last year with only one 5 track release, meaning their end was significant in these circles. Anyone reading this who has already heard of the band has no doubt already followed Tom and Ross over to Survival, and in turn devoured their demo. If this describes you, you won't need me to tell you how tight it is. It's insane seeing the response they receive, as wall to wall chaos fills The Well. Everyone knows the words, everyone kicks off, and it's only their 4th show. Closer 'No More Mistakes' sees singer Tom take up bass duties and vice versa, and it doesn't even matter that the mic ends up on the floor, as the heap of fans getting in on the gang vocals make sure the last few lines are still bellowed through The Well; 'drank myself into a hole, I've finally escaped now I'm making up for all those fucking wasted days, STRAIGHT EDGE!'. Even if you're stumbling around with a pint you can't helped but get involved with Survival.
Out of 15 bands, there has to be something that goes wrong. It's just one of the unwritten Laws Of the All Dayer. Sadly it's for Wayfarer, who arrived minus drummer and bass player. They did everything they could; drafted in other bands members, but on such short notice they could sadly only manage two songs. In this fuck up we possibly see their biggest strength though. When there are bands out there cancelling tours for upset tummies, Wayfarer turn up 2 members short and still manage to give us everything they've got at their immediate disposal.
With a new 7" and full length due out this year, Broken Teeth use Outbreak as a goodbye to some of their old material, making it the last time they play tracks pre-The Seeker. 'On The Edge' and 'Reflection On Me' deliver some of the biggest throw-down moments of the day, however it's the new material on show that stood out to long time fans. For anyone who's a regular at these shows, Broken Teeth are a well known band, and it's great to hear that soon this year we'll be treated to two new lots of the best metal-hardcore on offer Up North. Dangerously potent and volatile, these new songs see them step further into metal territory while retaining their hardcore flow. There's lots to be excited about this year if you're a BT fan.
Brutality Will Prevail's live shows are never short of mind-crunching, but there's something different about them tonight. Over the last year or so, they've been trimming any fat there might have been and have now reached a point where they have an impeccable live performance. Tracks from their last release 'Sleep Paralysis' bubble and froth in-and-amongst the whirring, tarry blasts delivered from 'Root Of All Evil'. They're practically seamless when played together, and there's no doubt they're on track to be the leading progressive hardcore band in the country.
It's been a long day and after 14 lots of bands and fans alike roaring, moshing and stage diving, it all comes to a throbbing, bleeding end. Almost. Harms Way are last up on the bill and there hasn't been a band like them all day. Since half past one we've seen a barrage of hardcore and metal, and unless you've stood outside all day you've definitely been kicked/punched/had someone crawl over your head an uncountable amount of times. So to wrap up the day are Harms Way, the heaviest motherfuckers on the whole bill. It's a massive shame i had to watch and dash after 3 or 4 for the last train. What I saw though was the summit of rage, which is saying something considering the day everyone has had. With tracks like 'Scrambled' they bring a quaking violence to the festival, and it's way more than front and posturing. The few songs I did see easily made it amongst the top highlights of the day.
**Apologies to the bands I haven't covered here, I'll no doubt be covering you at an upcoming show soon this year.
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