A staple of Manchester’s alternative calendar for over a decade, Outbreak Festival launches its London franchise in some style.
London’s day festival circuit may be nearing a point of saturation with two – maybe even three – sizeable options vying for the public’s attention on any given weekend. It’s plain to see from the earliest of arrivals of cap-wearing, tattooed hardcore fans in Victoria Park, however, that Outbreak have identified and harnessed the weight of a community with a deftness unseen from many of their rivals.
Pittsburgh noise-pop outfit Feeble Little Horse take to The Club stage early in the day, as the afternoon sun heats the marquee to sweatbox status. Opening with ‘Freak’, FBL spin a set of expansive, fuzzy guitarwork from the band’s two albums to date, Hayday and Girl with Fish.
Those who make the call to remain in the sizeable pvc oven ahead of Jane Remover’s turn on stage are rewarded for their endeavours. An energetic performance of digicore and emo-tinged powerpop is bolstered when Danny Brown commences his shift early: joining Remover on stage for their collaboration single ‘Psychoboost’ hours before he takes to the Main Stage for his set.
Model/Actriz make it a triple-header at The Club tent, as the humble venue struggles to accommodate even half of those wanting to catch the Boston band. Spending a majority of the set within the audience, vocalist Cole Haden is as captivating as ever; adorning Model/Actriz’s industrial noise-rock with confrontational crowdwalks, pointed choreography and the occasional pirouette; subliminal promo, perhaps, for the band’s unignorable recent LP, Pirouette. It’s a performance which sets the high-water mark for the day.
Making for something of an outlier on the day’s roster, Alex G takes to the Main Stage to bestow some respite from the sweaty mosh pits. Despite many notable exclusions from Alexander Giannascoli’s discography, it’s a crowd-pleasing turn performed with the no-frills nonchalance which has remained throughout his tenure: from his lo-fi roots to his newly-announced record deal with Sony’s RCA Records.
The moments prior to Turnstile’s headline performance certainly paint the picture of a band who are grabbing their moment with both hands. A buzzing audience is bathed in blue light by sizeable screens display a VT of waves encroaching and retreating; teasing a looming sense of occasion.
Titular track from the band’s new album NEVER ENOUGH opens the show in an understated, cinematic fashion (complete with an extended flute solo, courtesy of British jazz hero Shabaka) before the audience are shaken from their stupor by the heft of ‘T.L.C (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION’. 90 minutes of near-ceaseless chaos ensues.
Circle pits open and erupt like geysers within the crowd over a set which leans heavily on the Baltimore band’s two recent albums, GLOW ON and NEVER ENOUGH. Brief sonic breakaways of undulating, jazz-influenced interludes serve the performance greatly: building a sense of narrative before another hardcore number switches into gear to send Victoria park into a cacophony of hats, tatts and crowdsurfers once again.
A downpour of rain only buoys an audience who, throughout the violence of the mosh pits, exude a sense of unity and an accommodating atmosphere throughout. Calls of “I’ve lost my phone” or “someone’s fallen down” are met with emergency stop procedures from huge corners of the mob before carnage resumes.
Blood Orange joins proceedings for their woozy collaboration ‘ALIEN LOVE CALL’ shortly before an encore of ‘MYSTERY’, ‘BLACKOUT’, ‘SEEIN’ STARS’ and ‘BIRDS’ close the book on a set which transcends a job well done. Returning to the festival which first platformed the group to UK fans in 2013, Turnstile’s showing is a mark of intent: the announcement of a band who have crossed over from the hardcore scene with all of the tools at their disposal to hijack the mainstream and take their place among the world’s best live acts.
imagery: Isha Shah & Patrick Gunning
