Momma was the first band we encountered on the main stage. They’re straight out of a 00s teen film soundtrack, accentuated by the duo’s strong American twang. Like most of the American acts who came over for the day, they were shocked by the heat but still managed to provide a fun set. Fleshwater followed, more on the hardcore side, with heavy guitars and bold vocals. “I want the biggest circle in the world!’ yelled a member of the band, which the British audience were initially hesitant to do, maybe due to the heat, but they eventually caught the drift.
The one criticism we really had was the capacity of The Club Stage, as we didn’t manage to get in at all. We were incredibly keen to catch both feeble little horse and Jane Remover, but due to being faced with a queue that seemed to curl back around itself endlessly, we ended up just standing near the entrance and trying desperately to catch what we could.
Next, we had Julie, who was our highlight of the day. They began by playing a video of someone playing the cello, which broke down as the band walked onstage. We likened them to Bar Italia’s little American cousins, lacking the nonchalance of the European indie darlings, which isn’t a negative. At times reminiscent of Nirvana, their drum work was particularly impressive. Definitely one to check out.
Closing out there was a characteristically excellent set from lo-fi indie king Alex G, which featured some deep cuts and mental instrumentation we were big fans of, followed by Turnstile, a band who’ve blown up massively over the past year. A momentous ending full of moshing and jumping around, insane that most had energy after the 30-degree temperatures.
It was an impressive London launch for Outbreak, with a really great selection of both hardcore and shoegaze artists. We’re already excited for next year!
