Next month, RADAR Festival will bring a banging bill to Manchester for three days of music and bants. The line-up is stacked, but here’s a baker’s dozen to have on your radar…
RADAR is the young, hungry upstart of the rock and metal festival calendar. As it reaches its fifth year, it’s already made an electrifying impact, outgrowing its former home in Guildford after just two editions (and surviving a couple of years off due to the pandemic). They subsequently relocated to Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse in 2023, a home that’s large enough for sets to feel like big moments – see Sleep Token’s victorious headline performance that year – but still with that smaller, communal feel. Oh, and no clashes either…
At its inception, RADAR nestled into the vacant space in the calendar for an event devoted to prog, djent, synthwave and other such techy styles of music. Chunky riffs, wonky time signatures, nerdy synth wizardry – all of it is welcome. And, as it’s grown, its remit has expanded and its appeal has broadened, but all this has happened while still honouring its roots. It means a headliner with a quintessential RADAR sound like Carpenter Brut can sit happily and proudly alongside emo heroes Underoath and fiery rap-rockers Bob Vylan. To top it off, Kerrang! has given it the seal of approval by sponsoring the main stage.
Of course, the rest of the line-up is stacked – here are the acts you’re definitely going to want to make time for…
Synthwave has held a treasured place at RADAR, with both Igorrr and The Midnight topping the bill across the last two years of the festival. Now, it’s Carpenter Brut’s turn to fly the flag. As the Friday night headliner, the shadowy French keyboard artist will be in his element, his metal-tinged electronic soundscapes primed for both widescreen impact and an indelible party spirit. Chances are, there’ll be some dazzling visuals too. This one’s going to be epic.
Looking for something darker and heavier? Zeal & Ardor tick that box. Having recently devolved from a solo project to a collective, Manuel Gagneux and his troupe of black-cloaked henchmen put on a spellbinding show where they are caustic from start to finish. Every so often, they’re surprisingly witty and self-deprecating as well. They deserve more credit for their live show, and as such, they need a place near the top of your list.
As December Falls are stupidly fun to see live. They offer a different flavour of RADAR away from the riffs tuned down to rib-shaking frequencies, still with a silvery, synthy side but with more catchiness. Bursting with an effervescent energy, they’ve got stacks of new songs to give the live treatment as their new album Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine whizzes closer to release.
There’s something ironic about Lake Malice having a song called Stop The Party when they’re usually primed to start them instead. Seriously, though – play their zany electro-metal at full blast and try and stay in your seat. It’s a tough ask. After packing out the second stage in 2023, they’ve earned a deserving promotion to the Kerrang! Stage this year. If they’re the band you’re starting your weekend with, you’re kicking it off in style.
Tropic Gold are an eagerly watched name for a reason, marking them as one of RADAR’s most exciting prospects. Making dystopia sound like the best party conceivable with their headrush-inducing, genre-twisting rock, they demand to be felt as well as heard. The best way to do that, of course, is to catch them live. Whatever despair at the world you’ve got to exorcise, dance along, and let it out.
Everything’s heating up in As Everything Unfolds’ camp. Newly signed to Century Media, their new single Set In Flow is a futuristic distillation of their sound into its most corrosive form yet. The guitars are heavier, the electronic side of their sound is pushed harder, and it’s absolutely going to pop off live. With a new era imminent, they’re going to hit the detonate button at RADAR. Be there to see it.
Booking Bob Vylan to headline might have felt like an audacious roll of the dice, but it also speaks volumes about the seismic impact the two Bobs have made. Their outrageous live show stuffed full of righteous fury, witty anecdotes and a truckload of bangers has already made them an unmissable prospect at festivals, and now they’re topping the bill, they’ll undoubtedly have big grins on their faces. They’ll probably also be the first headliner you’ve ever seen start their set with “some light stretching and meditation…”
For their final headliner, RADAR made a phone call to some post-hardcore legends. A year on from their tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark album They’re Only Chasing Safety, Underoath have returned with an explosive new record, The Place After This One. Offering a shinier, techier version of the anguished emo that made their name, they’ll fit right in with what promises to be a huge celebration of their classic records and modern successes.
To quote the chants at their hometown shows: here we fucking go! After a decade-and-a-half of graft (longer than you thought, right?) VUKOVI are kicking down some huge doors. As the spoils of their efforts rush in, they’ve claimed a coveted sub-headlining slot where they get to stomp through the red-hot ragers from their recent album MY GOD HAS GOT A GUN in front of a swelling crowd. They’re not underrated anymore – they’re the moment.
Dream State are fighters, and in the process have made themselves a regular fixture at RADAR already. Their sense of heart is as huge as their sound, especially after they became an independent band, and vocalist Jessie Powell’s got a great memory for the faces she’s seen multiple times in the crowd. On top of this, they’ve got a huge, synth-soaked new single, Bittersweet Scars Of My Past, to give the live treatment too. They’re bound to put a smile on your face.
2025 has been quiet for YONAKA so far, but once they step onstage in Manchester, all that will change. Prepare for a brassy set full of electrifying bangers, while vocalist Theresa Jarvis’ steely confidence as she raps will make you ask where she got and if you can have some. Given they’ve not released anything since 2024 standalone single PREDATOR, there’s a chance we could hear something new. We’ll cross our fingers…
Now, this is something different. The Scratch’s eclectic blend of Celtic folk and punk is a portal to the fireside of an Irish pub – and it’s an absolute riot. It’s so unique that they seem like perpetual misfits on every bill, and maybe the djent-loving RADAR is the same, but it’s also a welcoming space for the weird and the wild. In that sense, they’ll fit right in – not least because they cook up a storm live.
A year on from their debut album Babyface, Artio are continuing to blossom. After conquering both The Great Escape and Download, RADAR is theirs for their taking with their pulsating, opulent electro-rock which glints with a touch of theatricality. Their new single Split Soul represents a cinematic evolution of their sound, and it’s already going down a storm live. Get on it – in their world, these are exciting times.
RADAR takes place at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse from July 4 – 6. Get your tickets here.
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