LIVE FROM THE PIT: RADAR FESTIVAL 2025

This years RADAR Festival proved once again why it’s one of the most vital fixtures in the UK’s heavy music calendar. Across three stacked days at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, the lineup delivered everything from riff-laden chaos to emotional release, polished precision to unpredictable brilliance. With crowd surfers flying, new songs debuting, and energy peaking in every room, the festival captured the full spectrum of modern heavy music. No two sets felt the same and that’s exactly the point. RADAR didn’t just showcase a scene; it celebrated its evolution, in full force, under one very sweaty roof.

VMBRA

Fresh from their Metal to the Masses win, VMBRA took to the Kerrang! stage with something to prove and delivered with full conviction. From the first note, the atmosphere was electric. The room filled quickly, and so did the energy as the band launched into a set that showcased both technical precision and emotional weight.

Led by a commanding female vocalist with range and presence, VMBRA blended prog flourishes with a traditional heavy metal backbone. Their dynamic shifts kept the crowd guessing, moving from ethereal build-ups into tight, aggressive riffs with seamless ease. Every member felt locked in, creating a sound that was both expansive and tightly controlled.

What stood out most was the confidence. VMBRA performed with the sort of command you expect from a seasoned act, not a fresh name.Their set wasn’t just a result of winning Metal to the Masses, it was a warning shot for anyone not already paying attention. This was a RADAR debut to remember.

Pintglass 

Pintglass took to the Kerrang! stage on Saturday like a pack of high-vis-clad demolition workers ready to wreck the place. With cans of Stella in hand and menacing grins to match, they brought organised chaos to Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, turning the tent into a hardcore rave.

Their set was loud, loose, and loaded with bounce. Pintglass lean into the loutishness, but the precision behind the riffs proves they’re more than just a gimmick. Chugging guitar lines met pulverising drums, while shout-along vocals made it feel like a pub brawl put to music. The crowd lapped it up. Mosh pits opened early and stayed open.

Between songs, banter flew just as quickly as the beatdowns. There’s a strong sense that Pintglass aren’t trying to be anything they’re not, this is unapologetically British hardcore with tongue firmly in cheek and fists flying.

RADAR thrives on variety, and Pintglass offered a much-needed dose of chaos and charisma. They’re not here to reinvent the wheel, they’re here to kick it down the stairs, pint in hand.

Oceans Ate Alaska

If there was one band on Saturday’s Kerrang! stage that knew how to weaponise technicality, it was Oceans Ate Alaska. The Birmingham metalcore veterans came armed with surgical precision, explosive breakdowns, and a pit-commanding energy that had the entire floor of Victoria Warehouse caving in.

Frontman Joel Heywood, stalked the stage with feral intent, throwing out guttural lows and piercing highs with effortless control. The band’s rhythmic complexity, syncopated riffs, scattergun drums, and mathy switches, created a kind of chaos you could only mosh to if you trusted your instincts. And plenty did.

Tracks like ‘Hikari’ and ‘Metamorph’ whipped the crowd into a frenzy, but it was newer material that hit hardest. Leaner, meaner and honed for the live space. Oceans Ate Alaska haven’t lost their grip on the genre, they’ve tightened it.

There’s a relentless momentum to their live performance, no frills, no filler. For a band that’s been quietly carving their place in modern metalcore for over a decade, this felt like a statement: they’re not fading out, they’re doubling down.

Novelists 

France’s Novelists brought a sharp-edged elegance to Saturday’s Kerrang! stage, delivering a set that was equal parts intense and cinematic. Seamlessly blending soaring choruses with punishing riffs, the progressive metalcore outfit showed exactly why they’ve earned such a loyal following across Europe.

Opening with the jagged anthem ‘Lost Cause’, they wasted no time pulling the crowd into their world. Tracks like ‘Do You Really Wanna Know?’ and ‘Colas’ showed off the band’s dynamic range which is equal measures vulnerability and venom, while the standout ‘Mourning the Dawn’ hit like an emotional punch in the face, layered in atmosphere and distortion.

Vocalist Camille Contreras proved magnetic, moving with urgency and conviction, her voice cutting through the noise with clarity and power. The band’s chemistry is tight, and even with their complex arrangements, everything landed clean.

There’s a sense that Novelists are standing on the cusp of something much bigger. They’ve refined their sound into something immediate yet expansive. At RADAR, they turned technical finesse into a weapon, and they left the stage with more than a few new fans in their corner.

Normandie 

Normandie might have been closing their run for the year, but they played Saturday’s Kerrang! stage like it was the start of something huge. Announcing it as their final show of 2025, the Swedish alt-rock trio poured absolutely everything into their set. It was tight, emotional, and full-throttle from the first note.

Vocalist Philip Strand, drew every eye in the room with a natural confidence launching straight into melodic highs delivered with sheer precision. Tracks like ‘Babylon’ and ‘Flowers for the Grave’ were met with arm-raised singalongs. For a band that walks the line between anthemic rock and polished metalcore, this was them in their element. No ploys, just sheer connection.

Every moment felt deliberately dialled up: guitar melodies shimmered under heavy percussion, choruses hit with full weight, and the crowd responded with a wave of energy that never dipped.

There was something emotional about it too. As the set closed, the band lingered a little longer, soaking in the applause. It didn’t feel like goodbye, it felt like a bookmark. Normandie might be stepping offstage for 2025, but judging by the response in Victoria Warehouse, they’re returning to something much bigger.

Shields 

London’s Shields brought both atmosphere and aggression to Sunday’s Kerrang! stage, opening with a spoken-word monologue that set a dark, cinematic tone before launching into full-scale heaviness. It was a sharp contrast that had the crowd drawing in close before shoving them headfirst into chaos.

Their sound sits in the pocket of modern metalcore, but it’s the way they build tension that sets them apart. Every pause, drop and scream felt deliberate, tightly controlled yet emotionally raw. And when the breakdowns hit, they hit hard.

Mid-set, Shields introduced a brand new, unreleased track. An unexpected move, but one that landed well with the crowd. The new material felt darker and more refined, suggesting a band evolving with purpose. It was a moment that made people stop filming and start listening.

Vocal delivery ranged from clean and contemplative to full-throated, heavy screams that cut straight through the mix. With each track, they layered technical precision over emotional weight.

Shields didn’t just deliver a strong set, they left behind a sense of anticipation. Whatever’s coming next, based on that new song, it’s going to be worth shouting about.

Yonaka

Yonaka brought something rare and radiant to the Kerrang! stage on Sunday. Ethereal pop-rock with teeth, wrapped in affirmations, anthems, and absolute vocal power.

Frontwoman Theresa Jarvis is a magnetic force. Her vocals sharp, soulful, and defiant, powered the entire set. Effortlessly flipping between vulnerability and full-blown power. “Hug each other, love each other,” she beamed before launching into ‘Call Me A Saint’, her voice flying above bouncing beats and shimmering synths. It felt less like a gig, more like collective therapy in glitter and distortion.

Later, ‘Ordinary’ came with a challenge: “Why settle for anything other than the best?”, and the crowd responded in kind. Arms in the air. Crowd surfers flying. Every word yelled back like it was gospel.

While heavier acts dominated elsewhere, Yonaka carved out a world of their own, one that pulsed with positivity but never lost its edge. The set was upbeat, polished and brimming with intent, proving that emotion and energy doesn’t always need to come in the form of breakdowns and blast beats.

With a sound this confident and a message that sticks, Yonaka didn’t just win over the RADAR crowd, they nestled themselves in everyone’s post-festival playlist.

Words: Katie Edwards

Photos: James Smith