For one weekend every summer, Manchester becomes a meeting place for fans of progressive music, metal and everything in between as RADAR Festival returns to Victoria Warehouse. With an exciting lineup, a welcoming atmosphere and a warm sense of community, it’s easy to see why the festival continues to grow year after year. From the moment we arrived at the gates, everything felt extremely well thought out. The two stage layout made it easy to navigate and move between sets, whilst well placed bars, food vendors, and a merch stand were all within easy reach. Upstairs offered even more to explore, including a balcony with an access area overlooking the Obscure Clothing Stage, a vibey coffee shop lined with beanbags for a relaxing break, and the Gaming and Music Market, where festival goers could browse Vinyl & CD’s, try out a range of premium guitars, play a selection of games on high end PC’s and discover independent TableTop and Card stalls. There was always something to do between bands. Making the festival feel like much more than just a series of live performances.
One of the biggest highlights of RADAR wasn’t even on the lineup. Every member of staff, from the crew to the security team, helped create an environment that felt very welcoming and safe. Despite a constant stream of crowd surfers throughout the weekend, security handled everything calmly and professionally while keeping the atmosphere positive. The welfare team also deserve huge credit, providing an incredibly attentive and reassuring space including electrolyte drinks and snacks for anyone needing a break from the festival.
Friday offered plenty of standout moments. Whilst it’s hard to replicate the carnage that Vianova brings to their shows, giving Bound In Fear the call was possibly the best thing RADAR could’ve done. As expected, the crushing riffs accompanied by the brutal gutturals of Ben Mason showed why they were the perfect candidate to get the main stage warmed up for the day. Like most tradesmen, Ben doesn’t just limit himself to one job a day, as Pintglass created one of the weekend’s biggest talking points with their action packed Trade School where volunteers were selected from the audience to take part in learning how to “correctly” build a shelf, cook a Rustlers burger, and then smash it all up, amongst many mini-games in order to receive a coveted ‘National Geezer Certificate’. And of course, later, the endless wave of crowd surfers that had security working overtime during their set. Closing the evening, Thy Art Is Murder took the stage with Jerry Grimefeld, who, although hasn’t been confirmed as a permanent member, fans will be hoping this is the case due to how perfectly Jerry embodies Thy art is murder’s gruesome sound. Delivering an explosive UK exclusive headline performance that set the bar incredibly high for the rest of the weekend.
DAY 1 – SCROLL ACROSS FOR IMAGES
THY ART IS MURDER
Day two brought more opportunities to discover new music. Seething Akira’s crushing take on Faithless’ “Insomnia” was an early highlight, while Eville quickly became one of my favourite discoveries thanks to their infectious crowd interaction. Heart Of A Coward easily delivered my standout set of the day, complete with relentless circle pits and even a Cookie Monster crowd surfer making an appearance. Protest The Hero lived up to every bit of the hype, bringing tracks from their first self released album before Skindred closed the night in spectacular fashion. From walking out to the iconic “Imperial March” to teasing songs such as “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “Back in Black” and “Another One Bites The Dust” and it wouldn’t be a Skindred set without finishing with a legendary Newport Helicopter, they had the entire venue in the palm of their hands.
DAY 2 – SCROLL ACROSS FOR IMAGES
SKINDRED
By day three, everyone had settled into the rhythm of the weekend and that sense of community felt stronger than ever. Familiar faces appeared everywhere, whether people were chatting in the smoking area, browsing the market stall or waiting for the next band. Maebe eased everyone into the final day with a more melodic start before Elwood Stray quickly woke everyone back up, bringing constant movement both on stage and in the pit. Luna Kills rounded off my personal highlights and made the most out of their first Manchester appearance, encouraging the audience to bring their best while delivering one of the most fun, dance filled sets of the weekend. Followed by Employed To Serve arriving straight from Germany and raising the intensity once again as the venue filled with yet more crowd surfers. As the final band of the weekend, Animals As Leaders delivered exactly the kind of set you’d want to end a festival with. The crowd understood the assignment and gave their all one last time to close out a energy packed three days, soaking up every last second.
DAY 3 – SCROLL ACROSS FOR IMAGES
LUNA KILLS ( BENIE DAVIES )
ANIMALS AS LEADERS
What really separates RADAR from other festivals is the people behind it. Whether it was recommending bands to complete strangers, chatting between sets or simply looking out for each other, there was a genuine feeling that everyone wanted each other to have the best weekend possible. Even after three days of almost constant live music, the atmosphere never dipped. The crew kept everything running seamlessly, dealing with any challenge with professionalism and good humour, and the welfare team remained just as caring and attentive on the final day as they had been on the first.
RADAR Festival 2026 wasn’t just a weekend of relentless live music. It was a brilliantly organised event built around its community, supported by an incredible team of staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. It’s the kind of festival that leaves you buzzing long after the final set, and one that’s quickly becoming a must-visit in the UK’s alternative music scene.