Radar festival is the best one-day city festival outside of London and to have it return – stronger than quite possibly ever – with this first wave of announcements signifies its intent to stay – after being on the wrong side of political pressure around Bob Vylan headlining a week after their fiercely political Death to the IDF statement at Glastonbury; 02 Victoria Warehouse chose censorship and threatened to pull the festival if Radar didn’t remove them from the lineup. With many bands pre-booked accommodation, Radar had little choice. It’s a miracle given they were able to pull together and host a show despite this – but now they’re back – and in better form than ever – opening out the gates strong with a mammoth headliner, Animals as Leaders, making Radar the closest you’ll get to an Arctangent festival outside of Arctangent, with Arctangent having just recently released its 2026 lineup.
Several returning bands from ’24 are back: Heart of a Coward and house band Seething Akira look set to tear up Manchester once again – both delivering ferocious sets that year and both capable of creating a mosh pit of instant carnage that gets the crowd moving. This Place Only Brings Death remains one of my favourites of 2023 and I’ll take any chance I can get to see Heart of a Coward live. Siamese should’ve been a repeat ’24 act but couldn’t make it (Pintglass on double duties were more than a welcome replacement) but are now back again – I cannot wait to see THIS IS NOT A SONG live again and be thrown into the sweaty, bruise-ready pit – as well as witness their more emotionally belting songs like Chemistry.
UK festival exclusives are always a massive get and enlisting The Pineapple Thief and Protest the Hero feels essential for Radar. The Pineapple Thief hail from Yeovil in Somerset and are a barnstorming group of prog rockers that instantly appeal to the Radar crowd – surefire favourites in the making. After being unable to see Ihlo tear up the Underworld in London this year I’m especially hyped to catch them live – Legacy’s 68-minute runtime is a rewarding investment that encourages fans to get on board and provide an intense combo of synth.
I saw Northlane at Jera on Air ’25 and they blew my socks off. Their ten song set tour through Carbonized, 4D, Talking Heads and Welcome to the Industry – ripping much off Alien as Mirror’s Edge and Obsidian. I can’t wait to see them again – they’re already on an explosive path to greatness after making the journey off to Bloodstock Open Air – who also have given us Cage Fight in return – excellent early evening on the Saturday there this year. The old school hardcore aggro is sure to go down a storm, worthy of a very early main stage highlight.
BLACKGOLD I caught at The Dome some time ago and the uniquely styled numetal icons look set to really justify repeat viewings. The sheer variety of music is epic – their bold, abrasive metal genre bill themselves in a tongue in cheek ‘your mum’s favourite nu metal band’ way and have followed the path of Sleep Token and early Ghost in being a masking band – a band that just revels in having fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. “We’re a band, we wear masks and we’re bringing nu-metal back,” their twitter bio tells us – and that’s what they do – “We don’t give a fuck if you don’t like this shit. It’s art.” That should so-too be everyone’s statement.
Radar is not just a festival of music it is a whole culture of inclusivity and wholesomeness, arguably one of the most welcoming festivals in the UK if not the friendliest. Gaming set-ups exist for fans looking to take a break from the pits, there was a healthy turnout of Warhammer figures this year from tabletop giants Games Workshop, and that was an inspired partnership that I’m gutted I missed. Plenty of dedicated music gear also appeals to the bands looking to upgrade. You want high-spec gaming pcs and tabletop gaming cafes for skirmishes and crash courses on painting miniatures? Look no further – I’ll be checking these out for sure as a frequently casual hobbyist.
With many more names to come, Radar’s first announcement did what it set out to do – get the fans back on board. Between that and Arctangent it’s been a fantastic year. See you in the pitt.
Radar will take place from July 31 – August 2, 2026.
Learn more about the festival, including how to buy tickets, at the official site.
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