Rebellion, Manchester, 26/7/2025
Offal Fest 2025 ended up being a very solid reminder of why smaller, scene-driven festivals still really matter. My trip back home to Manchester was honestly based on the fact that I wanted to see Skinless (a big bucket list band for me); but I ended up coming away most excited about Chainsaw Castration, which felt like a solid win. Being based in York now, I’ve definitely fallen a bit out of the loop with what’s going on in the Manchester death metal scene, so it was pretty cool to discover a newer band that actually made me feel reconnected to it. That kind of accidental discovery is one of the things I think we sometimes forget festivals should be all about… And Offalfest delivered just that straight off the bat.
It has to be said that the the heat on the day ,and in the venue in particular, was absolutely brutal; not just uncomfortable, but properly draining… The kind of the kind where I started questioning my life choices half way through the afternoon (it also made my phone overheat, so no photos or videos were taken that day </3). Rebellion isn’t exactly known for being the most breathable venue anyway… Packing it out with sweaty metalheads during a heatwave definitely pushed things into endurance territory. Still, there was something about the suffocating, sweat-drenched atmosphere that I thought weirdly worked in the festival’s favour, it felt intense in a way that matched the music: claustrophobic, relentless, and a bit feral. Not enjoyable in a physical sense, but definitely fitting for a full day of death metal.
One thing that really stood out was the sound quality. Smaller venues can sometimes be hit or miss, especially across a full-day lineup… but everything came through clearly from start to finish. No muddy overlap, no struggling to pick out instruments; just a solid, consistent wall of noise done properly. It was also a bit of a full-circle moment getting to see one of the bands that originally pulled me into death metal in the first place; especially in a setting like this where everything feels more a bit more up close and personal.
To top it all off, merch was another highlight – a very nice array of shirts, patches, stickers, vinyls, cassettes and of course CDs all available to buy directly from bands (ie. The money gets to go straight in their pocket). I picked up a really nice Offal Fest four-sided print long sleeve, plus finally grabbed some Skinless patches I’d been eyeing up online; without having to deal with crazy high shipping costs, which which was another win in itself. Rebellion might not be my favourite venue, and I’m glad they’re moving somewhere new next year… but the festival itself is clearly built by people who care. You could feel it in both the lineup and the crowd; and it’s the kind of event that feels like it’s only going to grow from here.
