Goremageddon 2026 – LIVE REVIEW
Goremageddon
Aatma/Bread Shed Manchester
20-21st March 2026
Live Review by Oli Gonzalez
When did festival season start in the UK? While many have the likes of Download or Bloodstock circled in their calendars, for some it began on March 20th in Manchester. While it was too cold to erect a tent in the middle of a field somewhere, Manchester was baked in an unusually hot sun on this Friday evening, the pre-show before the main event that would take place the next day. A main event that showcased the underground talent in the UK, as well featuring multiple exclusive UK debuts and rare live performances from bands across the world. Brought to us by Rancid Offal Promotions, this spoke to this young company’s ambition, fearless approach to booking, and un-questionable passion for the more extreme side of music.
Friday 20thMarch; The Pre-show
The Bread Shed felt unusually quiet and there was a distinct lack of folk sporting black t-shirts with incomprehensible band logos. That’s when horror struck, and I realised the pre-show was taking place at the Aatma on the other side of town. After a 20 minute power walk and arriving at the correct venue sweating more than necessary, time for a pint and to soak in the atmosphere. Despite the early door times of 5pm, the Aatma was nicely packed out and the place was buzzing! Friends embracing one another after having not seen each other for so long, the vibes were immaculate and it felt like all the ingredients were there for a brilliant night!
BillxFury
One man, his laptop and guttural carnage. Seems like the most appropriate way to describe our opening act of the evening as he rattled through 36 (or was it 37 songs?) of piggy-piggy slam-slam! Clearly not supposed to be taken seriously and was a highly entertaining set that lasted seemingly just as long as it took to write this paragraph!
Lars Ulrich and Megafart
“This may be shitter than you expected”
Not sure what we could really expect from a band which could be best described as an improvised and impromptu slam set geared towards the hatred for Metallica’s drummer. Much like Megafart, this clearly wasn’t one to be taken seriously. The improvised nature of the set afforded the opportunity for members of the audience to join in, really summing up what’s brilliant about this slam community! One of those audience members included legendary Fatuous Rump vocalist Larry Wang hailing from Taiwan. Considering the fact that the drummer (not Lars Ulrich) had arrived from British Columbia, we quickly had an international feel and quite a unique collaboration of musicians.
Hideous Crawling Abomination
A step up and more serious now, with a full line up armed and ready to lay down some serious slams. Some were still shuffling in and the venue was filling out nicely just in time for their set. With a ferocious raw style of grind leaning towards early Napalm Death and Rotten Sound, this was the cue for our first pits of the evening!
https://www.facebook.com/hca.grind
Grunk
Another full band line up ready to carry on the momentum Hideous Crawling Abomination had created. It was pretty hot in the Aatma and some had taken to the outside to escape the heat and just chat with friends. Though there was still a healthy turnout and crowd. Their sound deviated slightly in that there was more of a hardcore-thrash crossover spine but it was no less primitive and angsty as the rest of the artists on this night. This was lapped up by the crowd as the pits continued, along with some unsavoury dad dancing.
https://www.facebook.com/GETTHEGRUNKOUT
Stuhlgang
Deep into the night now, time for Germany’s Stuhlgang who added international flavour to proceedings (and those fluent in German will see that this indeed translates to ‘bowel movement’). Whether the band’s vocalist lacked confidence or just didn’t feel the need to holla at the crowd and hype them up is open to anybody’s interpretation. It felt as though the night’s energy may have peaked at the beginning of the set. Though this slowly and gradually this increased, with the warning of the last song triggering the crowd into a frenzy!
https://www.facebook.com/p/StuhlG%C3%A4ng-61563447480419
Disgracing
After Stuhlgang’s set, it was announced that 55 Gore – the night’s headliners – had travel difficulties and would not be able to make their set. While the organisers could have just left it at that, Manchester’s newest slam band Disgracing played a very last minute and improvised set, making the best of a bad situation and offering something to their customers and fans. The crowd had thinned and while the band worked their hardest to engage the crowd, some felt it was time to call it an early night and get rested up for the next day.
https://www.facebook.com/DisgracingDM
In many ways, this is the way a pre-show should be; all about the community, good vibes, and giving people a chance to settle in and have a small taste of what’s in store for the next day. Nothing too chaotic or tiring either, and nothing to overshadow the main event itself.
Saturday 21st; Goremageddon
With the sun baking Manchester once again in unusual heat, things were going to be hotting up inside The Bread Shed! The venue upgrade was a fantastic decision from the year prior and first impressions were that they made much better use of the space by essentially using the bar adjacent for merch areas and freeing up the space inside the main performance area. Space for activities. Activities that began at the rather early time of 12.30 where Legislate Mortality were opening things up. Whereas the atmosphere was buzzing and the venue packed before the first band on the opening night, here things felt a little cold with the room only sparsely full for the day’s opening act. Whether some were still nursing their hangovers from the night before, or checking into their hotels, the space between the stage and the crowd was chasmic. This acted as a slow and steady introduction to the day’s proceedings. Would things get better from here?
Mincer
After opening Offal Fest 2025, Manchester were no strangers to Mincer and their chaotic brand of goregrind! What they lacked in technical proficiency they more than made up for in raw primitive angst and unrivalled energy! Clothing was optional as most opted for Borat style mankinis (I wish I had the confidence). A few in the audience opted to throw some shapes and fists in the early remnants of the pit, and first signs of life from some in the crowd.
https://www.facebook.com/MincerBand
Lymphoedema
Time for a bit of Irish Gorenoise now. Clearly one of the bigger draws at this early stage as people were camped at the barrier and the crowd surging forward for this set. One man and his drum machine, making vocal sounds no human should be able to make! From songs tackling the hard hitting subjects of hometown pride and sodomising Christ, the whole set represented a serious injection of energy and dynamism, with a cover of Last Day’s Of Humanity seeing the most movement from a crowd clearly waking up now.
https://www.facebook.com/61586793149831
Cerebral Enema
It was always going to be difficult to go on stage after Lymphoedema but the German duo Cerebral Enema were up for the challenge. Their mix of filthy slam and chest thumping techno incite some serious pits, and also an impromptu break dance competition which didn’t last long but was great while it lasted. The duo saying that ‘you have our hearts’ felt sincere and genuine, a clear indication of their profound gratitude. It felt as though the festival was heading towards full flow now and the venue was beginning to fill out.
https://www.facebook.com/whitetrashgoregrind
With the addition of 55 Gore to the line up after they had to withdraw from the previous night through no fault of their own, this meant shorter set times for some bands and tight turnovers. This meant that the UK debut of Fupa Goddess was much shorter than some would have expected. This also signalled the point in the day to get the weight of our feet and get some much needed refuelling before heading back for MysteryxMeat.
I haven’t really said much about the venue but the decision to host Goremageddon here worked on multiple levels! The adjacent Flour And Flagon pub acted as a breakout room for anybody just needing a break from the chaos, or just simply just wanting to chat with friends for a bit. Same thing with the beer garden. With countless fast food joints next to the venue, as well as convenience stores, you’d never go hungry. Public transport options in close proximity made this super accessible also.
MysteryxMeat
Among one of the few UK debuts on the card, the American act represented a major step up and were oozing star power with an electric presence on stage! Just from the line check, we could tell this was going to be intense. With many artists featuring electronically programmed drums, it was refreshing to finally hear an acoustic drum kit. A drum kit that often laid down Ska Punk infused rhythms, as well as filthy blasts that got the place rocking and bouncing from start to finish and quite possibly the most savage pit of the day! Hotly anticipated, and they lived up to many people’s high expectations.
https://www.facebook.com/people/mysteryxmeat/100091572016122
Horse Bastard
HORSE BASTARD! HORSE BASTARD! HORSE BASTARD!
That’s all you could hear the crowd screaming between songs! It felt as though some were tiring and the energy had been sapped in the early stages of the set. Though a mid set drink break orchestrated by vocalist Chris was the break and rejuvenation that was needed, because Horse Bastard upped the ante – and the volume – to serious levels! Chris seemed to just want to incite chaos as we saw crowd surfers, violent pits, and stage divers, making the place feel like a Royal Rumble match from the WWE at one point! Absolute scenes!
HORSE BASTARD! HORSE BASTARD! HORSE BASTARD!
https://www.facebook.com/HORSEBASTARD
Carnal Diafragma
Where did everybody go? Were they calming down after Horse Bastard’s relentless set? Or did they just decide that the foodbreak was going to be during Carnal Diafragma’s set? Seems like a slap in the face for a band trekking from Czechia and the place felt sparsely populated. Though those who stayed were treated to something different; a mix of rutal slam with the old school slower more marauding Death Metal sound a la Obituary. This broke the day up and helped the band stand out with a more technically refined set which still delivered in harsh brutality. While the song titles were largely introduced in Czech, we all understood the language of slam!
https://www.facebook.com/carnaldiafragma
Brutal Sphincter
Having carved a fierce reputation on the European festival circuit, one only need to visit YouTube to see the carnage the Belgians have caused at the likes of Obscene Extreme. They can take the crown of having the largest circle pit of the day and alongside the crowd surfers and stage invasions, the scenes we saw in Manchester on this evening felt like something we’d see at one of said larger festivals! They came with a huge reputation and they left with this firmly intact!
https://www.facebook.com/BrutalSphincter
Fatuous Rump
Finally, the night’s headliner. All the way from Taiwan on their UK debut, the hotly awaited maiden appearance of Fatuous Rump. Having seen Larry Wang, the band’s vocalist, appear in other bands over the weekend, it felt strange to finally see him in his own band. 30 minutes felt far too short for such a prestigious slot and confusion mixed with disappointment was in the air when the lights came on at the end. Though it was time for one last hurrah, one last song, and a full blown stage invasion to boot. Who was the bassist, who was the guitarist, and who was a fan on stage? It didn’t matter; it was just one of those ‘I was there’ moments. Then a long grueling day finished finally at a rather sensible 10pm, leaving plenty of time for the after party.
https://www.facebook.com/fatuousrump/?locale=en_GB
Closing Thoughts
Rancid Offal have done it again! This isn’t my usual thing as I like to stay in my lane of Doom, Post and Black Metal. But the whole event represents tremendous risk and ambition. Considering that they upgraded from a venue well over half the size as compared to the previous event too, this suggests there’s an upwards trajectory and it’s exciting to think how far the festival and brand can go. They took full advantage of the venue’s facilities and made the day feel accessible and just an enjoyable experience. Offal Fest 2026 is up next and if Goremageddon is the starter, then July is going to serve up a phenomenal main course!
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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
