FOMO x RADAR Festival
Words & Photos: Chloe Michelle Photo / Latif Bryant
★★★★☆
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We’ve heard all about RADAR Festival over the years, but never took the adventure up to experience it. So, for 2026, we travelled from Cardiff to Manchester to check out the warehouse festival, with zero clashes before it changes venue for 2027.
The new venue has been announced as Magna in Sheffield, with Mick Gordon headlining. This is a world first and RADAR exclusive, where he will be performing Doom O.S.T in full for the first time. As guests for this year, we were over the moon to have received this news first as they posted around the arena.
Tickets are on sale now | 30th July - 1st August 2027 | Buy tickets here
Photo: Chloe Michelle Photo / Sikth
Unfortunately for us, due to medical constraints, we could not see every single band we wanted to. However, because we arrived early on Friday and Saturday, we caught bands and artists that we wouldn’t have necessarily gone to see live. This is an absolute favourite thing about festivals like this, especially ones with zero clashes; it gives the opportunity for everyone to catch everyone and discover new sounds.
Spread across three days and two stages, we caught seven bands in total. We also made sure to venture up to the second floor and check out the stalls and everything else that was on offer. Everyone we spoke to was incredibly friendly; shout out to those running the Shure stall who were happy to chat to us! Upstairs also had a range of talks and workshops, including Pintglass demolishing a dry wall. Definitely one band to keep a watchful eye on!
One part of the festival we’re hoping improves with the new venue is the variety of food stalls. As there were only three different options, it was difficult to cater for the large number of people. It made sure to cater for vegetarians and vegans, great, but I found it difficult to cater to my dairy/lactose requirements (including my fussy autism food brain with new foods). Luckily for us, we could go on and off-site for food if we needed to, since we were guests, but ticketholders don’t have this option.
A standout band for us were CLT DRP. We’ve seen them a couple of times now: Noizze Fest 2024 and 2000 Trees 2024. Annie, Daphne & Scott are a perfect blend of Nu-Metal and Electro-Pop. Definitely one we recommend watching live if you ever get the chance. They definitely deserve a bigger stage if they’re back on the line-up for 2027.
A standout for us over on the main stage was Seething Akira. A band we’d heard the name of, but not the music. Their band name does not match their energy. With a blend of hardcore metal and dancefloor pop, these gave us similar vibes to Electric Callboy and Enter Shikari.
Overall, having two stages with zero clashes is a fantastic idea. The sound was a little dodgy at times on the Shure stage, and with it being a small area, we found it hard to see the bands. We were disappointed to have missed Unpeople, Northlane and Animals as Leaders, but we’ll have other chances. Since the festival was all indoors with dark spaces, flashing lights, and we were moving through the outdoor areas a few times, it flared up a migraine attack on my side. This is through no fault of the festival; this is decently accessible for those who need support, especially with all bands being in step-free areas. Just look after yourselves if you have additional medical needs.
We look forward to seeing the new venue next year and how this festival will continue to grow!