“We call for paradise, unperfected and wild.”
Mångata Festival has moved from strength to strength since 2022, now offering its greatest line-up yet for 2025 on July 12th. Five stages will run bands from across the rock and metal spectrum for eleven hours. There’s a huge focus on budding UK talent, giving bleeding-edge local prospects a space to play alongside some of the most interesting artists in heavy music. The five stages are trivially close to one another (take that, Download festival); you only have to make sure you’re in early enough to the smaller capacity rooms to ensure you can stagehop without straining yourself.
The aims of Mångata Festival include a commitment to grassroots and local scenes. It’s therefore relevant to consider the context of our current times – it’s a crunch time for festivals in the UK. In 2024, 78 festivals called it quits, compared to 38 in the year before. Concerns are not held for the ‘big festivals’ which are mostly corporatised; it’s the independents who are providing the most ambitious events that catch our ears that are often at risk. In Mångata’s case, it’s not yet a household name among festivals, and involves a lot of relatively fresh and unknown talent. Each year is another go at becoming a key part of the UK’s music community, and support and enthusiasm is particularly critical in this time.
In a wider sense, Mångata is also putting Nottingham and its venues on the UK’s map. It’s a well-connected city, so getting outsiders in to understand its internal scene is a boon for every event that follows. So, even before we get to the music itself, the importance of Mångata in its 2025 incarnation should not be understated.
If you’re already in the area (or able to arrive earlier), don’t miss the kick-off event, Solgata, featuring Employed To Serve, VOWER, Cage Fight, and Red Method, all of whom are really exciting bands right now. Our recommendations in this article are for the main event. Instead of our typical “for fans of”, each of our recommendations comes with “also consider”, where we name some additional bands playing Mångata Festival who would be up your street if you’ve been convinced by our recommendation (or if you are already a fan).
The Five Hundred (Rescue Rooms, 19:15)
Starting with one of our picks for the main stage, The Five Hundred are far more than a local Nottingham band. They’ve gone up one slot since their appearance at Mångata 2022, thanks to their latest record GHOSTWRITER bumping them up many charts. Their approach to melodic metal is earnest, favouring big dynamic changes between verses and choruses. You can imagine finding their tracks on the worn MP3 players from the late 00s, with choruses seared into the minds of their owners. These trusted fundamentals are merged with a hint of djent, and finished with John Eley’s magnetic and pitch perfect vocals.
Also consider: For an evening more modern take on melodic metal, hit up Defences (Ghost, 16:15), whose style will be immediately familiar to fans of modern Architects or Spiritbox.
Pulse (Tap N Tumbler, 21:00)
Modern metalcore is a busy landscape which makes it difficult to keep up with. Those with their finger on Pulse will have heard their sophomore record Body Is Reality earlier this year, a tight twenty five minute album that doesn’t mess around. They’re strongly inclined towards hardcore, breakbeat and nu-core stylings, dropping amen-style breaks amid breakdowns and two-step riffs. They pack in the tightness of tech along with gorgeous synths and pads, drawing on the latter for the reflective and even catchy moments. It really feels like a melting pot of everything going on in modern metalcore. Pulse contend with all three of the other headliners for your attention, and they’re not even the final band that will play their stage – Eschalon has that honour. Despite this placement, they’re well worth your time.
Also consider: Black Coast aren’t on the same stage as Pulse, but they’re like peas in a pod. Make the trip over if you’re chasing the nu-metalcore sound.
Moon Reaper (Tap N Tumbler, 19:45)
Moon Reaper are a fresh discovery of ours thanks to their inclusion at Mångata Festival. A bit black, a bit doom, a bit death, and even a bit ‘core, Moon Reaper’s sound is difficult to pin down, but it’s actually quite simple in its execution. Crunchy guitars that jump between enthralling highs and gritty lows, an overbearing atmosphere of eternal night, and bewitching vocals combine on familiarly structured songs; it’s a winning combination. On Black Sun Sorcery they seem to have written their songs without a preconceived idea for the scene they wanted to land in, yet they still ended up with a coherent record that will set every face in the room to “stank”. Even in this world where our tastes can be so similar yet so misaligned, if you like anything extreme, there’s a good chance Moon Reaper will find their place.
Also consider: They don’t really sound alike, but if you want an aesthetic that aligns with Moon Reaper’s blackened witchery, don’t miss She Must Burn (Ghost, 18:15).
Mother Vulture (Ghost, 19:15)
At Boolin Tunes we admittedly lean towards the heavy end of Mångata’s spectrum, but worry not, Mother Vulture are far from a ‘pity rock-n-roll’ pick. In fact, within their absolute kinetic sound, they find ways to be more than just ‘heavy’ within the context of rock. They’re in your face all the time, propelling a bombastic delivery from every instrument. Once again, it’s the vocals that really kick it up a notch, oozing charisma and offering incredible range from ironic whispers to harsh barks. We’re eagerly waiting for the follow-up to their LP Mother Knows Best, especially since this year’s single “Slow Down” has them sounding their best yet, from the bold production to the deliciously rock and roll lyrics (“life gave me lemons / so squeeze them in my eye”). In the meantime, you can be sure to find us at Ghost stage for their party.
Also consider: Mallavora (Rescue Rooms, 12:15) open up the whole event at the main stage. Just like Mother Vulture, they’re on that rock-metal border, offering a buzzing party atmosphere and fantastic vocals for their righteous rockers.
Outergods (Red Rooms, 15:45)
Black metal is well represented at Mångata 2025. Locals Outergods take black metal to its cosmic limits. This year they dropped Dethroned And Devoured, a chaotic record that slips through dimensions across its dizzying and dissonant nine tracks. If the audience can keep up with the guitar riffs, the circle pits will have to be sprinting. Like a lot of dissonant black metal (especially Ulcerate, Imperial Triumphant and Abyssal), getting lost in the unfathomability of it all is much of the appeal. Yet Outergods keep things grounded, offering just enough structure to get your teeth into.
Also consider: Abduction (Liquid Library, 17:45) also dwell on black metal’s weird side, channeling a more occult feeling than the astral Outergods.
Wolvencrown (Liquid Library, 14:45)
If Outergods and Abduction represent the claustrophobic darkness within black metal, let Wolvencrown be the light. They are another local band who played the 2022 incarnation of Mångata. They firmly plant their flag in their genre’s ground, offering an atmospheric black metal sound like it came from the American Cascades rather than Sherwood Forest. However, rather than acoustic and folk elements typical to the style, Wolvencrown favour keys, imparting a triumphant neoclassical feel to their epic tracks – think Elderwind, Caladan Brood, and Ellende; castle spires, valiant knights, and sacred groves. Their record Celestial Lands will transport you to another landscape entirely.
Also consider: The incredible Ante-Inferno (Liquid Library, 21:15) are 100% your headliner if you are into atmospheric black metal. You can also catch Devastator just before them for a more speed-oriented take on black metal. Whether one can plan a day at Mångata which is 100% black metal is left as an exercise for the reader.
Desert Storm (Red Rooms, 18:45)
Oxford-based stoner doomers Desert Storm have a staggeringly large discography, dropping their seventh record in 2023. You’re only human if you haven’t kept up with their output – my own experience is limited to 2018’s Sentinels and the most recent Death Rattle, but the range here is incredibly compelling. From this small sample they offer traditional doom aplenty, which will have gone down a treat when they supported Kvelertak. Death Rattle specialises in epic and pensive structures that inspiring landscapes that live up to their name – think Elder’s early work. Their most tasty morsel has to be their Mastodon-esque sludge riffs, like “Gearhead”’s absolutely sick breakdown, which is surely a must-play for the band to this day.
Also consider: Since Desert Storm have a bit of prog going on at times, if you want an extra dose of that, get to the stage one set early to watch Black Orchid Empire (Red Rooms, 17:45). They offer an accessible, polished, and biting take on the sound that 90s era Porcupine Tree and Marillion defined.
SWARM6IX (Ghost, 15:15)
There are a few rap metal inclusions at Mångata, and SWARM6IXX’s take is a darkly alluring one. Shifting between electronic and acoustic drums with ease, their guitars land with the same supernatural precision, creating world that is perfectly messed-up. Their biggest single “Dopamine” demonstrates the massive range in vocal deliveries, from goblin-esque rapping to fast flows and luscious cleans. They’re so embedded in the sound that they’ve got features from the scene’s torchbearers, Hacktivist, on their latest release – “RIDE N DIE” is quite different from the rest, an absolutely tongue-in-cheek bounder with 90s hip hop flows and synths.
Also consider: To counter the inherent darkness of SWARM6IXX, or frankly any act on the line-up, check out Seething Akira (Rescue Rooms, 17:15). They are a frankly jubilant take on rap metal, with empowering lyrics that match the ‘rainbow road’ of their bombastic sound.
Blanket (Red Rooms, 19:45)
Blanket are headlining the Red Rooms, a delight for us to see – we’ve watched them since their EP, Blue Eyes, and they’ve moved from strength to strength since. On Ceremonia, they made sure to bring their hooks front and centre for an evening of more accessible sound, but the new single “Levitate” is a great place to begin: emo and grunge with crisp production and a penchant for the blissed-out atmosphere of shoegaze.
Also consider: We are in a golden age for dreamy and heavy metal, yet Blanket’s sound makes them a left-field booking for Mångata (perhaps more because of the pop elements inherent to their sound). Their closest could be Pulse (Tap N Tumbler, 21:00) offering a vision of modern metalcore that, at pivotal moments, stands astride Blanket’s wall of sound.
Coilguns (Rescue Rooms, 18:15)
Finishing up with a main stage pick and one of the few international artists, Coilguns are an ongoing struggle to define. The loose idea of ‘noise rock’ might work, as it captures their bombast and aggression, though they sound nothing like the genre’s forebears. They consciously avoid many of the well trodden tropes of punk, hardcore, and even post-hardcore music, striking down their own path instead. And yet, their long awaited 2024 record Odd Love could have been so much weirder – it’s actually fun as hell. The band relish their Swiss heritage, and enjoy the irony of a messy sound coming out of a sleepy city known for its watchmakers. Besides their music, you should be in that room just to experience their stage presence, watching their frontman Jona Nido switch instruments and bewitch audience members one by one.
Also consider: Nothing else on this line up compares with Coilguns.
Grab a ticket for Mångata on the 12th July, or the pre-show on the 11th, at their website.