“Is the sea aware her heroic beauty may be in disuse someday?“
For many punters and including ourselves, Reality Unfolds will be the first live outing for the year, and most certainly their first multi-day one. It’s one we always look forward to and given how impressive Reality Unfolds 2025 was, we made sure it would be one we’d make this year. With the likes of Arkangel, Rescüe Cat, Calcine, Splitknuckle scratching the hardcore itch across the Friday and Saturday, then with Screamo Sunday hosting mountain peaks and Boneflower, it was a line-up that was worth a full three-day outing.
Photography: Friday by Anton Smeeton, Saturday by Sarah Tsang, and Sunday by Dobbin T. Contact our photographers prior to any image use.
Friday
There would have been a fair amount who saw Friday as the key day to turn up for. Whether the reason was having Arkangel as the headliner, or catching London act Regress open, it ensured there was a baying crowd from the offset. Immediate side-to-side moshing made those shooting and recording the set wish they had got insurance on their gear. It was a set in which London hardcore crew certainly turned out for, and ensured that the Reality Unfolds got off to a hot start. Regress had a strong presence, blending the likes of LIGHTS OUT and Ironed Out, summoning plenty of mic grab moments which the crowd more than answered. It often seems as if half of being a successful hardcore band is that stage presence, and Regress already have it in buckets.
Peterbrough’s finest Break Them followed, and they sure did one hell of a job. One we’ve been waiting to see live for a while. They played a mix of their material off their EP ULTRA-VIOLENCE alongside new material, which sounds like pure heat. This was another band the Reality Unfolds crowd had a lot of love for, even as they broke out into a cover of Limp Bizkit‘s “Break Stuff“, equally as hilarious as it was fun. Break Them are a unit that we hope to see again – there’s a joy to a hardcore unit who are there to deliver some heavy riffs while simply having a grand time.
Even bigger riffs were set to come from Casket Feeder, a band who since their 2022 record, Servants of Violence, we’ve been waiting to see more from. With their death metal and thrashy riffs, they kept up the energy of the previous two sets, and kept the crowd captivated while the played through material of new and old. Yet what followed in Negative Frame set the standard for the evening. As a unit, it feels as if Negative Frame are at their peak in a live setting. Gorin was pulling out gutturals and squeals which were truly impressive, while having the commanding presence to make a crowd move with fierce intent. Kicking out the likes of “Bad Blood” and “Small World“, as a set it showed that if Negative Frame can continue to put this showing in on record, they have the potential to be the next UKHC stalwart.
The last two acts of the nights are where the older heads would have chimed in. Firstly was Your Demise (04), not to be confused with Your Demise; this is an iteration of Your Demise purely focused around material from Blood Stays on The Blade and Ignorance Never Dies. It made for a solid set, with that tinge of nostalgia for these old songs coming through, and a band clearly knowing how to keep a crowd moving. This of course with the prelude to the headliner, Arkangel, and so many had come through simply to see the Belgian hardcore unit. Delivering their rapid and pummelling sound, packed with thrashy riffs and the punchy vocals of Baldur, Arkangel weaved a setlist full of material from the likes of Prayers Upon Deaf Ears, Dead Man Walking and Hope You Die By Overdose. It was an opportunity for those newer to hardcore to see one of the greats of the European hardcore scene and learn how it’s really done.
Favourites of the day: Regress, Break Them & Negative Frame
Saturday
We began the weekend days with an obligatory visit to New Cross‘ best cafe, Wakey Wakey, for a smashing breakfest to set the day off in the right way. A slightly later start time of 2:40 pm was set, due to Wiseguy not being able to perform, thus Bullet kicked off the Saturday with one hell of a performance. Like Regress the day before, opening with a local band ensured that London’s hardcore contigient turned out for their contemporaries. Getting crowd action whilst the sun is still high in the winter’s sky is never confirmed, yet Bullet coaxed out a hot start for the day. Fellow Londoners Agency then cranked the brutality and style up to another level. They embraced old school hardcore with their thrashy riffs and raw barked vocals, both of which bounced off the walls with absolute rhythm. It made for a performance that was captivating, and one that made you want to claw someone’s face off. Agency’s vocalist somehow burst their head open ever so slightly, an act we’d never encourage but did make for a fitting visual of how nails this band is. With one EP under their belt, whatever comes next from Agency will no doubt be bold and cause a lot more bloodshed.
Before the Saturday got to the much anticipated Rescüe Cat, Mindless took the stage to bridge between Agency and the Italian hardcore unit. This was one of the more underwhelming sets, perhaps suffering from the room being so gassed for the intensity of the openers, and the vocals from Mindless not hitting as hoped. The energy of the room picked right back up with Rescüe Cat, performing to a room that by this point had nicely filled up. Put as simply as possible, Rescüe Cat were fucking fantastic. Vocalist Vicky had the intensity and presence that led the crowd to keep the crowd moving, and two-stepping to the beat of the Italian hardcore unit’s sound. This is a band that many of us having been waiting to see live, and a great example of an international entrant to Reality Unfolds getting the audience they deserve. Hopefully this is the first of many UK visits for the band.
UKHC staples xapocthecaryx followed, and no doubts much of the crowd was already familiar with the band, showcasing why it’s ever so important to do as many shows as you can. The vegan straight edge band are of course no strangers to the New Cross Inn, which meant that much of the crowd knew the words and ensured that mic grabs were aplenty. It was also especially grand to finally be able to see “Xenograft” performed live, a key single from last year’s The Machine Demands Blood and probably xapothecaryx‘s best song.
A sharp turn in sound and atmosphere landed with Believe In Nothing‘s set, contrasting the tightness and aggression of the day with sludge, doom and noise. Intent on creating a deeply unsettling environment, Mr Believe In Nothing created a hellish drone and industrial soundscape from their table of noise, before their ungodly screams bellowed through the microphone. Interludes were accompanied by hammers being consumed (yes, you read that right), or being mirrors being cryptically held up to the audience. Potentially the most unique set we’ve seen at any Reality Unfolds, it was a shame that many who were present for earlier sets didn’t turn up for this one. Embrace other genres, soundscapes and styles, as it will make for a much more interesting mindset and musical vocabulary.
The ideal bridge between Believe In Nothing and Calcine came in the form of Harrowed, who borrowed sounds and influences from the genes that both bands come from. Their guitars ripped through the room, prompting an inescapable headbang. Harrowed have demonstrably earned the many amazing support slots they’ve had of late, and makes the idea of going to Desertfest this year ever more tempting. Reality Unfolds kicked back into full force with France’s finest in Calcine, who delivered a crushing set to match the intensity they delivered on the record Common Love Common Nausea. With riffs that had the room bouncing one moment and moshing the next, Calcine‘s energy is one that you could argue deserved more from the room, given what was delievered in the earlier sets. Still, it’s another set from a European HC act that throughly showed how strong the scene on the continent is becoming, and we hope to see more of it on Reality Unfold‘s line-ups in the future.
Endless Swarm had the job of being the penultimate act, with their brand of Scottish powerviolence. To cut straight to the point, we really didn’t take to it. Perhaps it was just too caveman, or perhaps the fatigue of the day setting in. The Reality Unfolds crowd did visibly take to Endless Swarm, so who are we to judge. After COA dropped out of the Saturday line-up, it was on the legends of Essex in Splitknuckle to take up the mantle. There was a quiet reminder of how far Splitknuckle have come, hidden away on a poster within in the New Cross Inn: the name amongst the line up for the 2018 edition of Upsurge Festival. It was the infamous one that saw Counterparts and Harms Way headline. Looking back on those headliners now seems like staring into a different world. On that Saturday, Splitknuckle were one of the opening acts, and are one of the longest surviving from the rest of that line up. While not to delve too much into the sentimentality, fair play to Splitknuckle for grinding, thriving, and now finding their way to being a deserving headliner at Reality Unfolds.
Expectations of busted noses and more were running high, and Splitknuckle delivered as always. The likes of “Breathing Through The Wound” and “Fuck Your Whole Life” sent an infectious frenzy throughout the room. No matter your provenance, it was an obligatoy moment to shout along to “Essex marfucka, don’t ever forget it“. A standout and important moment of the weekend was Drake‘s mention of harbouring the hardcore scene and staying humble, to raise the up the next generation of hardcore crowds and acts, which can be seen on InsideOut video zine here.
Given some bumps in the road with bands dropping out from the line-up, and there being not one but two other spicy gigs on (False Reality at Blondies,and the leave-before-the-headliner-show Paleface Swiss with support from Stick To Your Guns and Static Dress), an outside observation might have questioned what the attendance for the Saturday of Reality Unfolds would be like. Yet instead it showed the resilience of Reality Unfolds and London hardcore. A strong turn out and an active crowd gave large audience to newcomers such as Bullet and Agency, while ensuring visitong acts like Rescüe Cat and Calcine will return knowing that the UK has one of the strongest scenes going in the world.
Favourites of the day: Agency, Rescüe Cat & Believe In Nothing
Sunday
Screamo Sunday was upon Reality Unfolds, possibly the favoured day for those of us who venture down from the various corners of Britain’s green lands. In 2025’s edition, there were just enough bands of this ilk to designate it as the ‘screamo’ day (namely Stormo and Cady), and for 2026 the line up went much deeper whilst maintaining the variety and more traditional heavy hitters. Kicking off proceedings were post-hardcore Sunday Best. Rather than a full-throttle attack like the previous two days, Sunday Best welcomed and eased the crowd into the day. Moving through their currently small discography performing “Ghost” and “Margins“, the latter made into a sing along moment whether or not you’d heard it before, there was plenty of appetite for Sunday Best‘s even at 2 pm on a Sunday.
mountain peaks were the first to pick up the screamo mantle, a trio are another who are more than familiar with New Cross Inn. Each member contributed to the vocals, giving us unapologetic shouts with their own own style and mannerisms, providing a significant dynamic element that kept you on your toes. mountain peaks are also just extremely good at that emotive screamo style that rumbles the soul; they’re certainly underrated within the wider screamo scene. Their songs had interludes with samples from the timeless 1991 Moomin series, plus playful chatter, which showed that mountain peaks were here to have fun; it made for a refreshing change from some of the more steely eyed sets of previous days. Most importantly, mountain peaks donated 20% of their merch proceedings to the Ben Raemers Foundation, after recently losing a close friend. For those who would like read more on the charity, you can find their website here.
One we had much anticipated to see was Afraid To Die, especially after their inclusion in our Ones To Watch for 2026. They certainly delivered, with a vocal performance that had an air of sorrow and grief, imparting the heaviness that fit snugly within their hardcore sound. Given the presence of members from Devil Sold His Soul and Svalbard, the atmosphere that the instrumentals delivered perfectly matched that of the vocals. Afraid To Die come across as the ideal band to scream your sorrows at to, and perhaps find some catharsis. They’re dropping an EP via The Coming Strife soon, which we are much looking forward to. Bristol’s Tension followed, who we last saw at the Blowout Night’s new year’s eve event – we were rather weary eyed, so to see them again felt like a real chance to check them out. There’s a charming rough and readiness to Tension, as they blend together bouncy riffs and stomping groves that will have a room going side-to-side one moment, then two-stepping the next. Bristol seems to be cultivating an ever-growing scene and Tension must be noted as one of the standout acts from the region.
The weekend was beginning to near its finale and the moments to have a scrap were were becoming fewer and far between. Not Without Punishment ensured that anyone with some energy left had a chance to let it out. Now with two rapturous EPs under their belts, So’ton’s finest delivered up one hell of a set. Mixing between metallic earworm riffs alongside pure hand-throwing riffs, anyone not short on fumes got into the jostle. It was a pleasant surprise to see I’m Sorry Emil on the line-up, as they’re another we’ve been keeping tabs on. With a new bassist on the line-up and an admission that the band were short of practice, the result was a fairly hit and miss set. Taking long interludes to sort themselves out between songs also took the momentum out of their performance. Yet on the flipside, it did impart that rawness and vulnerability that emo really ought to have. They’re one we will wait to see live again to give a full verdict on and remain hopeful on.
Cassus dragged the Sunday back into full screamo force, and after solving some early mic issues they were ready to perform their cutting brand of screamo. They created a sheer wall of noise from the vocals, rasping with an emotive rawness as if they were giving a sermon to the end of days. Cassus were simply an act to stand and be in awe at given their force of sound and emotion. After a long break from full studio releases, we’re very much looking forward to seeing how that’s conjured on their upcoming record. And then, to almost save the best ’til last, came Crowquill. With only one EP of four songs to their name, they’ve already captured quite the following. Liam opened the set on the line “This is for those outside who said we weren’t very good“, which seems like a demonstrably daft opinion to hold. Then chaos of a Crowquill set unfolded, truly a band to spin kick, windmill or do whatever your hearts content to. A highlight came with “The Family Faucet“, as Liam called out “where are my clean singers at?”, as the crowd gathered round the microphone for the band’s essential moment. Supplementing their material came three tracks, one of which will be apart of the forthcoming The Coming Strife compilation due out this Spring. We’re left curious as to what Crowquill have in the pipeline for 2026.
The day concluded in full screamo territory. One wonders how a scene as humble as Sweden could produce a band as crazy as Kid, Feral. Arguably they are flagbearers of ‘5th wave’ of emo thanks to their experimental sound that is scattershot, polychromatic and desperate all at once. They played their blisteringly quick new single “Medieval Poetry” on the eve of its release, and for a select few in the audience hearing material from their debut album Live and Let’s Die! won’t be topped all year (including this fest’s own organiser). Their proficiency was more than enough to merit a late slot, and hopefully they’ll get out of Scandinavia to our corner more often in the future. After a brief but necessary break for us, finally, Boneflower performed to a still strong crowd. One could say that Boneflower‘s sound sits in the more traditional realm of screamo, specialising in adding that touch of glitter and sunshine to help it cut even deeper. They played a set much like their 2025 festival tour, this time with a new bassist, Dani Soteldo for the first ever time. The band had teased that an era was coming to an end, leaving an implication that this could be their last performance, but no – this is just a glorious new beginning.
Favourites of the day: mountain peaks, Crowquill & Boneflower
It won’t come as much of a shock that a grand time was had at Reality Unfolds. There’s a reason that, even as the dust had settled on 2026, we were already chatting about bands we’d like to see on the line-up for 2027. Dobbin literally had a dream where the US noise-screamo titans Infant Island played. For others the prospects include various new British and European entrants, such as Desorden, Rekrucify, Black Mould and Minus Youth, which we’d absolutely be pumped to see.
There’s also two other reasons why Reality Unfolds is great; the location and the people. While people do have a moan about New Cross in terms of getting to it, it’s actually a grand little location for a festival. It’s packed with places to go and get food or chill, not leaving you feeling trapped, like other festivals can do at times. The small venue encourages conversation and keeps everyone mixing so you’ll mingle naturally and meet band members all the time. Whether it was photographers exchanging tips or moshers asking to see if a tog had captured their moves, the social element is another part that makes Reality Unfolds deeply enjoyable. Of course, the movement of the crowd is a huge positive, even if there’s always one individual who takes the crowdkilling just a tad to too far over the weekend – there’s nothing to prove by Sunday, folks. Finally, there is a real sense of soldiarity to Reality Unfolds; seeing the members of the likes of Sunday Best, Tension and Agency watch and mosh to other bands on the line-up on the weekend warms our hearts. See you next year.