What bands can’t you miss at Radar Festival 2024?

Radar Festival has been making a name for itself over the last few years. From humble beginnings at a nightclub in the small English town of Guildford, the festival is now hosted in the Victoria Warehouse in Manchester – one of the largest venues in the city! Accompanied by an arcade, food trucks, masterclasses, and music market – there’s no point in during this 3 day weekender where you could possibly end up bored.

But who should you be keeping your eyes peeled for on this years lineup? Aside from the headliners that is… We’ve picked a few of our favourites that you’re sure to love! And with less than 8 weeks left until the festival kicks off, now is the time to start deep diving into those bands you aren’t quite yet familiar with.

Ithaca

In 2022, the band released the 35-minute record They Fear Us which quite frankly blew my ears off. This metalcore band combine offensively harsh vocals with smooth clean vocals consecutively throughout their tracks. It’s hard to lose focus when there’s so much packed into their arrangements – and with tight instrumentals to back it, there’s no doubt in my mind that they are going to wipe the floor with their debut Radar Festival performance. – (Grace)

Earthside

Long-awaited sophomore album Let the Truth Speak was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 and it did not disappoint, once again delivering innovative prog metal with symphonic textures and a stunning selection of guest vocals. Their biggest strength is in how they gradually build up their compositions into moments of cathartic release. With any luck TesseracT’s Daniel Tompkins will be on hand to perform his guest features on the day but their performance is guaranteed to leave you breathless regardless. – (Erica)

Seething Akira

British Seething Akira are the kind of band that won’t get many nods for being cutting edge technical wizards orhigh concept lyricism but the art of the danceable tune is long perfected within their repertoire. Think Enter Shikari but instead of getting mad at the government you’re just bopping to characteristically groovy tunes. Their deeply entertaining presence indicates that any stage they land on will be The Party Zone – Radar will be no different with their performance. – (Anthony)

The Omnific

If you can survive Conjurer on Saturday, you’ll find Australian power-trio The Omnific on the low end of Sunday’s festival line-up. They can also be found primarily in the low end musically, with their unique dual-bass-in-place-of-guitars approach. Their album Kismet is a great starting point to their core sound, with the most recent album Escapades finding various ways to expand upon it. The common theme, however, is great dynamics and interplay between the rhythm section – or in this instance, the whole darn band. If you want something a little bit groovy, a little bit technically minded, keep these guys on your… well, you’re already at Radar, aren’t you? – (Anthony)

Kyros

I came to discover Kyros only within the past six months, but in that time they have captured my attention and refuse to let go–maybe you’ll feel the same after their performance on the Radar stage. Melding genres in a manner that shouldn’t make any logical sense, Kyros not only threw out the rulebook when making their newest album, Mannequin, they transported it to another dimension entirely. For fans of prog (whether the rock, metal, or pop variety), synthwave, or just that massive 80s and 90s sound, Kyros deliver on all fronts with tight musicianship and hooks you’ll be singing long after you leave the festival grounds. – (Dara)