If anyone else still had any last-day-of-a-festival fog clouding their vision, there could be only one band with the blazing fury to slice through it – Manchester thrash rockers Static Dress. Transforming the Festival Republic Stage into an unyielding cacophony of noise from the very first moment, it felt akin to being blasted in the face with a blowtorch this early in the afternoon – and the crowd appeared to be loving every second of it!

The flickering, white-hot screams from vocalist Ollie Appleyard rent the muggy summer air, as pulsating strobes made it feel as though you were being pulled into a paralysing fever dream. Yet, there is also a heart and melody at the core of these tracks that elevate them beyond being simply a crazed explosion of sound. Most notable in this regard was the rousing, melodic ‘push rope’, with its soaring chorus line that hints at a softer centre to this band, lurking behind the fierce, gritty exterior. This is a band who have taken all the best elements of the thriving Manchester metalcore scene from which they were birthed, and paired it with a stark artistry that makes them an infinitely intriguing prospect – with some great big punishing breakdowns thrown in there to boot, of course!