Rabidfest

31/05/2026

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE ISSUE #58 IS HERE 💥

Devolution Magazine, after whom the Rabidfest Main Stage is named after, is *the* premium independent publication for all anything and everything metal & alt music, dark art, fashion, lifestyle and culture - spotlighting the biggest and best from our communities for over 23 years.

Issue #58’s cover spotlight features the iconic Acid Bath and features incredible interviews from some of the most exciting bands from the scene - including Rabidfest 2026 Sunday headliner n0trixx.

Devolution Magazine have been integral in the growth of Rabidfest over the years, and their collaboration and support have been invaluable in helping us get to where we are today. 💜 Discover Issue #58 of Devolution Magazine in the comments below 👇

25/05/2026

If you’ve been warming up to this year’s line-up - we’ve got some good news. We’re not done yet! We’re turning up the heat this heatwave as we’ve got the FINAL TWO BANDS to add to Rabidfest 2026! 🔥

Supporting the incredible Hacktivist, and incomparable n0trixx are…

BLDSUGR! 💥
Welcome to the cult! Doom Punk pioneers secure the main support slot on Saturday 31 October at the Bullingdon. Get ready for a spectacle of theatrics, and an infectious energy live from the Devolution Stage as Bldsugr will raise some pulses and get some hearts pumping this Autumn.

LE***AN BED DEATH ☠
Gothic Punk Hard Rockers Le***an Bed Death lay claim to main support on Sunday 1 November on the Devolution Stage. Hot off the high-octane February release of Satan’s Cellar, the UK’s own vampire lovers will set The Bullingdon alight with catchy riffs and infectious melodies.

BLDSUGR! And Le***an Bed Death will be joining Hacktivist, n0trixx, The Dead XIII, The Crawling and many more over the 2026 Halloween weekend as we celebrate another monstrous metal meeting this Autumn - raising money for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

A huge thank you to our friends at Devolution Magazine - after whom the Rabidfest staged is named. Devolution Magazine, and their incredible team, have been integral in shaping Rabidfest to the event it is today - and it’s an honour to once again be partnered with such influential members of our scene.

A huge shoutout to our partners in Red Death Media, Moshville Radio, Moomin Merchandise, Chaos Under No Ties, Blackstar Amplification, Metalnoise.net and GraphicsFix.

The link to buy tickets is in the comments below. Get your Halloween plans in early. 👇

04/05/2026

n0trixx is your Sunday Rabidfest 2026 headliner! 💥

Your Rabidfest 2026 line-up is almost complete, with some killer new additions to this autumn’s must-see metal meeting at the heart of Oxford - with the incomparable Hacktivist headlining the Saturday 31 October at The Bullingdon. And without further adieu, we’re ecstatic to announce the incredible n0trixx as the Sunday 1 November Rabidfest 2026 headliner.

Inspiring through infectious trap-metal grooves - n0trixx’s live shows have been resonating across the UK metal scene. And as a passionate advocate of mental health awareness - we cannot wait for the n0trixx experience to lay waste to Oxford.

Joining this incredible line-up are…

SPARED AN ENDLESS ORBIT 💥
Brutal. Boundary-pushing. Blisteringly heavy. Hailing from the North East of England emerge Spared an Endless Orbit - who secure their slot on the Devolution Stage on Sunday 1 November.

NECRONOMICUNT 💥
Bone-crushingly heavy. Doom metallers Necronomicunt will shake the foundations of The Bullingdon with an early Saturday slot on the Devolution Stage on Saturday 31 October.

THE BLADE ITSELF 💥
Metallic Hardcore icons The Blade Itself burst into the Oxford scene in 2025, with an impressive run seeing them make the finals of Metal 2 the Masses. And this Autumn - securing a slot on the Devolution Stage on Sunday 1 November.

TWIN SKELETONS 💥
Self-professed ‘Bubble Gum Doom’ outfit Twin Skeletons secure their opening slot to the Rabidfest weekend on the Devolution Stage on Saturday 31 October.

SABERTOOTH 💥
Oxfordshire’s own Sabertooth will be opening up the Devolution Stage at The Bullingdon on Sunday 1 November - with their high-octane, adrenaline-fuelled modern take on the classic metal we know and love.

Proceeds of Rabidfest 2026 will be, once again, donated to The Sophie Lancaster Foundation - whose ongoing commitment to stamping out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere resonates with Metal and Alt communities across the UK and beyond. We’re proud to once again support a fantastic cause.

A huge thank you to our friends at Devolution Magazine - after whom the Rabidfest staged is named. Devolution Magazine, and their incredible team, have been integral in shaping Rabidfest to the event it is today - and it’s an honour to once again be partnered with such influential members of our scene.

A huge shoutout to our partners in Red Death Media, Moshville Radio, Moomin Merchandise, Chaos Under No Ties, Blackstar Amplification, Metalnoise.net and GraphicsFix.

Keep your eyes peeled for future updates!

12/04/2026

The second Rabidfest band announcement has ARRIVED 💥

Rabidfest takes place on the Devolution Stage at The Bullingdon, Oxford - with the mighty Hacktivist headlining the Saturday 31 October, and Sunday 1 November’s headliner still to be announced!

Until then, we have a host of incredible bands ADDED to the Rabidfest 2026 lineup - and without further adieu…

THE DEAD XIII ☠
Get ready for the fright of a lifetime. UK NuGrave icons and scene scream kings The Dead XIII secure their Rabidfest Halloween spot on 31 October at the Bullingdon.

THE CRAWLING 💥
Northern Ireland’s own The Crawling will descend on Sunday 1 November with their devastating Doom Death Metal melancholy.

NOVACROW 💥
From Liverpool, to Oxford. Horror-infused alt-metallers Novacrow will deliver dark and delicious devastation to The Bullingston to Rabidfest on Halloween.

DACARA 💥
Just DACARA… The megalovaniacal Manchester Cult Rock four-piece grab a Sunday spot on the Devolution stage on Sunday 1 November.

RATTLESNAKES 🐍
Witness the wrath.... Nottingham-based RattleSnakesband bring the best of classic heavy metal with modern flavours. The roof will be blown off The Bullingdon on Saturday 31 October.

OMEGATHRONE 💥
An explosive of Blackened Death Metal intensity. Liverpool’s ominous OmegaThrone lay claim to a Sunday 1 November slot on the Devolution Stage at The Bullingdon.

They'll be joining Hacktivist, Thrashatouille, Maatkare, Swarm6ix , Black Candy and Devilhusk for what promises to be one of the most hotly-anticipated Rabidfest weekends!

Proceeds of Rabidfest 2026 will be, once again, donated to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation - whose ongoing commitment to stamping out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere resonates with Metal and Alt communities across the UK and beyond. We’re proud to once again support a fantastic cause.

A huge thank you to our friends at Devolution Magazine - after whom the Rabidfest staged is named. Devolution Magazine, and their incredible team, have been integral in shaping Rabidfest to the event it is today - and it’s an honour to once again be partnered with such influential members of our scene.

A huge shoutout to our partners in Red Death Media, Moshville Radio, Moomin Merchandise, Chaos Under No Ties, Blackstar Amplification, Metalnoise.net and GraphicsFix.

Keep your eyes peeled for future updates!

08/03/2026

Rabidfest RETURNS this November at The Bullingdon, Oxford - and we’re excited to unveil the FIRST WAVE OF BANDS for 2026!

🔥 Hacktivist headline the SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER on the Devolution Stage. The iconic genre-transcending intensity of Hacktivist has graced stages for well over a decade with an unwavering attitude and uncompromised face-melting sets. We cannot wait for Hacktivist to blow the roof of the Bullingdon this Autumn.

🍴 Reclaiming their spot on the Rabidfest Stage in 2026 are the sumptuous sounds of chef metallers Thrashatouille - whose culinary thrash metal chaos secures a spot on the SATURDAY.

💥 Staking their claim on the Rabidfest Sunday on 1 November, are UK/Netherlands Death Metal outfit Maatkare - who’s brutal, ancient Egypt inspired death metal, will seek to crush The Bullingdon.

⚡Swarm6ix make their Rabidfest debut on SUNDAY 1 November - with their eclectic high-octane energy to bring the party vibes.

🍬 A return to strength. Oxford’s own Black Candy make their hotly-anticipated comeback to a local stage on the SUNDAY of Rabidfest 2026.

😈 Self-proclaimed ‘Antagonists of Metalcore’ Devilhusk will be bringing their unmatched aggression to an afternoon slot on Sunday 1 November.

Proceeds of Rabidfest 2026 will be, once again, donated to The Sophie Lancaster Foundation - whose ongoing commitment to stamping out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere resonates with Metal and Alt communities across the UK and beyond. We’re proud to once again support a fantastic cause.

It truly takes a community to build something special. It’s an honour to once again be partnered with Devolution Magazine - after whom the Rabidfest staged is named. Devolution Magazine, and their incredible team, have been integral in shaping Rabidfest to the event it is today.

A huge shoutout to our partners in Red Death Media, Moshville Radio, Moomin Merchandise, Chaos Under No Ties, Blackstar Amplification, MetalNoise.net and GraphicsFix.

Head to https://www.rabidfest.co.uk/ to secure your tickets.

26/02/2026

💥WE'VE BEEN NOMINATED!!💥

It is an honour to have been nominated not once, but for two years in a row!! We are very humbled to know that people enjoy what we do and come back for more each year - AND take the time to vote for us!

Thank you to everyone that put us through for this! It means a lot!

Moshville Radio | Devolution Magazine | The Sophie Lancaster Foundation | Moomin Merchandise | Chaos Under No Ties

You voted! Here are your final nominees for the Moshville Radio Small Festival of the Year! Rabidfest, Northants Rocks, Southwest Heavyfest, Coalition Fest 2025, Get Heavy UK Festival and SOS Festival!

https://www.eventim-light.com/uk/a/67471ebf54600222a458fa90/e/68ee7d4d9559ba40592618b5

Get your tickets to see who wins this and all the other awards on the 28th of March at The Facebar in Reading. You'll be seeing Red Method being supported by Noisepicker, HEDRA, The Blade Itself and Rats Eat Rats!

All profits go to Shelter; as homelessness is still a big problem even in 2026. Join us in doing our bit to help while we celebrate the best in underground rock and metal.

Moshville Times

28/11/2025

Rabidfest 2025 was our most successful year so far and we are delighted to be able to make a donation to The Sophie Lancaster Foundation for £500!

Working with the Foundation is something that is close to everyone involved with Rabidfest as every single person has at some point been effected, or knows someone that has been effected, by hatred, intolerance or prejudice.

Thank you to all of you for your support! Without you we wouldn't been in the fortunate position to make this donation!!

26/11/2025

A huge thank you to our friends at Devolution Magazine for an incredible review of Rabidfest 2025. 💥

For the latest incredible coverage of everything metal, goth and alt culture and news - head over to https://devolutionmagazine.co.uk/

13/11/2025

Rabidfest has started a fundraiser to help Rob from Æl-Fierlen as his Fractal Audio Axe FX II XL guitar rig was stolen right across the road from Rabidfest at The Bullingdon, on 2nd November during load-out. Not only is this a loved and treasured piece of kit, it also was the result of years of learning, hard work and dedication to his craft that enables Rob to write, record and produce the sounds and atmosphere that Æl-Fierlen are becoming known for.

Raising the necessary funds for Rob to purchase a new effects processor with enable him and the band to play gigs again at their fullest potential. We are trying to raise £1000 to replace the processor and any additional funds will be used to fund other similar and worthy causes.

Thank you for your support.

Rabidfest has started a fundraiser to help Rob from Æl-Fierlen as his Fra… Greg Brown needs your support for Help Replace Rob from Æl-Fierlen's Guitar Effects

11/11/2025

We hope you all enjoyed this year's Rabidfest! We'd love to hear about your experience. If you attended in any capacity, please complete our survey :)

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YYWZ9QZ