Review: Outlines Festival Opens New Doors

Saturday 27th February saw Outlines Festival takeover Sheffield. A brand-new, one-day festival, here is our review and our take on this unique event. 

Not content with the summer extravaganza that is Tramlines, Sheffield has added another music festival. Outlines debuted on Saturday with an eclectic, genre-spanning line-up across six venues in the city centre. From hip-hop headliner Roots Manuva to psychedelic TOY via the soulful minimalism of Rosie Lowe, there was something for even the pickiest music fan.

The festival showcased a smorgasbord of emerging talent including the lush, R ‘n’ B infused pop of Polo and the boyish indie charms of Oscar. Sheffield’s own Saif Mode featured yet there was nothing safe about a half an hour set of such improvised techno that the audience hesitantly waited for a sign it had actually finished.

If you fancied a break from the norm you could get your skates on and glide around the rink at Skate Central Roller Disco while listening to a typically abrasive set from the hugely influential post-punk Gang of Four. Or maybe imagine it was 1967 while wigging out to the enveloping psychedelia of TOY.

Rosie Lowe provided light relief with a sublime set that hinted at her rising talent yet kept her captive crowd sated for now with only a half hour offering. With temperatures teetering above freezing February may seem an odd time to have a music festival, especially in South Yorkshire. Yet with such a well sourced line-up you would hope it’d be same time next year.

By Omar Soliman