RADAR Festival is moving to Sheffield in 2027, and to welcome in the new venue they’ve booked a phenomenal set of genre-pushing acts. Joining their main headliner, video game visionary Mick Gordon, performing his ground-breaking Doom soundtrack with a full orchestra; will be a full host of acts including the return of British rock gems Arcane Roots, California djent giants Volumes, and German prog metal virtuosos Unprocessed.
From its inception in 2019, RADAR has quickly evolved into one of the most unique and exciting British festivals, in part due to the claustrophobic intensity that only indoor events can foster. Since outgrowing its original home in Guildford, Surrey, the event has now traded its current home at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse for new surroundings. The site for RADAR 2027 is Magna, a former steelworks and now a science adventure centre in Sheffield, the Steel City, birthplace of many of modern heavy metal’s biggest names.
Previous years at RADAR have seen the biggest names in progressive metal perform in their warehouses. 2019 saw the first British festival headline set by instrumental trendsetters Animals As Leaders, 2022 brought Swedish jazz innovators Dirty Loops, while 2023 played a part in the unstoppable rise of theatrical metal troupe Sleep Token. This year’s version juggled massive names like Thy Art Is Murder, Skindred and Northlane, while claiming UK festival exclusive sets from Animals As Leaders and Protest The Hero.
The first headliner for 2027 was announced after this year’s event wrapped in August. Australian composer and producer Mick Gordon, best known for his work on an eclectic range of video game scores, is the biggest name on the bill so far. His brutal soundtracks for the 2016 reboot Doom and its 2020 sequel Doom Eternal are regarded as some of the best in gaming history, as well as outstanding metal albums on their own merit. When Gordon scooped up the Best Music/Sound Design award at the 2016 Game Awards for Doom, he performed a blistering medley of the score on an 8-string guitar, accompanied by Periphery drummer Matt Halpern. This time though, Gordon will have more backup. His RADAR headlining set will feature a full live band and orchestra, plus Gordon’s custom-built ‘DOOM Machine’ synthesiser unit – a world’s-first performance of its kind for the Doom original soundtrack.
Today’s first wave of acts was kicked off by some very special guests, alternative rock cult heroes Arcane Roots. The five-piece from Kingston-upon-Thames returned from a 7-year split in 2025, releasing new single ‘A Wave, Across the Sea’ this January and keeping fans in suspense for further updates. The RADAR post says “The second Arcane Roots announced they were coming back from hiatus, we knew there was absolutely no chance we were letting them escape us. We’ve wanted them at RADAR since day one, and finally getting them through the doors feels pretty special.”
Next up is Los Angeles progressive metalcore collective Volumes. Their debut album ‘Via’, which helped define the djent subgenre, celebrated its 15th anniversary last week. Volumes return for the third time after RADAR appearances in 2023 and a fortunate call-up in 2026, and are absolutely a favourite band at the festival.
Also appearing are German technical wizards Unprocessed. Headed up by next-level frontman and guitarist Manuel Gardner Fernandes, the quartet are a top European festival act, known for wowing crowds with their incredible musicianship. Warwickshire sludge metal poster-band Conjurer are there, as are returning Dutch progressive act Textures. One outstanding highlight is the re-emergence of French glitchy EDM metal project The Algorithm. Sole member Rémi Gallego is reuniting with original live drummer Mike Malyan of British group Monuments, promising an exclusive set packed with frantic guitars and synthesisers.
Alongside RADAR’s usual extras like instructional masterclasses, gear clinics, workshops and talks, the 2027 edition promises something new: a new festival pub named ‘The Geezer’s Arms’, staffed by ‘geezacore’ hellraisers Pintglass. RADAR’s post says “A first for this year is The Geezer’s Arms. It’s our new festival pub, but we don’t have time to run it ourselves, so we’ve asked some local guys to step in, and they’ve assured us we’ll be getting value for money. The landlord collective call themselves “Pintglass” so they must know what they’re doing.”
Tickets for RADAR Festival 2027 are available now, with 10% off at time of writing. Catch next year’s show at Magna, Sheffield from July 30 to August 1.
