Summer Bash 2026: An Introduction to Pain Itself!

On Saturday 18th July Mercury’s Well are hosting the eighth incarnation of their annual one day festival that is Summer Bash at Facebar in Reading. While the Hawaiian themed beach party might be lacking in sea and sand, it will have everything else you might expect from the theme and more as no less than 10 bands will perform their finest sonic creations for your pleasure. From Hardcore to Emo and Progressive Death Metal to Mathcore there is something for everyone, so why not invite a friend or a lover into the air conditioned venue to enjoy an afternoon of sing-a-longs, mosh pits and rage fuelled anthems? After all, angry music makes happy people! Feel free to scream along in catharsis to your favourite tunes and hit whoever you bring over the head with an inflatable palm tree!

Here’s the line up in full:

Vanitas (headliner)
a-tota-so
Mercury’s Well
Masquerader
Monovoid
Maxwelltheband
Bobby Mandala’s Midnight Elite
Halloran
In Maluum
Pain Itself

Who the f*** are Pain Itself and why should you get yourself down to Facebar early to check them out? The answer to that one is simple. They’re a Hardcore super-group formed of Southampton scene veterans who love nothing more than screaming about their feelings over bone crushing breakdowns… If for no other reason than it’s fun!

A product of the mind Dan Wilston-Stone (Buds., Petty Squabbles) the band were formed when he decided all his Hardcore demos needed a forever home. Enlisting the help of Callum Hurst (MWTB, Ex-Treehouse), brother’s Ben and Will Palmer (Arid Wave, Petty Squabbles, Really Cool) and Frankie Linton (Not Without Punishment, Hypnotiser, Eatboys) to fill out the lineup, the five piece began playing shows on the south coast. That began just a few months ago and thus far they’ve shared stages with Body Crisis, Urzah, Vandal Paint and Grey Flx.

They maybe fresh that they haven’t yet committed anything to tape, put it in a time capsule and ejected it into cyberspace as yet but eye witness accounts from those shows have been floating around. They state in no uncertain terms that the Pain Itself take inspiration from all corners of heavy music but can be compared to Every Time I Die and The Chariot on any given day. That means you better be prepared for pummelling riffs, panic chords and rumbling bass to chew on during what they promise will be a blistering twenty minute set…

We’re proud confirm that Metal Noise dot Net is returning for a fourth consecutive year as the Media Partner for Summer Bash! Mercury’s Well will be hosting the eighth incarnation of their annual Hawaiian beach party themed event on 18th July 2026 at The Facebar in Reading!

Fancy a ticket? You can get yours -> here