Rabidfest 2026: Breaking Down The Bands #15: BlackMarket!

“Now the candle’s burning out, And the pumpkin’s rotting away, I just want you here beside me, On this lonesome Halloween day”

There is absolutely no reason to be lonely on Halloween like Wednesday 13 because over the weekend of 31st October and 1st November Witches (and Wizards) will be gathering in their masses for Oxford’s finest Metal Weekender Rabidfest. It will of course take place at The Bullingdon with 10 bands playing the Devolution Magazine sponsored stage each day in an attempt to get you to head bang, raise a poison chalice, sing-a-long or get in the pit! So why not bring a friend, family member or like minded individual and find your favourite new band? The bar will be stacked and not with oven ready leftovers, a wristband will allow you in and out of the venue and this year they’re raising money for The Sophie Lancaster foundation! So what are you waiting for? Grab a ticket and join us for some chaos!

Rabidfest will take place at The Bullingdon in Oxford over the weekend of the 31st October and 1st November 2026, here’s the line up in full:

Saturday:
Hacktivist (headliner)
Bldsugr!
The Dead XIII
Black Candy
Novacrow
Vampyra
Rattlesnakes
Devilhusk
Necronomicunt
Twin Skeletons

Sunday:
N0trixx (headliner)
Lesbian Bed Death
The Crawling
Maatkare
Swarm6ix
Dacara
Spared An Endless Orbit
Omegathrone
The Blade Itself
BlackMarket

Why aren’t BlackMarket on the poster we hear your cry? That’s because they’ve stepped in to replace Sabertooth very recently! Hailing from Watford, vocalist Fraser Burrow, bassist Scott Turnley, drummer Hadleigh Wade, guitarist Danny Leigh and synth master Cary Leigh have been destroying their brain cells in search of sonic perfection, dropping their self titled album in 2021. A band who specialise in making music with no rules BlackMarket are at their happiest when they’re getting creative and throwing a few curveballs. Pulsing electronics, groove driven riffs and thought provoking lyrical narratives are the tip of the metaphorical iceberg because the band are capable of creating dark, heavy and immersive sounds but there is also a lot more to them than that. We made comparisons to Seething Akira, Skindred and The Streets in our review of their recent EP “Radical Views” but check it out and judge for yourselves. Their reputation is for a high energy, incendiary live show and having narrowly missed out on a place on The New Blood stage at Bloodstock having reached the final in Oxford only to lose out to winners Redeemon they might feel like they have a point to prove!

We’re proud to be a Media Partner of Rabidfest again this year alongside Red Death Media, Moomin Merchandise, Chaos Under No Ties, Moshville Radio, GraphicsFix, TwoFace Promotions, Blackstar Amplification and main stage sponsor Devolution Magazine. The Festival is all for charity and this year the profits will be going to the The Sophie Lancaster Foundation!

Rabidfest will take place at The Bullingdon in Oxford over the weekend of the 31st October and 1st November 2026:

Get your tickets -> https://www.rabidfest.co.uk

Get your merch -> https://shop.rabidfest.co.uk