CorrosionFest grew directly from the Corrosion club night. As the audience grew and more live bands were introduced, conversations turned to creating a boutique international indoor festival based on the music and community that had developed in Morecambe.
At the time, established UK festivals such as Darker Days and Sancrosanct had disappeared from the calendar, while Brexit was making UK touring increasingly difficult for European artists. Rather than seeing those changes as obstacles, they became part of the reason for creating CorrosionFest.
Early support came through friendships developed at the Dark Skies over Witten festival in Germany, where long-standing relationships with promoters Carsten and Renate helped establish European links that remain an important part of the festival today. Still Patient? became the first overseas headliner, while Your Life on Hold from Belgium were also booked before COVID restrictions prevented them from travelling.
CorrosionFest took place on 14 March 2020 as a one-day festival featuring seven bands. A week later the UK entered lockdown, bringing live music to a halt. Although the pandemic interrupted plans for future events, the festival returned in 2022 as a two-day event and has continued to grow.
Today CorrosionFest presents artists from across the UK, Europe and beyond, covering gothic rock, post-punk, darkwave, dark alternative, industrial and related genres. Goth remains the core, but not the boundary.
Our approach has always been simple. Alongside recognised names, every lineup introduces audiences to emerging artists who deserve to be heard. Many bands appearing at CorrosionFest are playing to UK audiences for the first time, while others go on to much larger festivals and tours.
International touring is never without challenges, so every festival also has a standby band ready if required. It’s a lesson learned through experience and one that has helped ensure the festival continues regardless of cancelled flights, border closures or last-minute changes.
From seven bands in 2020, CorrosionFest has grown into a twelve-band international festival while retaining the intimate atmosphere that has always been part of its identity.
THE LATEST
Our friends at Necroscope in Coventry have announced their shows…
Our friends at Necroscope in Coventry have announced their shows for the rest of the year, and the line-up features a number of CorrosionFest and Bats in the Attic alumni including VAZUM Zeitgeist Zero, Divine Shade, Elkapath and Inkubus Sukkubus. If you’re in the…
Bats in the Attic 2026
Bats in the Attic 2026 Our Friday night headliners Long Night make a welcome return to The Alhambra, having previously played CorrosionFest in 2022. The Norwegian goth rock band are known for their melancholic, melodic sound and emotionally driven song writing, and…
Less than two weeks until DARKMAS FEST IV over in Witten, Germany…
Less than two weeks until DARKMAS FEST IV over in Witten, Germany and held in the wonderful surroundings of Haus Witten. This year’s event features Darkways, who were absolutely superb at CorrosionFest 2026, is headlined by Charles De Goal from France and local heroes…
A bit of gothic rock news for today:
A bit of gothic rock news for today: All My Thorns, the Friday headliners at CorrosionFest 2024, have released a new single titled “Given” from their upcoming album “The Rose of White Crosses”. If you’re into dark, guitar-driven goth rock…
The Foreign Resort released a new song a couple of weeks ago,…
The Foreign Resort released a new song a couple of weeks ago, “Everything Is a Lie”. It’s a track taken from our CorrosionFest 2025 headliners forthcoming album “Endurance”. Link in comments.
Gothzilla are our ‘blast from the fest” this week, with the Oh my…
Gothzilla are our ‘blast from the fest” this week, with the Oh my Goth filmed “Desperate” from their headline set at CorrosionFest 2025. You may also have noticed that a live album featuring selected songs from the show, including Desperate,…
Melanculia is the solo project of Nino Sable, who CorrosionFest…
Melanculia is the solo project of Nino Sable, who CorrosionFest attendees will know as the singer of our 2023 headliners aeon sable. A new album, “Post Mortem”, has just been released and is well worth checking out for fans of darker alternative sounds. Link in…
Balaam and the Angel’s new four track EP “Love Death Wealth Water”…
Balaam and the Angel’s new four track EP “Love Death Wealth Water” was released on the 1st May and is now available on digital and streaming services. It sounds great and it’s good to see more new material from our CorrosionFest 2022 headliners.
We’ve been going through audience and artist data from all the…
We’ve been going through audience and artist data from all the CorrosionFest and Bats in the Attic events over the years and found some genuinely surprising stats. Across the events we’ve now had attendees travel to Morecambe from all over the UK, plus Germany,…
CorrosionFest 2020
CorrosionFest 2020 Still Patient? (official), were our first headliners. There’s a bit of a different setup back then as well, with the stage over by the DJ booth
Having made a triumphant return at CorrosionFest 2026, Manuskript…
Having made a triumphant return at CorrosionFest 2026, Manuskript are currently on a short tour with The Nosferatu. If you get the chance, make sure you go and see them. To get you in the mood, here’s the final song they played at CorrosionFest. It’s a cover of…
3 weeks ago TRAITRS headlined CorrosionFest 2026. This weekend…
3 weeks ago TRAITRS headlined CorrosionFest 2026. This weekend they have been added to the Dark Skies Over Witten XI line up, which already features Corrosionfest and Bats in the attic bands Social Youth Cult , Black Rain, The Black Capes and Darker Days Festival…