Burt Block Party 2026 - Night One: Killswitch Engage, Machine Head, Malevolence, and Waster

On August 13, 2026, the first night of this year’s Burt Block Party in Winnipeg transformed the streets around the Burton Cummings Theatre into a wall of distortion, breakdowns, and enormous choruses. With local heavyweights Waster, UK groove metal band Malevolence, heavy metal legends Machine Head, and the metalcore pioneers Killswitch Engage on the bill, night one was unapologetically heavy—and the crowd showed up ready to match it.

Waster got the night moving with a compact, aggressive set that wasted little time establishing the evening’s tone. “Thunder Pit” and “Rocket Rider” immediately brought the energy, while “Rumination” and “Faith Drain” added some weight and atmosphere to the set. “So Devil” and “Slumberjack” kept the momentum rolling before “Forty Creek” brought their performance to a hard-charging conclusion. As the night's local opening act, it was short, loud, yet immensely effective in getting the Winnipeg audience moving.

Malevolence pushed things considerably further. Marking the first time the British metalcore outfit has performed in Winnipeg, they delivered a punishing set built around the kind of riffs that seem engineered for a festival crowd. “Trenches” was an immediate standout, while “Life Sentence” and “Self Supremacy” kept the pit moving. “Keep Your Distance” and “On Broken Glass” demonstrated the band’s ability to balance sheer heaviness with memorable hooks, and “If It’s All the Same to You” closed out a set that felt far too brief.

Up next was the one and only Machine Head. With a setlist drawing heavily from their modern material while still making room for classics, the veteran metal band brought an entirely different scale to the evening. “Imperium” was an absolutely colossal way to begin, its opening moments instantly commanding the crowd. “CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE,” “Game Over” and “ØUTSIDER” kept the intensity at full throttle, while “Locust” proved why Machine Head’s most enduring material remains so devastating in a live setting.

“BØNESCRAPER” and “Is There Anybody Out There?” continued the assault before “Davidian” delivered the moment many longtime fans had been waiting for. The latter was everything it needed to be: massive, aggressive, and instantly recognizable, with the crowd taking over as the band tore through one of its defining songs.

If Machine Head made the Burt Block Party feel enormous, Killswitch Engage made it feel communal.

The Massachusetts metalcore veterans arrived with a sprawling eighteen-song set that served as a reminder of just how deep their catalogue has become. Opening with “Fixation on the Darkness,” they immediately went to work on a set that moved effortlessly between early-2000s metalcore landmarks and their newer material.

“This Is Absolution” and “The End of Heartache” were early highlights, with the latter eliciting one of the biggest singalongs of the night. “Aftermath,” “A Bid Farewell,” and “In Due Time” kept the momentum high, while “To the Sons of Man” and “Unleashed” showed that the band’s newer material can stand comfortably alongside its classic pieces.

“Hate by Design” and “Where It Dies” maintained the crushing pace before “Forever Aligned” offered another chance for the crowd to collectively lose its voice. “The Signal Fire” was particularly fitting for a festival environment, bringing its collaborative spirit in front of a sold-out crowd already overflowing with energy.

From there, Killswitch Engage simply kept unloading favourite after favourite. “I Believe,” “Daylight Dies” and “Rose of Sharyn” formed another formidable stretch, while “This Fire” pushed the intensity even higher. By the time “My Curse” arrived, the crowd was already fully committed, turning one of Killswitch’s most recognizable songs into a massive four-thousand-person communal scream.

And then came “My Last Serenade.” As a closer, it was nearly perfect. The song’s combination of melody, aggression, and nostalgia captured everything that made Killswitch Engage such an influential force in metalcore, while giving longtime fans a final opportunity to scream along with every word.

Night one of the 2026 edition of the Burt Block Party was a statement. Waster brought the urgency, Malevolence brought the brutality, Machine Head brought the sheer force, and Killswitch Engage brought the anthems. Four bands, four distinct approaches to heavy music, and one Winnipeg night that increasingly resembled less of a concert and more of a full-scale metal takeover.

Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography