From the moment I heard about Outertown festival, I knew I had to go. It was exactly the kind of music I play every week on my show - a bit of folk, rock, indie. Now in its fifth iteration, this year Outertown showcased more than 60 new alternative acts over nine venues on Old Market Street. With so much good music out there, it was always difficult to decide where to go and who to see, but I think we made the right choice. What follows is a rundown of our experience at the festival - highlights, surprises and recommendations.

The Trinity Centre, one of the venues involved in Outertown Festival.

Although it was a bit difficult to get in the festival spirit when it hailed on our walk down to Old Market, the sun came out just in time. We arrived at the Trinity Centre to blue skies and the sound of music floating to our ears from the tent set up just behind the church. At the opening act of the festival, big long sun, everyone in the crowd looked like they could be playing in one of the bands, and who knows maybe some of them were! Seeing the same faces and spotting various members of the bands throughout the day gave the festival a pleasant, community feel.

On a friend's recommendation, we started off the festival at To The Moon seeing Myer U Clark, Bristol-based singer-songwriter. He and his band played a mix of beautiful folk music such as single Make A Bet released February this year, with its catchy chorus and intricate finger picked melody, and also some synthy electronic tracks. The two genres strangely blended together to create an energising first set, perfectly getting us in the mood for the rest of this weird and wonderful festival. Once again, To The Moon proved itself to be a venue for the music lovers; intimate and authentic. In an audience of music nerds, I’m sure we were all trying to play it cool around Black Country, New Road’s Tyler Hyde, who stood beside me, enjoying the whimsy of Myer U Clark as much as the rest of us.

We could have stayed in the comfort and good company of To The Moon watching the other acts curated by Skydaddy, AKA producer and songwriter Rachid Fakhre, but we forced ourselves around the corner to The Exchange. Transported instantly to a grungy nighttime gig by the dark lighting, The Cindys took to the stage, delivering their perfectly jangly folk rock. With members of the Belishas, Jack Ogbourne (who has released his own music under the name Bingo Fury) combined with Naima Bock, previously of Goat Girl, they are a supergroup of sorts, at least of a quite specific South West folk rock scene. Bock stood at the side of the stage, her effortless harmonies casually cutting through the rocky guitars and Ogbourne’s drawling, Julian Casablancas style vocals. Simple but heartfelt songwriting made for fun, catchy tunes, with single Dry TV standing out for its bittersweet lyrics. Having only found out about them on the day, The Cindys were my surprise favourite act of the festival, and I’ve been listening to their self-titled 2025 album on repeat ever since.

Dragging ourselves away from The Cindys, we walked to Wiper and True Brewery & Taphouse. A unique but strangely beautiful venue for a gig, with high ceilings and big wide windows where the sun streamed in, reflecting off the towering silver brewing cylinders. Dermot Henry performed, accompanied by his brother on drums and friends on violin, guitar and bass. What sets him apart is his effortless vocals and his charming, emotional lyrics. His new single My Favourite Book Is One I’ve Read A Bunch is perfectly folky; I would recommend it to fans of Big Thief.

Ninush was next, back outside the Trinity Centre with her now signature blend of classical and whimsical pop. Her first experiences playing violin outside of a classic context was filling in for Georgia Ellery on Black Country, New Road’s 2022 tour, she’s been developing her own he released her five song EP, The Flowers I see in You, in February. With drums and guitar either side, Ninush took centre stage, playing violin and singing. Expertly plucking the strings into crescendoing staccato melodies, her ethereal voice seeming to float atop, she left the audience entranced. After that, we switched up the vibe next with Moreish Idols, who delivered a bit of a rockier sound, made interesting by jazzy saxophone and flute melodies. After grabbing a slice at Gigi’s Pizza (the perfect mid-festival snack), we were back to the Exchange.

Having just released their third album, Total Dive, on 10th April, the day before the festival, the band we were most excited for were Brown Horse. The album is 45 minutes of masterful country rock in the vein of Neil Young or Kurt Vile, and they sounded just as good in person. I most enjoyed hearing Twisters, the single for Total Dive, which reminisces previous catchy hits such as Corduroy Couch and Dog Rose. The band’s collaborative approach to song-writing, really made us feel like we were watching a group of friends perform, singer-guitarist Patrick Turner making sure to give credit to his band members before each song. The the accordion gave the band a deep, seventies country sound. Ending the set with the epic Wreck, the silky smooth sounding lap steel bends and twists, balancing out Turner’s gravelly voice singing nuanced broken hearted lyrics.

Next we went to Skydaddy work in progress sessions back at To The Moon. The crowd seated like a school assembly, Skydaddy watched over from the corner, intermittently inviting musicians up to the stage to play unfinished songs and stripped down demos. For me, the highlight was Tyler Hyde's contribution, introduced by the question, has anyone seen Sentimental Value (to which we enthusiastically nodded), she played a song about moving out, about leaving home. As a fourth year dreading moving out of my Uni house in a couple months, I’ll admit I left a bit teary eyed.
Luckily, we managed to make it to the cosy Ill Repute to see the final few songs of Naima Bock solo, including my absolute favourite Feed my Release, where Bock’s voice swoops from high to low so elegantly on her thoughtful lyrics. Emotion builds in tension between the guitars and vocals, repeated phrases but the feeling behind it shifting each time. She was accompanied by The Cindys bandmate Jack Ogbourne on guitar, the two exchanging smiles throughout the set.

Tyler Hyde and Rachid Fakhre (Skydaddy) of Jenny Kennedy at To The Moon.

For our last act of the night we opted to see Jenny Kennedy. Born November last year, Jenny Kennedy is fronted by effortlessly cool Tyler Hyde with Skydaddy on bass, drums, bass clarinet and saxophone. Although we missed headliners Do Nothing and Truthpaste, as we watched surrounded by the members of Brown Horse and The Cindys, we felt we had made the right choice - front row watching your favourite band’s favourite band! They played largely unreleased material, but Hyde’s beautiful voice and lyrical style was instantly recognisable from her work with BCNR, making it feel familiar and enjoyable.

If I had one regret is not seeing Truthpaste’s set. Their hypnotic first single, See You Around was the song that drew me to them as a band, and to the festival initially. However, they are playing Strange Brew on 9th May so I hope to catch them then!

The party continued at the Exchange with BUFFEE, Lttl Mort and a DJ set by Squid, but we decided to head home, leaving the festival buzzing, excited by the discovery of so many new favourite artists. Outertown 2026 exceeded my expectations and I know we only experienced a tiny bit of what was available. It was such a treat to see so much good music in one place and time, and made me wish more than anything to skip exams and cut straight to the festival season!

Photo credit: Tomas Behrens

Playing it Cool at Outertown Festival 2026

The Souls’ Jay Messerli on tour and new album, The Whippet Inn