From the next three shots on this page; there is a theme. Can you guess what it is? A leg up! Why?
Because UK tastemakers This Feeling; the respected live music promoters and now a record label too, have built a respected reputation in spotting the next big thing in bands and artists of the indie variety and giving them a first or early break. You got it: a leg up!
Their annual festival This Feeling By The Sea launched in 2023 at the stunning Art Deco 3,800 capacity venue Bridlington Spa on the sea front. Friday and Saturday 2026 almost sold out. Two stages; main stage and the small “Sessions” stage, all indoors.
The Clause scored a # 1 debut album with “Victim of a Casual Thing”, on the Official Independent Albums Chart and broke into the main UK Top 20.
The band’s frontman Pearce Macca says: “The first time we played Bridlington Spa was to around 30 or 40 people in the small upstairs room in 2023. I remember getting a peek into the main room there and we all fell in love with it. We said to each other, ‘We’ll headline this room one day.’
“We’re buzzing to be headlining it for the first time as This Feeling By The Sea’s headliner. We’ve been working with Mikey and the crew at This Feeling since we were kids and they’ve followed us every step of the way, we love them. We feel blessed to be headlining this festival alongside some of our favourite people, can’t wait to get up on that stage.
The Clause – Setlist:
Nothing’s As It Seems
Tell Me What You Want
Fake It
White Lifelines
Electric
Pop Culture
Never Ending Affair
Exception
I Don’t Care
Elisha
Fever Dream
Don’t Blink
Where Are You Now
Weekend Millionaire
In My Element
The Clause ably supported by fellow main stage acts The Bracknall, Crystal Tides, The Slates, The Velvet Hands, montello (stylised lower case), Long Island, and Dreaming Of Citra. Plus “Sessions” stage roster Breeze, Olivia Booth, Alright, and dapper The Velvet Hands. Day two’s DJ Radio X broadcaster John Kennedy. MC is Fenners across the two days.
Six new artists triumphed against intense competition to win the ‘Apply To Play’ and the ‘Road To By The Sea’ events; rewarded with the massive opportunity to play This Feeling By The Sea 2026.
Radio X broadcaster John Kennedy chose two artists who won the nationwide heat. Manchester’s Dreaming Of Citra, who play euphoric indie-pop built, opening proceedings on the main stage on Saturday.
BBC Introducing’s Jericho Keys was trusted with choosing bands from the Yorkshire region. He chose the buzzsaw melodics of Counterproducts to get Friday’s main stage underway. Over on the Sessions Stage, he opted for Astoria, a five-piece from Leeds.
The final two new names were selected by local music promoters Live In Bridlington and Metalines Promotions. Full-throttle psyche and uninhibited garage-rock from The Velvet Tuxedo who opened the Sessions stage on Saturday. The Glasshouse opened Friday’s Sessions stage.
Bridlington Spa is an art deco dance hall, theatre and conference centre, and popular wedding venue which opened in 1896. The ballroom has a stunning glass dome and ornate, circular frieze in the ceiling, It is a popular venue on the UK touring circuit for concerts.
It was here at Bridlington Spa that Oasis played their final indoor concert in August 2009, as a warm up for the V Festival, before splitting up. The beauty of this event; the weather – wet on Friday – is irrelevant as both stages are inside.
From Saturday’s roster, The Slates have been stepping up big time already in 2026, playing shows with Crystal Tides, The Clause and The Lilacs, as well as hitting New York for the first time.
Recently signing a deal with This Feeling Records in partnership with LAB Records and dropping super single “Watch Life Burn”. The band have compiled all of their releases to date in the new vinyl-only album “From Then Till Now”, which is limited to 500 copies, available exclusively at their headline shows.
It highlights their rapid evolution, from the DIY indie-pop of their first single “Try That” to the surging melodic rush of “What Have You Done?” and the joyous sun-kissed summer anthem “Calling Up”. The collection also features a previously unreleased song in the shape of “Try It Again”.
The Slates have a new drummer in Cohen Hall. He joins the band’s three founder members: Louis Barnes (vocals, guitar), Joe Briggs (guitar) and Jude Wales (bass).
Louis says: “We have just signed to This Feeling Records in partnership with LAB Records which will be taking the music to the next level! It was a genuinely surreal moment getting it finalised and it’s not the sort of thing you can really grasp happening when you’re playing to your mum and dad in a pub, haha. The only word we really have for it is mental; it’s all mental (in the best way possible).”
The band have a mixture of headline shows and festivals in the next few months, including: Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival, Liverpool’s, Noisy Weekender Festival, Portsmouth’s Golden Touch Festival, Spain’s Polifonik Sounds Festival, Glastonbury’s Godney Gathering, Oxfordshire’s Truck Festival, Sheffield’s Tramlines and Derbyshire’s Y NOT? Festival.
Based on their set in Bridlington, we say go see them if you can as they may well be the next young band to break through.
Warrington-based solo artist Olivia Booth hit the Sessions stage with a style that echoes of Blondie, Amy Winehouse and Courtney Love.
Also delivering a cracking performance on Saturday was The Bracknall. Having achieved great things with last year’s album “Falling Out of View” (#3 on Official Independent Albums Chart and #1 on the Official Independent Breakers Chart), The Bracknall confirmed an autumn headline tour which includes their biggest London show to date at KOKO and a rammed summer festival schedule.
They have shared the single “Where I Belong” as first taste of their new EP “Waiting For The Lights To Change”, which follows on October 2nd. The Bracknall’s wall-of-sound guitars and epic, singalong, radio-ready hooks ensured their main stage slot in Bridlington was a belter.
The EP was recorded in West Yorkshire with Richard McNamara of Embrace. In addition to vinyl and CD formats as well as new merch items, the campaign also includes raffles to win special items from The Bracknall’s history: their #1 Independent Breakers Chart award; Jack’s Epiphone acoustic guitar signed by the band; and Jack’s own The Bracknall x Meyba long-sleeve football shirt, also signed by the band.
Completed by Jack’s brother Harry Dacey (guitar), Eddie Smith (guitar) and Dan Hurley (drums), The Bracknall’s festival season sees them team up again with This Feeling to headline their stages at The Isle of Wight, Truck and Y NOT?, while other festival dates include The Great Escape and Bring The Noise. The Bracknall are another band we tip for big things.
There seems to be a bit of a theme for this event every year; young bands and artists coming as punters buying a ticket one time and dreaming of being on the same stage in the future.
Some make it happen; with that afore mentioned ‘leg up’ from Mikey Jonns the founder of This Feeling, and his team.
For those of you reading this feature who are in a band or you are a solo artist, writing and performing your own stuff, as the TV advert for the national lottery says: “It could be you!”
* This Feeling By The Sea 2027 is announced as 9th & 10th April and is on sale now.
Check out our coverage of Friday’s proceedings…
Photos by Liam Battersby [Even his ice cream!]
Words by Steve Best
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