Wychwood 2026 on Cheltenham racecourse. Day one: And they’re off to a gallop in the warm sunshine. The festival’s 20th year and its usual 10,000 capacity increased by 5,000.
An eclectic “something for everyone” mix of bands, artists and genres. Very much a chilled and safe family event, with more for the kids to get involved in this year.
Several stages and there are more of the newer and younger bands to discover this year, some getting their first taste of a festival stage. They are in good company.
Friday’s headliner is “Murder On The dancefloor” / “Kitchen Disco” Queen Sophie Ellis Bextor on the main stage and The Wedding Present on the Garden stage.
Saturday’s main stage headliner is The Kaiser Chiefs, and Newton Faulkner on the Garden Stage. Sunday’s bill toppers are The Levellers and Everything Everything. Lots more decent acts to check out, including The Pigeon Detectives, The Twang, special guests Maximo Park, Chesney “The one and only” Hawkes, Newton Faulkner, The Subways, and The Dub Pistols. Comedy too from an array of new and established comics including Henning Wehn.
The biggest surprise of the day one was how actor Shaun Williamson, aka hapless Barry in “Eastenders” and very funny “Barry from Eastenders” in Ricky Gervais’ “Extras”, absolutely smashed the fabulously fun Barrioke. He was moved to the main stage when Craig David’s headline spot was cancelled only a few days before the event.
Sophie Ellis Bextor was bumped up to headliner and Barrioke moved from a smaller stage to main stage, on directly before Sophie. It was a joyous mass singalong from a huge crowd of adults and kids who loved it. Apparently it was Shaun’s aka Barry’s farewell to Barrioke for some reason.
A shame because it was well worthy of a main stage slot and I doubt many would have minded if he was the headliner. Maybe he can be convinced (£££$$$) to come back next year on the main stage and delay his “retirement”. How about he is booked to open for all three main stage headliners on every night of the festival in 2027?
As regards the cancellation of Crag David’s T5 headline spot, the festival’s announcement said it was due to unforeseen circumstances. Craig David put out a statement on social media to say he and his people did not cancel the booking. It said the festival’s organisers did, and it was news to him until he read their cancellation announcement and that Sophie Ellis Bextor was now Friday’s headliner. He urged any of his fans who had paid to see him at Wychwood, to claim refunds from the festival.
Whatever the facts and reasons why Craig did not appear, Sophie and her band did a magnificent job, and the big crowd lapped it up. As did Shaun for his Barrioke set. Maybe Craig David can be re-booked for next year’s 21st anniversary festival, and any issues ironed out behind the scenes and off of social media in the next few months. He has a superb voice and he pulls a good crowd and always goes down well.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor was seen enjoying the festival and engaging with festival goers prior to her set. The sun was setting at the start of her set which gave a pretty spectacular skyline. She opened with “Relentless Love”, and then Cher’s “Take me Home”, and commented that she has come out to the most spectacular view of the sunset and that she could see her son on one of the fairground rides in the background.
She spoke about how she finds this to be such a great festival and is there with some of her children. Sophie comments that she last played Wychwood in 2022. She spoke about how she’s now headliner after Craig David was announced to no longer be performing. She joked that Craig was cancelled on the Monday, she was contacted on the Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursday Craig offered refunds. Most of the crowd caught on to the gag, of course based around the lyrics to his smash hit song, “7 Days”.
She tells the crowd there’s a lot to pack into the limited time and that as it’s a Friday night,so “let’s dance the night away”. As part of a medley, she sang a cover of Abba’s ” Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”, and later Donna Summer’s classic “I Feel Love”.
And of course, we got her biggest hit, “Murder On The Dance Floor, as the penultimate song, before Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” to end the set. Sophie has still got moves and the crowd seemed to be well on board! Still a full arena after her set, no one in a rush to leave.
3 Daft Monkeys are festival stalwarts and pulled a fair sized crowd. They announced they had been stuck in traffic and managed to get there just in time. Lots of people dancing to this fun, goodtime band’s with a quirky sound. The crowd sing along to the chorus as instructed: “They are just a fish with a monkeys head”.
Pebble Daisy is a singer and songwriter from Stroud and with her bandmates was chosen to perform this year, by one of last year’s ‘Apply to Play’ bands: Truck. We tip Pebble Daisy as ones to watch.
Elles Bailey on the main stage is an artist many made sure they got to catch. Some may have seen her before, opening for Jools Holland, Van Morrison, Don McLean and Rag’n’Bone Man.Blues roots, rock singer, songwriter, and pianist from Bristol, she has recorded five studio albums, including her debut album “Wildfire” in 2017, and her latest, this year’s “Can’t Take My Story Away “.
In 2024, Elles released her highest charting album to date when “Beneath the Neon Glow” peaked at number 12 in the UK chart and it reached number one on the Official Jazz and Blues Albums Chart and number two on Official Americana Album Chart. Elles has won several awards for her work. She is also a presenter on Planet Rock Radio with her own weekly show.
She has a husky and powerful voice and a decent band. She opened at Wychwood with “Enjoy The Ride”, telling the crowd she grew up down the road to Cheltenham. She talked about how when she’s touring she leaves her husband home looking after their son. However, today they were able to join her and could be seen in the crowd, her son waving at mummy throughout her performance. Elles talked about the importance of supporting live music and small festivals. A very enjoyable set.
With kids everywhere, there is a calm that you don’t usually get at most festivals, what with the booze flowing and groups of males and/or females getting rowdy; but Wychwood is definitely the place for families to try out a festival for the first time. There are families here in 2026 who have been coming since the kids were babies ands are now much older and still loving it.
The first performer on the main ‘Sam Shrouder Stage’…..Tan Sholto. One of the ‘Apply to play winners’. Her start time is bang on noon, the same time the gates open. A small crowd form as people make their way in to the site. Tan tells the small crowd she is happy to spend this beautiful early afternoon with them, and inviting people tot come say hello as she planned to walk around the arena after the set. She’s worth checking out.
The ‘Ola Samba’ band performed by the entrance to welcome the crowds. Early on, the activities areas were already busy with children learning the drums, circus skills and a couple of embarrassed dads dancing on stage with an entertainer to lively cheers and laughter from the watching crowd.
Second up was solo acoustic artist Luc Franklyn – another one of the ‘Apply to play’ acts. He attracted a small gathering of fans at the front of the barrier, some wearing a mask with Luc’s face on. Despite being solo he had a decent presence and a pretty decent voice to go with it.
The Callbirds are another ‘ Apply to play’ act being given a chance to grace a festival stage early in on their career. A young local band from Cheltenham, a fact that was received with a cheer from the crowd. Apparently these guys have been touring all over the place but are happy to be back.
A change in pace to the earlier two performers. Loud and fast-paced with catchy rhythms and lyrics. Some of the crowd even getting up from their sunbathing positions to watch and a few dancing. A good job from these promising youngsters.
On the main stage, a mass singalong to all their hits with Boney M. Original member Maizie Williams and her three colleagues promised to take the crowd on a Caribbean holiday, musically. “Rasputin” (a track banned in Russia!), “Brown Girl In The Ring”, “Daddy Cool”, “Rivers Of Babylon”, “Ma Baker”, and more.
They had many hits and sold more than 100 million records, formed in Germany by a record producer in 1974. The quartet delivered some slick disco dance moves and were good fun in the sunshine.
Once the main stage Barrioke set finished, a lot of that crowd went over to the Garden stage, to catch an excellent set from The Wedding Present, and the tent filled to its capacity and folk spilled outside. Unfortunately there is a seriously poor choice of placement of some toilets right next to this stage, which in the heat left the area with a rather putrid smell. ” The urinal stage” was what some were calling it…..
Barrioke on the main stage saw Shaun Williamson don a purple and gold sequinned jacket with ‘Barry’ across the back. He entered the stage singing “Is This The Way To Amarillo”, the Tony Christie classic. He jokes that he thought he had gigs coming up in Sweden and Turkey, but was disappointed to find out it was in Swindon and Torquay. Adding that he does have gigs Ibiza and some more festivals this year.
He has a few audience members joining him onstage to perform a number of classic songs’ one of those was Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” sung by Cheltenham local Andy Barrell, whose kids could be heard excitedly shouting”That’s our dad”.
It may be a jokey act, but Shaun is a proper singer and can belt them out in style; he has appeared in West End musicals in his career. He should reconsider his retirement for Barrioke. A great festival addition.
A wonderful Wychwood day one, unless you were a Crag David fan maybe! Whetted the appetite to experience Saturday and Sunday on the racecourse. Odds on favourite to be two more winners.
- Look out for our coverage of day # two and day # three coming soon…..with more super pix from our ace lensman Liam Battersby…
Photos by Liam Battersby
Words by Kerry Louise & Steve Best
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