Wychwood 2026 on Cheltenham racecourse. Day two. 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.
There are several stages and 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. Comedy too from an array of new and established comics, including Henning Wehn.
Saturday’s main stage headliner is The Kaiser Chiefs, and Newton Faulkner on the Garden Stage. Also doing their thing today included: Feeder, The South, The Twang, The Pigeon Detectives, and Adult DVD. Plus some newer bands such as the excellent prospects Drinking With Lucy, and Underscore.
Sunday’s bill toppers are The Levellers and Everything Everything, plus special guests Maximo Park, Chesney “The one and only” Hawkes, The Subways, and The Dub Pistols.
Friday’s headliner was “Murder On The Dance Floor” / Kitchen Disco Queen Sophie Ellis Bextor on the main stage, after Craig David’s headline spot was cancelled a few days before; with no proper explanation as to why. The Wedding Present headlined the Garden stage. Maybe around 10,000 people attended on Friday. Circa 12,000 on day two and a predicted 10,000 on Sunday. [A capacity of 15,000 per day this year.]
Saturday has a themed under-the-sea fancy dress “rule”, and particularly the giant squid was our favourite catch of the day! In those costumes in scorching heat, it was more like baked fish on the menu.
The Nivea sun cream stand was a hit today with temperatures at least 25 degrees, but feeing more like 30, so there’s no excuse for sun burn with the free mini sun cream is available to all. With minimal areas of shade, many have brought along umbrellas and mini pop-up tents to keep the kids cool.
On the main stage early on, very decent young five piece band from Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, Drinking With Lucy got their slot via the “Apply to play” scheme. This band look comfortable on stage and write infectious, guitar-driven melodies and catchy alternative-edged, 90s-influenced rock.
Releasing their debut single in February 2026, they have recently supported Fright Years on their UK headline tour, and are gearing up for more UK festival appearances and a debut European tour. For fans of the likes of Stereophonics, Catfish and the Bottlemen, and Kings of Leon; their cover of the Stereophonic’s “Tomorrow” went down well at Wychwood.
Also getting their chance to play a festival were Underscore, probably the youngest band of the three days. Local lads from Cheltenham, this five-piece indie rock band are inspired by Fontaines DC and The Strokes. Lyrically, the lead singer’s songwriting takes inspiration from the likes of Leonard Cohen and Elliot Smith. They have anthemic choruses and driving guitar lines and deserved their main stage spot.
The compere chap talked about how tough the competition has been between the bands battling for a spot via the “Apply to play” scheme. For those successful bands and singers performing this year, you can see how excited they are to have an opportunity to perform on the main stage of a festival and the opportunity for some exposure. Most have plenty of family and friends out front to support them.
The full roster of 2026 “Apply to play” victors who won a slot at the festival is: Drinking With Lucy, Freya Dalgarno, Lo-Hi-Lo, Loophole band, Luc Franklyn, Pavey Ark, Pebble Daisy [who were chosen by 2025 winners Truck] and who were superb on day one, and wandering about the site on Saturday, Tan Sholto, The Burway, and The Callbirds.
Beautiful South off-shoot, The South delivered all the hits, fronted by two former original members, Alison Wheeler and Gaz Birtles, who share the lead vocals. Gary also blowing the sax sporadically in the enjoyable set.
Alison advises they will start off slow, but by the end of the set they want the crowd to be hoarse from singing. [Heard as “horse” and the festival held on a racecourse!!!] The original band had three number one albums [10 in the top 10], one chart-topping single – 1990’s “A Little Time” – 22 of which were in the top 4o and six in the top 10.
The Twang are still going strong some 22 years since they formed in Birmingham, releasing five studio albums including debut, “Love It When I Feel Like This” in 2007 , which reached number three in the UK chart and has gone on to achieve platinum certification.
In the years following the band have released a total of five studio albums alongside a greatest hits and B-sides compilation – spawning fan favourite singles such as “Barney Rubble”, “We’re a Crowd” and “Everytime”.
They have a large and exuberant following, many of whom will buy tickets for a good number of shows on their tours, and some are here at Wychwood for a dynamic and energetic set despite the heat. Fan fave “Drinking in LA” was loudly responded to.
At 5pm, the Wychwood festival organisers planned a surprise for the crowd with the fly-over of a small ‘plane towing a banner to tease a clue about one of 2027s headliners. The message in red: “Don’t you want me Baby! See you in 2027”. Followed by a screen on the main stage announcing electropop legends The Human League for next year.
Always good value festival fodder from The Pigeon Detectives and a decent covering of cloud meant the temperature was slightly more bearable for the start of their set. Formed in 2004, The Pigeon Detectives are Matt Bowman on lead vocals, Oliver Main and Ryan Wilson on guitars, Dave Best on Bass, and Jimmi Naylor on drums.
The band enjoyed a meteoric rise starting in Leeds, where they released their first single in 2005 with Leeds label Dance to the Radio, then growing into the UK Music scene rapidly with debut album “Wait for Me”, that hit number three in the chart, eventually selling platinum.
The album featured singalong hits like “I’m not Sorry”, “Take Her Back”, “I Found Out” and “Romantic Type”. Second album “Emergency” featured their Top 20 single “This is an Emergency”. The LP also charted in the Top five selling Gold, and three further albums followed.
A live act that always brings an energetic show packed full of indie bangers and regulars on the festival scene, here at Wychwood singer Matt entered the stage and called out, “people of the earth, people of Cheltenham and surrounding areas show me your hands”, before opening to their hit single “This Is An Emergency”.
These guys always put on a fun show. Matt is full of energy and dishes out his usual antics, such as high leaps in the air from the stage and from the drum riser, swinging the microphone around by the lead and up high and then catching it as it zooms back down. He also always grabs a bottle of water and pours it onto his head and also takes a mouth full and spits it up into the air.
He lobs some into the crowd too, and many became quite excite. Matt actually stopped the music to jokingly shout out, “the guy in the Feeder shirt can go thirsty”. He jumps into the “pit” and clambers up onto the barrier and sings to the crowd while security hold him up there; donning a bird’s head mask from a fan in the crowd. Talking of birds, Matt tells the audience that Cheltenham was actually founded by pigeons!
Matt is a real showman and had the crowd captivated; following his commands from raising hands and clapping to getting onto the shoulders of the person in front of you. From a fun factor, I think these guys have to be the favourite so far this weekend.
Since they started releasing records more than 30 years ago, Feeder have never been far from the charts or strangers to the stage. Having sold more than 7,000,000 records, they’ve played all over the world, bringing their anthemic rock music to fans old and new.
Tracks like “Just The Way I’m Feeling”, “Buck Rogers”, “Feeling A Moment”, “High”, “Borders”, “Just a Day”, “Torpedo, “Fear of Flying”, “Lost and Found”, and “Hey You” are just some of the 26 Top 40 UK chart hits the band have enjoyed over the years, along with a double platinum singles collection in 2006.
At Wychwood, they opened with “Buck Rogers” to a strong reaction, some of the crowd wearing Feeder shirts;’ particularly a couple of super fans in the front row with their matching feeder tee- shirts, jumping and head banging encouraged for this set. One of the strongest sets of the festival so far.
Headliner on the Garden stage, Newton Faulkner packed the tent out. Newton’s guitar had a wee ‘twanging’ issue at one stage in the very enjoyable set and had to be re-tuned.
He has always adapted to a constantly changing musical landscape; from his debut album in 2007 to his 2009 sophomore effort “Rebuilt by Humans”, his second UK #1 album “Write It on Your Skin”, “Studio Zoo”, and beyond.
His eighth album, September 2025’s “Octopus” was more than five years in the making, and is the longest gap he’s had between records. It includes lead single “Alright, Alright, Alright”. Interestingly, the track is harnessed not by guitar, but by a Hofner violin bass guitar rather than his trusted acoustic guitar, which unlocked a different approach to songwriting across the album.
Also offering up a sterling performance on Saturday were Leeds six-piece Adult DVD, well worth catching them live…
Saturday’s main stage headliners Kaiser Chiefs are always up for it live. Ricky Wilson the perfect front man. Heaps of personality and stage presence, winning new fans for him and the band when he was one of the coaches on The Voice.
At Wychwood he is up to his usual high energy stuff in this set; lots of high jumps, slinging the mic stand about and clambering on top of the monitors.
The band enter the stage to a recording of the Tom Robinson Band’s classic “2468 Motorway”, and straight into their first song, “Factory Gates”. Ricky in his striped jacket asks if people are ready to be entertained? They sure were…
He advises the crowd to follow the rules! “Rule one: put one hand in the air, rule 2: put the other hand in the air, then clap them together, it’s that simple”. Then they deliver “Modern Way”.
Formed in Leeds in 2000, Kaiser Chiefs fronted by Ricky Wilson, with Simon Rix on bass, Andrew ‘Whitey’ White on guitar, Nick ‘Peanut’ Baines on keyboards and drummer Vijay Mistry, have had a string of anthemic hits such as “Oh My God”, “I Predict A Riot”, “Everyday I Love You Less and Less”, “Never Miss A Beat” and “Hole In My Soul”, all of which they perform at Wycwhood in style. And of course, the infectious number one smash hit “Ruby”.
The band have released eight studio albums, which includes their Mercury Prize-nominated debut, “Employment” which sold more than two million copies, and its number one follow up, “Yours Truly, Angry Mob”, which went twice-platinum in the UK alone. Plus “Education, Education, Education & War” which entered the UK Album Chart at number one.
They won an Ivor Novello award for Album of the Year, toured with U2, Foo Fighters and Green Day and have sold at least eight million albums. Here at this festival some 26 years after they formed, the band sound as strong and as vibrant as ever. Top choice for a headliner.
Friday at Wychwood was fab. Saturday was superb. Roll on Sunday’s final day of the 20th anniversary celebrations on the racecourse. Giddy up…
- Check out our coverage of day # one – day # three is coming soon…..
Photos by Liam Battersby
Words by Kerry Louise & Steve Best
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