This year Wychwood celebrated a momentous milestone, with the beloved independent festival marking its 20th anniversary.
Having started back in 2005 (with two years off due to Covid-19) the festival has developed a reputation for its welcoming atmosphere and expert curation over the last two decades. While the festival still continues to grow and evolve, they are staying true to their roots and maintaining that status as one of the UK’s most loved festival weekends.
Fresh from being crowned Family Festival of the Year at the UK Festival Awards 2025, Wychwood continues to set the standard for inclusive festival experiences. Thousands flock from around the UK in growing numbers each year, and it’s no wonder with the hundreds of family-friendly activities, arts, comedy, children’s literature and workshops laid out across the weekend – plus it’s free for under 10s, ideal for when you’ve run out of ideas over Half-Term!
As excitement built, festival organisers received a spanner in the works with the news Craig David would no longer be performing – leaving a substantial gap in the schedule and not a lot of time to resolve it.
Thankfully, Sophie Ellis-Bextor was there to save the day – bumped up from her evening slot to headline with her sequin-studded disco to light up the night. She last played Wychwood in 2022 where she also topped the bill on Friday, so everyone could breathe easy knowing it was in safe hands.
But what about her original slot, you may wonder? Answering the proverbial Bat Phone (Baz Phone?) was none other than Shaun Williamson aka Barry from EastEnders!
That’s right, the legendary Barrioke has been promoted from the Howlin’ Pete’s tent to the Sam Shrouder Main Stage, bringing the ultimate karaoke party with him as part of his farewell tour. Having packed out the tent in the last few editions of Wychwood, it felt like the natural next step – particularly for that one last time.
It wasn’t the only storm Wychwood had to navigate this week as we were treated to a spectacular lightning display over Cheltenham in the wee small hours of Thursday morning. The rain brought some much-needed relief following the hot and humid conditions caused by the heatwave, but with a sunny weekend forecast for the festival the warm weather looked set to continue.
Wychwood always makes an effort to get people to think about the environment when choosing how to arrive – encouraging the use of public transport and car sharing as low-carbon options for travel.
The roadworks from last year have also been completed to reveal a new cycleway which was officially unveiled by Chris Boardman (he of Olympic and Halfords bike fame) a week ago – perfectly timed for anyone travelling light and looking to make the most of the good weather by cycling to site. There are 52 secure bicycle parks next to the Centaur and the Best Mate Enclosure entrances to the racecourse – so get there early if you want one!
There are also e-scooters dotted around Cheltenham, including at the train station, which can be hired for use. These are provided by VOI, so if you’re feeling less keen on pedal power then you can feel the need for (limited) speed by renting one out via the app. The map for the network comes to a stop at the racecourse park and ride, so there’ll be no opportunity to ride it all the way down onto site…alas.
Which segues beautifully into the next transport related intel! For the first time, organisers have worked with local business Renishaw PLC to put on a Shuttle Bus service. It picked up from the park and ride car park near the Evesham Road entrance of the Racecourse to the pickup/drop off point on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for £1.50 – which gets you there and back.
The shuttle bus ran every 20 minutes starting at 9:30am each day with the final bus leaving the car park just after the Box Office at 11:20pm each night. A welcome addition for sure!
For anyone who isn’t driving to or camping on site, the local Stagecoach West operated D bus service runs from Cheltenham Spa train station, through the town centre and out to the park and ride at the racecourse. A day ticket costs £5.10 and lasts until 1am the next day with regular buses through the day and the last bus to town leaving the bus stop at the top of Evesham Road (next to UCAS) at 00:19.
There is also a designated pickup/drop off point in the racecourse grounds and local taxi firms such as Starline can be booked either direct through their app or using the Uber app.
Wychwood have got you covered for all your transportation needs!
If travelling light isn’t into your vocabulary then GOOD NEWS! A new e-cart hire service provided by Sherpas made its first appearance at Wychwood. The motorised trolleys were ideal for the anyone trying to juggle kids and all manner of extra bits for their day on site. Prices started at £20 per 30 minutes, or £175 for the whole weekend…supremely helpful for that trip to and from and to and from and to and from the car when setting up for the weekend.
THURSDAY
For the first time in the festival’s history, they opened the doors on Thursday giving those camping the chance to pitch up from 9:30am. This not only helped with the traffic management on site, but also gave those keen beans a chance to pick prime spots in the campsite.
But convenient arrival and setting up wasn’t the only benefit for attendees – oh no. The festival also put on an evening of musical entertainment headlined by Dutty Moonshine Big Band.
The bill also included Freya Dalgarno, The Standard, Dr & The Medics and festival favourites Tankus – giving those committed souls a bonus night of fun and music in The Garden before most people had even arrived. Talk about the early birds catching the worms!
FRIDAY
For the rest of us, including day ticket holders, the main festival site opened at 12pm on Friday arriving to Tan Sholto’s gentle indie-folk on the Sam Shrouder Main Stage.
The layout remained much the same as 2025 with a bank of catering options in the centre of the site and others at either end. The Garden Stage and Howlin’ Pete’s were on opposite sides to one another with the main stage at the bottom of the field.
Fair rides, ice cream vans and bars flanked the site including a VIP area which guests can upgrade their tickets to access. The frozen margaritas on offer in there were a thing of beauty – especially in baking hot conditions. Much like an adult slush puppy they were £9.50 a pop and with a limited supply so you had to savour them when you could get your hands on them.
Heading over to the merch tent the merch makers had yet again extended the largest size of the official festival T-Shirts by an entire X to an XXXL! Although I was informed there were only five of them…baby steps. The 20th Anniversary tee was a sure fire winner at £25, as well as the ever popular I Heart Wychwood shirt and a Wild West themed “Welcome to Wychwood Country” effort with cowboy visuals. Shirts were £25 for adults £20 for youths.
Hoodies were £38 for adults and £28 for kids, while the ever-present festival favourite the bucket hat came in at £15.
Rising production costs have clearly struck home, as the lanyards with stage times on once again increased by £2 to a hefty £9. The lanyards are rapidly becoming the canary of inflation, surpassing the Freddo bar as the benchmark (35 bloody p!) – but they’re a handy thing to have, and the tan line left by the strap is this season’s must have.
Back over on the Main Stage and it was 16-year-old Luc Franklyn. His set of gentle Americana-tinged songs in the vein of Noah Kahan belied his years.
A quick stop by the bars to check out the offer followed. The usual collaboration with Stowford Press, Westons and Greene King were available – along with low and no alcohol options such as Guinness Zero. Gluten Free beers were also listed, along with a new addition to the roster, locally based Bottle Green.
Armed with a sunshine friendly cider, it was food next and over to Think Greek for Lamb Pitta Souvlaki and Halloumi Fries which came with hummus and pitta, along. It came to £22 all in but was very tasty – and the portability of a Gyros will always triumph!
Another new addition this year and the team from Nivea and Cancer Research UK were out in force with their cool down bus and various fun activities, as well as handing out much needed samples of sunscreen for those all-important top ups. As Baz Lurhmann said: “If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it”. The blue branded beachballs they gave away were inescapable over the weekend – a canny marketing tool to remind you to reapply!
If there’s one thing Wychwoodians enjoy it’s a folk band with fiddle. 3 Daft Monkeys from Cornwall returned to the stage for the first time since 2011 and gave a riotous performance drawing on Celtic and Balkan folk influences. Even their waltz turned into a proper hoolie!
By now the arena was pretty full and the seated groups who had arrived early to set up outside the barriers were causing a slight issue. In spreading out across the whole bowl with chairs and trolleys, it was nigh on impossible to get out of the Main Stage area alongside the VIP area. This created a hop scotch approach to exiting, lunging over picnic blankets and multiple camping chairs to make your way through. By the next morning clearly marked out areas had been spray painted to prevent the issues from persisting – if only for the sake of health and safety.
For anyone thinking “Well where am I supposed to put my trolley?” Friends of the Earth Birmingham offered a free property lock up service, along with power packs for rent for £5 with whatever cable your heart desires/phone requires. They took donations to use the lock up service, and to be honest it would have been a lot easier if folks had made use of it rather than circling the wagons and dominating vast swathes of space.
With a Wild West themed T-Shirt on sale, it was only fair there was some Country & Western on the bill and Elles Bailey duly delivered. Born in Bristol, she dedicated a song to her husband in the audience who looks after their child while she’s touring. With them only living a short way away, this felt like a bit of a homecoming. The boom of shows like Yellowstone have put cowboys back on the map, and I’m absolutely here for it! Yee-haw!
Each year Wychwood runs an “Apply to Play” scheme, which gives new and emerging talents the chance to play on one of the stages across the weekend. One of those was Stroud’s Pebble Daisy – selected by last year’s winners Truck.
The youthful three-piece were interviewed by the BBC before their set and clearly enjoyed themselves up on stage in a busy Garden tent. Their grungy-alt-rock sound included the song ‘Skater Boy’ which called out boys in shitty bands – something Pebble Daisy are an antidote to.
And now for something completely different…
Friday had more sequins on show than an Etsy enthusiast’s shopping basket and Boney M were responsible for a large proportion of them. Back for their third appearance and with OG member, the incredible Maizie Williams (looking amazing at 75!) they kicked off with a very apt ‘Sunny’. The Disco didn’t stop there as certified bangers Daddy Cool and Rasputin had the audience throwing shapes and putting Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue on standby with the risk of a sunlight x sequin wildfire in the overlooking hills.
Thankfully the human disco ball of the Wychwood crowd didn’t ignite anything other than a need for a pit stop at the bar and then it was time for another sonic shift to Bloodworm. Playing in The Garden, the Nottingham three-piece came their brooding goth-punk sound. With a sound offering snippets of Echo & The Bunnymen, Joy Division and wearing a Siouxie and the Banshees tee shirt, they’ve nailed their colours firmly to the mast. By colours I mean colour singular, black. Really enjoyable and ones to keep an eye out for.
Another 180° turn and it was time for Barrioke on the Main Stage. Shaun Williamson has carved a niche for himself with his version of karaoke, taking it on tour to festivals across the land and filling tents and rooms wherever he goes.
Bedecked in (another) sequin jacket with ‘Barry’ on the back, he gave the packed crowd what they wanted. Part compere, part stand-up and singer – he is every bit the showman. The signed Barry masks were a hugely popular freebie, as Williamson looked out to a sea of his own face staring back at him. Far from unsettled, a set filled with instantly recognisable tunes such as S-Club’s ‘Reach’, ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ and this reviewer’s least favourite song ‘Sweet Caroline’ was delivered with the aplomb we’ve all come to expect of him. He leaves Wychwood with big boots to fill, but what an impact he’s had over the last few years. Thank you, Shaun.
A brief stop for more refreshment (just water this time, thank you very much) and it was back to The Garden for indie scene stalwarts The Wedding Present. Despite 40+ years in the biz, this is their first time at Wychwood. The tent was packed with chaps of a certain vintage, relieving their C86 days as David Gedge and the latest line up (last count is 28 members throughout their lifespan) played the classics including closing out with the seminal ‘Kennedy’ and ‘Brassneck’. While I had expected there to be more of a scent of Voltarol and Deep Heat in the tent, the overriding aroma was that of hot piss (not a band) from the nearby urinals.
Despite the chronic nostril assault (also not a band) it was time for food before our Friday night headliner. A quick stop at Miz Mexican Street Food got me a Pork Burrito, ‘Yucatan’ style for £13. It was really good and I could probably have dealt with a portion of the Tacos too, but even 28,000 steps a day at a festival isn’t going to offset that calorie intake.
And then it was Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s turn. Dressed in silver sequinned dress and matching heels, the memo had clearly gone round site.
Obviously, there was a disappointed element in the crowd following Craig David’s withdrawal, but Sophie knows how to work a crowd and gave the unexpected headline slot the reverence it was due.
Tackling the situation head on, saying “You’ve probably guessed I’m not Craig David. He said he couldn’t perform on Sunday, Wychwood asked me on Monday, he was offering refunds on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and I’m playing on Friday.”
A set filled with the vibes you’d expect from the Kitchen Disco Queen covered her own songs, such as ‘Music Gets the Best of Me’, ‘Take Me Home’ and ‘If This Ain’t Love’ along with mash ups of late 90’s and early 00’s Ibiza classics and more of that classic disco.
Ellis-Bextor is clearly a natural show woman, regularly checking in with the audience, thanking the crowd for turning out and reassuring us that we are gorgeous. She also has something of a fascination for the fairground, having been on one ride earlier that day and telling the crowd “I’ll see you on the Sizzler” in reference to the fast-spinning ride directly in line of site from her position on the Main Stage.
The Saltburn enhanced mega-hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ brought things to an end before it was time to make the way back home in preparation for another jam-packed day.
SATURDAY
Rise and shine, it’s make sure you’ve got your Factor 30 on time! Another scorchio day up at Wychwood and Saturday is a busy one. The driver on the Shuttle Bus said it was the busiest start to the day so far as attendees packed into the bus.
Saturday is also the day when the fancy dress theme gives kids and adults alike the opportunity to express themselves beyond the usual Festival chic.
This year it was Under the Sea! Mermaids, inflatable Sharks, Jellyfish, Lobsters, Crabs, Baywatch, an Axolotl – there was a lot going on. I think the homemade costumes just about outnumbered the online ordered efforts – but whichever folks were wearing, the temperature was such that anyone wearing more than necessary gets my respect. Stay hydrated, fishies.
James Partridge’s Primary School Bangers filled the slot allocated to high energy work out sessions by Mr Motivator and Joe Wicks in recent years and brought a tongue in cheek Saturday morning singalong to the Main Stage. Given the heat, I’m sure everyone was glad of the rest!
It’s not *just* music at Wychwood though. The Village Green always has a plethora of activities taking place over the weekend. There was everything from circus workshops, to yoga sessions (even laughing yoga!), sign language for beginners, learning to samba drum and much, much more.
There are musical performances, clowns, parades, games, pirates…even a lost property! It’s a corner of the site that feels almost as if it’s a world of its own. A place where creativity and curiosity meet with a constant buzz of excitement.
Barbara’s Storybox is also up at The Village Green, giving wee ones the chance to hear readings from the heroes behind their favourite stories. It’s a tent full of wonder where imaginations are given space to run wild and they can even get their books signed by those authors and illustrators behind their faves. In a town known for its Literature Festival, books getting the attention they deserve up at the Racecourse is a good thing indeed.
After wandering around to soak up the atmosphere the heat drove me to the shade for a bit of a sit down in front of a fan. And then it was back to business with Thrill Collins.
Who? I jest. Thrill Collins are almost as synonymous with Wychwood Festival as the name Wychwood Festival. It’s their 16th time. Proudly announcing they have two new songs in their repertoire. The usual UK Garage mash up had a Craig David heavy leaning, despite percussionist Pete’s worries about starting beef with him. Guitarist Robbie pointed out that “He wasn’t going to see it” and so a triple up of ‘Re-Rewind’, ‘Fill Me In’ and ‘Seven Days’ delivered what Friday couldn’t.
The stomach was grumbling and Asian food was calling and on flipping a coin to decide between the three options, I went for Happy Dumpling 365. Six delicious pork dumplings and a spring roll for a pretty reasonable £12. The Bao Buns were absolutely gigantic – visible from space I’m sure – unless you’re relying on Blue Origin to get you there…
Music didn’t start in The Garden until later in the afternoon each day, giving comedy slots chance to fill the afternoon and provide laughter along with much needed shade on a frankly face melting day for it. This included Card Ninja a.k.a. Javier Jarquin who delivered a PG-friendly daytime appearance as the former before a much LESS PG slot at the Saturday Late Night comedy in Howlin’ Pete’s.
First band up on stage in The Garden was another Apply to Play act – Underscore. The youngsters were clearly pumped for the show, with the band kicking things off before the frontman Bertie Glendon bounded on stage. They wear their influences on their sleeves, splicing early Arctic Monkeys with Fontaines DC via The Strokes – especially with ‘I’m Falling Apart Without You’.
Back onto the Sam Shrouder Main Stage for The South. Formed out of the remnants of The Beautiful South in 2009, after they split owing to “musical similarities” the band’s set is a bright and breezy affair. Filled with chart bothering classics including ‘A Little Time’, ‘Rotterdam (Or Anywhere)’, ‘Don’t Marry Her’, ‘Perfect 10’ and ‘You Keep Ot All In’. It’s a great performance.
Prior to the next act, festival founder Graeme Merifield brought his photographer friend Potty up on stage. He said Potty had been “mithering him” to book the next act for years and duly followed through on the promise with Birmingham’s The Twang.
Now, when they arrived in 2007, I had a very visceral reaction to them and their sudden NME platforming. My ‘Nu-Raving, Cooler than thou Indie Boy snobbery’ was having none of it, and fast forward 20 years and, well there’s still some of that there. For example, their cover of Bran Van 3000’s ‘Drinking in L.A.’ cover is frankly something that doesn’t need to exist. BUT, the hit singles ‘Two Lovers’, ‘Wide Awake’, ‘Barney Rubble’ and ‘Either Way’ are all festival friendly, singalong, sunshine appropriate tracks and they nailed it. Not converted by any stretch, still – hats off.
The culmination of their set was followed by a big reveal. Hearing a plane was due to fly over with the hint as to who next year’s Saturday headliner would be, I immediately went into speculation overdrive. Would U2 be visiting Cheltenham? Or had the B-52’s had the offer? What about Aussie rockers Jet?
I should probably have paid a bit more attention to matters at hand, and looked to the skies to see a light aircraft pulling a banner with “DON’T YOU WANT ME BABY? SEE YOU IN 2027!” printed on it. An accompanying video on the screen on the Main Stage confirmed it was none other than The Human League!
Pale Blue Eyes offered something entirely different to The Twang. The four piece of Matt and Lucy Board, Aubrey Simpson and Lewis J Kellett produce a dream-pop set inspired by shoegaze and it is bliss. With retro synths, driving guitars and melodic vocals entwining it’s hardly a surprise they’re drawing attention and will be heading to Greece to support Moby alongside Garbage in July.
With comparable temperatures at Wychwood to Athens this weekend, the festival served as a warm weather boot camp for the Totnes-Sheffield natives who will surely have a lot more followers after this stunning set. No notes, 10/10.
The sun was absolutely relentless at this point, so leaving the shaded safety of The Garden was a risk for a boy with Celtic-heritage. But that didn’t deter The Pigeon Detectives any. Speaking to SFG before their set, frontman Matt Bowman refused to be negative about the better weather, citing how we spend “10 months of the year in relative darkness, grey and wet” welcoming the celestial body like an old friend.
In a breathless set filled with indie dancefloor fillers, Bowman gave it his all up front. Leaping about on stage, high kicking, spritzing water like wrestler Triple-H, throwing water (and a very well shaken beer can) into the audience, bantering with the crowd and security staff, spinning the mic so violently it went for a flight across stage AND putting on a latex pigeon mask. All of that while still singing his way through a selection of the band’s greatest hits including genuine indie-bangers ‘This is an Emergency’, ‘I Found Out’ and ‘Take Her Back’.
Bowman even has time to regale the audience with the link between pigeons and Cheltenham, having become a spa town once a farmer noticed pigeons drinking the water rising up on his land. Pigeon decorations are still scattered around the town centre, making this the perfect (accidental) collaboration.
Ending on ‘I’m Not Sorry’ the band have slaked the thirst of an audience reaching a quite literal boiling point from the early afternoon simmer – paving the way for the rest of the evening’s entertainment.
Back into the shade, sorry, The Garden and it’s Adult DVD. I’ll admit, doing my research before the festival they reminded me of that band Will booked to play the Christmas Prom in The Inbetweeners. But there’s hype around this band for a reason. The pulsing groove offered up by the guitar, bass, and drums combined with the synths makes for a danceable as flip performance from the Leeds based six-piece. They’re heading to Europe shortly before returning to our shores for appearances at Latitude and Truck Festivals. If you get a chance, see them before tickets are harder to come by than actual Adult DVDs.
I’m about to head to the Main Stage to see Feeder – I bloody love Feeder. There, I got my bias out the way early doors. Ever since I heard Insomnia in 1999, I’ve been following them and they never disappoint. Grant Nicholas’ voice is still exquisite all these years on. Taka Hirose is still the coolest bassist in the world and they have a back catalogue to envy.
Entering to Enio Morricone, the band stride out to a packed crowd with the sun gradually dipping beyond the horizon and launch into ‘Buck Rogers’. I was taken aback that they’d go so big so early, but it got everyone pogo-ing along to the repeated chants of “player” and “lemon”. A career spanning set followed, dipping into 97’s Polythene with ‘High’, Yesterday Went Too Soon for ‘Insomnia’, through the Echo Park era and all the way up to 2024’s Black / Red and the heavy AF ‘Playing with Fire’.
The gentler moments for 2002’s ‘Just the Way I’m Feeling’ and “Woo-ooo-ooooh” singalong of ‘Feeling a Moment’ displays Feeder’s depth as a band – covering the full spectrum of everything modern indie rock was, is and can be. Closing with ‘Just A Day’ the iconic videos of fans singing and dancing to the song played on the big screen and faces were beaming brightly as voices strained to match Grant’s. A set of absolute joy. Thank you Wychwood.
It was time to make a tactical food stop, and so the aforementioned Bao Buns got their moment in the (setting) sun. Two amazing clouds filled with spicy beef, pork and prawn, chicken curry or began came in at £12 – although for just £3 more I could have added a third. Given the size of them I bottled it for fear of not being able to move thereafter but they were definitely up there with the best I’ve eaten.
I didn’t manage to see Vote Pedro in Howlin’ Pete’s but watching videos back during my meal I definitely missed out! A mariachi band reimagining classic hits with a Mexican flavour – their version of Seven Nation Army is something special.
And so, to the Main Stage for our Saturday night headliners – Kaiser Chiefs. In the mid 00’s it was frankly impossible to avoid Kaiser Chiefs. They secured their place on radio playlists and DJ setlists with the release of Employment and steamrolled their way into the psyches of anyone with ears.
It was a masterstroke booking for a headliner. They have mass appeal and were announced shortly after 2025’s festival drew to a close – helping to drive ticket sales and set the stall out for the year to come. You’ll never keep everyone happy with bookings, but there weren’t many grumbles I heard when the news was announced – nor on the night.
With Ricky Wilson at the helm and more than 20 years of material to work with, the Leeds Lads arrived on stage to David Bowie’s Heroes. Now, as the saying goes, “not all heroes wear capes”. In this case our hero is wearing a striped blazer and is ready to save us all – with no sign of underpants over his trousers.
The crowd was eating out of Wilson’s hand. Every command, instruction or request was responded to with near Pavlovian levels of obedience from the Wychwood audience – which is some going. He’s a sensational frontman and clearly wasn’t affected by his lunchtime ice cream (we saw you Ricky…).
Mega singalong hits “Everyday I Love You Less and Less”, “Modern Way”, “Never Miss a Beat” and “Ruby” were belted back at the band with gusto and likely responsible for some raw throats the next day – but based on the beaming faces no-one will mind a lozenge or a restorative bottle of green juice the morning after.
The encore kicked off with a cover of The Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ and closed with ‘Oh My God’s’ repeat chanting of “Oh my God I can’t believe it, I’ve never been this far away from home”. Thankfully for this reporter, home was Cheltenham Town Centre – so that sentiment wasn’t applicable. A power walk through the campsite and car park and I was waiting for my bus home with other punters on a high from the day. No Angry Mobs to see here.
SUNDAY
And just like that we’re onto the final stretch. The last day of Wychwood 2026, but there’s plenty to get through before we say goodbye for another year.
You’d have done well to have avoided hearing or seeing anything related to K-Pop Demon Hunters over the last year. The hit track ‘Golden’ became the first-ever K-pop song to win an Oscar at the ceremony earlier this year and to be fair it’s an absolute stunner.
But if you’re a parent of a child who has listened to the soundtrack repeatedly over that time the thought of Wychwood hosting a K‑Pop Demon Hunters vs Swifty Disco is possibly complaint worthy. Still, if it keeps them occupied, eh? The thousand yard stare of parents surrounding Howlin’ Pete’s told its own story – as did the high-pitched screams of enthusiastic bairns within. A set mixing K-Pop hits and Swifty adjacent bops was ‘Taylor’ made for a Sunday lunchtime crowd coming down off what I can only imagine was a diet consisting of pure sugar prior.
Speaking of diets, my need for food crept up earlier than expected today and the queue at Slice One was finally down to a bearable length. We went for a Pepperoni pizza with added hot honey for 50p (to make it on trend) which was horsed down with a frozen margarita slushy. It was an excellent combination and I regretted nothing.
Over on the Main Stage we had another of the Apply to Play winners, Pavey Ark. Hailing from Hull but named after a fell in Cumbria, the band’s music is described as cinematic and atmospheric. With soaring vocals, spiralling strings and dreamy brass – it harked to woozy summers surrounded by nature. When you’re at a festival with the Cotswolds in one direction and the Malverns in the other it was a perfect combination. A gorgeous treat for the afternoon.
Leaving the stage, the DJ took back over to provide background sounds as we went about our business. This is often the case, but there was something different about this song. It took me a while, but it was pointed out that the song – How Long? (Has This Been Going On) by Ace – continued to play for a lot longer than the 3:24 running time of the record. In fact, it went on for in excess of an hour!
This was in fact a nod to the next act on the Main Stage, The Horne Section. Its frontman is none other than Taskmaster star, (little) Alex Horne and as part of Stand Up to Cancer’s fundraising he performed that song for 24 hours. So, if you think it was hard work over one hour, think how he felt.
Named “Britain’s Funniest Band” by The Guardian, they’ve had two series of their own TV show and appeared on numerous others. Specialising in comedy songs that are heavy on wordplay and, perhaps surprisingly, cardio! With there being no like for like swap for the aforementioned Motivator and Wicks, it was time for lots of enthusiastic dancing and even some Zumba! I admit to snort laughing at least once (“It’s a Cailee Minogue!”) which I hope was drowned out by superb musicianship of the band.
Another staple of Wychwood is the presence of Dub music. I’d wager most, if not all, of the Dub bands in the UK have had a dabble (or is that dubble?) on one of the stages at the festival.
This year it was the turn of Dub Pistols. Sharp dressed and meaning business, the Pistoleros delivered a set that hopped across genres including rap, ska, reggae and even jungle. It was a relentless show led by the irrepressible Barry Ashworth – energy, charisma and style throughout the set.
A sugary pick me up was required, and so it was over to the Churros Hermanos stand for a portion of churros with chocolate dip (£8) which definitely ticked off the sweet tooth requirements for the weekend.
That set me up for the final push, starting with the one and only Chesney Hawkes. This is another canny booking from the Wychwood team. Sure, folks will have him labelled as a ‘one hit wonder’ – but he’s a consummate pro and still draws a crowd. A glut of covers – including ‘I Predict a Riot’ from last night’s headliners – was followed by new songs from his latest album before giving the fans what they want with 1991’s ‘The One and Only’.
Next up at The Garden was HUNNY BUZZ, a four piece out of Bristol with the mission statement of “making music your ex would hate”. Their talents are such that they’re able to move effortlessly from heavier numbers ‘Car Collision’ and ‘Mine’, into bright and breezy surf rock numbers like ‘Now I Can Get Over You’ and the frankly devastating ‘Joyride’. Lydia Read’s sugar-coated delivery belies the barbed messaging in the lyrics and you can almost imagine her singing the most shattering news to you and not actually minding…possibly even thanking her for it.
Even an ex with awful taste in music couldn’t help but like what these guys are putting out. Big things must surely be ahead for them, and if there’s any justice that’s exactly what will be to come.
From new kids on the block, it was over to old hands who have their own 20th anniversary to celebrate. Maxïmo Park are up next on the main stage celebrating the release of their debut album ‘Apply Some Pressure’ in 2005. These anniversaries feel like a personal attack in all honesty. I was at university when it came out and that DEFINITELY wasn’t 20 years ago.
Frontman Paul Smith is as energetic as ever jolting around on stage as if a current was passing through him when ‘The Coast is Always Changing’ starts us off. In a fetching burgundy coloured suit, black shirt and hat he addresses the crowd, commenting: “Some say you shouldn’t play one of your biggest songs second” and is clearly not one to listen to such negativity as the band flies into a mighty ‘Our Velocity’.
An era hopping “best of” set follows filled with danceable indie with razor sharp, intellectual lyrics – something that has always differentiated them from their peers. Addressing the fans Smith said: “Thank you Wychwood. Cheltenham. Which would you prefer?” and closed things out with a one, two, three punch of ‘Apply Some Pressure’, ‘Books from Boxes’ and ‘Going Missing’. It’s as good a show as we’ve had across the weekend and reaffirms (if it were needed) the band’s status as indie heroes. They’re playing a host of festivals in the UK while making time for a number of dates in Germany over the summer. Don’t miss ‘em!
The Ogretones were back at Wychwood for the second year in a row and clearly word had spread. Howlin’ Pete’s was packed to the rafters! The concept is thus. The band are dressed as characters from the Shrek series of films and they play songs from those films. Got it? Good! It’s terrific fun and even if there are some REALLY deep cuts in there (we’re talking DVD extras deep cuts…) the hits ‘Accidentally in Love’, ‘All Star’ and ‘I’m a Believer’ are all present and correct.
Another really exciting booking from Wychwood, Everything Everything made their way onto the Main Stage next. Emerging in matching yellow outfits, frontman Jonathan Higgs added a flourish to his with a grey over the shoulder effort which nearly matched the colour of the sky as clouds gathered above and a few raindrops fell.
The band was another celebrating an anniversary as their breakthrough album ‘Get to Heaven’ turned 10 years old last year. That record made up the majority of their set, but newer tracks from 2024’s Mountainhead (‘Enter the Mirror’) and 2022’s Raw Data Feel (‘Pizza Boy’ – were they watching me eat my lunch?) ensured they were giving their fans a bit of everything.
Ending on the anthemic ‘Distant Past’ and recent smash ‘Cold Reactor’ the set closed with the sun was shining almost as brightly as their yellow uniforms. These guys are excellent. A flawless performance which you wouldn’t believe was live unless you were there – especially Jonathan’s vocal gymnastics. Luckily, they’re playing a heap of shows this year, so you can go and experience if yourself.
I last saw The Subways around 2005 at university and they still pack a mighty punch live. Their debut album ‘Young for Eternity’ is one of those indie rock LPs of the time that still stands up and live, the songs are even better. A busy Garden stage got a greatest hits run through with the anthemic ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘With You’ and ‘Rock n Roll Queen’ testing the vocals of the day three-ers amongst us.
Changing the lyrics to the latter, Billy let us know that “Wychwood is Rock n Roll”. Here’s hoping for more bookings of a similar nature for future years
Taking the opportunity to strike while the crowds gathered for the final performance of the night, I secured my final festival meal from Oh Babu. A Naught Naan Roll (portable is king, remember) with grilled chicken tikka, katchumber salad and sauce filled me up nicely to settle in for our final set of the weekend.
That responsibility fell to Levellers. Having headlined no fewer than five times since their first appearance in 2007 and with a die-hard fanbase, we knew we were going to be looked after. And weren’t we just?
With their own Beautiful Days festival taking place in Devon at the tail end of August, the band knows a thing or two about the pressures of putting on an event – not least picking the bands to play.
I’ll admit to not being hugely inspired by the selection on publication, but that was mainly down to not knowing many of their songs (other than ‘One Way’ and ‘What a Beautiful Day’), but it honestly didn’t matter. The band are veterans of the scene and prodigiously talented musicians, so it was a riot from start to finish.
During ‘The Boatman’ for example I witnessed my first ever didgeridoo solo and I don’t want it to be the last. More obscure instruments in live performances please. Thank you.
And what did I say about fiddles? Correct. Wychwood bloody loves a band with a violinist giving it hell for leather. Frantic set closer ‘The Riverflow’ let Jon Sevink give his all for one last time despite having been non-stop since the opener. At one point the strings may have been smoking, that or someone’s vape cloud passed across my line of vision but either way it was epic.
The set was filled with their trademark impassioned folk-punk sound that they’ve cultivated over the last 30 plus years and a mighty sound it is too. It’s no surprise the crowd had an incredible time of it. What a finale!
And with that, 2026 is done and dusted. Another one ticked off and the first step on the road to 20 more years!
It’s clear everyone involved in Wychwood Festival, from the volunteers to security, front of house staff to the unsung heroes working hard behind the scenes, that this is a labour of love.
Everyone gives their all to create the best possible festival experience for all comers. It’s no easy feat to curate an event that caters to such a broad generational mix but they manage it year after year.
Hundreds of much-loved festivals have ceased to be following the pandemic, so the financial pressures are plain to see. There’s a delicate balancing act to maintaining that independent status while making a festival financially viable and it’s clear Wychwood have been working really hard behind the scenes to form those vital corporate partnerships without “selling out”.
As a result, the festival is going from strength to strength, having increased the headcount from 10,000 to 15,000 this year and opening a day earlier than usual. Despite that growth Wychwood hasn’t lost any of its magic – which is some going. Long may it continue.
Early Bird tickets for 2027 went on sale on Monday 1 June and were sold out by Tuesday 2 June – such is the love this festival instils in both the regulars and first timers.
Tier 1 adult weekend tickets (with camping) are £139.50, 10–15-year-olds cost £76.45 and under 10s’ still getting in free of charge. For a boujier option, the VIP adult tickets come in at £219.50, 10–15-year-olds £119.50 and £33 for under 10’s.
With payment plan options along with the increasingly popular Ticket for Life scheme, there are convenient ways to book your place at the 21st edition of Wychwood in 2027. So, if you feel like you’ve missed out this year or the festival comedown is hitting hard and you want something to look forward to next year – you know what to do.
We’ll see you there!
