Outer Town Festival 2026
Old Market, Bristol
11th April 2026
Photography by Anna Hatfield
George Ward
Freelance journalist and online editor for CLUNK. Can be found out and about in Bristol, finding cheap records or having a pint on King Street.
Matilda Barker Hall
Hey I’m Matilda, originally hailing from Cornwall now based in Bristol. Lover of sounds that get my feet jumping or hips swaying! You’ll find me with my eyes closed at the center of a crowd, trying to illustrate the music in my mind.
On their 5th Anniversary, Outer Town proved itself yet again as Bristol’s most special festival, showcasing everything from folk to techno
Last weekend, we headed down to Bristol’s Old Market to celebrate Outer Town Festival’s 5th Birthday. A firm CLUNK favorite, Outer Town is one of the first in our festival calendar, taking place up and down Old Market Street, with acts spread across its many venues and pubs.
After the success of the last two years, the festival’s hub remains outside the Trinity Centre, with vegan food stalls and a lovely independent craft market inside the venue. While the cold outdoor setting did make for some pretty uncomfortable sets, both for the audience and the bands, the atmosphere was buzzing and felt like a proper festival main stage. After all, there’s nothing stopping you from warming up over a pint in one of the festival’s many cozy pub venues.
Having spoken to Moreish Idols Earlier in the day, we were eager to see them in action, especially after they teased that they’d stepped away from the stage recently to focus on exciting new things. Taking the Exchange stage with total confidence, the band brought a fizzing energy that immediately had the crowd jumping. You can really hear the shades of Foals in their songwriting, while their heavier riffs channel the stomp of The Black Keys.
Now London-based, their undeniable coastal sound still shines through from their formative days in Falmouth. Every member was clearly revealing in being back together; nothing makes a gig better than seeing a band genuinely having fun on stage. We can’t wait to see what they have in the works and what 2026 brings for them.
On the main Trinity stage, The Orchestra (For Now) delivered a confident set, all 7 members used to create their ominous, slow-building and ultimately explosive tracks. Playing mainly new material, it’s refreshing to see the band change direction, with a more patient, mature and sentimental sound. However, there’s no denying that closer ‘Wake Robin’ was the crowd’s highlight, with a huge mosh pit engulfing the tent.
Goodbyethe five piece hailing from Brighton gave a spectacular performance at The Exchange. Having played Bristol only once before, their undeniable talent stopped anyone from traveling to a different stage. They seduce you into their sound with majestic vocals, heartwarming melodies, and ear-pricking rhythms. Their use of synths, alongside mesmerizing guitar rhythms and a lead vocalist who echoed Kate Bushallowed each of their songs to take you on a journey. A nice escape from the cold and wet that dreamed the evening of the festival.
In the packed basement of The Exchange, Cardiff’s Casual Smart delighted the crowd, playing both beloved singles such as ‘She’s My Love’ and songs first played only 24 hours previously. Like their released singles, the new material is emotional, wholesome and sentimental, making the most of multiple vocalists and saxophone players. Peter’s yelled vocals on closer ‘cranes’, paired with the smashing of keys of his keyboard, made for one of the most joyful moments of the festival.
honeyglaze were the victims of playing the only outside stage during a particularly cold evening. However, they put on a brave face and ran onto stage to the pitbull and Kesha classical ‘Timber.’ Live, the trio are something very special, with their heavier tracks packing much more of a punch and softer moments, like the beautiful ‘Cold Caller,’ remaining tender. You can just tell how much fun this band are having and their chemistry is tangible.
The biggest surprise of the day came from Dublin’s Meryl Streek in the Wiper And True Brewery. Blending punk with more electronic backing tracks, Meryl Streek’s performance was vicious, heartbreaking and extremely important.
Pulling tracks from his new album ‘Songs From The Deceased,’ Streek passionately and sincerely yelled stories from his home country, from personal tragedies to unjust political ones, all while glaring into each and every person’s eyes, with his terrifying stare. Despite being in “the weirdest fucking venue (he’s) every played”, Meryl Streek’s performance was a sobering reminder of political inaction and corruption as well as a furious call for human empathy.
Following a wonderful and slightly chaotic interview a couple hours before, Truthpaste opened up the late night Old Market Assembly stage. Previously the main stage a few years ago, the space is completely unique, with beautiful architecture, balconies, and plenty of room to cram festival-goers inside. For Truthpaste, the line was out the door and down the street and, as they began to play, it wasn’t hard to see why.
Truthpaste They were such a refreshing change of pace. Much like the cover of their upcoming debut EP featuring all the band members tucked in bed, their set was incredibly cozy, with folk songs about friendship filling the space with a lovely warmth.
Although you may initially feel the absence of a drum kit (the band plays exclusively with drum machine), you soon settle into this decision, and understand why they describe themselves proudly as a “band of five people and one trusty computer drum.” With jangly acoustic guitar, violin and emotional sax solos, the band moves as one, more confident in their sound than any band this young in their career have the right to be.
Closing out the stage were Do Nothing. Having previously teased new music to us earlier in the day during our interview, we were excited to catch the Nottingham band again, having not released any music since 2024 single ‘Summer Of Hate’. Playing at 23:30, the band had the room completely packed yet again and, from the crowd’s reaction, you’d think Oasis had popped down to Old Market for a surprise set. With countless arms longingly reaching out of the pit towards vocalist Chris Bailey, he sings down to them, crooning his lyrics effortlessly.
Like fellow Nottingham band DivorceDo Nothing’s sound is unassuming. Their tracks aren’t showy or experimental, but so well written that they worm their way inside your head, sounding like if you’d heard them thousands of times before. Although the band admitted to “always making loads of mistakes,” you wouldn’t be able to tell, and the crowd was maybe the most adoring of the day.
As tradition insists, we stumbled down the road to The Exchange for the afterparty, soundtracked by a Squid DJ Set (Squee-J set) and the manic surprise of Lttl Mort. Having missed their set earlier in the day, happening upon Lttl Mort in the basement at 2am was one of the highlights of our day. Made up of only a balaclava-wearing drummer and synth player, their sound was insane, bringing techno experimentation to life right before our eyes for the most chaotic set of Outer Town. Don’t miss these guys next time you see them on a lineup.
Outer Town 2026 was, yet again, a wonderful showcase of just how many sounds are floating around the UK right now. Whether you were looking for gentle folk, hard punk or any number of things in between, we would be shocked if you didn’t find something to love at this festival. Small city festivals like this keep Bristol’s scene alive and make you feel extremely lucky to be surrounded by such a variety of talent. See you next year, Outer Town.
Photography by Anna Hatfield
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