Looking ahead to Bristol's Outer Town festival.

By Hard of Hearing on April 2, 2026

Catch some of the UK's most exciting new alternative acts gather under nine of the city's small-venue roofs for a multi-venue all-day extravaganza on Saturday 11th April.

Words: Elvis Thirlwell

Now entering its 5th edition, Bristol's Outer Town has been steadily building a reputation for its vociferously on-the-pulse, tastemaker bookings and eclectic, well-curated bills. A celebration of the UK's thriving new wave of alternative acts – and the communities in Bristol and beyond that shape them – it's a hefty line-up this year indeed. With so many Hard of Hearing favourites featuring, we're very pleased to be loading-up on snacks for the 3-hour Flixbus and venturing westwards.

Topping the bill are indie-rock doyens, and 'Real Deals' Honeyglaze – two albums in, and no doubt on course for their third. Nottingham mainstays Do Nothing throw their hat into the ring, as do sardonic Windmill prog-punk virtuosos The Orchestra (For Now). I'd put good money on Naima Bock's setbeing gorgeous (her chops for The Cindys will be worthy too), and add to this 'acca' Modern Women's show sitting on an absorbing, art-rock knife edge (betting is bad kids).

A chance for 'Outer Townees' like ourselves to catch a whiff of some of Bristol's talent, we're excited to dig through some new names here and find some future favourites. Myer U Clark has been turning our ear with his whimsical indie-folk, as has his much noisier band, The Scuttlers. We've been hearing some light industry-sized tip-offs about Shrink on the nebulous grapevine, plus I met someone in Tesco's the other week wearing a Shaking Hand T-Shirt, who recommended we check out Gimic, so they're on our list as well (Shout out to Tom. Hope you had a good lunch. Looked healthy from where I was).

Not only is the flourishing Bristol scene displayed in full force here but Brighton's too. ELLiS·D's psycho goth-punk is making the journey, as are post-rock/folkers ladylike. So too Glasshouse Red Spider Mite, Goodbye and big long sun (all 8 of them?). Manchester provides us with Partisan-signed (and Wigan's newest hero) TTSSFU, the country rock stylings of Wyatt, the weirdness and wonder of Truthpaste, and the triumphant slacker-folk of The Slow Country.

There's so many buzzy acts on this bill it's hard to mention them all. But mentions we will make for Leeds' wired avant-punks Normal Village, the heady synth-rock of ashnymph or Lttl Mort (the latter the excellent new project of Opus Kink's Jazz Pope); for pride of Wales casual smart, or the experimental electronics of Buffee. Also. Squid are DJing the afterparty. Right on!