Shindig 2026
Shindig is a festival that is very easy to love. A good ol’ knees up set in the lush backdrop of Charlton Park in the grounds of an impressive mansion. This year (the 12th edition) hosted an excellently curated smorgasbord of live bands and DJ’s all seemingly selected for being on absolute peak form. There was no phoning it in here; the bands were intense, tight and outrageously good fun. DJ’s blasted bangers into the wee hours and the crowd was delightfully overdressed with the sort of effort and imagination only a crowd of seasoned revellers can bring.
By day I would say there is a chilled, family friendly vibe. Kids roam freely and are well catered for in terms of activities and play areas, and there are plenty of workshops, art exhibits, talks and music to enjoy. By the evening however, as dusk begins to fall and outfits are upgraded, the festival really lets its proverbial hair down for full-on, joyful and riotous… Shindig!
For a small festival the lineup really punched above its weight with the likes of Snapped Ankles offering a spectacular unhinged live performance; four musicians of indeterminate identity, clad in ghillie suits, strapping analogue percussion synths to logs and proceeding to tear through a set that somehow encompasses post-punk and electronic music.
Joshua Idehen’s set was genuinely life-affirming, charming and quite joyous - the kind of thing that makes you stop mid-conversation and just listen — which at a festival is no small achievement. With his mix of poetry, music and charismatic audience involvement, Joshua created an atmosphere of positivity that was something quite special.
Jamz Supernova delivered an eclectic mix of diverse and far-reaching sounds — she dished out world-influenced bangers that had the entire tent moving from the first record. A DJ at the absolute top of her game, Jamz draws on music from every corner of the globe and I will be going out of my way to see her doing her thing again.
Watching Fat Dog headline on Saturday night was an explosive experience. The tent was at capacity and the crowd was amped. They delivered the goods with the gleeful, high-energy conviction and swagger of a band who knew how to put on a show with bucket loads of chaotic, genre-defying energy.
Smag På Dig Selv (SPDS for short) were my discovery of the weekend and possibly Denmark’s best kept secret. A Copenhagen trio — one drummer, two saxophonists — who have absolutely no business being as sonically overwhelming as they are. Roaming through the crowd producing percussive soundscapes that felt punk, dance and classic ska all at once. I have never been so quick to log into Bandcamp and buy a record as I did with elation after this unbelievable set.
Other honourable mentions go to Dr. Meaker for live, impossibly energetic drum and bass and to these other amazing acts; Mungo’s HiFi, Chris Tofu & Friends, Close Counters, My Baby, Session Victim, Ishmael Ensemble, Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy & DJ Emma.
…and finally, on to the notorious Bob Vylan, who arrived at Shindig carrying considerable baggage. Their Glastonbury 2025 appearance — in which a now infamous chant sent shockwaves through the industry - resulted in cancelled gigs, dropped agency representation, US visa revocations, and a police assessment for the band. Three days before Shindig opened, Wiltshire councillors reviewed the festival’s licence over the booking due to objections from a local conservative group. Fortunately for all, the festival refused to back down, the challenge was thrown-out and the show went on. On stage, Bobby and Bobbie were both courteous and ferocious. They graciously thanked the fans and the festival and gave us an assault of punk-rap energy that made no concessions and offered no apologies. Whether you find their politics courageous or reckless, their conviction is not in question. The set was completely riveting. Shindig, to its considerable credit, didn’t blink.
In summary, Shindig 2026 absolutely crushed it. It retained everything that has always made it stand out — warm, beautifully curated and completely unpretentious, while delivering some of the most charged and memorable live music I’ve witnessed at any festival.
The weather gods smiled and gave us the hottest weekend in May on record and I can’t think of a site better suited for the weekend. Lashings of shade under specimen trees in the arboretum and airy stretch-canopies sheltering every stage made it almost impossible to get sunburnt. There was free drinking water at every bar, toilets that could be seen but not smelt (praise be to composting) and a conscientious crowd approach to leaving no litter.
The licensing controversy added an extra dimension to the build-up. Few boutique festivals would have had the nerve to navigate that noise in the way Shindig did; standing firm, trusting the acts and the audience, and letting the music make its own argument. That, as much as any single set, is a statement of intent. Shindig isn’t coasting. It’s still very much on the way up.
Early bird tickets for 2027 available here:
https://www.seetickets.com/event/shindig-festival-2027/shindig-festival/3643193