Liverpool’s inner-city new music takeover Sound City is back next May — and the first wave of artists is already looking huge. If you like your festivals loud, sweaty, genre-clashing and buzzing with tomorrow’s breakthrough acts, get this one in the diary now.
Leading the charge? Westside Cowboy, the Manchester four-piece riding an unstoppable wave of hype after converting living-room jams into airwave domination. They’re joined by sharp-souled Scottish songwriter Brooke Combe, Aussie punk force Teenage Joans, and Liverpool favourites Keyside, fresh off local sell-outs with anthem-fuelled indie singalongs.
And that’s just the opening blast.
🌟 First Wave Highlights
- Westside Cowboy – on everyone’s ‘next big indie thing’ list
- Brooke Combe – back with swagger + serious soul credentials
- Teenage Joans – Aussie power-duo bringing the chaos
- The Molotovs – mod-driven rock ’n’ roll energy
- Keyside & The Lilacs – Liverpool anthems incoming
- MT Jones, Blossom Caldarone, ashnymph, Finn Forster, Lynnie Snow, Jack Devlin and loads more
Full first wave: Jalen Ngonda (Sun headliner), Keo (Sat headliner), Brooke Combe, Westside Cowboy, Keyside, The Lilacs, The Molotovs, Cherryholt, Blossom Calderone, Will Parker, Et-al, MT Jones, ashnymph, Finn Forster, Lynnie Snow, Jack Devlin, SLAG, Saint Clair, Teenage Joans
Expect sweaty club rooms, packed-to-the-rafters queues, and at least three “I saw them before they blew up” bragging rights by Monday morning.
📍 Festival Info
📅 Sat 2 – Sun 3 May 2026
📍 Liverpool City Centre (multi-venue)
🎤 Sound City+ Conference: Fri 1 May
Weekend & day tickets are live — and with early birds already gone, you’ll want to move fast:
👉 soundcity.uk.com
👀 Ones to Watch
💥 Westside Cowboy — folk-flecked indie with teeth
🔥 Saint Clair + ashnymph — London’s experimental new guard
⚡ Cherryholt — TikTok hype machine incoming
🎸 The Molotovs — high-octane mod youth riot
2025 saw 150+ artists take to Sound City stages — and this is only wave one. More names are coming, and if history repeats, some of the biggest of 2026 might not even be announced yet.
Want to Play It Instead of Just Attend?
The Apply to Play portal is now open — the same one that helped launch artists like Ed Sheeran, Grimes and Christine and the Queens. If you think you’ve got it, now’s your chance to prove it.
