Lakefest Day One: Indie Nostalgia, Folk-Punk Fury and Unbelievable Festival Energy
- Sam Holt
- 1 minute ago
- 3 min read
Eastnor Castle Grounds - Thursday 6th August 2026
WORDS / IMAGES SAM HOLT
LAKEFEST DAY ONE
Lakefest has been going since 2012; in the early years, it was held on a farm in Tewksbury, Gloucestershire; however, it has since relocated to the beautiful grounds of Eastnor Castle, and after collecting my accreditation credentials, I set out across the fields for four days of music and a chance to disconnect from the world.
It's usually difficult to start a show, but Sundress, a four-piece from Sheffield, took the stage first. Their jangly guitar indie sound was undoubtedly on point. The band is led by Chelsea Costello on vocals, and her voice was captivating. It is never simple to launch a festival, but I believe they did so with style.
Fran Lusty, the Road to Lakefest champion, followed with her band; she was humbled to be performing on such a vast stage and laughed about how far the rest of the band was from her as they were spread across the stage. Fran is from Cambridge, and her folk-inspired music seemed to go over well with those out in the field.
The Bluetones performed a brief set; the indie band began with the track Bluetonic off their debut album, which was a catchy song that immediately drew the attention of the Herefordshire crowd. The four-piece originating from London joked they have a sometimes fifth member Richard Payne who did indeed join them on stage later playing keys; it was feel-good indie music that was needed for a Thursday 'teatime slot at a festival'.
Ferocious Dog arrived on stage with plenty of energy for a good time; their folk, punky style leans toward a Celtic style, despite the band hailing from Nottinghamshire; either way, the crowd loved them, with the fiddle player in particular adding an extra welcome dimension; judging by the T-shirts worn around the venue, they were a well-respected act.
Across the field to one of the alternative stages, this time The Funky Town for Tichy Stryder, there was a long wait, and DJ Louis did his best to warm up the crowd. Arriving on stage about twenty minutes after advertised, his set was going to go down well with the already hyped crowd, and he prowled up and down the stage with his East London rap style, for which he is famous. Initially wearing a hoody, he soon switched to what appears to be usual ‘from the hood’ t-shirt. The guy was clearly a crowd favourite, gathering a diverse crowd in the festival environment.
Back to the main 'Abbey stage' for the penultimate slot, which felt to a local band, EMF, who are from the Forest of Dean, about 15 miles distant from the festival site, according to vocalist James Atkin as they looked out to where they thought the Forest would be. The band formed after a chance meeting between classically trained guitarist Ian Dench and a young band from the Forest. Of course, everyone knows them for their number one single "Unbelievable," which they played, but in a different version because they were joined on stage by the Utah Saints. They were clearly having a good time and interacting well. The band are always a festival favourite.
Manchester’s The Charlatans concluded the evening in style, with frontman Tim commanding a commanding stage presence. I'm not sure why he wore shades at 2200, but I suppose it was part of his flair. Starting with We Are Love, the title track from their most recent album, it was obvious that their set would be intriguing and undoubtedly entertaining given their extensive back catalogue. The set was mostly inspired by the 1990s, when they were at the height of their popularity. record, but many others found the performance to be a wonderful nostalgic experience, and they concluded with what was one their two best-known songs. Their second single, "The Only One I Know,".
Having enjoyed Thursday’s event I’m looking forward to what the next day brings.
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