Lakefest Day Three: From Bluegrass to Madness, Lakefest Turns Up the Volume

Sam Holt
1 hour ago
3 min read

Eastnor Castle Grounds - Friday 8th August 2026

WORDS / IMAGES SAM HOLT

Lakefest Day Three: From Bluegrass to Madness, Lakefest Turns Up the Volume — PHOTO CREDIT SAM HOLT

Lakefest Day 3, SATURDAY

Arkansaw Jukebox Collective opened for me on the main stage on Saturday, playing a set of bluegrass-styled covers with a twist, including Chappel Roans' Pink Pony Club [in their own style, dare I say re-imagined]. It's worth noting that they played both The Abbey and the Funky Town stages on the same day. The UK-based band's energetic set and foot-stomping approach create a joyful festival atmosphere.

Riding the Low, fronted by the enthusiastic Paul Considine, appeared recognisable and turned out to be an actor who has been in films and television. Their raw guitar-driven rock music was completely different from what came before them, and when they added a little punk with attitude, they definitely acquired new supporters. For the song 'Heed,' vocalist Paul wears a face mask and baseball accessories, providing a theatrical depth to the set; it was a brief but impressive performance.

Local band Dub Catalyst, an 11-piece band, brought their reggae/dub/hip hop sound to the festival; the brass section day added an extra dimension to their sound, and they appear to be favourites on the festival circuit; they certainly know how to draw a crowd, appealing to everyone, including children, some of whom they had joining the already crowded stage, calling them the Dub Cats. All of this was done to pump up the crowd and provide a fun-filled addition to the festival.

The Entitled Sons made an immediate impression, with guitarist Rafferty throwing tonnes of rock guitar postures and frontman Charlie prowling the stage with powerful stage presence. Rafferty, on the other hand, continued with the poses and at one point went crowd surfing during the performance. The band is all brothers, with their father on stage tying down the low notes on bass. I'm not sure if he's an entitled son, or an entitled parent? Their exhilarating raw rock certainly delivered, and it set the tone for the rest of the evening.

I went to the FT stage to see Killing Chic, an Anglo-Italian band that had recently received a lot of hype. I thought they had a fantastic sound and style, and it was obvious the show was being taped. While they provided a high-energy rock performance, I'm not sure if it was the timing, but the Funky Town tent wasn't as full as I thought it should be, but that didn't stop the guys from giving a great set.

The Abbey stage came alive for the penultimate act of the day, Scouting For Girls, who began with 'I Wish I Was Famous' with singer Roy Stride walking the length of the stage with a camera phone on a selfie stick; it's cheesy, it's fun, and as he bounces up and down on stage encouraging the audience to do the same, they provided a foot-stomping set; however, we were reminded that their fourth song would be twenty years old next year. For many, they appeared to be the headline act, as when they concluded their show, many people packed up and went back to their tents or for those travelling, to their vehicles.

I stayed until the final band of the day, Madness, and as the digitised curtains at the back of the stage indicated, they would deliver a set laden with their greatest hits. It began well, with the London-based band working the crowd, opening with One Step Beyond, which immediately had the Lakefesters hooked. Suggs comments on many of the songs before performing them, including how My Girl came to be after a former coworker constantly saying "my girl this" and "my girl that" when they worked together. The set did appear to lose some of its brightness midway, but that is a personal view on it, but closing with it must be love, the Labi Sifre cover, though I'm curious how many people remember the original. The screens' digital curtains closed, yet there was still more. For an encore, they played Madness and Nightboat to Cairo, with the saxophonist reaching for the Fez.