Sun, Singalongs and Summer Anthems: Wychwood Festival Saturday Delivers
- Sam Holt
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Wychwood Festival, Saturday 30th May 2026
WORDS / IMAGES SAM HOLT
SATURDAY 30th MAY
Another hot day beckoned and, as I walked back into the arena, I caught Primary School Bangers, a recent initiative from James B. Partridge. Performing his school assembly songs for the Saturday morning crowd, it was wonderful to see just how many children were captivated. The tent was packed with young voices enthusiastically joining in, and judging by the smiles all round, it proved one of the unexpected highlights of the morning.
Festival favourites Thrill Collins were next, delivering a selection of well-known songs in their trademark acoustic style. Based on the audience response, it was easy to understand why they continue to be invited back year after year. Their mix of humour, musicianship and crowd interaction remains a winning formula.
By mid-afternoon, The South, featuring several former members of The Beautiful South, took centre stage. While I enjoyed their performance and the crowd clearly appreciated hearing those familiar songs again, I still feel Paul Heaton's presence is difficult to replace. Nevertheless, it was a solid and enjoyable set.
Birmingham's The Twang delivered a fantastic show that blended old favourites with newer material. A sizeable portion of the set came from their debut album Love It When I Feel Like This, an album that still sounds as fresh and relevant as ever. I was particularly pleased to hear Barney Rubble from their follow-up album Jewellery Quarter, a song that remains one of my personal favourites.
At five o'clock, we were all instructed to look skyward. A light aircraft passed over the festival site trailing a banner proclaiming, "Don't You Want Me Baby, See You in 2027." Now, I wonder who that could be? With lyrics like that, surely there can only be one likely candidate...
Back on the main stage, Leeds band The Pigeon Detectives arrived full of energy. Vocalist Matt Bowman barely stood still, leaping and charging around the stage throughout the set. He joked that while we all dream of glorious sunshine for outdoor gigs, the reality is that sometimes it's simply too hot. To cool down, he proceeded to throw water everywhere — over himself, into the crowd and, as it happened, over me too. Nobody seemed to mind; out in the field we were all too busy enjoying ourselves.
The penultimate set of the day belonged to Welsh rock veterans Feeder. Proudly displaying the Welsh dragon behind them, they wasted no time in grabbing the audience's attention by opening with Buck Rogers. It was the perfect festival opener and immediately had the crowd onside. Their set was a well-crafted journey through their back catalogue, packed with songs that reminded everyone just how many great records they've produced over the years. They remain perfectly suited to the summer festival circuit and delivered one of the day's strongest performances.
As the sun finally began to disappear, Saturday's headliners The Kaiser Chiefs took to the main stage. Ricky Wilson once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of Britain's great festival frontmen, constantly engaging with the crowd and ensuring the energy levels never dipped. Songs from Employment featured heavily throughout the set and, given how many classic tracks that album contains, nobody was complaining. The dark stage lighting occasionally made it difficult to see some of the band further back, but the sound was enormous. As Ricky himself remarked, they were there to entertain — and entertain they certainly did. It was a triumphant, singalong-filled finale and a fitting way to bring Saturday's festivities to a close.
FOLLOW WYCHWOOD FESTIVAL
Comments