Review: Shindig 2026, Charlton Park: ‘a converted school bus, rave aerobics and a dancing fountain’

Clouds gathered in the run-up to Shindig 2026, with a week of grey skies and an attempt to revoke the festival’s licence. Thankfully, the Tory busybodies were put out of their misery right at the last minute and the first day of the festival coincided with the start of a heatwave.

Half of the festival took place in a stunning arboretum, which included a converted school bus powered by Minirig and a mysterious dancing fountain that moved in time with a live samba band. This was also the area with dedicated club spaces that came into their own later in the evening.

Shindig’s magnificent ‘dancing fountain’ © Lee Niel

Mungo’s Hi Fi provided a great warm-up on Thursday night, bringing their soundsystem aesthetic to an eclectic set that bridged the gap between reggae and contemporary dancefloor sounds.

Friday’s highlight was Jamz Supernova at Halcyon. BBC 6Music listeners will be familiar with her globetrotting sound, which draws on bass heavy, percussive styles from the UK, Africa and the Caribbean. In the mix she pulled these threads together skillfully, creating a revelatory dancefloor experience that shifted seamlessly between house, breakbeat, soca and more.

Bristol band Deems Experiment played at S.S Nautilicious

Saturday was the strongest day for live music, including a superb performance from a Bristol band called Deems Experiment. Performing in the maritime-themed S.S Nautylicious, they were led by keyboard player Deems – originally from Nigeria – who switched between fusiony synth progressions and hypnotic piano lines informed by minimal classical music. The quartet’s material leans towards subtlety but they showed they could work up a sweat in a harder prog / math style as well. They’re well worth catching on home turf if you can.

War © Nathan Roach

In The Dig Inn, Long Beach veterans War played at the peak of the late afternoon heat. Frontman Lonnie Jordan seemed impossibly energetic for a 78-year old, vigorously bashing the keys and leading the band with a voice that hasn’t aged in 50 years. Their fusion of soul, funk and rock with lashings of Latin percussion was one of the blueprints for modern festival music and it still fits perfectly in that context. Hits like Cisco Kid, Spill The Wine and Low Rider brought joy and easy Californian charm to an increasingly sweaty tent in Wiltshire.

Fat Dog © Nathan Roach

Fat Dog also fit the template of a perfect festival band, albeit with an updated shopping list of influences and an aggressively twisted sense of fun. Mixing rave music, industrial rock, Balkan folk and psychedelia gave them a freewheeling edge that’s sharpened by frontman Joe Love’s half-sane ramblings and regular forays over the barrier to whip up the crowd. At their best they were the missing link between Chase & Status and Hawkwind.

Snapped Ankles © Adam Burrows

They were followed by Snapped Ankles, who were even weirder and possibly even better. Masked up and wearing ghillie suits like some neo-primitive sect who have survived a devastating pandemic, their music featured punishing synth riffage, motorik-style drums and the otherworldly vocals of shamanic leader Ankle Austin. When he wasn’t singing – or possibly speaking in tongues – he was bashing a weird staff-like instrument that triggered drum samples, and when he wasn’t hitting things or twiddling knobs, he wandered through the crowd like a cult leader leading unholy communion. Amazing stuff.

Our Sunday started with a rave aerobics class at the Halcyon. Whether it was a good idea to burn that many calories before lunchtime with the thermostat pushing thirty degrees I’ll leave to your imagination.

Bristol band No Go Stop © Adam Burrows

In need of a sit down, we headed to The Dig Inn to catch Led By Donkeys interviewed by Shindig co-organiser Fluffee and Bristol Cable reporter Priyanka Raval. The discussion covered Epstein, Liz Truss, Keir Starmer and how they did – or sometimes didn’t – get away with some of their famous stunts. The best anecdote involved a bluetooth speaker hidden in a cereal box on top of a dustbin.

Later, Bristol’s No Go Stop blended jazzy soul with Lagos-style Afrobeat, ending with a majestic cover of Fela Kuti’s ‘Zombie’ that really showed off the power of the horns and rhythm section. Marie Lister’s powerful voice and punkish spirit kept the energy high throughout.

Chali 2NA © Dan Cadell

Then came Chali 2NA. Clearly one of the most beloved artists with the Shindig faithful, the rapper seemed bowled over by the reaction to flute loop classic Jayou – the audience cheering for two minutes non-stop at the end of the song. All of the early Jurassic 5 material was received rapturously, with Concrete Schoolyard benefiting from the loudest crowd singalong of the whole weekend. Later, punk-rap duo Bob Vylan headlined the stage – furiously and with no little triumph – in a venue so sweaty it was practically underwater. The fact they were there at all after everything that’s happened since last year’s Glastonbury added poignancy to rabble-rousers like We Live Here.

Altern-8 with Kenny Ken and an unidentified MC. © Tim Burrows

But now it was rave time, and the Back 2 Rave takeover in the Halcyon was perfect for a last dance. Altern-8 piloted the rave from acid house through the peak of hardcore and into jungle with an energy and sense of collective joy that is the essence of dance music at its best. Drum & bass heavyweights Kenny Ken and Jumpin’ Jack Frost followed, as tired legs pushed on to the end of a beautiful weekend.

Main photo: Bob Vylan © Nathan Roach

Read next:

• Review: Love Saves The Day 2026, Day 2: ‘Suncream and serotonin’
• Review: Dot To Dot 2026: ‘Bristol itself became the headliner.’
• New festival to take over popular street
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