Features / in photos
In photos: Outer Town 2026
East Bristol’s multi-venue DIY and alt-music festival filled Old Market with fans bracing themselves against the unseasonally bitter winds to traverse the stretch from Wiper & True taproom to the Stag & Hounds and back again, bouncing from gig to gig for 10 hours straight before hitting the official afterparty to dance into the early hours.
For its five year celebration, Outer Town once again brought multitudes of local acts and national names under the lo-fi indie music banner to the area’s independent venues including Trinity, the Exchange, Elmer’s Arms, Ill Repute and the Old Market Assembly.
An alternative art fair, vegan food offerings and costumed characters bearing enormous vegetables added to the sense of revelry.
Bristol’s Horsefair kicked off proceedings at the Elvis-themed Ill Repute, with their heavy brand of art-ish alt-rock augmented by saxophone and violin – photo: Ursula Billington
Another local act, Adult Leisure appeared fresh off the back of a successful show at SXSW in Texas; they brought ‘big deal’ energy – photo: Ursula Billington
Bristol’s Bludud presented a thoughtful and eclectic sound – photo: Ursula Billington
Bludud’s vocalist played keyboard, violin and guitar – photo: Simon Alexander
Bureau de Change, a relatively new band that have been making waves nationally and across Europe – were one of the highlights of the day – photo: Ursula Billington
They inspired the first moshpit at Trinity’s outdoor stage with their brand of angular punk fronted by ex-Lambrini Girl Flora – photo: Simon Alexander
In Trinity Garden, the Undergrowth Collective entertained festival goers with a parade of enormous produce and other vegetable-related antics – photo: Ursula Billington
Brown Horse, at Exchange, were one of many country-tinged acts to perform through the day – photo: Simon Alexander
The Ill Repute was full to bursting, with a queue outside, for comic-turned-musician John Mouse’s show – photo: Ursula Billington
“I love this, I feel like I’m in the darts,” Mouse said as his comedic performance was greeted by the crowd chanting his name – photo: Ursula Billington
Elmer’s was packed for the Scuttlers, fronted by Myer U Clark, who have a cult following locally – photo: Ursula Billington
The band have risen to the fore of Bristol’s DIY scene through gigs with Below the Belt and Community Jam Collective – photo: Ursula Billington
“Outside in April – that’s bold, I’m fucking freezing!” said the singer of the Orchestra for Now from Trinity’s outdoor stage, before indulging in some performative smoking – photo: Simon Alexander
The crowd went bananas for Irish punk poet Meryl Streek who said Wiper & True was “the weirdest venue I have ever played” – photo: Simon Alexander
One of the day’s headliners, truthpaste’s bold instrumentation and vocal harmonies were enjoyed by a big crowd – photo: Ursula Billington
Main image: Ursula Billington
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
