The Wake: full line up and running order announced for 2026 Festival
THE WAKE
ANNOUNCES FULL LINE UP AND RUNNING ORDER
16 ACTS JOIN BADLY DRAWN BOY ACROSS THREE STAGES AT THE WAKE FESTIVAL
Saturday 29 August 2026
In the wake of what’s gone before …
“Small but perfectly formed. Mark the festival on your calendar now!” – Shindig!
THE WAKE FESTIVAL has announced details of the full line up for it’s third year. The festival, set up by Green Man founders Jo Bartlett and Danny Hagan will take place on Saturday 29 August 2026, and will see The Tubs, Radhika, Hero Fisher, Elizabeth Alker, Studio Electrophonique, Joe Wilkes, Justin Robertson, Stuart Bailie and more appearing alongside headliner Badly Drawn Boy as 17 acts appear over it’s three stages.
The full line up and running order is:
The Woodland Stage
Badly Drawn Boy
The Tubs
Radhika
Studio Electrophonique
Hero Fisher
Meet Your Heroes
The Grand Old Echo
Amelia and the Housewives
The Meadow Stage
In conversation –
Elizabeth Alker
Stuart Bailie
Owen Williams
Sam Reid
Five Green Moons – live
DJ set Justin Robertson
The Crooked Hut Stage
The Grand Old Echo
Jo Bartlett & Neil Haydock
Joe Wilkes
Children’s Area
Modcaf synth workshops
Story Telling
Nature Makers
The festival takes place in the beautiful woodlands and countryside of West Sussex at Loxwood Meadow (Loxwood, Nr Billingshurst, West Sussex RH14 0AL), on the fringes of the South Downs National Park, and is easily accessible from London and Brighton.
Gates will open at noon, and as in previous years the event will feature, great food, craft beers and bar, the glorious Loxwood Mead, camping and much fun!
Tickets are Adult £40 / 7 – 14 years £15 / Under 7s free.
Camping pitches £25
(Camping tickets can only be purchased with a festival ticket – each pitch up to 4 people).
Very limited Campervan tickets £35
Free on site car parking.
For full details and more information visit the festival’s new, revamped website https://thewake.uk/
For tickets, https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-wake/loxwood-meadow/3526768#op1
THE WAKE was set up in 2024 and Badly Drawn Boy follows the festival’s previous headliners King Creosote (2025) and Gruff Rhys (2024).
More information on each act below …
Badly Drawn Boy pictured above
Perhaps best known for the Mercury Award winning album ‘The Hour of Bewilderbeast’ and the soundtrack to Nick Hornby’s film ‘About A Boy’, Damon Gough (AKA Badly Drawn Boy) continues to write and produce new music and perform live to sell-out audiences.
Formed in 2018 by Owen Williams alongside previous members of his cult-band Joanna Gruesome, The Tubs have released two albums, and two Eps. All released on independent labels, and praise for ‘Cotton Crown’ included “An exceptional record” – The Observer *****, “His striking voice, somewhere between Richard Thompson and Bob Mould, bolts through the band’s joyful jangle-pop” – The Guardian, Best Albums of 2025. The Tubs are part of a loose collective of groups, known as Gob Nation. The collective’s work extends to running a music studio, video production and a publishing imprint for poetry and lyrics.
Radhika create Scottish dream pop. Featuring Radhika Meera Dade on vocals and guitar, their current single ‘Starry Eyes’ (“I love it!” – Marc Riley, BBC 6 Music) includes special guest contributions from Teenage Fanclub’s Gerard Love and Mitch Mitchell of The Pastels.
Joining them on the Woodland Stage will be Studio Electrophonique, the solo project of singer-songwriter James Leesley. One of the most interesting and original musical outfits to emerge from Sheffield’s current independent scene.
Hero Fisher is a UK based singer-songwriter whose music is a compelling blend of rock/americana/folk ballads, her career so far, includes opening for legends like The Rolling Stones and Neil Young at Hyde Park.
The Tubs pictured above
There will be live music on the Crooked Hut Stage from 7pm onwards. Headlined by The Grand Old Echo, who also appear earlier on in the day on the Woodland Stage, they will be joined by The Wake organiser Jo Bartlett and her current musical partner Neil Haydock, who will release their debut album ’North Sixteen’ the day before! Also appearing on the Crooked Hut Stage is acclaimed folk singer and guitarist Joe Wilkes, who Robert Wyatt described as “Musically haunting, very inventive, unpretentiously effective. Tells the story: no ‘folky’ mannerisms, authentic”.
Together, The Grand Old Echo create their affectionately named ‘City-Folk’ sound – witty and poignant story telling about life, death and everything in between, delivered through triple harmonies and the occasional rap verse, all laid over a variety of traditional folk instruments.
Meet Your Heroes are an instrumental jazz-rock trio from Brighton. Their music blends guitar melodies, swampy grooves, mathy riffs and deadly improvisation into a heady fusion brew.
Also from Brighton, Amelia & The Housewives get compared to C86 bands which they find confusing as they are trying to sound like The Impressions. Their debut album is out in June.
Elizabeth Alker, Stuart Balie, Owen Williams and Sam Reid will all appear at The Talks Stage at this year’s festival.
Elizabeth Alker pictured above
Elizabeth Alker is a presenter for BBC Radio 3, where she hosts Unclassified and the afternoon show, Classical Live. Her first book Everything We Do is Music was published to wide critical-acclaim in 2025. (“Revelation after revelation . . . I love music more for reading it.” – Guy Garvey)
Stuart Bailie, NME veteran, a music journalist and author from Belfast. He has rolled with Tom Waits and Shane MacGowan. He has encountered Nina Simone, Björk, Sinéad O’Connor and Dave Grohl. Stuart will be discussing his new book ‘The Song Is Nearly Over’ (“Bailie writes with tremendous skill and authority” – the Quietus)
Owen Williams, is frontman of The Tubs, whose music has been featured in The New Yorker, the Guardian, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. ‘Atrocity Exhibitions: Grieving in the TikTok Underworld’ is a short sharp literary shock from the acclaimed songwriter and musician. (“Already one of the UK’s most intriguing and arresting singer-songwriters, Owen Williams’ non-fiction debut will stick to your bones.” – Jude Rogers)
Sam Reid editor of Field, a biannual literary magazine that platforms emerging UK voices alongside established novelists and poets. Sam will be discussing his new book, The Pin Jar, published by Rough Trade Books earlier this year. (“So hauntingly lyrical… an extraordinary trip for your imagination. I adored it.” Maxine Peake)
Justin Robertson’s Five Green Moons pictured above
Justin Robertson will be playing both a live and a DJ Set. He will play a ‘right old knees up’ DJ set and earlier in the day, he will be playing live with his Five Green Moons project. Five Green Moons is a series of albums and live happenings exploring Justin’s bracingly broad musical interests. This time he resonates dubwise, while channelling the twitchy angularity of post-punk and a disturbingly shimmering lysergic folk. A legend and much loved figure across the world, Justin has provided remixes for the likes of Erasure, Happy Mondays, Bjork, Talk Talk, Noel Gallagher, Steve Mason, Andy Bell, New Order, Paul Weller and Andrew Weatherall.
“Such a beautiful setting” – BBC Radio Sussex