Ones To Watch At Sŵn Festival 2026

With Sŵn Festival returning to Cardiff from 15th-17th October, here are just a few of our picks from their stacked 2026 lineup

Sŵn Festival is set to return to Cardiff from 15th-17th October for its 2026 edition. Taking place across the city’s many independent venues, Sŵn Festival celebrates Wales’ rich indie scene, as well as inviting exciting national and international names alongside them.

Tickets for Sŵn Festival are still available here.

With some of the buzziest names making an appearance, including Westside Cowboy, Little Grandad, Honeyglaze and Truthpaste, Sŵn is fast becoming an essential date on the festival calendar. Here are some of our picks, to help you make your way through the massive lineup:

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Foot Foot

foot foot have been one of our favourite Bristol bands for a while now and for good reason. Their blend of experimental rock and folk is textured, unique and fascinating to watch unfold, and the band have built a faithful local fanbase over the years. Last year’s self-released album ‘still waters, empty house’ was the band’s first full length project, introducing the world to their strange little world in one of the year’s best releases.

Now, freshly signed to Memorials of Distinction, foot foot are set to release their new EP ‘PREY TIME’ on 27th October. Lead single ‘the garden’ is their best track yet, expanding the scope of their sound dramatically with lush strings, complex structures and confident songwriting.

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Dove Ellis

If you’ve ever seen Dove Ellis live, you don’t need me to tell you why you should catch his set at Sŵn. If you haven’t, you absolutely need to. The Irish musician, who released his debut album ‘Blizzard’ last year and supported Geese on tour, has one of the most beautiful voices around right now, combining his Jeff Buckley-esque falsetto with powerful and catchy pop songwriting.

At Green Man this year, we got the chance to see Ellis for the first time and were shocked by just how good his vocals sound live, with every soaring melody elevated on stage. With a piano-led live band and a short but extremely exciting discography, it’s clear to anyone who sees Dove live that he is destined for extremely big things in the next few years.

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Makeshift Art Bar

All the way from Belfast come Makeshift Art Bar, our next pick for Sŵn 2026. Far more interesting than many of their post-punk contemporaries, Makeshift Art Bar mix elements of noise rock and techno into their sound, making for a sinister, bubbling stew of influences.

Amongst these influences is undoubtedly Gilla Band, who the band are set to support on all 14 of the EU dates on their highly anticipated upcoming tour. Fans of Adult DVD and Fat Dog will find a lot to love here. Have a listen to their new EP ‘Marionette’ to prepare.

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Tai Haf Heb Drigolyn

One of the most exciting Welsh bands on the lineup are Tai Haf Heb Drigolyn. This band are fascinating, their sound combining folk, electronics and rock through a lovely and crackly lo-fi lens. The band’s newest release is ‘Goodfellas,’ a single that plays like a collage of sound discovered playing from an old radio in an abandoned house.

One of the most experimental picks from the weekend, Tai Haf Heb Drigolyn are quite a mystery, and we can’t wait to see how this mystery unfolds in a live setting.

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UCHE YARA

Austrian-born, Berlin-based UCHE YARA takes our list in yet another direction. Fresh from the release of her debut album ‘BODYSCANNER,’ UCHE’s set promises to bring her unique mix of indie and dance music to life, “blurring the lines between live performance and the club experience.” Performing solo, UCHE’s unique songwriting and production will be centre stage.

Hard to pin down onto one genre, UCHE‘s music shares the philosophy of artists like Saya Gray, who can effortlessly guide you wherever they please with their music. We’re fascinated to see how she can manifest these ideas live and solo on stage.

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Tickets for Sŵn Festival are still available here.

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