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Y Not Festival 2026 first line-up announcement with headliners.
The first wave of acts for Y Not Festival 2026 has landed, and it’s a lineup that reads like a carefully curated mixtape for the modern indie soul, a potent blend of returning heroes and the new guard ready to soundtrack a summer weekend in the Peak District. Topping the bill are The Libertines, a name that still carries the chaotic, romantic energy of a bygone Britpop era, yet feels more vital than ever following their raucous, career-affirming set at Glastonbury just last year.Pete Doherty and Carl Barât’s partnership, that beautiful, frayed tapestry of poetic grit and garage rock revivalism, promises a headlining slot that is less a nostalgia trip and more a reaffirmation of their enduring, messy magic. They’re joined by The Streets, Mike Skinner’s iconic project that forever blurred the lines between club culture and kitchen-sink storytelling; his return to the festival stage is a guaranteed masterclass in communal euphoria, turning fields into a massive, swaying lock-in where every lyric is shouted back by a generation that came of age to ‘Original Pirate Material’ and ‘A Grand Don’t Come for Free’.Adding to the top-tier firepower are Two Door Cinema Club, the Northern Irish trio whose spiky, infectious guitar pop is engineered for festival singalongs, and The Reytons, the Sheffield upstarts whose grassroots rise and unapologetic anthems have rightfully earned them this prominent platform, embodying a DIY spirit that Y Not has always championed. But the depth of this initial announcement is what truly excites.The bill is fleshed out with the timeless party-starting prowess of Kaiser Chiefs, whose ‘I Predict A Riot’ remains a staple, and the baggy, dance-inducing legacy of Happy Mondays, ensuring the classics are well represented. In a delightful twist of cultural synchronicity, the queen of the viral disco renaissance, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, brings her glittering ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ to the fields, a testament to how a festival lineup can perfectly capture the current musical zeitgeist.Reverend and The Makers add their own brand of Sheffield swagger and socio-political commentary to the mix, guaranteeing a set full of passion and punchy melodies. This eclectic, yet coherent, collection of artists signals a confident start for Y Not 2026, a festival that has carved its niche by balancing beloved icons with the fierce energy of guitar music’s next wave, creating a space where memories are forged not just in the mud and the rain, but in the shared, deafening roar that greets every chorus.
#Y Not Festival 2026
#The Libertines
#The Streets
#Two Door Cinema Club
#Reytons
#Kaiser Chiefs
#featured
