Outer Town is one of the best one-day festivals in the UK; a celebration of the DIY spirit and the indie upcoming rising stars that you won’t see at the big, buzzy festivals like your Coachellas or your Reading and Leedses, or even in London; taking place in Bristol highlighting independent pub venues and places like the Exchange that stay clear of Rough Trade and SWX. The festival is diverse – a large name of acts make clashes inevitable; but with many artists having barely put EPs out let alone records, it feels like a breath of fresh air in the medium – punk rave; worldbuilding and indie guitar mixed in with a unique Bristolian subculture.
The festival is an urban sprawl with backstory and map of different venues that allows for an inner-city Boomtown feel. Trinity, Wiper & True, To the Moon, Ill Repute, Old Market Assembly, Elmer’s Arms and Stag & Hounds will be known to many of the Bristol regulars, crafted on a map that resembles Lord of the Rings. This enables a DND-esque set-up and the premise is fun, allowing audiences the chance to see bands play in some of the smallest venues they ever will. Naturally there are a lot of clashes at Outer Town and despite the incredibly stacked DIY scene lineup, it’s impossible to see them all no matter how hard you try. But that is the problem with even the best festival – and make no mistake, Outer Town is one of the best festivals going.
My day started with Rough Trade in Bristol hosting a surprise secret set for rising stars Man/Woman/Chainsaw; prolific tourers who love doing free/cheap gigs at this stage of their career and making their reputation known as one of the best bands to watch. I’ve already seen them once before and they were playing later in the day as part of the festival itself – so I couldn’t say no to the second time around. Their clash with grunge rock act Wax Head meant that seeing them here was pretty much a requirement, and they delivered, a lot more confident than when I first saw them perform at the Lexington earlier in the year in London with a touch of rawness and special nature to them that ensures they’ll only go up from here. They’ve already played over 100 shows before their debut EP and the art rockers have generated their buzz with the confidence and commitment that they need, a sextet of band members earning their craft without the fake hype after one single – this is real talent performing night after night, building up their fanbase. Despite not being a punk act they have that energy that got the crowd ramped up, bringing their own unique sound to the table that blends prog rock with folk for a unique combination of orchestral ascendancy. You can tell they’re good based on how everyone talks about them – it’s done with glowing praise, as opposed to just because they’re being told to talk about them.
Then it was off to Outer Town and the Trinity Church proper to collect my wristband in time to catch Plantoid; who I first saw at Wide Awake in 2023 and they too, have gone from strength to strength since. Psychedelic prog rock and jazz kept the theme strong from man/woman/chainsaw, both operating in similar circles, and their hypnotic incendiary vibes creates an attentive crowd that really made the festival get off to a strong start. It quickly becomes apparent that the venues are packed and there’s more than enough people for the buzzier acts than there is venue capacity; but that’s to be expected – and that’s why there are clashes. To wet the revellers’ appetites, you can find hot dogs and a variety of food and drinks available – plus the famous Stag & Hounds has some of the best beer and food selection in the city – hot dogs crop up outside East Bristol Books for instance in addition to your regular takeaways.
Next it was back to the Exchange Great Hall – the largest indoors venue in the festival, where I saw Zalizo again after their magnetic performance in Ritual Union earlier in the month. Nobody’s experience at Outer Town is the same as the other – the rising Ukrainian pop art reminds people that their country is going through hell right now and uses music as a way of celebrating the language of Ukraine. It’s effective prog rock, the Bristol regulars making their presence known early doors.
Following Zalizo it was a quick trip down into the sweatbox of the Exchange’s gritty, grimy, window-less dungeon for Shrimp Eyes, who came prepared complete with a toy shrimp that they tossed into the crowd mid set (unclear whether or not they got it back) – their debut EP Monochrome went down a storm and gave a frantic, kinetic energy that really kicked things into gear ahead of the heavier punk bands – there’s a touch of post-punk and synth here that really makes things interesting. The lyrics are witty and clever, and their pop rock feels incredibly emotional.
After that it was back upstairs for Haal, who request the room to be as dark as possible and I got a real A Place to Bury Strangers vibes form their set. It’s real anger and ferocity in their set that had their debut headed by Ollie Judge of Squid so the Bristol band have real pedigree here – yet at the same time their orchestral sounds and a progressive influence that creates a rich grassroots DIY-based feel to them. Based out of Tiverton and native to Bristol they’re a proper South West band that really creates a strong mix of visuals that really create a unique atmosphere – by the time I went back outside of the pitch-black Exchange into the sun it felt like a completely different world, completely engrossing music right the way through.
By 5PM the festival was in full effect and I caught Rats-Tails in the Stag and Hounds; a south London dream rock band formed in the middle of the isolation of the pandemic. They created a real Lynchian experience – the phase Lynchian gets thrown around quite a lot but they fit that vibes of The New Eves and Johnny Jewel’s Italians Do It Better label nicely, trancey and enchanting in a way that ensures I’ll try and see them again – unique experimentation that puts me right under their spell. Hopefully won’t be the last time I’ll catch them this year – with under 200 monthly listeners on Spotify they’re a real hidden gem.
slate are one of my favourite bands now, the “Welsh Fontaines DC”, and I really like these lads. I saw them before in London at the same festival man/woman/chainsaw were playing at – Five Day Forecast, which has given us many names to watch already. Their magnetic stage presence made me an instant fan – propulsive in their nature and music that draws you in and keeps you there. They draw influences from Joy Division and even have time for poetry in their songwriting – the indie quartet leave a real mark on the festival. It says a lot that they’re not my favourite band to play today – yet they’re one of the best around currently. I’ll follow them anywhere.
Outer Town has the best selection of beverages at any festival that I’ve been to and that’s no small feat – largely due to one of the venues being in the Wiper & True brewery. It’s packed when I get there for the end of Library Card, the ethereal four piece from Rotterdam delighting in creating a sense of freedom of expression – and it’s hard to move in the pit by the time Wax Head come on – brutal prog rockers whose crowd really get energised. I had to leave before their headline set the night before at the Shacklewell Arms in London – despite catching the excellent House Arrest and Oral Habit – and the usually rowdy brewery becomes a sweaty, visceral atmosphere with plenty of moshing to be found. Their energy is raw and unrivalled – psych and garage punk are very much alive in the British music scene right now and there are again, not just A Place to Bury Strangers vibes but also King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – peak experimentalists across the board. Their math rock is exciting and ramps up the energy in the room; industrial, bold and refreshing in every sense.
After Wax Head I was feeling tired by that point – the long day included a leg down from London – but I was glad I stuck around for Yard. They’re an Irish electro pump that bridges the gap between electronica and punk, and the fusion is certainly unique – think Aphex Twin mixed with IDLES. Despite it all, it works – it’s a festival that seems to owe a lot to A Place to Bury Strangers and these guys are no different – heavily processed vocals with Gilla Band energy that keeps the enthusiasm going, they’ll be at Wide Awake next year for sure; rowdy and high-octane from start to finish with electronics infused into their crowd – Trevor was a highlight of this set-list.
Speaking of A Place to Bury Strangers the next band I saw was Test Plan who I’ve already seen supporting them, and they were majestic. The DIY trio are exploding into London’s music scene with a high energy upbeat sett that never really lets go. “So Bored at your Squat Rave” is something that I’ve had on repeat for weeks and their gritty nature is pulsating in the sweatbox that is the Exchange Dungeon, a rowdy crowd get the party started. Paranoia runs rampant through the setlist with elements of dance mixed in for good measure; “Walking in a Vacuum” feels explosive as you can get. This was one of my favourite shows of the year – and I’ve seen sixty bands as we reach the end of April.
The last band that I saw was Shelf Lives who topped everyone that came before to become, essentially, my new favourite band with just one EP to their name. They’re ferocious punk rockers with touches of Amyl and the Sniffers and Lambrini Girls and have a high-tempo energy that feels suited to my music tastes down to the ground. Skirts and Salads “like my girls like that” provided a catchy beat that encouraged the crowd to led out their screams and anger at a world that has let them down. Suitably aggressive and incredibly lively it’s a set that really doesn’t let up. Their ability to tackle the crisis of masculinity is refreshing and extroverted in nature – raw and ready.
These are all bands following in the legacy of acts like Black Midi, Black Country, New Road¸Squid and Goat Girl – and making their impact known on the DIY scene. Test Plan are headlining in London later this year and I can’t wait to see them again. It was a really fascinating introduction into this particular subculture and Outer Town made everything land perfectly. I have a ton of new acts that I’m ready to follow through to the end here and if I had to pick three favourites; it would be Shelf Lives, Test Plan and Wax Head; but on a night where I saw over ten bands if you include what came before at Rough Trade Bristol – you get few better festivals for your money.
Outer Town will return in 2026.
Learn more about the music festival, including how to get tickets for the future, at their website.
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