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Jul 07, 2026 By Dom Gourlay Web Exclusive

Deer Shed has established itself as arguably the UK’s most family friendly music festival and that’s before we even talk about the line-up, which this year ranks as one of its finest to date. The 2026 edition will be the festival’s 16th since first opening its doors back in 2010.

Situated in the picturesque Baldersby Park in the heart of the North Yorkshire countryside, this year’s Deer Shed takes place on the weekend of Friday 24th to Sunday 26th July. As with previous years, the 2026 edition is jam packed with established and new artists from music, theatre, comedy, performance art, literature and spoken word while also boasting one of the largest children’s areas of any UK festival.

Headlining this year’s Main stage are Brooklyn trio Say She She on the Friday, Nottingham post-punk duo Sleaford Mods on Saturday, before electronic art rock outfit Everything Everything close the festival on Sunday.

Aside from the headliners, here’s 10 other acts Under the Radar are most excited about seeing over the course of the weekend.

Bathing Suits

(Sunday 26th, In The Dock stage)

Bathing Suits have been described as the most exciting new band in Leeds, and it’s difficult to argue with that having witnessed their live show first hand. Combining elements of guitar heavy post-punk with electronic beats, they’ve been compared with Factory Floor, Gilla Band and Crystal Castles among others without really sounding like any of them. The band’s debut seven-track EP KILL Bathing Suits came out in April and ranks as one of the finest collections of songs released anywhere this year.

James Adrian Brown

(Friday 24th, Wilderwild stage)

Having previously founded and played guitar in Pulled Apart By Horses for over a decade, James Adrian Brown is no stranger to the festival circuit both at home and abroad. His solo electronic solo project originally started during lockdown in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its height. Since then, he’s gone on to release a number of singles and EPs culminating in this year’s debut album Forever Neon Lights, which came out on esteemed electronic imprint Castles In Space in January.

Kayla Painter

(Saturday 25th, Wilderwild stage)

Bristol-based Kayla Painter has been something of a trailblazer in the world of electronic music for the past 15 years. Not only as a musician of some considerable repute, but also as a producer, DJ and field recorder as well. Her second and most recent long player Tectonic Particles came out last year to a wealth of critical acclaim, while recent shows with the likes of Colin Stetson and Warrington-Runcorn Newtown Development Plan reaffirmed the Kayla Painter live experience as one of the most engaging in her field.

La Sécurité

(Saturday 25th, Lodge stage)

French-Canadian five-piece La Sécurité have just released one of the albums of 2026 with Bingo!, their second long player for highly respected Montreal independent label Mothland. Their live show has also been picking up rave reviews, not least during their last visit to the UK in May when they wowed audiences at Bearded Theory and Dot To Dot festivals. Expect hard-hitting rhythms over a fusion of punk, funk, pop and shoegaze that might just inspire the liveliest Saturday night party Deer Shed has ever seen.

LIFE

(Saturday 25th, Main stage)

Hull four-piece LIFE first came to our attention as far back as 2017 courtesy of their excitingly acerbic debut Popular Music. Now some nine years later, they’re back with album number four. Abstract / Natural which came out last month via the recently established EMI North label. Although it’s been a while in the making and over four years since its predecessor North East Coastal Town came out, Abstract / Natural might just be LIFE’s finest collection of songs to date. Which makes their appearance on Saturday’s Main stage line-up even more eagerly anticipated.

Lime Garden

(Sunday 26th, Main stage)

Brighton-based four-piece Lime Garden are a prime example of how to build a following through hard graft and playing live. They seem to have been constantly on tour these past five years while also finding the time to write and record two albums - 2024’s One More Thing and this year’s excellent follow-up Maybe Not Tonight, which came out in April. Musically, their sound veers from post-punk to anthemic indie with a dash of left field pop in between. Which makes them one of this weekend’s must-see bands and guaranteed crowd pleasers for their Sunday slot on the Main stage.

Madra Salach

(Sunday 26th, In The Dock stage)

One of this year’s most hotly tipped bands, having played significant shows to both industry professionals and eagle-eyed punters at likes of Eurosonic and SSXW. Madra Salach are a unique entity that has to be seen to be believed. Not afraid to mix, match and throw in new ideas at the drop of a hat. Their music has been described as traditional Irish folk for people that don’t do tradition and has been known to encompass all kinds of instrumentation and sonics from electronica to ear splitting levels of distortion and feedback. So Deer Shed, expect the unexpected but don’t be surprised to be blown away.

Man/Woman/Chainsaw

(Friday 24th, In The Dock stage)

Making their second appearance at Deer Shed having conquered the Main stage to a largely unsuspecting audience back in 2024, Man/Woman/Chainsaw have emerged as one of the UK’s most innovative bands. Their two most recent singles “Nosedive” and “Get Up And Dance” have seen them add a poppier and more dancefloor-friendly edge to their sound, and with long-awaited debut album Cannonball finally out next month their In The Dock stage set on Friday evening promises to be one of the festival’s most explosive.

The Twilight Sad

(Sunday 26th, Main stage)

Having made music together for nearly a quarter of a century, James Graham and Andy MacFarlane’s latest record as The Twilight Sad (It’s The Long Goodbye) has been hailed by many as their best set. Which is no mean feat considering every one of their six long players to date has been critically acclaimed by music writers, fans and fellow musicians alike. One of those musicians is Robert Smith, who’s had the band open for The Cure several times since 2019 and also plays on the Its The Long Goodbye. Expect a set largely comprised of material off the new album alongside one or two staples from their flawless back catalogue.

Working Men’s Club

(Saturday 25th, In The Dock stage)

With two exceptional albums under their belt in the shape of 2020’s self-titled debut and the follow-up Fear Fear from 2022, Working Men’s Club are another band who’ve been pushing the envelope since first single “Bad Blood” landed in the summer of 2019. Essentially the brainchild of singer and songwriter Syd Minsky-Sargeant, Working Men’s Club create dance music for the post-industrial generation borne out of post-punk and avant-garde electronica. Album number three is reportedly imminent, so expect to hear new music alongside live favourites off the first two records.

For more information on this year’s Deer Shed visit the Official Website.

Read Under the Radar’s reviews from 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022.