11th/12th/13th September 2026
Whitwell Festival
whitwell festival of music 2026
FRIDAY
Verbal Warning continue to delight festival audiences and have a new album in the making.
The old school punk band celebrated the 45th anniversary of their debut gig in December and released a new EP – 45 Revolutions – to mark the occasion with four brand new tracks.
2026 is another busy year for the band, who have played such prestigious festivals as Bearded Theory and Rebellion in the past.
Bass player Paul Warning has been there since day one while vocalist John Warning is in his 21st year with the band, drummer Ant Warning in his 11th year and young Sam Warning on guitar the most recent recruit to the ranks.
Verbal Warning want to make you think, smile and jump up and down - and the highlight of their show is always the avalanche of yellow plastic punk rock ducks from the crowd during A Ploy Named Sue.
Death of the High Street (DOTHS)
They went down a storm in 2024 and we can't wait to have them back. Death of the High Street have recently been announced headliners at The Hairy Dog in Derby in April and have just released a new single 'The Age of Bonze'.
SATURDAY INDOORS
Headsticks
You’ve seen them at Whitwell before and we’re very happy to have them back, headlining our indoor stage on Saturday evening.
Where Folk and Punk collide to provide a passion infused commentary that is as raw and honest as it gets.
Inhabiting the scabby underbelly of the beast, Get the F outta Dodge are here to cover you in the life of grime from their swamp degenerate Rock N Roll shenanigans. Let them be the scratch to the itch you just can’t reach.
Given one word to describe his music, Sam Draisey will always choose 'honest'. Whether it's politics, family, solidarity or heartache, Sam's folk-punk style will leave you in no doubt as to where he stands on the subject. Influenced by the likes of Billy Bragg, Damien Rice and Cat Stevens, Sam has been plying his trade all over the country on the independent festival circuit and beyond. Audiences have been known to laugh, cry, sing and nod along (sometimes in time with the music, sometimes in agreement with the subject matter!).
River Drive are a local three piece Indie-Rock band, they have a new single out, The Man That Nobody Knows (available on all platforms). Take a look, we're sure you'll love them.
SATURDAY OUTDOORS
His new song released in October has already reached over 1 million streams. Take a look below at his video.
Dubbed the ‘South Yorkshire Springsteen’ Hook laden, Epic and Energetic Songs, all delivered with his trademark growl. soulful songwriter Sam Scherdel has been penning songs since his early teens, finally releasing them with the world in 2022. With his gravelly voice contributing to his unique blueprint; his music is never too far strayed from Rock and Alternative resonances that were the background of his youth.
Major festival appearances including Glastonbury 2024, Tramlines, Rock n Roll Circus and also support slots with Ocean Colour Scene, Cast, Embrace Reverend and the Makers and Two Door Cinema Club.
Highway Child are a Soul & Funk review/covers band from Sheffield.
The band were formed in 2004 and over the subsequent 21 years have become a mainstay of the Yorkshire music scene, playing many festivals and gigs across the region and the UK including headline slots on the Tramlines Fringe Main Stage, Y Not Festival, Barrow Hill Rail Ale and the prestigious Festival Too in Kings Lynn. A band not to be missed if you love Soul, Funk, Blues, dancing and generally having a good time!
Boasting a classic rhythm section and a dynamic brass ensemble, the band’s sound is as big and as polished as the songs they play. With an extensive repertoire of classic songs from artists such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and James Brown to mention but a few, Highway Child will get you dancing and keep you having fun all day and night.
The Fragz are a punk band travelling all the way from the North East of Scotland.
They have festival experience from playing at ButeFest and MacMoray in 2023 aswell as playing Rebellion Punk Festival in Blackpool in 2024 aswell as hosting their own ‘FragzFest’ with some of the best up and coming bands in Scotland.
They released their debut album in May 2024 and their second one will be released in May 2025.
The Endings A Shropshire based five piece band playing energetic Celtic/Folk/Punk original music. This band is sure to get even the non dancers dancing.
Concrete Rose last played Whitwell in 2022 and everyone loved them, we've been trying to get them back every year since. They're back, giving the classic Jamaican roots reggae sound a modern twist.
Brude are a high energy, hard rocking, force of nature based in Chesterfield. Brude have played the massive local festival Rail Ale at Barrow hill two years on the trot, upteen biker rallys and beer and food type festivals as well as all the live music venues and pubs. They provide an exciting and feelgood rock show, play all the rock hits people know and a few surprise pop hits we given the BRUDE treatment.
SUNDAY
Leftychris Band originated as the solo project of Derbyshire based singer songwriter Chris Carr in 2017. The first Leftychris release was ‘Humble Moon’ (available online) and features an album of original songs performed, in the raw form, by just Chris on guitar and vocal.In early 2020 Chris released his second studio album (self-titled) featuring guest musicians. It’s this foray into extending the lineup that laid the foundation for the ‘Leftychris Band’.These days the solo project is no more, as the band has settled into the preferred outlet for Chris’ songs. The band is - Alex Ivanov on drums, Annie Botham on violin, Simon Ball on bass and Rosana Coll with co-vocal.Since the expansion The Leftychris Band's emphasis is the live performance of the songs with the band applying a more ‘in the moment’ style to the structure of the songs. The interplay of instrumentation and genuine listening jammy feel make every gig different and every version of the same song variable.The style has been said to be reminiscent of Tim Buckley’s in the 60s but with a lighter instrumental feel.
BIG JOE BONE(A.K.A. Danny Wilson) plays what he calls "Blues-Grass" music.....a mix of Delta Blues, Bluegrass, Oldtime, Gospel and Hillbilly music utilizing his raspy vocals, hard driving harmonica rhythms, sublime bottleneck slide guitar playing (on steel bodied resonator guitars) and lightning finger-picking skills on 5 string banjos.....all held together by a very heavy stomping boot!
Originally from London and now living on the Mid-Wales coast, Danny started playing guitar as a schoolboy and has now been travelling all around the UK playing his fast, furious Roots music to eager audiences since 2012.
As well as playing songs from great Roots musicians like Son House, Dock Boggs, Bukka White, Flatt and Scruggs, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Charlie Parr, Blind Willie Johnson, Skip James, Robert Johnson .....the list goes on and on!, Danny also plays his own songs, which fit right in to his eclectic set.....which shows that when it comes to roots music, he really "gets it".
Although "Big Joe Bone" is a relatively young act compared to some, Danny has a lifetime of music behind him and has thrown himself into what has become a very busy schedule of gigs since he hit the road in 2012.
"Big Joe Bone" is an act not to be missed!
