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full lineup announcements are here!
Join us this summer in the heart of lancashire for SeekOut festival 2026,
a weekend adventure filled with live music, arts, and family-friendly activities
Join us this summer in the heart of lancashire for SeekOut festival 2026,
a weekend adventure filled with live music, arts, and family-friendly activities
music programme 2026
Danalogue, founding member and producer of The Comet is Coming and Soccer96 (some of you may remember Soccer96 playing at our predecessor Cloudspotting) , weaves hypnotic analogue synths, pulsating drum machines, and cosmic textures into an electrifying live experience. In the face of imminent AI music takeover, the show is 100% live, as Danalogue uses fingers and adrenalin to adjust hardware on the fly, as ethereal dream states evolve into high energy acid-dancefloor explosions. His live set includes adaptations of the single ‘Sonic Hypnosis’ and tracks from his debut solo album ‘Teleportations.’
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Revealing two distinct sides of their restless cosmic psychedelia, ‘Atomic Asteroid’ and ‘Otherside (Oh Mr James Version)’ is a double release by eclectic Cornish cosmic folk collective Blind Yeo – one of the south-west’s most exciting new bands. Out now as part of Lost Map’s PostMap Club subscription service as well as released via digital platforms, it’s the latest taste of a new cassette EP of collected Blind Yeo recordings, further including recent singles ‘Half Light’, ‘Love Not Fire’ and the title track ‘Today Tomorrow’, all of which received play and warm praise from BBC 6 Music. Following an explosive appearance at highly prestigious festival and industry showcase event Trans Musicales in Rennes, France late last year, the band have shared the incredible live session they recorded for KEXP at Trans Musicales, featuring blistering performances of ‘Today Tomorrow’, ‘Love Not Fire’, ‘Colour Pillow’ and ‘Frick And Frack’.
La Sécurité (Montréal/Tiohtià:ke) is a collective whose art punk is equal parts: jumpy beats, off-kilter arrangements and minimalistic melodic hooks; run through an insomniac filter, the result of excessive exposure to the city’s neon lights. The music is all about living dangerously, perfectly agreeable to being blasted onto dancefloors; while the lyrics share the ethos of the Riot Grrrl movement, and celebrate the autonomization of women, friends (mean and nice) as well as benevolence. Since coming together in the Spring of 2022, they have been invited to perform noteworthy events such as SXSW, End of the Road, The Great Escape, and Reeperbahn, also touring alongside The Go! Team (2024) and The Rapture (2025). Following the release of Polaris Music Prize 2024 long-listed debut Stay Safe!—as well as its joyous offspring Stay Safe! REMIXED—with Mothland, the five-piece offered singles “Detour” and “Ketchup”, setting the stage for a new influx of D.I.Y. sonic gems, this time also teaming up with Simon Raymonde’s seminal British imprint: Bella Union. Hence, the motley bunch continues to meander the fringes of punk, new wave and krautrock, mischievously flouting stylistic form every chance they get by way of sophomore long-player Bingo!, scheduled for release on June 12th, 2026 via Bella Union (World) and Mothland (Canada/United States).
Naima Bock’s music is shaped by a rich blend of cultures, landscapes and traditions. Born in Glastonbury to a Brazilian father and Greek mother, she spent part of her childhood in Brazil before growing up in South-East London. Drawing inspiration from Brazilian music, European folk traditions and her experiences as an archaeologist, gardener and long-distance walker, her songs weave together themes of nature, heritage and human connection. Her acclaimed debut album, Giant Palm, reflects these influences through intimate songwriting and expansive, beautifully crafted arrangements. A founding member of Goat Girl, Naima spent six years touring internationally before embarking on her solo career. Her distinctive voice and deeply personal songs have earned praise for their warmth, honesty and emotional depth. Influenced by both traditional folk music and contemporary songwriting, Naima creates music that feels timeless yet deeply personal, inviting listeners into stories shaped by memory, place and the shared experience of being human.
Suntou Susso — a virtuoso kora player, singer-songwriter and composer from The Gambia living in the UK — was born into the Griot tradition. Fresh from releasing his long-awaited second album, Jaliya Silokang - The Path of a Griot, he and his band are bringing his exciting new music to you. Suntou’s compositions are rooted in the Afro-Manding and Griot musical tradition with influences from folk, funk, jazz and soul. He is joined by a powerhouse lineup of Gambian musicians, performing together in the UK for the very first time. Collectively, they’ll be bringing mindblowing musicianship and authentic sunshine energy straight from the Smiling Coast of Africa.
We are incredibly excited to announce that this year we have teamed up with @bingorecs for a label takeover. The world that Bingo and their artists have built has been finding its way into the forest for years. Their astounding back catalogue speaks for itself, and we're delighted to be bringing a part of that world to SeekOut 2026. Across Friday and Saturday, Bingo artists will perform on both stages, and we'll also have a dedicated merch selection featuring the performing artists alongside releases from the wider Bingo family. Lloyd Bent from Bingo Records says: 'We're really chuffed to be teaming up with Seek Out this year. We've been attending or playing the festival in various guises since the Cloudspotting days, and some of the organisers are good friends of ours. Bingo Records was founded in Lancashire, and we love to see people getting stuck in and organising such an exciting and eclectic music event in the area. It's great to be getting involved with something that shares our DIY outlook and passion for bringing music to and finding music within areas often overlooked by the wider world.'
Following appearances at Left of the Dial, Supersonic Paris, and on your TV (Dinosaur [BBC/Hulu]), wonk rockers The Foot & Leg Clinic (FKA The Wife Guys of Reddit) are back, again, with a raucous debut album in tow. Funny without being flippant, heavy without being humourless, and with influences ranging from Yo La Tengo to the Austin Powers soundtrack, Leg Clinic's music is about learning when to stand, when to sit, and how to keep going when forward motion isn’t guaranteed.
future stage
A collective who mine the transcendental collective power of traditional folk music, Brown Wimpenny, split between Manchester, London and Liverpool, are bringing communities together to celebrate that rich catalog of folk songs owned by no individual in particular bar humanity itself. Taking their name from a distant 19th century relative of tenor banjoist Seth Lockwood’s, Brown Wimpenny began with informal get-together Sunday jam sessions in his Manchester living room. Growing as large as 25 members before being whittled down to its current number of 11, early gigs saw the band take up half the capacity of the room they were playing in, lyrics being passed around to attendees too, as part of a broader ideal of reducing the gap between audience and performer. “We see the band as a shared social and creative endeavour.” explains Anna Korbel. “We love the sense of the everyday and the normal, and rejoicing in the collective and communal. I think that's the key to our process and our ethos. We're not over-egging anything. We're just seeing it and playing as it is.”
Benjamin Hall – otherwise known as Mr Ben – is a ceramicist, painter and songwriter. Hailing from the limestone crags of the most northerly tip of Lancashire, Mr Ben now resides in Sheffield, or more importantly and creatively, his corrugated steel garden shed. Musically Mr Ben has toured countless trips around our fair isle, released 12 albums (bingo records, Bella union) and eaten his fair amount of maize based crisps. Recently since the release of ‘Small Wide World’ Mr Ben has hibernated amongst a scattering of slowly and crudely crafted acoustic ponderings which will be debuted at Seek Out, finally set free from the creaking armchair of his garden fortress.
Family Selection Box are a DIY indie three-piece from Lancaster, based in Sheffield. Filmmakers by day, they train their observational eye on the humour and strangeness of the everyday, creating songs about leisure centres, crumbling bowling alleys and allotments.
Good News is a multilingual post-punk, no wave, disco trio from Sheffield. Their latest EP Big Shapes was released on DIY label Bingo Records this April adding to their album Small Forms (2024) and EP Same As That (2023), also on Bingo. They've played Left of the Dial in Rotterdam, done a live session with Marc Riley & Gideon Coe (BBC 6 Music) and supported Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkey Birds and The Bug Club. Erin (drums, percussion, vocals) and Dan (bass, percussion, vocals) bring the danceable rhythms, Beth (vocals, guitar, keys, clarinet, percussion, etc., etc., etc.) brings the weird noises, and together they just want to have fun. For ears with short attention spans that like Delta 5, Beat Happening, and The Raincoats.
arts & wellbeing
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Beggars Belief Collective are a theatre company and collective of artists based in Darwen. They make engaging art, theatre & films for communities to embrace their creativity and celebrate where they live. . Beggars Belief bring people together through the sharing of stories blending visual art, with writing, theatre and performance. Their work engages the community at every stage, and place as much importance on the process of creating together as they do on presenting a final product. Beggars Belief are bringing their new performance to SeekOut ‘26 called “50p Love Story” 50p. What can you get for 50p these days? An act of kindness? A community coming together? True love? Part performance, part story telling, part survey. Beggars Belief Collective are back!
Seek Out wouldn't be complete without Outdoors 4 All bringing their usual fun and activities to the forest. Working in The Ribble Valley and surrounding areas of Lancashire and Yorkshire, 'Outdoors 4 All Together CIC' aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of people of all ages and capabilities through contact with nature. Whether its forest craft, bubble making or simple relaxing in a hammock enjoying the tree canopy above, there'll be plenty of opportunities to connect with nature.
Lancashire based performer and dancer Aimee Williamson moves fluidly between ballet, contemporary dance, physical theatre, and puppetry, often created for outdoor settings and inspired by folklore, the natural world, and local heritage. Blending traditional forms such as Morris dancing and Lancashire clog with modern dance styles, she maintains a strong connection to her home region and strives to share high-quality dance theatre with local family audiences, bringing with it the richness and warmth of folk storytelling. She will be performing her latest piece - a story that's is centered around the local legend of the Pendle Witches.
We welcome Abi Fielding back to the arts program with her ever popular print workshop. Pop along and have a go at creating your own festival print memento! Bumper fun for all the famliy.
Another roaring, or should that be relaxing, success from last year - Kelly and her yoga session. What better way to start the day than by enjoying the clean forest air and a soothing stretch to get you limbered up for a hard days dancing. Please bring your own toga matt.
Dragonfly Tai Chi, the sleeper hit of Seek Out 2024 that drew an even bigger crowd of participants in 2025. Will 2026 see an even bigger field of early risers as the whole festival in perfect sync performs the crane pose?
Disblaze will be back with their juggling and poi, we're looking forward to welcoming them back to the forest for SeekOut 2026. Joe & Robin will mesmerise with their juggling excellence and as usual will be ready to teach young and old their deft ways.
A warm welcome back to Julian who will be bringing his very popular screen printing workshop back to the forest. Pop along and he'll take you through the process of printing your own special Seek Out tote bag for you to take home as a souvenir. Theirs a limited number so get along early, there might even be a clue to the arts theme on them - hint: look at the picture above!
We're delighted to have local artist and sculptor Marjan Wouda again this year after her fully hands on clay workshop. With her love for creating animal art she's very much at home in the nature of the forest.
It wouldn't be Seek Out without our wondering troubadour, our poet on the move and our teller of local tales seeped in the history of the Ribble Valley. Stop him if you see him walking through the site and let him furnish your ears with one of his many poems. Mick will also be hosting a poetry hour with Carla Mellor and Emily Cooke.
Calling all the Zen children, Buddha Bears will be running yoga classes for our smaller festival goers aged 3-7 . Start the day serene way.
Lancashire-based art collective Bin Collective bring together three distinct artistic practices, the trio collaborate to create interactive, puppet-led works that embrace humour and chaos. Working primarily with repurposed and recycled materials, Bin Collective are best known for creating the world’s first Puppet Rave, where every raver is a puppeteer — an energetic, immersive experience that combines party, performance, participatory art and sculpture.
Carla Mellor is a Leeds-based poet whose debut poetry collection SCRAPS was published by Wrecking Ball Press in 2021. Her poem 'a Kingdom United' was turned into a video by Northern Heart Films and featured on BBC Breakfast and paved the way for two BBC commissions. In 2023 another poetry film collaboration ‘The ones who care’, won gold at the Smiley Charity Film Awards. In the same year, Carla was crowned the Huddersfield Literature Festival Slam Champion. Carla has supported poets such as Toria Garbutt, Louise Fazackerley and Matt Abbott. Carla loves writing 'poetry for the people'; poems for the everyday that are accessible, relatable, and down to earth. Carla will be appearing in poetry hour along with Emily Cooke and hosted by Mick Neary.
Emily is a multidisciplinary artist based in Morecambe who specialises in music, poetry and movement. Through her work, she loves to explore themes of connection, communication and what it means to be a messy human animal in chaotic times. She will be bringing her debut spoken word show - Messy Human Thing - to Seek out Festival. Emily will be appearing in poetry hour along with Carla Mellor and hosted by Mick Neary. (More about Messy Human Thing if you would like it:) Emily is overwhelmed. She doesn’t want to fill in the poll. She doesn’t want to add anyone to her calendar. She just really needs to see her friends. Messy Human Thing is a spoken word show that is equal parts love letter to friends and rant against a world on fire. This show uses the maps of friendship to navigate the relentless storms of subscriptions, notifications and broken systems.
Natasha is an award-winning Director and Producer from Darwen. Over her career she has collaborated with broadcasters and organisations including the BBC, The Guardian, and Doc Society, as well as brands like the Co-op, the FA, and Quorn. In 2014, she co-founded Northern Heart Films, an independent production company that received backing from the BBC Small Indie Fund. She is currently directing and producing her first feature-length documentary which follows the success of the indie-pop band The Lottery Winners. Natasha is a passionate advocate for supporting working-class talent in the North of England through her not-for-profit organisation, Doc North CIC. In recognition of her industry impact she is an ambassador for Creative Enterprise and was named as a 'Future Leader' at the Northern Power Women Awards. Natasha will be introducing and showing her film Joy Uncensored at this years festival.
Film screening of Joy Uncensored by Natasha Hawthornthwaite. Film synopsis - After 64-years of living life quietly, retired school teacher Joy France is on a mission to be heard. After finding her voice in the form of spoken-word poetry, Joy attempts to take her new found passion to another level. Can she break gender and age stereotypes by competing in the brutal, youthful, male-dominated world of battle rap? Or is she too notoriously O.L.D? A story of one woman's daring attempt to embrace life. Film length - 15 minutes Age rating - Not officially rated but we'd suggest 15+ because of explicit language.
Its always a joy to welcome The Rosemary Well into the forest where they'll be providing their much appreciated self-empowered healing sound baths, ideal for those looking for a relaxing moment during their festival.