Sound City announces rising stars for 2026

Future headline heroes are now lined-up to take to stages across Liverpool city centre at Sound City 2026.

This includes exciting, emerging artists such as Arctic Monkeys-collaborator, Tom Rowley, exciting Bristol upbeat pop outfit, Adult Leisure, and gritty, emotive Dublin quartet, Brooki for this May’s line-up.

Having already announced other major names including Westside Cowboy, Jalen Ngonda, Keo and Brooke Combe, the latest 21 artist reveal finds the festival standing its ground as the UK festival where talent gets spotted first.

Blood-rushing young, anthem-toting guitar talent doesn’t come much more thrilling than Stockport’s latest pretenders to the festival main stage throne, The Rolling People, whose rise continues through major venues and popular releases including the heavy-streaming Disguise. Joining them at the tipping point of becoming huge, Dublin’s latest contribution to the canon of acerbic alt-rock, Basht, bring fan favourites like Gone Girl to Sound City’s packed underground venues. The kaleidoscopic, post-baggy beats of Dirty Circus, as heard on latest single Sunshine,add another hot name to the line-up of new indie treats in store.

Heading from London with carefully-constructed melody and a giant reputation, thanks to singles including Sandcastles 2008, Tough Cookie arrive brimming with emotion and hooky, bass-heavy rock, while Bleech 9.3 turn up the intensity dial another notch after emerging in late 2025 with brooding, squally singles including Cannonball. Feeling out for the boundaries and destroying them altogether, Vancouver’s urgent punks, PISS are set to carve their own, distinct path through Liverpool and leave behind poignant pause for their audience to reflect on their performance’s confrontational themes.

Peddling ‘songs for the faint-hearted’, hyped five-piece, Girl In The Year Above will arrive in Liverpool blending bittersweet melodies, lyrical vulnerability and no small amount of mystery as the world awaits their first, official release.

Blending melodic guitar hooks and emotionally reflective lyrics, Sheffield’s TIDETIED arrive to add fuel to the hands-aloft atmosphere while tipped newcomers, The North, also make the journey from Yorkshire, representing Leeds with huge tracks including the slacker rock of Soundtrack Your Soul. Expanding the festival’s reach further, much-hyped Hackney four-piece, Little Grandad, head to Sound City with much of their songbook still under wraps, mixing reflective Americana with bursts of punk energy.

Jamie McIntyre’s honest songwriting and melodic, stripped-back arrangements compliment’s fellow solo-troubadours, Ben Ellis and Zander’s strong senses of reflection and sincerity as Sound City brings talent from the forefront of Britain’s constantly growing community of standalone storytellers. Talia Rae’s emergent R&B arrives at Sound City with expressive vocal style as showcased on standout songs tracks like her collaboration with pop legend, David Gray, Plus & Minus.

Sound City’s Managing Director, Becky Ayres, says:

“Sound City has always been about spotting talent at the moment it’s about to break, and this latest wave of artists perfectly captures that spirit. From acts already making serious noise to those right on the cusp of something special, this line-up underlines why Sound City remains the place where future headliners are discovered first.

“Alongside welcoming back major names like Jalen Ngonda and Keo, we’re proud to be creating space across Liverpool city centre for the next generation of artists to connect with audiences, industry, and each other – all while continuing to push forward meaningful conversations through Sound City+ about where music is heading next.”

Sound City has once again instigated the festival’s Apply To Play system, opening its stages to grassroots artists. Powered by the 2026 Apply to Play sponsor TuneCore, building on 2025’s TuneCore Scouse House takeover, and Amplead, the application platform provider, the opportunity for any artist to be considered for a slot is open until 21.00 GMT on Friday 30th January 2026.

As well as enjoying two decades worth of emerging talent turning into household names, not least previous Sound City artists such as Charlie XCX, The 1975, Ed Sheeran and Stormzy, the Sound City+ Conference has developed to become one of the British music industry’s major meeting points.

Supported by key festival partner, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) alongside PRS, PPL, PRSF, AIM and UK Music, Liverpool will once again host Sound City+ on the opening day of the weekend, Fri 1 May 2026, to share in the most current and cutting-edge knowledge, best practice and innovation from the front line of the British and international music business. The first announcement of high-profile attendees and guest speakers is due in the coming weeks.

Sound City and Sound City + will once again go ahead with the support of main festival, conference, training, talent development and community engagement funder Arts Council England,thanks to National Lottery players. Sound City is also grateful for the support and partnership of CAPLL alongside the event’s Principal Creative Education Partners, SAE Institute and The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP).

Leeds Conservatoire and the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) have joined as partners for 2026, alongside Off Axis, the not-for-profit gig swap and live music touring network, which enables artists to tour the UK and Ireland independently whilst retaining 100% of the ticket profits. SESAC also remains one of the festival’s valued contributors for 2026, returning to present a live showcase. The festival’s stage at The Shipping Forecast venue will be named in honour of their influential Vice President, John Sweeney, who passed away in June.

Sound City remains the UK’s lead festival for Keychange, the global movement focused on the restructuring of the music industry to achieve gender equality. Aiming to achieving a gender balance across all Sound City events and initiatives, equal representation of women and diverse genders is a determined feature of every Sound City weekend.