Bearded Theory ‘26 - All Our Bands In 4(ish) Pictures and 20(ish) Words - Pt1
Bearded Theory is rapidly becoming my favourite five days of the year. To me, it is a festival that is just the right size with something interesting happening all the time through the clever use of 5 stages and a plethora of amazing bands.
Here is my rundown of 2026 mainly in pictures. With a short description of each of the bands we saw.
Wednesday
EMF - A bouncing performance incorporating drum, bass and a town cryer. They were brilliant entertainment and unbelievable.
Thursday
Meatdripper - Reminiscent of 1970’s Black Country Metal this four piece powerhouse provided drive and dark vocals.
Efa Supertramp - Political comment on the state of the world delivered with poise and passion through guitar and mic.
An Dannsa Dub - Gaelic song and traditional instruments fused with heavy dub created a mesmerising performance. Bouncing trad music development.
Bloodworm - Ringing guitar, driving back beat, moody vocals. What’s not to like? Truely melancholic sound.
Venus Grrls - Full on energy from a great Leeds band creating a blast of punk pop that had the crowd in awe.
3 Daft Monkeys - A fiddle driven four-piece band with a large Bearded Theory following who bounced and sang and danced through a energetic set of many genre music.
Unthanks - What a way to finish the night, with the angel-voices from the north. Putting the crowd in a complete trance with beautiful and haunting harmonies. Magpie was a very early contender for “Best Of Show 2026”
