Swn Festival Announces First Wave Of Artists For 2026 Edition

Dove Ellis, Cardinals, Dana Margolin and Working Men's Club lead the first wave of artists announced for the Cardiff festival's nineteenth edition.

Cardiff's Sŵn Festival has revealed the first names for its 2026 edition, with Dove Ellis, Cardinals, Dana Margolin, Working Men's Club, Bel Cobain, HMLTD, Lucia & The Best Boys and The Orielles among the artists set to perform.

Returning between 15 and 17 October, the long-running festival will once again take over venues across the Welsh capital as part of the wider Cardiff Music City Festival. Following expanded three-day editions in recent years, Sŵn's nineteenth outing promises another packed weekend dedicated to emerging talent and adventurous programming.

Leading the first announcement is Irish songwriter Dove Ellis, who will make his Cardiff debut with a special performance at Tramshed. Fresh from supporting Geese in the United States and following widespread acclaim for his debut album Blizzard, Ellis joins fellow Irish outfit Cardinals, whose recent debut album Masquerade has established them as one of the country's most exciting young bands.

Former Porridge Radio frontwoman Dana Margolin will also return to Cardiff to debut new material. While details remain under wraps, the performance marks her first appearance at the festival since the band's farewell release last year.

Elsewhere, Working Men's Club are set to bring their dancefloor-minded blend of post-punk and synth-pop back to Wales, while HMLTD will continue their typically unpredictable live exploits following the success of their ambitious second album The Worm.

Lucia & The Best Boys arrive with new album Picking Petals in tow, and Manchester trio The Orielles will return following the release of their latest record Only You Left.

The bill also features Honeyglaze, Good Health Good Wealth, Little Grandad, Personal Trainer, Modern Woman, Lauren Auder, LSD and the Search for God and Australian duo 2Charm, alongside a strong contingent of Welsh artists including Cerys Hafana, Ifan, Pys Melyn, Wrkhouse and Asidhara.

As in previous years, performances will take place across a range of independent venues including Tramshed, Clwb Ifor Bach, St John's Church, Jacobs Basement, Fuel, Tiny Rebel and Porter's.

Commenting on the announcement, Sŵn head of music Adam Williams said that putting together the 2026 edition had been an uplifting experience, adding that the line-up reflects the abundance of exciting new music currently emerging while balancing first-time visitors with returning favourites.

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