THIS FEELING BY THE SEA
THE RENOWNED ROCK ‘N’ ROLL WEEKENDER ANNOUNCES
THE LILACS AND THE CLAUSE AS ITS HEADLINERS FOR 2026
PLUS! THE ROSADOCS, GIRLBAND!, THE BRACKNALL, CRYSTAL TIDES AND MORE
BRIDLINGTON SPA, APRIL 17TH-18TH – TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
This Feeling By The Sea is becoming an institution: a weekend escape for indie-rock devotees to see the scene’s biggest new talents and essential next wave in action, surrounded by a like-minded community. Now This Feeling By The Sea announces details of its 2026 event, led by headliners The Lilacs and The Clause. Returning to its home, the beautiful seaside ballroom Bridlington Spa, This Feeling By The Sea moves to April 17th-18th for 2026 – perfect timing for anyone eager to get some festival action before summer hits.
This Feeling founder Mikey Jonns says, “We’re really proud of this one. Once again every act on the bill has started off with us in a grassroots venue, the journey from the grassroots to the iconic Bridlington Spa and it makes for the most glorious atmosphere. Tickets are already flying out! Thanks for all your support, we’ll see you By The Sea!”
Everyone booked to play has been part of the This Feeling family throughout their rise and Friday night headliners The Lilacs are a prime example. The Wigan quartet have powered on against the odds this year. Mixing hope and nostalgia, their EP ‘The 395 (To Forever)’ inspired excited comparisons to Arctic Monkeys and The Courteneers. They smashed it in the live arena too, with festival highlights including mass singalongs at the Isle of Wight and seeing fans overflowing out of the tent at Y NOT?. Factor in supporting Sting and their recent biggest ever sold-out headline show at Manchester Academy, and it’s clear The Lilacs’ rise is only just beginning. And all that before even releasing an album…
Vocalist/guitarist Ollie Anglesea says, “We first played this festival back in 2023 (where a lot of you first found us) and we always knew one day we would be headlining it. Now that time has come. We will be headlining 2026 on the Friday. This is a great festival, with a mega line up so grab a ticket.”
The Lilacs, photo by Liam Maxwell
The Clause have been a hot top for a while now, but their thrilling debut album ‘Victim of a Casual Thing’ changed everything. The record catapulted straight to #1 on the Official Independent Albums Chart and also made a Top 20 breakthrough on the UK Official Albums Chart – and at one point they were outselling Sabrina Carpenter. One spin of the record explains the excitement as it’s packed from start-to-finish with rousing indie-rock anthems and groovier moments reminiscent of Foals or Bloc Party. The Clause are now set to bring the curtain down on 2025 with a homecoming headline show at the 3000-capacity O2 Academy Birmingham.
Vocalist/guitarist Pearce Macca says, “Honoured to be headlining the iconic Bridlington Spa in April for This Feeling’s By The Sea festival. A ridiculous line up.”
The Clause, photo by Luke Jones
That ridiculous line-up is stacked throughout the festival. The rest of Friday is led by the exhilarating indie/alt-rock collision course of The Rosadocs, who have continued the momentum set by their EP ‘The City’s No Good For Reflection’ by seeing phenomenal ticket demand for their 2026 headline tour. That day will also see GIRLBAND! bring their visceral punk intensity, their killer songs like ‘21st Century Suffragette’ having made a big impression at shows with Sex Pistols and Destroy Boys. The rest of Friday is similarly unmissable with Cruz, The Cavs, The Cases and Hannah Robinson.
That all-killer-no-filler bill brings more on Saturday. The Bracknall are a guaranteed highlight, coming off the back of a 2025 which has seen them hit #3 on the Official Independent Album Charts at #3 with their second record ‘Falling Out Of View’ as well as headlining the This Feeling stage at the Isle of Wight Festival. The appeal of Crystal Tides is easy to see – a catalogue of high-octane songs like ‘Courtney Love’ and ‘Down’ played with full-throttle intensity and the massive vocal talent of Billy Gregory. The rest of Saturday swaggers with sets from The Slates, The Velvet Hands, Montello and Long Island.
New for 2026 is the festival’s intimate Sessions stage. The Friday line-up so far features blonde-bombshell indie-rock duo Dirty Blonde and Fitzroy Holt’s fusion of poetic grace and sheer chaos. Saturday features Breeze, a trio of brothers who are just as adept with reflective and bluesy tones as they are with mammoth hooks, and Blackpool’s boisterous charismatic Alright, whose latest single ‘Everlasting’ lives up to comparisons to The Twang and Reverend & The Makers.
As ever, This Feeling By The Sea 2026 will be boosted by three long-term allies and supporters. Soccer AM legend and LIFEJACKET podcast host Fenners will be the compere across the weekend, while new music champions Jericho Keys (BBC Introducing) and John Kennedy (Radio X) will DJ on Friday and Saturday respectively.
So that’s two days rammed with essential music from noon until night – and it’s cracking value too. Adult tickets are priced at £50 for the weekend or £30 per day, while all tickets for those aged under 12 are just £10. Please see HERE for tickets and further details.
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