As British summertime lingers a little longer each evening, festival season drifts back into view. We may romanticise the mud and the well-worn wellies, but Wanderlust Festival invites you to leave them behind, trading open fields for something closer, built on community and local spaces.
Into its third year, Wanderlust settles once again into the fabric of Southampton, spread across three beloved independent spaces: The 1865, the storied Joiners, and its beating heart, Heartbreakers, each only a short walk apart. With its return, the event moves to the Spring Bank Holiday, taking place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May.
For its third edition, Wanderlust has curated another stacked line-up over its two days of programming including the likes of Belfast-based duo Chalk, who will bring their immersive blend of punk and dance to the south coast, the ever-elegant, quietly tension-soaked mary in the junkyard and the abrasive in-your-face chaos of Humour.
Wanderlust organisers deserve credit for curating a sharp mix of emerging talent and established acts across two days but they’ve saved the biggest treats for last. Saturday closes with the inimitable, shape-shifting art-rockers Squid, while Sunday sees the transcendent sounds of indie icons The Horrors returning to Southampton. Proving that Wanderlust isn’t just about discovery, it’s about witnessing the very best of British music.
The bank holiday weekend kicks off in style with a trio of must-see acts: the driving, emotive melodies of Whitelands, the irresistibly catchy and loveable Honeyglaze and the dark, atmospheric noise rock shoegaze of Ireland’s Pebbledash, three bands set to ignite the Saturday crowds.
Saturday at Wanderlust promises a line-up packed with talent, including Scaler. Their new album ‘Endlessly’ is a commanding, immersive listen, and their live performances are impossible to look away from, gripping every festival-goer from the very first note.
The enigmatic twists and turns of Brighton’s Slag travel along the coast, while a trip across the pond brings Famous Friend and his sun-drenched dreamscapes to enchant the festival crowds. In the mood for a dance? Friedberg is your port of call. The genre-hopping four-piece will be setting out to get your feet moving and will not disappoint.
Psychedelic-tinged soul from South London’s RY‑GUY, the beautifully composed, whimsical blend of classical and modern by Ninush, and the Welsh fuzz garage-rock of The Family Battenberg all showcase Wanderlust’s love for variety in their line-ups.
Sunday is no different, offering a “something-for-everyone” approach that delivers on multiple levels. The crowds will also be treated to a very special early-afternoon slot from Dead Dads Club, Chilli Jesson’s honest, story-driven new project. A wake-up call from one of the scene’s finest songwriters, it’s exactly what festival-goers with fuzzy heads will need.
The Moonlandingz are set for what’s sure to be a very special Sunday appearance at Wanderlust. This semi-fictional, Lias Saoudi-fronted outfit crash-lands on earth to mesmerize audiences with their psychedelic, kraut-rock, genre-hopping chaotic stage show. Festival-goers will also catch the deeply compelling Blood Wizard, likened to Lou Reed, making their festival debut, alongside the laid-back indie-sleaze grooves of Trout.
Tough decisions will need to be made, we’re still figuring out how to be in two places at once, let alone three. Across the festival’s three venues, Sunday is packed with non-stop, must-see talent. The mysterious lo-fi slacker Milo Korbenski effortlessly drifts into indie-dream soundscapes, while Formal Sppeedwear showcase minimalistic, ‘80s-inspired hooks, and the Swedish scuzzy guitar quartet of Girl Scout bring their irresistible indie energy to the stage.
But before we head off into the night, after what is sure to be another weekend filled with glorious memories, there’s still plenty more music on offer. With a wall of sound ready to rattle the rafters, Southampton locals Benchy and the Gazers will captivate, while the intensity and fuzz-laden riffs of Wax Head promise something bruising. Meanwhile, Scottish twins Cloth offer a moment of calm, their softly cinematic vocals laced with an enriching, immersive sound.
As the weekend draws to a close and The Horrors receive their final applause, the night owls among you still have time to keep the bank holiday going. Manchester four-piece Better Joy play the closing set at Heartbreakers, delivering a joyful live experience where playfulness and vulnerability ripple across the room.
As the last notes drift out into the night and the lights dim across The 1865, The Joiners, and Heartbreakers, Wanderlust leaves its mark in the spaces between, in shared glances, ringing ears, and songs that follow you home. Moving through the city from room to room, it becomes more than a festival; a fleeting community stitched together by sound. And long after the bank holiday fades, it’s those moments that continue to echo.
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