LIVE REVIEW: Munro Festival 2026 - The PERFECT Summer Start
Updated: Jun 18
Words + Images by Kieran Whitfield (@kw.visualss)
Indie, pop and punk! The big three of music genres (in my opinion), which made Munro Festival the perfect event to kick off the summer! A day of endless pints and of course a constant flow of live music.
Headlining: The Lilacs, bringing their unapologetically indie tunes to the KU Stockton stage, easily filling the room with avid fans! The lineup was followed by many other significant up and coming acts including Pentire and The Rolling People, two bands which we love here at Squeeze.
Onto the day; Blackout The Arcade opened the festival, a Darlington-based four-piece indie band. The perfect act to open up Munro, having headlined The Forum in Darlington in April, they are a very known local act most known for their single ‘You’ll be Fine’ which has amassed almost 20,000 streams on Spotify.
Next came, another local favourite: The Last Time, bringing their indie pop tunes to the Social Room Stage. This band are impressive enough without the fact lead singer, Ollie is just sixteen! This is a testament to the sheer diversity of the artists playing at Munro. The Last Time recently released their second single ‘Getting Older’, which is a true indie-pop banger.
Pop fans (including me) at Munro then had to sprint down to the KU Stage to catch, Lottie Willis. This Peterlee based artist has made waves recently, especially in the Sunderland scene, following the release of her latest singles ‘Rosie’ and ‘Tired’, Lottie has headlined and sold out The Ship Isis.
Like a game of ping-pong, fans returned upstairs to catch Baby Said, a band significantly known for being a punchy sister-duo. Having played big festivals such as Glastonbury and Victorious festival it was phenomenal to catch this band at a small grass-roots festival!
The day continued with bands such as Alright, The Publics, Pyncher, The Cases and Dossers. Providing many with their indie fix as well as an ample amount of punk for the day. For me The Cases stood out, they’re simply a young group of lads writing tunes they enjoy, since the release of ‘Mr Penny’ they have gained a lot of recognition especially on TikTok. All of these bands did not fail to please the Munro crowd, with bouncing moshpits, not one person in that room can say they didn’t have a blast.
Jonny Blade took the stage at 18:30, recently coming off tour with Freddie Halkon, this singer and songwriter is another act I’d describe as unapologetically indie, which was proven by the cover of 'Disco 2000' by Pulp he threw into his set, which got crowds bouncing and singing along.
As Jonny Blade’s set drew to a close, The Rolling People took to the stage, this indie quartet from Stockport are one of the UK’s fastest rising live acts, with an electric indie/alt rock sound they mix together the best of the best. They were one of my favourites of the festival, easily filling out the room. We previously reviewed their single ‘Your Take’, so go give that a read –after you’ve read this of course.
Bayboards then followed with their matching white outfits and indie sound. Often compared to Circa Waves, this Manchester band did not fail to disappoint, but as someone who has never heard of them prior to the festival their energy and stage presence alone had me fixated (and I was not the only one). A perfect booking for Munro Festival.
Downstairs, Pentire made their entrance to an eager crowd –prepared to see one of the most exciting up and coming indie acts currently. The last time Pentire were in the North East, they played The Grove in Newcastle as apart of their UK tour, selling out the 300 capacity venue. Not only do this band truly bring the energy with their smiles and erratic arms, their songs match that vibe. If you’ve never listened to these before I’d start with ‘Spinning’. Overall, Pentire were a massive crowd pleaser not only with their tunes, but with their presence as not many bands get pits open and wet floor signs spotlights (if you know you know).
Due to Pentire’s unbelievable performance, the news that The Kairos couldn’t play did not dampen the mood at all, instead it gave local band, Marrick, their time to shine. Having headlined KU Stockton in March, they were in home territory and truly conquered Munro Festival despite being a last-minute replacement. With a naughty hour long set the crowd were left buzzing, amped up for The Lilacs who were setting up downstairs.
Fans stood tightly packed eagerly waiting for the headliner to make their entrance, flags reading ‘The Lilacs’ draped the side stage alongside a sea of merchandise. Following a quick breath of fresh air, The Lilacs ran onto stage, drummer first laying down a beat to get the crowd going. As the band began, fans smiled, sung and videoed, as its not very often The Lilacs are in Stockton. They played a mix of new and old such as ‘Grace’ and ‘Miss Behavin’ - their latest single. However the band provided the fans with a treat, in the form of a few unreleased tunes that are going to be in their upcoming album ‘Keeping Up With The Joneses’ which is due to be released on October 2, 2026. After an exciting set, the band finished with their most popular song ‘Vicarage Road’, playing an extended version allowing moments for the crowd to belt their hearts out, a grand finish for Munro Festival 2026!
Overall, Munro Festival was a fantastic day out, with a perfect lineup featuring local and national favourites. Highlights for me included The Lilacs (of course), Pentire, Lottie Willis and The Rolling People. I cannot wait for next year’s edition of Munro.
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