Get Together Festival 2026
Get Together festival returned to Kelham Island this weekend, boasting to be the biggest and best so far.
Spanning 10 locations this year and over 60 separate gigs, including surprise and unannounced spots at the Spinning Disks pop-up stand, the festival was packing out all venues despite the typical Yorkshire weather.
Weave – Heist Brew Co.
Formed in Sheffield in early 2024 by singer/ guitarist Tom Littlewood, bassist Zak Broadhead, guitarist Jonah Tibenham and drummer Alex Dyball, these young lads kicked off the festival with some incredible energy and enthusiasm.
Their inexperience showed in poor mic levels, leaving the lyrics garbled over the guitar and drum beats, which was genuinely disappointing, as they had shown potential from listening to their music online before the gig. In their defence, one of the guitarists experienced a technical issue with his guitar and, without a single bead of sweat, simply swapped it out for a different type and continued to play like a true pro. I would like to see these plays again with a more experienced sound technician.
L’objectif – Yellow Arch
Last-minute substitution: Leeds band L’objectif, formed in 2017 by childhood friends Saul Kane and Louis Bullock, was rounded out by Dan Richardson and Ezra Glennon, bringing the group to its final lineup.
These, in stark contrast to Weave, came out on the iconic stage and packed a punch from the start. Playing to a packed-out venue, these guys showed the festival how to really start a party. L’objectif has received a lot of attention from BBC Introducing recently; from this set, you can clearly see why!
Daniel Dylan Wray – The Victoria, Curious Thoughts
Daniel Dylan Wray is a renowned music and culture journalist. He recently released his book, Groovy, Laid Back and Nasty – A detailed history of Sheffield’s music scene. I was genuinely pleased to see Daniel added to the Curious Thoughts lineup, as I had missed his talk and book launch earlier in the month.
In conversation with Laura Snapes, The Guardian’s deputy music editor, Daniel retold some of his favourite stories from the book and the importance of Sheffield in music history. I don’t want to spoil the book, so I will leave out any anecdotes from the talk. The book is well worth a read; you can find it online or in your local Waterstones store.
One point I would like to raise is the lack of signage to find the Curious Thoughts talks. I did get help from a rather lovely security guard who not only gave me directions but also took me through the crowds, moving everyone out of the way, and took me up in the lift to the event, holding the doors and generally being very attentive. Being a wheelchair user, I often found navigating the locations rather difficult. A heartfelt thank you!
Baby Rat – Alder Bar
Hailing from Cork, Ireland, the band is known for its sharp words, musical hooks and high-energy sound. Zoe Callanan, lead singer, Stevie Healy on drums, guitarists Matthew ‘Chewie’ Lucas and Jamie ‘Jamo’ Keirans. I got to the venue just as Baby Rat were doing their soundcheck, and the room was already packed with fans waiting to hear their set.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this group; I had not had a chance to listen to any of their music beforehand, so I held my breath with trepidation… They did not disappoint! The group had a clear following of fans, many of whom enthusiastically sang the lyrics with passion and energy to match their own.
If I had to pick one to watch for the future, Baby Rat would be my choice.
Dead Dad Club – Spinning Disks Pop Up
Comprising frontman Chilli Jesson, previously of The Parma Violets, Rupert Greaves, Jamie Howard, Luc Cusack, and James Stirrat and produced by Carlos O’Connell of Fontaines DC. Dead Dad Club have been gaining popularity rapidly, so when the announcement of their set at Spinning Disks was announced, I made sure I arrived early to secure a spot at the front for maximum experience.
After waiting for over 20 minutes past the allotted set time, the band were still nowhere to be seen. There was no mention of the set being cancelled; several people had turned up to catch them early and stood around under the pop-up tents, waiting. It has since transpired that the set was cancelled due to the rain, which is understandable.
I would also like to mention my disappointment with the lack of consideration for wheelchair access at the pop-up shop, as I had hoped to pick up some merch from the stand. I hung around for a while before the festival kicked off to grab something, but no one at the stall made any effort to assist me, so I left, empty-handed.
Tiedtides – Heist Brew Co.
Formerly known as Whitehorse / The Blinders , Tidetide is a 5-piece rock band based in Sheffield. The group consists of Thomas Haywood, Bobby, Nathan Keeble, John McCullagh and James Keith. The band is known for its fresh rock sound, and they have been getting a lot of attention from BBC Introducing, gaining much airplay for their singles “Deep Field” and “Red Riptide”, both of which I was looking forward to hearing.
The set fell short; many band members seemed bored and showed little energy for the music or the crowd, which was disappointing. Considering the other bands at the festival, which seemed to revel in the crowd’s energy and size, Tidetied lacked stage presence and crowd interaction, leaving me feeling that the set was rather bland and unremarkable.
Lime Garden – Peddler Warehouse (Main Stage)
Hailing all the way from Brighton, Lime Garden is made up of Chloe Howard, Leila Deeley, Tippi Morgan, and Annabel Whittle, writing “wonk pop” about the trials and tribulations of being in your 20’s. The venue was packed to the rafters! These beautifully confident ladies seemed totally at ease on the stage. In true rock star fashion, wearing shades inside on a miserable, grey day in Sheffield, they energised the room with an enrapturing aura that you only feel once in a blue moon in the presence of true musical greatness. I can see these really going far.
Kellows – BBC Introducing, Yellow Arch Antiques
Another band from Sheffield’s quality music scene, made up of Will Harris, Evan Applegate, Charlie May and Reuben Huddleston. Plenty of crowd banter from these lads encouraged the room to move forward and encouraged attendees to dance and enjoy the music. Not only did they bring loads of energy to the room, but they were also very tight musically and gave the crowd a heartfelt thank-you for showing up despite the rain. I would very much like to see these to head a full gig of their own.
Monks – Alder Bar
Loud, proud and full of raw energy, Monks set felt more like a daytime rave than a music gig, and not in a bad way! I’m genuinely gutted to have only caught the final couple of tracks by these. I’ll be looking out for a gig featuring them in the very near future.
Lemonsuckr – Yellow Arch
Originally from Southampton and recently based in Brighton, this post-punk band was formed by Guy Ferris, Oscar Post, Ollie Thomas, Matt Saunders, and Jacob Whitear. Spending most of their creative history in a shipping container, it’s no wonder that these guys owned the stage!
Climbing all over the speakers, jumping into the crowd and recruiting a member of the crowd to perform percussion for them using a cowbell, this off-the-wall performance left the crowd in total awe. Playing new tracks from their upcoming EP “Life is a Heist” (12th June release date), and “Stain” that has already been released, but the standout song of this set was “House on Fire”, which was received by the crowd with cheers, whoops, and shouts of encouragement.
Fatdog – Peddlers Warehouse
South East London band Fatdog was founded in 2020 by Joe Love. The live lineup occasionally expands or shifts, with past members or contributors including Ben Harris, Ellis D., Michael Dunlop, Jazz Grant, and Will Cox. Fatdog gave a full, head-on, and energised performance of tracks such as “King of the Slugs”, “Call it What You Want”, and “Go F**k Yourself”.
While there was clearly a large, loyal following, you couldn’t help but enjoy the set if it was the first time we were experiencing these immensely energetic tunes.
Dead Dad Club – Heist Brew Co.
Dead Dad Club gave an electric, moody and passionate performance and crowd interaction was kept to a minimum. The band let the set list speak for itself, gradually building the intensity organically by starting with “It’s only just begun”, reminiscent of “Waterloo Sunset”, moving on to “Volatile Child” and into the more electronic “Goosebumps” where Chilli’s vocals did indeed give me goosebumps.
Winding up the set with “Don’t Blame the Son” and “St Vitamin”, ending with a combination of pure energy, hard-hitting anger and passion.
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