Live Review: LOUD WOMEN Fest 2026

This year was the 5th year in a row I took my annual pilgrimage to my musical Mecca, LOUD WOMEN fest. I am sure the vast majority of Joyzine readers are aware of the amazing festival spearheaded by the brilliant Cassie Fox, but in case not- I’ll let you in on the down low.

LOUD WOMEN fest is one of the many awesome things that LOUD WOMEN- a feminist inclusive music CIC- is doing. Their mission is to put more women on stages and they do that in spades, with regular gig nights, music compilation releases, radio shows and more. The punk DIY ethos has helped LOUD WOMEN grow into a global network- this year they have festivals not only in London, but in Dublin, with more to come in Wales, Canada, the US, Japan and Australia. LOUD WOMEN is exactly what the original riot grrrl movement would have dreamed of- communities working together to share each other’s art.

I went for my first time back in 2022, by which point the London-based festival had already been going for six years, and I was immediately hooked. The bands were great, but also the atmosphere felt welcoming and like I had found the musical home I’d been searching for. Ever since, I have made sure to go every year, and I try to support LOUD WOMEN as much as I can with their other projects too, like attending some of the other gigs they organise.

This year was their 11th London festival and, in my opinion, the festival only gets bigger and better each year. Every year without fail I have a great time, discover a few new bands for me to fangirl over, and often see some live favourites too.

I got lucky this year as the last few years I have only managed to get to the evening part of the event as I work on Saturdays and have been unable to book off, but this year I managed to get the day off, so I was able to go from much earlier in the day.

One of the lovely things about LOUD WOMEN fest is that this is a festival with no clashes. The festival runs across just two stages, one upstairs and one downstairs, and the bands play on each stage alternately, so if you choose, you could watch every single band as no one is on at the same time and competing for your attention.

It is also diverse in musical genres. While of course punk gets a lot of big love, other genres also get a look in, so there is something for everyone’s tastes.

Case in point, the first band of the day I managed to catch was FOLKULAKA, all the way from Ukraine- a dark gothic band playing folk based on Ukrainian mythology and fairy tales. Think more Brothers Grimm than Disney. Eerie yet compelling, this was a unique start to the day.

Hagar the Womb were up next, who I have recently discovered through seeing them perform at Rebellion, when I lost punk points for not already knowing them as they originally formed in the early 80s and reformed in 2012 after a long hiatus. This time was slightly different as their original singer Julie Sorrell was standing in for current one Karen Amsden. But it was just as good. Their music is a blend of punk, ska and rock ’n’ roll, and they look like a band having fun. It’s impossible not to smile at the contagiousness of their energy.

They also perfectly demonstrated one of the things I love about LOUD WOMEN- the feeling that you can talk about things that perhaps wouldn’t necessarily come up in other festival environments and people will understand. One of the members mentioned that someone in the band had been ill with endometriosis, and commented on how good it was to be able to mention it and know that people would actually understand what she was talking about. That might sound like a small thing, but it really sums up the community aspect of this festival for me.

French Toast were the band that left the biggest impression on me of the day, and ultimately my favourite performance. This was a band that was near impossible to ignore. Chaos, insane performance art, costume, paint- I didn’t know what was going on half the time, but I loved it.

At one point fake money was being thrown around the audience, while in another part of the performance black paint was being poured over the singer’s face. My view was a little obscured at times, so I am sure I missed some of the madness, but honestly that probably just added to the experience. I have rarely seen a band embrace the performance aspect quite so completely, and I think that was what made French Toast particularly appealing to me. They were a little more unusual than my usual musical tastes, but the whole chaotic spectacle pulled me right in.

The music itself didn’t fit into one neat box either. There were elements of punk, soul, grunge and more, and on top of that the lyrics were a mix of French and English. I still don’t entirely know what I witnessed, but I know I enjoyed it.

My other big new discovery of the day was Diva Cup, who I think may have become one of my new favourite bands. This is exactly why I love festivals like LOUD WOMEN- you can go in knowing a handful of names and come out with a whole new list of artists you want to see again.

Skint Knees and WREX were other highlights for me, both bands I had discovered at Rebellion and loved. Skint Knees bring the riot grrrl-inspired punk, while WREX blend punk, nu metal and electro and are quite possibly one of the most energetic bands I have ever seen live. Lady Lazarus was another new discovery and one I had been tipped to see by a few people. Having missed them at Rebellion, I made sure I caught them this time and I was glad I did.

There was also I, DORIS, who I see every year at LOUD WOMEN and who always feel like part of the fabric of the festival for me. This year they performed a cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’, with members of some of the other bands who had played joining them on stage.

Considering Dolly has recently passed away, this could easily have become a sad or overly sentimental moment, but instead it felt like a joyful celebration. And that seemed much more fitting. It was people from different bands coming together, having fun and celebrating music together.

I, DORIS also brought another very LOUD WOMEN moment when they talked about their song ‘HRT’ and menopause, joking that they have stopped wearing pinnies on stage because of hot flushes as they get older. Again, it was funny, honest and completely matter-of-fact.

And despite LOUD WOMEN being a festival centred around women, non-binary and trans artists, it never feels like an exclusive space. There were plenty of men there too, alongside non-binary and trans people and even children. It really felt like a community rather than a closed club.

I also had two separate moments when men came up to me and mentioned my Millie Manders and the Shut Up T-shirt, both independently commenting on how annoying it was that they were also playing a gig in London that night. One of them had seen them at Rebellion and was actually at LOUD WOMEN partly because he had seen how good the LOUD WOMEN takeover of the Introducing Stage had been there.

These little conversations are exactly the kind of thing that happens at festivals like this. You can turn up on your own, wearing a band T-shirt, and suddenly you have something in common with a complete stranger.

There was also a charity presence at the festival, which added another element to the sense that LOUD WOMEN is about more than just putting bands on a stage. The whole thing has that DIY spirit running through it- artists, musicians, volunteers, charities, radio and audiences all contributing to something bigger than themselves.

I even got to experience the festival from the other side of the microphone when I bumped into my friend Tee, who was helping out with the festival and invited me to do a short interview on Resonance FM, who were broadcasting from the event.

I was a little nervous, but I have known Tee for a long time, so I was fairly comfortable. We spoke beforehand about what we would chat about, including how we originally met through animal rights activism and my work for Joyzine. I was asked about my highlights and, at that point in the day, I picked French Toast and Skint Knees- although by the end of the festival I had discovered several more favourites!

I also got to pick a song, and obviously I took this responsibility extremely seriously. I chose YAKKIE’s ‘Lean Out’, because why wouldn’t I use my tiny bit of radio power to get a band I love onto the airwaves?

It was a fun addition to my festival experience, and particularly nice to have been asked by a friend. It also felt like a lovely little intersection of several parts of my life- music, activism and my work for Joyzine.

Walking out of Rich Mix that night, I had that warm fuzzy feeling that I always hope to get from a festival. I had discovered new bands, found artists I want to see again, caught up with familiar favourites and had a whole load of musical experiences I wouldn’t have had anywhere else.

But more than that, I left with that familiar feeling that LOUD WOMEN always gives me: I want to do more. More to support DIY artists, more to get good music heard, more to write about the brilliant people creating it and more to be part of these communities that are building something positive together.

That, ultimately, is what makes LOUD WOMEN feel like my musical home.

Five years in and I still haven’t had enough. See you next year, LOUD WOMEN.