Invention Festival 2026: Derby’s Independent Venues Take Centre Stage

On Saturday 19 September, we headed to Dubrek Studios for the start of the first Invention Festival. By the end of the day, we had been through six venues, caught music outside the Derby Museum and finished in a packed Hairy Dog. There was far more on the bill than anyone could reasonably see, which made choosing where to go next part of the fun.

Invention brought more than 50 acts to Derby, with one wristband covering Dubrek, The Hairy Dog, Electric Daisy, Mr Shaw’s House, The Wardwick and Chapel Street Arts Centre. There was music outside too, although the weather meant one of the three planned outdoor stages could not open. For a first year, the scale of it was impressive.

An 11am start at Dubrek

Four-piece Simian Bones had the job of opening our day at Dubrek. Their crunchy riffs and hard-hitting drums drew on classic 70s rock, while “Can’t Get Enough” had the early arrivals tapping their feet and moving towards the stage. There was plenty of personality between songs as well. The drummer promised no cowbell but plenty of harmonica, and the singer introduced one number by explaining his fondness for sexy women and motorcycles. It was a lively way to wake everybody up.

Louis B Scheuer changed the pace with an acoustic set that moved through blues, folk and country. He sang about his grandad, slipped a little “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” into one song and brought real feeling to a song about heartbreak. His voice could sit low and intimate, then open right up when the music called for it. Simian Bones singer Owen joined him first on harmonica, giving one bluesy number a wonderfully mournful edge, then picked up an electric guitar for a more upbeat rockabilly turn. It felt spontaneous and suited the room beautifully.

Revolution Let Down followed with old-school punk energy and Tragedy Hones on vocals, getting the blood pumping before we set off across town. Within the first few hours, Invention had already taken us from classic rock to solo blues to punk. That range would only get wider.

A festival worth walking around for

At Electric Daisy, Floral Pattern were playing something altogether harder to pin down. Saxophone, restless bass lines and quick, intricate drums pulled jazz and drum and bass together while a crowd gathered in the sunshine. Later, Plantfood drew an even bigger audience there with a high-energy jazz set and some terrific sax playing. Electric Daisy was one of the places we kept wanting to return to.

Mr Shaw’s House offered a different sort of stop. Lucille’s stripped-back set gave her soulful voice room to carry songs with an indie rock and blues edge. Jemma Johnson held the room with just an acoustic guitar and a beautiful vocal, including a song addressing mental health. Later still, Pablo Carrizo played to a packed house. He has the voice and charisma to make a room feel completely at ease, and the reception made it clear how much Derby enjoys having him back.

Over at The Wardwick, Monoxide Brothers got people moving with alternative electronic music. Two members also play in Luxury Nan Smell, but this trio had a character of its own. Butch Kassidy took the room somewhere darker: their set felt like one continuous piece, building through atmospheric passages before crashing into ferocious guitars and fast, intricate drums. At times the instruments seemed to take on the job of vocals. It was loud, heavy and completely absorbing.

We found more of Invention’s gentler side at Chapel Street Arts Centre. Bo Bardot sang softly and beautifully, accompanied by electric guitar and harmonies, while Daisy Peacock brought a full band, energetic pop songs and a great atmosphere to the room. Outside the museum, we stopped for Romy. We almost always do. Her writing has a maturity beyond her years, her voice is instantly recognisable, and she seems more confident every time we see her perform.

Then there were the acts that made you grateful the festival had taken such a broad view of what belonged on its bill. Back at The Wardwick, Microcorps built dark, aggressive industrial and techno soundscapes while working among a tangle of wires. Bonnacons of Doom were impossible to mistake for anybody else: huge black disc-like masks, a robed singer at the centre and operatic, reverberating vocals set against a very heavy doom-influenced backdrop. You could go from that to an acoustic singer-songwriter or a pop band within a short walk. Invention made those changes of direction feel natural.

The work behind the music

Putting this many acts across six venues takes serious planning. The sets need to fit together, artists and equipment need to get to the right places, and each room needs a crew ready for a very different performance from the one before. As an audience member, you mostly notice that work when something goes wrong. At Invention, we were able to keep moving around Derby and walk into shows that were ready for us.

Jay Dean, director of Dubrek Studios, was one of the organisers behind the festival, but Invention was built with the teams at the participating venues. Furthest From The Sea was involved with the outdoor busking programme, while Arts Council England, Music Venue Trust and Gigantic supported the event. That collaboration matters: every venue brought its own character to the day, and the programme gave people a reason to visit all of them.

The sound engineers deserve a particular shout-out. We watched solo singers with acoustic guitars, sax-led bands, heavy guitars and intricate electronic sets, often with only a short gap between acts. Getting those performances sounding right in rooms of different sizes and layouts is skilled work, and it made a real difference to what we heard throughout the day. The venue staff, stage crews and volunteers who kept everything moving deserve their share of the credit as well.

Familiar faces and new favourites at The Hairy Dog

The Hairy Dog gave the day some of its biggest crowds. Marseille brought laid-back, psychedelic indie with hints of Oasis and The Stone Roses, closing their set with “Fever”. London band Luxjury offered a softer, atmospheric sound. Their song “Orphans”, introduced as a worst-case-scenario story about coming out to your parents, kept building on delicate vocals and lovely harmonies until it reached something much bigger. It was one of the songs that stayed with us after we left the room.

Marvin’s Revenge gave us another welcome chance to see a local band we already love. Their heavy alternative sound held a decent crowd at The Hairy Dog, while Luxury Nan Smell made Dubrek the place to be for twinkly, mathy, post-hardcore energy, heavy riffs, excellent bass lines and intricate drumming. Seeing both bands on a bill alongside touring acts was a good reminder of the strength Derby already has.

Liam C, meanwhile, treated The Hairy Dog like it was his own headline show. He looked delighted to be up on a big stage in front of a sizeable crowd and made sure nobody stood still for long. Audience members joined him onstage; he went into the crowd to sing, dance and share beers. “Dirty Margherita”, “Cherryade” and “Tina” all landed, before he finished with a ukulele and showed a quieter side. Liam puts the work into gigs around the country, and he put everything into this one too. Afterwards, he stayed to talk to people and enjoy the rest of the music. Top geezer.

Elsewhere, Zeo brought grime and plenty of audience participation to Electric Daisy, while Jon1st took it into drum and bass and jungle. She Drew The Gun drew a huge crowd at The Hairy Dog with strong indie rock songs and superb vocals. At The Wardwick, Danalogue delivered one of the day’s most striking electronic performances. The visuals projected onto and behind him added to the psychedelic, hard-edged music, and there was plenty of dancing by the time the set was underway.

Good Health Good Wealth give Invention its finish

After seeing Good Health Good Wealth at Y Not Festival, we were keen to catch them again. Headlining The Hairy Dog felt like the right end to this particular day: the room was ready to move, the band had the songs to keep it going and the crowd joined in throughout. “This Time Next Year We’ll Be Millionaires” sounded especially good in a venue full of people who had spent the day discovering music across Derby.

They were an excellent final booking for Invention. Their set had energy, humour and enough great songs to reward the crowd that had made it to the last stop. After so many different sounds and spaces, finishing together at The Hairy Dog gave the festival a proper closing moment.

We had seen another town-centre festival work brilliantly at Sonic Boom in Burton the weekend before. That event used free outdoor stages to bring a broad crowd into town before moving people into venues for the evening. Invention took a different route, building its day around Derby’s independent music spaces and giving ticket holders a reason to explore all six. Both showed how much a festival can gain when the places hosting the music are part of the experience.

Invention’s first year was ambitious, and the amount we missed says something about the size of the programme. We began with a modest early crowd finding its feet at Dubrek and ended in a buzzing Hairy Dog after a day of packed rooms, unexpected discoveries and familiar Derby acts getting their moment. The organisers, venue teams, engineers, staff and volunteers put in the work to make that journey possible. It is a strong start for a new Derby festival, and we are excited to see where they take it next year.

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