We headed down to Torquay for a day of circle pits, crowd surfers and future headliners, as Vukovi, Pengshui, The Meffs and more set the South West’s rowdiest alternative festival ablaze…

Words & photos by Martha Fitzpatrick (@marthafphoto) | Sep 19, 2026

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Burn It Down Festival is a loud, DIY-spirited alternative music festival held in Torquay, Devon, aimed particularly at fans of punk, hardcore, emo, metal and alternative rock. It started in 2018 and has grown into one of the South West’s major indoor alternative festivals. We were invited back to cover the chaos from the live shows, interviews and capturing the fans getting wild.

First on our schedule was the fantastic Exit Dream. They’re a new one for us, but they definitely felt like something we’d imagine coming back to time and time again. Even though we only managed to catch the end of their set, the lads truly showed the Foundry what’s up with their professional, tight and fluid performance. These guys are going to be one to keep an eye on.

Next up, we headed over the road to the Apple and Parrot stage to catch Sunday Best. We managed to have a chat before their set and the group were all very excited to get underway. During their set they spoke about causes they back, including trans rights and pro-Palestine, something the fans could really feel the band truly cared about. From beginning to end their performance was easy to watch and very entertaining, especially seeing how the band interact with one another.

Pengshui were next up, and my gosh they didn’t disappoint. Their genre-bending combination of punk, grime, hip-hop and heavy bass is difficult to categorise, and even harder to ignore. A special shoutout goes out to the member of Deadwax they brought on, the energy between them impossible to miss. They ended their set with a remixed cover of ‘Omen’ by The Prodigy and the crowd went absolutely mental, circle pits and crowd surfers refusing to stop throughout. I’m sure the lads were truly over the moon with how their set went, and rightly so. It was impressive.

As It Is brought a more melodic, emotionally charged side of alternative rock to the festival. With their roots firmly in the pop-punk and emo world, they have the rare ability to make a festival crowd sing as loudly as they mosh. Their performance struck a good balance between nostalgia and momentum. There was enough familiarity for longtime fans to lose themselves in the songs, but the set never felt like a simple trip down memory lane.

Unpeople were next on our schedule, and a personal favourite of mine. Their position high on the Foundry bill felt justified, with a performance that demonstrated why they’ve become one of the more interesting names in the UK’s modern alternative scene. The heartwarming connection between the band members can’t be missed, and it makes you feel like you’re watching your mates play live. Despite a few casualties, the band kept the crowd safe and thanked the security guards for helping those who needed it. These guys could easily headline the festival one year, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for them, because it couldn’t go to a better band.

The Meffs were the Apple and Parrot headliners, and rightly so. Their stripped-back approach makes the songs hit with an immediacy that suits the Burn It Down environment perfectly. Sometimes all you need are a guitar, drums and vocals to have an amazingly energetic and chaotic set. The band are a real workforce, and spoke during our interview about how they rarely have downtime between shows, as there’s usually one just around the corner. It shows in their sleek professionalism.

Last but not quite least were the brilliant Vukovi, who headlined the Foundry stage. The performance was energetic from start to finish, the band showing exactly why they’ve become such a compelling live act. There was a sense that the entire day had been building towards this point: the crowd was fully warmed up, the venue was buzzing and Vukovi were more than happy to throw fuel onto the fire.

It was a fitting finale.

In short: if you like sweaty small venues, mosh pits, loud guitars, punk and hardcore energy and discovering bands before they get huge, Burn It Down is for you.