Forget the summer fields. Bristol’s Attitude Festival packs 300 punks, a secret set and an airborne Cookie Monster into one sauna of a basement…

Words & photos by James Crisp (@james_taking_pictures) | Sep 17, 2026

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Apparently, I’d misunderstood when festival season’s hottest day was supposed to happen. Over the summer, we’d spent oh so much time talking about the unbearable heat at outdoor festivals. Three months later, inside Bristol’s Exchange, those conversations suddenly seemed premature. Sunshine and standing around in fields paled in comparison to the sweaty fun waiting for us at Attitude Festival. Yes, it was indoors, but my god, punks know how to heat up a room quickly.

This was my first time attending Attitude Festival. Even though I’d visited Exchange more times than I can actually count. Somehow, the festival itself slipped past me on my calendar until now. Now that I’ve put that right, I can safely say it won’t be my last visit. A day of punk and alternative music across two stages, with no clashes forcing awkward choices, is a pretty strong invitation. Add a secret set and an airborne Cookie Monster, and you’ve certainly given me something to write home about.

First, though, I had to get there. Unfortunately, predicting Bristol traffic is roughly as reliable as picking six correct lottery numbers, and my drive delivered the usual disappointing result. Arriving a little late meant missing the first couple of bands, a frustrating way to start. Still, with plenty left on the programme, there was little point dwelling on the wonderful Bristol traffic when there was music to catch and fun to be had.

Attitude Festival’s setup lets you see much of the bill. At larger festivals, discovering someone new often means sacrificing an act you already love or attempting an endurance-style sprint with a pint in one hand and a 20 quid burger in the other. Here, the two-stage, clash-free format made exploring the line-up so much more straightforward. The challenge meant finding a good moment to step outside for a smoke break, or just remember what a fresh, cool breeze feels like.

Our day took in Rat Attack, Gaydar, Sunk, Femur, City Dog, Honeybadger, Carsick, M/X, PLAIINS, Boss Cass, Cowboy Hunters and headliner Hyphen. A fairly substantial helping of sweaty live music, then, and plenty of opportunity to leave with more favourites than you arrived with. It also made the 25 quid ticket price look remarkably appealing. You can spend that on a much shorter evening and come away with considerably less to talk about.

As much as I’d love to give every band I caught a full write-up, we’d be here until next year’s festival. What I can say is that every single one of them was amazing. I’ve picked out a few personal highlights below, but I saw no set that didn’t deserve a big mention, a lovely problem to have as a punter, and a trickier one when you’re trying to keep the review under control.

Rat Attack, Gaydar and Sunk were among the acts we caught as we got stuck into the programme. One of the pleasures of a day like this is giving bands your time without the nagging awareness that something else has already started elsewhere. There’s room to investigate, to take a chance, and to stay with a set rather than treating the timetable like a checklist.

City Dog, Honeybadger and PLAIINS were also part of our day’s listening, giving us plenty to absorb between the bigger personal talking points. Across that many sets, everyone will come away with a slightly different version of the festival. Someone else’s main attraction might be your first encounter; the band you almost overlooked might be the one you mention first on the journey home. Attitude Festival’s format gives those encounters a chance to happen.

For me, Femur was firmly among the highlights. Looking back over such a busy bill, theirs was one of the performances that stood out most clearly. It’s easy to focus your expectations on the names nearest the top of a poster, but afternoons like this remind you to leave room for the rest. Femur earned their place among my favourites of the day, and I’ll be paying closer attention to them after this for sure.

M/X made a similarly strong impression. Alongside Femur, they were one of my definite personal standouts, and another reason I’m glad I finally made the trip to Attitude Festival. When you spend hours taking in live music, the sets that stay with you afterwards deserve their own recognition. Those two were central to my festival experience, and a big part of what made this first visit so worthwhile.

An extra treat was Carsick’s secret set. After playing Attitude Festival in 2023, they returned with the added appeal of an unadvertised appearance. A welcome bonus, particularly on a day that already offered more than enough to justify coming along.

They also brought Boss Cass into the action, inviting him on guitar for a cheeky song. It was a neat little crossover between two of the acts we caught, adding another little twist to Carsick’s return. These guest appearances give a festival its own character, a mutual moment that belongs to that particular day, beyond the names printed on the poster.

Boss Cass deserves a substantial mention for his own set, too. A phenomenally talented one-person band with a frankly ridiculous amount of energy, he had the packed-out basement eating out of his hand. Holding a room like that on your own takes some doing, but he needed no extra bodies onstage to make a huge impression. His ability to handle the musical workload while keeping the audience so firmly onside made him a real pleasure to watch.

Nothing about the performance seemed slight, whatever the headcount onstage might suggest. He brought enough enthusiasm for an entire band, making that already sweaty basement feel like exactly the right place to be. In a day hardly short on energetic performers, Boss Cass still made his mark: one man, a packed room, and no shortage of talent.

Then Cowboy Hunters took things into distinctly airborne territory.

I’ve seen a lot of gigs at Exchange over the years, but I honestly cannot remember seeing more crowd surfers than I did during their set. In a venue with a capacity of 300, that makes quite an impression. There was enough activity above head height to make you wonder whether everyone had collectively decided the floor was an optional part of the experience.

Naturally, this included several stage dives from the festival legend I affectionately call “the crazy dude who wears the giant Cookie Monster suit”. Seeing him launch himself into proceedings was ridiculous in precisely the right way. The heat was enough of a challenge for the rest of us; committing to a giant furry costume under those conditions deserves some recognition, or at the very least, an iced coffee.

The whole spectacle gave Cowboy Hunters one of the day’s most memorable chapters. There’s something wonderfully funny about trying to take stock of a performance while a large blue children’s television character keeps appearing in places you wouldn’t normally expect one. Even by festival-crowd standards, it was a display. I suspect I’ll be recounting that part of the day for a while yet.

After all of that, Hyphen still had a set to close. Closing an all-dayer means facing an audience that has already put in a considerable shift, especially when the room has spent much of it doubling as a sauna. It takes presence and energy to make that final stretch count, and he had plenty of both.

His commanding stage presence was one of the performance’s defining qualities. The set suited him, and the insane energy he brought gave the close the impact it needed. After so many different acts, he provided a strong focal point to end the night.

That combination of confidence and sheer commitment made Hyphen a fitting choice to close things out. Cowboy Hunters delivered the crowd-surfing spectacle, Femur and M/X became personal highlights, and Carsick added the surprise. Hyphen’s job was to put his own stamp on the conclusion, and his performance gave us a final major talking point before heading back out into the Bristol air.

My first Attitude Festival had a lot to enjoy and a lot to remember. Seeing so many acts, making personal discoveries, the secret set, and gloriously daft moments made it a day well worth the visit.

I’ll be back. Next time, I’ll give Bristol traffic an even more pessimistic estimate, bring a spare T-shirt, a sweat rag and try to catch those opening bands. As for the Cookie Monster suit, I think I’ll leave that level of devotion to the professional.