Preston’s The Ferret has ordered 70 square metres of turf and 20 hay bales, which can only mean one thing… Glastonferret is back for 2023.

The original indoor turfed festival will see the likes of BODEGA, Do Nothing, Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage, Evil Blizzard, Panic Shack, TVAM, Bo Ningen, Personal Trainer and Bull perform across four days of live music.

The 16th edition of the legendary event returns this August Bank Holiday weekend, running from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 August.

The four days will be filled with live music, real grass and hay bales throughout the inside of the venue, a bar filled with guest craft ales, cider and summer drinks.

Outside will see food vendor Mr Slice Guy, DJ sessions and crafty stalls.

Late night after parties will take revellers through until the early hours.

While weekend tickets are sold out, day tickets are still available.

Live music line up

Thursday 24th August from 4pm

BODEGA
Treeboy & Arc
Wesley Gonzalez
Whinge
Uhr
The Dirt
Vice Vera

Joining The Ferret for the first time – and the first time in Preston – is New York’s BODEGA as Thursday night headliners.

Since BODEGA’s formation in 2016, Ben and Nikki have experienced a rare meteoric rise. The duo double as filmmakers, earning acclaim for their 2020 erotic drama PVT Chat starring Peter Vack and Julia Fox.

When the pandemic forced them to hit pause, they used the opportunity to regroup with drummer/performance artist Tai Lee, bassist/philosophy professor Adam See, and lead guitarist Dan Ryan. Broken Equipment was produced by Ben himself with Bobby Lewis.

The record was mixed by Bryce Goggin, whom the band sought out for his work with Pavement, and Adam Sachs (WIVES).

Expect art-rock and post-punk with influences from hip-hop, indie-pop, and straight up classic rock.

The line up is stacked from top to tail with Treeboy & Arc and Wesley Gonzalez also making their Ferret debut, alongside Whinge, Uhr, The Dirt & Vice Vera.

Friday 25 August from 3pm

JEFFREY LEWIS & THE VOLTAGE
Bo Ningen
Bull
Butch Kassidy
Tero Kulero
The Dead Things
The Amber List

The Ferret welcomes back favourite Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage as Friday night headliner. Jeffrey Lewis and his various bandmates have perfected a scuzzy, urban style of indie-folk, developing from late-90s New York City bedroom tapes into a mighty 21st century mash-up of folksy spiel and artsy garage, like Pete Seeger meeting Sonic Youth.

A born and raised denizen of the Lower East Side, Lewis’s home recordings were discovered by Rough Trade Records in 2001 (famed label of The Smiths, The Strokes, Belle & Sebastian and more) while Lewis was briefly living in Austin, Texas.

On stage, Lewis is backed by collaborators Brent Cole (drums), Mem Pahl (bass) and Mallory Feuer (keys, violin), a line up currently known as Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage.

Elsewhere on the killer Friday line up is incredible Bo Ningen joining for the first time in years, alongside Bull, Butch Kassidy, Tero Kulero, The Dead Things and The Amber List.

Saturday 26 August from 12pm

EVIL BLIZZARD
PANIC SHACK
Personal Trainer
Cowtown
Ginnel
The Jackpot Golden Boys
The Empire Police
Rude Films
British Birds
Zvilnik
Jean Genie’s Massive Hugs

Local anti-heroes Evil Blizzard return to The Ferret for the first time since 2021’s double-sellout weekender. Expect a hefty sonic assault of propulsive psychedelia and perverse punk, and the kind of joyously cathartic, wholly ridiculous and thoroughly thrilling rock ‘n’ roll ride that only Evil Blizzard can provide.

Preston’s Evil Blizzard are truly an enigma. With an array of rubber masks that will give both children and adults sleepless nights for days on end, so they are welcomed back with semi-open arms.

Evil Blizzard delve into many musical wells. Mixing their musical heritage from early Sabbath, Dub and Krautrock through to more modern and diverse contemporaries such as Hawkwind.

They’ve opened for such eclectic bands as Space, Sleaford Mods, Ruts DC, Gnod, Hawkwind, Killing Joke, Public Image Limited, Bo Ningen and Embrace.

Blizzard have not only won over some very hard-line partisan crowds, but they have also gone on to conquer such music festivals as Kendal Calling, Super-sonic, Rebellion, The Great British Alternative Music Festival, Supernormal and The International Festival of Psychedelia in Liverpool.

Joining the Blizz are Welsh DIY punk quintet Panic Shack, armed with brash, witty lyrics and killer hooks, and an absolute tidal wave of ear-crunching noise.

Romi, Sarah, Emily, and Meg were fed up of music being a ‘members-only club’ at its best and a phallocracy at its worst so, they decided to do something about it. Cue, Panic Shack.

Armed with brash, witty lyrics and killer hooks, they crashed through the UK music scene with a tidal wave of ear-crunching noise. Immediately building up a reputation for their raw, unapologetic live shows and off-kilter songs, Panic Shack prove that DIY does it better.

Since their inception it’s been non-stop for this Welsh punk quintet. With support from BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, Huw Stephens, Jack Saunders, Radio X, Bob Vylan, and PRS, it’s clear that this band have started something special.

Having already played prestigious stages at Green Man Festival, Liverpool Sound City, Cardiff Castle, and 2000 Trees Festival, and joined bands like The Wytches, Grandma’s House, and Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard on stages across the UK, Panic Shack are only going to continue to create unhinged, earth-shattering music – until, of course, they’re rich enough to be sipping champagne after taking a dip in the pool at their mansions.

The Saturday line up is an all-day barrage of amazing live bands including the fantastic Personal Trainer, COWTOWN, and local legends-in-the-making Ginnel, with Glastonferret acting as their hometown album launch party. And it doesn’t stop there, with The Jackpot Golden Boys, The Empire Police, Rude Films, British Birds, Zvilnik and Jean Genie’s Massive Hugs joining the event.

Sunday 27 August from 12pm

DO NOTHING
TVAM
Maruja
Hauspoints
San Lorenz
Sky Valley Mistress

Yaang
Barry Gammon
8-B1Tch
BROTHER
FirstnameFrank
Millicent

Nottingham four-piece Do Nothing hit the Ferret stage for the grand finale. Their sound is equal parts Roxy-esque art rock and Ze/Celluloid records no wave. Do Nothing songs are characterised by the acerbic lyricism of vocalist Chris Bailey where every song feels like its own self-contained psycho drama.

Joining Do Nothing on the final night of live music, TVAM bring jagged guitars and drum machines, while the spirit of post-punk, electro rock’n’roll does battle with the hypnotic rhythms of Krautrock.

And there’s more. This Sunday line up is an all-day flood of incredible live music including the breathtaking jazz-punks Maruja, Chorley’s finest Hauspoints, as well as the awesome San Lorenz, Sky Valley Mistress, YAANG, Barry Gammon, 8-B1Tch, Last Band Standing runners-up BROTHER, plus Ferret Friends FirstnameFrank and MILLICENT.

Outdoor DJ Sessions and Late Night After Parties

Featuring local DJ talent including Fighting Wedding Disco, Cuba Ferret, Whinge DJs, Sabbath Soundsystem, Telstar Funk & Soul, Suck It & Spin, DJ Fil, Big Things, Nodding Dog Disco and some special guests to be announced.

Crafty Stalls

Glastonferret hosts a number of crafty market stalls from local artists and makers including Secret Industries, Not Essential, A Right Old Rummage, The Vintage Boutique and more to be announced – including the Glastonferret Merch Stall stocking official limited-edition Glastonferret T-shirts and band merch from artists playing across the weekend.

Ticket prices

Thursday: £15 advance. (More on the door)
Friday: £15 advance. (More on the door)
Saturday: £20 advance. (More on the door)
Sunday: £20 advance. (More on the door)

Tickets are available from Skiddle.

All ages welcome – under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Full price tickets must be purchased for all attendees (only babes in arms are the exception). Expect loud music throughout the venue – both inside and outside.

Opening times

Thursday: 4pm – 1am

Friday: 3pm – 2am

Saturday: 12pm – 3am

Sunday: 12pm – 3am

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