TENEMENT TRAIL returns to Glasgow’s East End on Saturday 10 October, bringing more than 50 artists across eight venues for a full day of thrilling live music and discovery.

Headlined by Baby Strange and Brogeal, this year’s bill promises an eclectic mix of local favourites, fresh faces and touring acts – giving festival-goers plenty of opportunity discover their new favourite band.

And as ever, there’s a lot more to this year’s line-up than just the names on the poster. Some have been part of the festival since the beginning, some are returning after almost a decade away, while others have stories involving Hollywood films, Scottish indie legends, boxing rings, carpet factories and viral Gaelic hip-hop.

So here’s 10 things you might not know about the TENEMENT TRAIL 2026 line-up:

The band who’ve been there since the very first TRAIL 

Baby Strange aren’t just headlining this year’s TENEMENT TRAIL – they’re part of the festival’s history. The Glasgow trio played the very first TENEMENT TRAIL in 2013, when the festival took over venues around Sauchiehall Street. This year’s appearance will be their fourth time playing the festival, having also appeared at the first East End edition in 2019.

Now they’re returning for a very different kind of set: a one-off reunion at the Barrowland Ballroom celebrating ten years of their debut album Want It Need It. It’s a full-circle moment for a band and a festival that have grown up alongside each other. Don’t miss out.

The band who met on a football supporter’s bus 

Long before Brògeal were mixing folk, punk and indie, Daniel Harkins and Aidan Callaghan were two teenagers travelling on the same football supporters’ bus from Falkirk. They bonded over their shared love of music and eventually started their first band, Shiva, a school punk group which they now admit was “shit”. After that though, the pair teamed up with Sam MacMillan and started exploring traditional folk music instead. MacMillan taught himself to play his grandfather’s accordion, while the band spent lockdown rehearsing in Daniel’s garden under a leaky Asda gazebo.

Since then, they’ve toured all over the UK and Europe, building a strong army of followers for their rambunctious Celtic indie-folk anthemic, storytelling charm and big pop harmonies. Their debut album ‘Tuesday Paper Club’ was just longlisted for the SAY Award. Expect big singalong moments and mosh pits at their TENEMENT TRAIL headline slot.

The band who’ve worked with two Scottish legends

Ferguson Hi-Fi may be a name to the Scottish music scene, but their debut single has serious Scottish indie pedigree. Led by former Wuh Oh member Pete Ferguson, ‘Get Over It’ features Stevie Jackson of Belle & Sebastian and Dave McGowan of Teenage Fanclub. The song itself was written in the middle of the night, when Ferguson grabbed a guitar and recorded the idea into a dictaphone, complete with ‘gobbledegook’ vocals. He then brought it to life properly with his ad-hoc Glasgow supergroup in the studio – coming out with a thrilling rush of guitar pop that captures the joy and excitement of starting afresh.

The band who formed because of a film

Before Cliffords were supporting huge acts and appearing on festival bills, they were a bunch of teenagers who had been inspired by a film. The Cork band formed after watching ‘Sing Street, the 2016 Irish film about a group of school kids who start a band. There was just one problem: none of them could actually play. They bought instruments anyway and decided they’d figure it out as they went along. After various line-up changes and plenty of garage rehearsals, the band entered University College Cork’s Battle of the Bands in 2022 and won

Since then, Cliffords have since gone on to play major festivals and support artists including Kings of Leon, Wolf Alice, Florence + The Machine. TENEMENT TRAIL 2026 will be their first appearance at the festival.

The artist who played Glastonbury before he left school 

Tom A. Smith started gigging at an age when most musicians are still asking their parents for a lift to their first show. He played his first gig aged eight, supporting Detroit Social Club at Newcastle’s Cluny, before going onto perform at Glastonbury before he had even started secondary school. By the time he was 10, he was already appearing at major festivals and sharing bills with established artists.He was also hand-picked by The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess to perform at Kendal Calling and Elton John to support him at Hyde Park.

Now 22, Smith returns to TENEMENT TRAIL having previously played the festival in 2022.

The band making their big comeback 

The Ninth Wave aren’t new to TENEMENT TRAIL, but their appearance will be one of the most eagerly anticipated of the day. The Glasgow band last played the festival in 2017, when they were part of a bill that also included Sam Fender, Yungblud and The Big Moon. Almost a decade later, they’re back. So much has happened then – a different line-up, they’ve released two critically acclaimed albums and toured all over the UK and Europe. After a few years away, they recently shared their comeback single ‘Bitumen’, so this might be an opportunity to catch some much anticipated new material.

The band who’ve played TRAIL before under a different name 

Chancer’s appearance on this year’s line-up isn’t actually their first TENEMENT TRAIL experience. The band will be familiar to those who’ve seen Parliamo in the past – the Perth outfit, known for their infectious indie tunes and witty social commentary, announced their farewell gig earlier this year, before some members re-emerged under a new name. It’s a fresh new chapter – but you can expect sharp songwriting and a fun time.

The artist who wanted to be a boxer 

Before Willie J Healey was supporting Arctic Monkeys, he was putting seven nights a week into boxing. Music came later, and so did a setback: he was dropped by Columbia after his debut album in 2017 and went indie. He has previously said Jamie T lent him a drum machine during lockdown, which pushed his sound towards funk.

The band who’ve shared a stage with Lewis Capaldi 

THEATRE arrive at this year’s TENEMENT TRAIL with a pretty impressive Scottish name already on their live CV: Lewis Capaldi. They shared a stage with the Scottish superstar earlier this year at Thomond Park Stadium in Limerick as part of his huge summer tour. Capaldi himself has a history with TENEMENT TRAIL, having played the festival in 2016, during the early stages of his career – becoming just one part of the festival’s long list of breakthrough moments.

And now THEATRE are following in his footsteps by taking their place on the 2026 bill. Of course, their music couldn’t be more different – expect dense, muscular, reverb-soaked shoegaze guitars and intimate, folk-influenced vocal melodies.

The band related to Jarvis Cocker 

Spanish Horses have perhaps the most famous family connection on this year’s TENEMENT TRAIL line-up. Guitarist Albert Cocker is the son of Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, giving the London-based five-piece a direct link to one of Britain’s most recognisable indie figures.

But there’s much more to Spanish Horses than their family tree. Formed in Paris in 2023 before relocating to London, the band have quickly built a reputation for their energetic live shows and distinctive take on guitar music, drawing inspiration from artists including The Velvet Underground, The Fall, The Pastels and Joy Division. This year they’ve also signed to So Young Records and released the brilliant  ‘Hey Man (Hey Man!)’.

They’ve also made an impression in Scotland, selling out Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s and playing Glasgow’s McChuills not too long ago Now they’re back in Glasgow for their TENEMENT TRAIL debut.

The artist who was viral hit for her Scottish Gaelic hip hop

Limonead went viral earlier this year with her debut single ‘Nàche Buidhe Dhut” – a Scottish Gaelic phrase meaning roughly “lucky you” or “good for you”. It combines Gaelic vocals with bouncing hip-hop beats, big synths and pop production – first catching attention with attention through teaser clips on TikTok and Instagram before its official release. At the time, we described it as a track ready to ‘stop you in your tracks’.

She is also a perfect example of what makes the 2026 Trail line-up so varied: somewhere between the returning veterans, guitar bands and indie favourites is an artist taking Scottish Gaelic in a completely different direction..