Moonchild Sanelly, Idlewild, Fat Dog, and Gwenno lead FOCUS Wales 2026 lineup

Among the names revealed today are Idlewild, South London’s shame, Domino signees FatDog, Deerhoof, The Moonlandingz, Moonchild Sanelly, Gwenno, Bill Ryder-Jones, Brighton's experimentalists CLT DRP and Congratulations, electropunk quartet YARD, GANS and Wrexham's own math rock group Gallops.

Other Welsh artists include Tristwch y Fenywod, Kizzy Crawford, Mari Mathias, Ben Ellis, and Gwenifer Raymond. Check out the poster below for the full list of names.

"There’s much more to come," explains Andy Jones, Co-founder and Head of Music at Focus Wales, "but this first announcement already reflects the spirit of the festival at its best — forward-thinking artists from around the world, bold new voices from Wales and the wider UK, and a shared sense of creativity that crosses borders and traditions. I think our audiences will feel that energy the moment they arrive."

Since its inception, FOCUS Wales has served as a gateway for international artists entering the UK market. This year's first announcement exemplifies that ambitious reach, featuring artists from 18 nations including Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, South Africa, South Korea, Serbia, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and the USA alongside musicians from across the UK.

As the festival enters its 16th year, it also remains dedicated to creating space for music that defies easy categorisation, celebrates linguistic diversity, and connects artists and audiences across borders — all while spotlighting the extraordinary creative vitality of Welsh music in its many forms. The festival's inclusive perspective extends to artists who challenge genre conventions and cultural norms. Amsterdam's Baby Berserk fuse live band energy with club music into politically charged dance-punk, while Bulgarian artist Ivo Dimchev—theatre maker, choreographer, and queer activist—brings his genre-blurring practice that fuses performance art, dance, theatre and music with radical intensity. From South Korea, KIRARA crafts emotionally charged electronic music blending 90s UK dance with Japanese influences, and Serbian band KOIKOI deliver a genre-busting sound driven by textured grooves and dual vocals. The Netherlands' first explicitly queer music duo LIONSTORM bring their aggressive, clownesque style rooted in horrorcore, reggaeton, and industrial metal, their uncompromising work exploring queerness and female sexuality with fearless intensity.

FOCUS Wales runs from 7-9 May 2026 across multiple venues in Wrexham. Check out what BEST FIT had to say about the 2025 event.