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The oldest Indie bands still touring in 2026
3 January 2026, 15:00
Which of the longest-serving indie bands have dates on the calendar for the year ahead? Radio X takes a look at the itinerary... and discovers it's going to be a busy 12 months.
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As Oasis proved, some of the biggest artists of the past year have been veterans of the music scene, still able to attract huge audiences and stay creative.
But the Gallaghers are mere whippersnappers compared to some, having opened for business in 1991.
Here, in reverse order, are a collection of Indie groups that formed pre-1990 - and who you'll be able to see performing live in 2026...
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Ocean Colour Scene - established 1989
The Birmingham band will mark 30 years since the release of their landmark album Moseley Shoals with shows in November and December 2026, featuring guests The Enemy.
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Suede - established 1989
Tenth studio album Antidepressants made it to many end of year lists (including Radio X's - see here), and Brett Anderson and colleagues will be heading out on tour in the New Year in support of the record. The dates begin on 30th January in Folkestone and end in Brighton on 21st February - but they're all sold out! Suede will then be "Dancing With The Europeans" throughout March.
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The Lightning Seeds - established 1989
Originally a vehicle for Liverpool-born writer and producer Ian Broudie, The Lightning Seeds will be supporting no less than Deacon Blue across the UK in June and July 2026 - 37 years after their first hit Pure broke into the Top 20. They'll also be headinling Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire on 25th July.
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The Charlatans - established 1988
Formed in the West Midlands by bassist Martin Blunt and singer Tim Burgess, the band's fourteenth album, We Are Love, was released on Halloween 2025. A UK tour starts on 24th April at Norwich UEA.
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The Boo Radleys - established 1988
The much-loved Liverpool band reunited in 2021 without songwriter Martin Carr but they continue to still play live with frontman Sice Rowbottom, bassist Tim Brown and drummer Rob Cieka. Boo Radleys have booked a series of shows for 2026, which kick off at Bedford Esquires on 7th February and there's a tour in for May.
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Pixies: established 1986
The Boston alternative rock legends are celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band with dates in China, the Philippines and Hong Kong in May 2026, before returning to Britain for shows in York (20th May), Dunfermline (21st May), Manchester (24th and 25th May) and London's Royal Albert Hall (28th and 29th May). They also slot in a short run of Irish dates, then appearances at Bearded Theory, the Eden Sessions and On The Mount festivals, before heading to Europe where they perform until 19th July.
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The Wonder Stuff- established 1986
Best known for their 1991 hit Size Of A Cow, Miles Hunt and the rest of the Stuffies will be performing at the Gigantic All Dayer in Bristol on 9th May 2026 - after Miles winds up his own solo tour, which takes place in March and April. And then there's the Cornwall Cider Festival in September...
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Inspiral Carpets - established 1983
Clint Boon's psychedelic garage rock heroes have just wound up a UK tour in December 2025, but they're already set to play the Musicfest Main stage festival in Glasgow on 5th September 5 2026.
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The Farm - established 1983
The Scouse Groovy Train superstars are touring with Happy Mondays next year (see below), but have a few additional outdoor shows of lined up, including The Brit Fest in Altrincham on 3rd July.
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James - established 1982
The Love Is The Answer Tour kicks off at Birmingham's Utilita Arena on 3rd April 2026, taking in Leeds, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Cardiff, Nottingham and London, before winding up at Co-Op Live in their hometown of Manchester on 18th April. James' eighteenth album Yummy was released April 2024.
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The Chameleons - established 1981
Middleton's premier post-punk practitioners reformed in 2021 and issued their fifth album, Arctic Moon, in 2025. The band will play Glasgow, Leeds, Bristol, London and Southampton in October 2026 with special guest Lol Tolhurst, formerly of The Cure. But before that, they play Dublin on 16th February and Limerick on 17th February.
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Happy Mondays - established 1980
The Mondays - featuring Shaun Ryder, Bez, Mark Day, Gaz Whelan and Dan Broad - will slightly belatedly mark 35 years since the release of the album Pills N' Thrills & Bellyaches with a tour that starts at the O2 City Hall in Newcastle on 13th March and ends at Belfast's Mandela Hall on 24th April 2026. Along the way, they will be joined by The Farm and Northside (although the latter will not appear in Belfast or Dublin), ensuring a "top" night out.
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Pulp - established 1978
The surprise appearance of Pulp's first album in 24 years - More - was accompanied by a flurry of live dates at home and abroad. The touring for Jarvis and his crew continues into 2026, as the band head to New Zealand and Australia in February and March, then they've added a handful of festival shows, including End Of The Road and a headline set at Manchester's Wythenshawe Park on 28th August.
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Echo & The Bunnymen: established 1978
Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant will be undertaking a tour titled "More Songs To Learn & Sing 1978 - 2026" in March and April 2026, including a sold-out homecoming show at the Liverpool Empire on 21st March. The Bunnymen have a summer of activity planned for 2026, including a North American tour and an appearance supporting My Chemical Romance at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium on 30th June.
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The Cure - established 1978
After playing precisely one show in 2024 to support their first album in 16 years, Songs Of A Lost World, Robert Smith and company will play a raft of summer shows in 2026, which include high profile festivals such as Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Firenze Rocks in Florence, Roskilde in Denmark Rock Werchter in Belgium and Øya in Norway, among many others - plus, of course, they'll headline the last night of the Isle Of Wight festival in June. They've also announced outdoor dates in Cardiff, Dublin, Belfast, Manchester and Edinburgh. Where's that follow-up album, then?
