THE FERRET IS 20!
To celebrate 20 years of live music in Preston, we put together “THE FERRET IS 20!”, a special series of 12 grassroots live music events between May and August 2026.
Thanks to public funding from Arts Council England, tickets for the series were free and/or just £5, helping us keep the shows affordable and encourage more people to experience world-class live music in the intimate setting of The Ferret.
Across the series we welcomed artists from Preston and the North West, across the UK and around the world, with music spanning Punk, Indie, Hip-Hop, Jazz, African music, Electronic, Experimental, Folk, Pop, Reggae, Alt-Rock, Drum & Bass and more.
The 12 events were: Bonnie Trash (from Canada) with Two Tonne Machete & Tay Temple; the two-day TFI20 Launch Weekender featuring Loose Articles, Man of Moon, Zookraught (from Seattle), The Empty Page, The DSM IV & more; a UK Hip-Hop Special headlined by Verb T; The Zawose Queens from Tanzania; PET NEEDS; Whingefest headlined by Cowboy Hunters; Crocodiles (from San Diego); Rae Morris; The Mouse Outfit; The Bug Club; Home Counties; and the TFI20 Electronic All Dayer headlined by James Lavelle (Unkle // Mo’Wax).
The programme brought established touring artists together with a wide range of grassroots and emerging musicians, giving local artists opportunities to share bills with acts from further afield.
THE PROJECT RESULTS:
12 events
1,718 audience attendances
82 live acts & DJs, representing 161 individual performer opportunities
Artists from across the North West, UK and internationally (Canada, Tanzania & USA)
More than half of the people who responded to our audience survey told us they discovered an artist, band or type of music that was new to them, while 78% said attending the project made them more likely to visit The Ferret again.
The project also helped us make a major upgrade to The Ferret's stage lighting. The new system was installed during the series and used for the final five project shows. It has since become part of the permanent venue setup, improving the production we can offer artists and audiences at every show.
Most importantly, THE FERRET IS 20! gave us the chance to celebrate where The Ferret has come from while doing what the venue has always been here to do: bringing brilliant artists to Preston, supporting grassroots musicians and giving people the chance to discover something new.
A massive thank you to every artist, DJ, promoter, technician, member of staff, volunteer and audience member who was part of it.
And a huge thank you to Arts Council England for supporting the project.
Scroll down for a record of the shows ↓
The FERRET is 20!
〰️
The FERRET is 20! 〰️
THE FERRET IS 20! – THE SHOWS:
〰️
THE FERRET IS 20! – THE SHOWS: 〰️
The Ferret is 20! - Show #1
BONNIE TRASH
Ontario - Canada // Post-Punk + Goth Rock
TWO TONNE MACHETE
North West + North Wales // DIY Feminist Punk
TAY TEMPLE
Manchester // Alt Rock with a splash of Punk
Thurs 21st May 2026 | 7pm - 10:30pm | The Ferret, Preston
3 live acts representing 12 performer opportunities.
Artists from: Ontario (Canada), North Wales, Manchester.
Genres: Alt Rock, DIY Feminist Punk, Goth Rock, Post-Punk.
Ticket price: FREE
The Ferret is 20! - Launch Weekender
Sat 23rd May:
MAN OF MOON // THE DSM IV // OORYA // THOSE FKKKKNG SNOWFLAKES // TRIANGLECUTS // POCKETKNIFE // HUMMUS
Sun 24th May:
LOOSE ARTICLES // ZOOKRAUGHT (usa) // THE EMPTY PAGE // THE RED STAINS // THE DIRT // MUTT // DREW YOUNG
Sat 23rd + Sun 24th May 2026 | 3pm - late | The Ferret, Preston
14 live acts representing 38 performer opportunities.
Artists from: Seattle (USA), Glasgow (Scotland), Liverpool, Manchester, Blackpool, Lancaster, Preston.
Genres: Alternative Rock, Anti-Folk, Darkwave, Disco-Punk, Electro-Punk, Garage Punk, Gothic Rock, Grunge, Industrial, Krautrock, New Wave, Noise Rock, Post-Punk, Post-Rock, Psych Punk, Psychedelic Rock, Synth Pop.
Ticket price: FREE
The Ferret is 20! UK HIP-HOP SPECIAL
VERB T
The Four Owls // High Focus Records
HALF DECENT (Oxford-based Rapper & Producer)
DJ MARK SKI (DJ & Producer // FFSYTHO? Live DJ)
BRAPSCALLION (Lo-Fi House + Hip-Hop Beats)
PIQUE ROSCOE (Northern Hip-Hop Wordsmith)
WARRIOR TALES (Hip-Hop & Spoken Word)
BIG THINGS DJs (Beats & Pieces)
Fri 12th June 2026 | Doors 7pm | The Ferret, Preston
7 live acts & DJs representing 8 performer opportunities.
Artists from: London, Oxford, Northampton, Manchester, Blackpool. Preston.
Genres: Hip-Hop, Lo-fi House, Jazz, Soul, UK Rap.
Ticket price: FIRST 50 TICKETS FREE. Then £5 per ticket.
We welcomed back one of our favourite acts of 2025, the incredible Zawose Queens! Soaring chizeze fiddle, buzzing illimba thumb piano, ngoma drums that chatter & thunder - a blend of the organic, harmonic & modern-day electronic...
THE ZAWOSE QUEENS
Tanzania // Real World Records
+ DR. AKP (UK-based Nigerian artist)
+ Taeybs (Lo-Fi Avant-Pop)
+ Jazzin The Park DJs (African Vinyl + Broken Beats)
Thurs 18th June 2026 | Doors 7pm | The Ferret, Preston
4 live acts & DJs representing 10 performer opportunities.
Artists from: Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), Nigeria, Lancaster, Preston.
Genres: African music, Afrobeat, Electronic, Electro-Pop, Funk, Jazz, Lo-Fi Art Pop.
Ticket price: FIRST 50 TICKETS FREE. Then £5 per ticket.
Everywhere At Once x The Ferret is 20!
Another belter show as we welcome back Ferret Friends™ - PET NEEDS - explosive, relentless & showstopping!
This edition of The Ferret is 20! joins forces with Everywhere At Once Festival (powered by National Lottery) - The UK's biggest music festival on your doorstep! 1200+ gigs. 500+ venues. 1 weekend.
PET NEEDS
Essex // High Energy Punk Rock
+ Sally Pepper
+ KnowOne
+ Harrison Rimmer
Friday 26th June 2026 | Doors 7pm | The Ferret, Preston
4 live acts representing 9 performer opportunities.
Artists from: Colchester, Blackpool, Preston.
Genres: Acoustic Pop-Punk, Alt Rock, Emo Rock, Indie Folk, Punk Rock.
Ticket price: FIRST 50 TICKETS FREE. Then £5 per ticket.
The Ferret is 20: Whingefest XII…
Another all-day affair. Live music & DJs all day and night.
COWBOY HUNTERS
WAX HEAD
WHINGE
dull.
WET MAN
STORMKERB
EL WINSTANLEY
Saturday 4th July 2026 | Doors 3pm | The Ferret, Preston
7 live acts representing 18 performer opportunities.
Artists from: Glasgow (Scotland), Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Lancaster, Chorley, Preston.
Genres: Dance Punk, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Krautrock, Lo-Fi Pop, Post Punk, Post Rock, Psychedelic Punk, Punk Rock, Noise Rock, Rave Rock, Shoegaze.
Ticket price: FREE
Are they psych-punk? Noise-pop? Art-gaze? They are all of this and none of this and more than this. Put simply, Crocodiles are one of the great rock 'n' roll bands of their generation.
CROCODILES
USA // Psychedelic Noise-Pop + Lo-Fi Garage Punk
+ HUNGRY (Fenland Gothic)
+ poor effort. (Minimum Fuss)
Tuesday 14th July 2026 | Doors 7pm | The Ferret, Preston
3 live acts representing 8 performer opportunities.
Artists from: San Diego (USA), Cambridge, Manchester, Salford.
Genres: Alternative Hip-Hop, Electronica, Garage Punk, Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Post Punk, Punk Poetry, Surf Punk.
Ticket price: FIRST 50 TICKETS FREE. Then £5 per ticket.
Returning to the Ferret for the first time in more than 10 years, Blackpool born singer-songwriter Rae Morris brings new material to the place where it all began.
RAE MORRIS
Blackpool-born Alt-Pop songwriter returns to the place it all began.
+ Audrey’s Dance
(Sad Pop duo from Preston)
+ Dave Shurr
(DIY Indie Musician & Producer)
Friday 24th July 2026 | Doors 7pm | The Ferret, Preston
3 live acts representing 4 performer opportunities.
Artists from: Blackpool/London, Preston/Manchester.
Genres: Alt-Pop, Dream Pop, Indie Folk, Indie Pop, Piano-driven Pop.
Ticket price: FIRST 50 TICKETS FREE. Then £5 per ticket.
The Mouse Outfit, a Hip Hop production team and live band hailing from Manchester, back on tour in 2026. For this special show at The Ferret, expect a full live band performance, fronted by MCs Koj, AyiTe + Donnie Danko.
THE MOUSE OUTFIT
Manchester // Hip-hop Collective full live band show with guest MC’s: KOJ // AYITE // DONNIE DANKO
+ guests:
SEEK THE NORTHERNER + LOMAX + DJ KIPPAX
MARX
BIG GEN
THE INSPEKTOR
DJ Mark Ski + Billy Jazzin
+ Jonny Rockers Soundsystem
Saturday 25th July 2026 | Doors 3pm | The Ferret, Preston
13 live acts + DJs representing 18 performer opportunities.
Artists from: Northampton, Hull, Manchester, Burnley, Wigan, Preston.
Genres: Drum & Bass, Dub, Funk, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Reggae, Soul, UK Rap.
Ticket price: FIRST 50 TICKETS FREE. Then £5 per ticket.
The Bug Club are a tight-knit, collaborative effort focussed on telling tales of the everyday that we often take for granted, shot through with humour and riffs-a-plenty.
THE BUG CLUB
Wales // Sub Pop // Wall-to-wall riffs
People Person
Manchester // DIY Post-Punk & Psychedelia
El Winstanley
Chorley // Eccentric Bilingual Living Room Pop
Thursday 30th July 2026 | Doors 7pm | The Ferret, Preston
3 live acts representing 8 performer opportunities.
Artists from: Caldicot (Wales), Manchester, Chorley.
Genres: Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi Pop, Post Punk, Punk.
Ticket price: FIRST 50 TICKETS FREE. Then £5 per ticket.
Acclaimed for their electrifying live shows, Home Counties are one of the UK's most inventive new bands.
HOME COUNTIES
+ guests:
One Dimensional Creatures
Calder Valley Alt-Rock // Post-Punk
Face Ache
Preston Alt-Pop
Friday 14th Aug 2026 | Doors 7pm | The Ferret, Preston
3 live acts representing 10 performer opportunities.
Artists from: Bristol, Oldham, Todmorden, Preston.
Genres: Alt Pop, Alt Rock, Art Punk, Dance Punk, Grunge, New Wave, Post Punk, Synth Pop.
Ticket price: FIRST 50 TICKETS FREE. Then £5 per ticket.
TFI20 FINALE! ELECTRONIC MUSIC ALL-DAYER
JAMES LAVELLE
(Legendary Producer // Unkle // Mo'Wax)
+ Live Music Line-Up:
DARK FIDELITY HIFI // LED ZEBRA // MINDSPIKES // PYRAMID EYES // SYNTHTEXTURE aka D-MAN
+ DJ Line-Up:
Bolts // Cottam // Craig Kirkham // Jason Marx // Jazzin The Park // Mr Breen // Nodding Dog Disco // Raze // Simba // T.F.Wizard // Tim Melia // Wilx
Saturday 15th August 2026 | Doors 3pm | The Ferret, Preston
18 live acts + DJs representing 18 performer opportunities.
Artists from: London, Oldham, Lancaster, Blackburn, Preston
Genres: Ambient, Dance Punk, Disco, Drum & Bass, Electro House, Electronica, House, Indie Electro, Techno, Trance.
Ticket price: FIRST 50 TICKETS FREE. Then £5 per ticket.
〰️
NEW LIGHTS, LASTING LEGACY
〰️ NEW LIGHTS, LASTING LEGACY
NEW LIGHTS, LASTING LEGACY
Alongside the 12 live events, THE FERRET IS 20! project also included a major upgrade to The Ferret's stage lighting, replacing an ageing system with a modern, flexible and more energy-efficient setup designed for the huge variety of music we put on.
The new system was supplied and installed by Xep Events over four days in July 2026. It includes a Chamsys MagicQ MQ50 lighting desk, moving heads, LED pixel rails, blinders and effects, giving us far greater control over the stage, room and dancefloor and allowing us to create very different looks for everything from intimate live shows to punk gigs, electronic events and full-on club-style productions.
Where possible, equipment from the old system was given a new lease of life too. Xep salvaged moving heads, LED parcans and lighting batons which have been repurposed elsewhere around the venue rather than thrown away.
The first TFI20 show under the new lights was Rae Morris, followed by The Mouse Outfit, The Bug Club, Home Counties and our closing James Lavelle Electronic All Dayer, where the expanded dancefloor lighting and effects really came into their own.
But the biggest benefit is what happened after THE FERRET IS 20! finished. The lighting wasn't just for the anniversary shows: it is now The Ferret's permanent lighting system and has been used at every event since it was installed.
So while THE FERRET IS 20! lasted for one summer, this part of the project will improve the experience for artists, audiences and technicians at The Ferret for years to come.
Made possible with public funding from Arts Council England.
