Soundle 26 is set for June 5-7 2026 in the Queen Victoria Hall Oundle
Headliners are as follows:
Stuckfish on Friday
The Blackheart Orchestra on Saturday
Franck Carducci & The Fantastic Squad on Sunday
Friday will be kicked off by our very own local choir 'Oundle Loves Singing'. We are really pleased that they are returning here following their fantastic reception in 2025.
Next up we welcome back another Soundler in dear friend That Joe Payne. Queer artist and award-winning progressive-music vocalist, That Joe Payne, is recognised for his involvement with a variety of projects, from solo releases to collaborations with Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), The Enid, John Holden, and Zio.
Based in Northampton, England, and remembered by audiences for boasting an impressive five-octave range and flamboyant showmanship, his voice has featured on no less than seventeen album releases since his debut in 2012. Today, the singer uses his platform to advocate for better Mental Health Awareness and LGBTQ+ rights, with Payne's 2025 shows and releases carrying a message of solidarity with all marginalised groups affected by anti-DEI rhetoric. Personal achievements include being voted Best Male Vocalist two years running by the readers of Prog Magazine, winning 'Best Progressive Rock Album' with Jordan Rudess for PERMISSION TO FLY in the 2024 Progspace Awards, and three Progressive Music Award nominations for his work with The Enid
Joe will be playing a solo set ahead of a band we have been looking to get here for some time in Haze.
Formed in 1978 by the brothers Chris McMahon (bass, keyboards and vocals), and Paul McMahon (guitar and vocals), they played their first concert at Stephen Hill Youth Club, Sheffield on 10 November that year. On 29 May 1988, the band played a final sell-out gig at Sheffield University to celebrate their tenth anniversary of the band's founding before splitting up. However, on 31 May 1998, they reunited for a one-off concert to mark their 20th anniversary at The Boardwalk in Sheffield. They now play together on an occasional basis, and played two 30th anniversary gigs at The Peel, Kingston-upon-Thames, London on 31 May, and at The Boardwalk on 1 June 2008, at which six new songs were performed. Despite achieving no chart success, and never having a recording contract (they released their own albums, on their 'Gabadon' label), they attracted a considerable cult following, headlined at The Marquee and their original albums are highly sought-after collector's items. In March 2013, the band released their first studio album in 26 years, called The Last Battle. The album features the band in its classic line-up (Paul McMahon, Chris McMahon, and Paul Chisnell) with the addition of Ceri Ashton (on whistle, flute, cello, viola and clarinet) and Catrin Ashton (on fiddle and flute). The band stated that this is the final recorded performance with their long time drummer Paul Chisnell. Since the release of the album, Paul McMahon's son, Danny McMahon, has been the drummer for the band.
Pearl Handled Revolver are next up. Five souls who, in the studio and on the stage have a wordless chemistry that provides escape, catharsis and the release of making music and creating... for the love of it. Not for genre labels, kudos or credibility, because ultimately all that matters in Pearl Handled Revolver happens in the moment. Sometimes the result is Heavy Rock, sometimes Jazz rears its head and the spectre of Funk and RnB loom large; the exploratory spirit of Psyche and Prog always hangs heavy, allowing the band to fly just as the Blues roots them and marks the grain of their fingerprints. The only expectation with any weight is that, once together, time gives way to music. In 16 years Pearl Handled Revolver have created 5 self-produced studio albums, 2 live albums, 4 EPs, a retrospective collection. Through countless shows and hours rehearsing and recording. Sharing ideas, chatting and laughing in the studio, births, marriages, separation and deaths. On the road there have been service stations, coffee good and appalling, dressing rooms, hotels, hostels, sofas, floors and caravans. All memories and inspiration for whatever comes next.....And there will always be more.
Friday night headliners are the brilliant Stuckfish who last played here in Oundle at the 2022 Soundle. North East UK based Stuckfish was formed in 2017 by guitarist / producer Adrian Fisher and vocalist / lyricist Philip Stuckey. The songwriting partnership began with the debut album, Calling, which was launched to great acclaim in 2018. This was followed up by the successful fantasy driven album, The Watcher, in 2020 and the much loved Days of Innocence in 2022 which was voted one of the best albums of that year within prog circles. The band always strives to be different, producing songs that are melodic and memorable whilst pushing the boundaries of musical structure and composition. Live performances are energetic and powerful, bridging the demands of heart warming melodic rock and thoughtful neo-prog. Stuckey and Fisher are joined by musicians Adam Sayers (drums), Phil Morey (Bass) and Paul McNally (Keyboards) raising further the band’s status and standing within the progressive rock community.
Saturday commences with the wonderful Candacraig.
They are a duo from Lincolnshire, comprising of Sharon Cannings (Vocals, keys, mandolin) and Martin Nicholls (Guitar,)
Specialising in “cinematic anthems and dark twisted tales” , they span rock and folk, to create their own form of neo prog rock.
They have been compared to Renaissance, Curved Air, All About Eve, Maddy Prior, Kate Bush and Anathema. Although writing songs since they met in 1992, both pursued acting careers and
the songs remained unrecorded. Fast forward 25 years and several careers later, both were depping as professional musicians in tribute bands. The lockdown of 2020 forced a change in direction, rediscovering the songs they had written, plus writing several more. 2022 saw the release of Thunder of Whispers.
After a year of touring both as a duo and with a full five piece band, they started work on their second album- a significantly quicker endeavour than the first! Recorded at Trapdoor Studios in
Bradford, Lit By Lightning was released in February 2024.
The albums reflect both Sharon and Martin’s influences, drawing inspiration from the likes of Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Marillion, and the Laurel Canyon movement of the late 60s.
As a Limelight featured band in Prog Magazine in June 2024, they have had a rapid ascent over the next two years, with well received live shows, notably at Fusion 5 and Highway‘24, Nene
Valley Rock Festival and HRH Prog, and were delighted to be nominated as 5th Best New Prog Act in the Prog Magazine Awards at the beginning of 2025. They have recently released selected remixed and remastered tracks from their first two albums as
“Whisper to the Lightning”, produced by Cosmograf’s Robin Armstrong. They are currently working on new songs for both an EP and a concept album for 2026.
Up next are Alphaline who are a boundary-blurring four-piece from Berkshire/Surrey, UK, known for fusing trip-hop, jazz, funk, ambient electronica, and alternative psychedelic rock into a sound that's both luminous and gritty. Influenced by the likes of Massive Attack, Porcupine Tree, and the fires of evolution and transformation itself, AlphaLine crafts immersive sonic journeys rooted in soul, grit, and a sense of cosmic wonder—music for seekers who feel deeply, think wildly, and move to their own rhythm.
Emerging from the underground with their debut EP Polarity, AlphaLine made an early mark with tracks like “Flatlining” earning airplay on BBC Introducing and Radio Wigwam, signalling a new energy stirring in the alternative scene. Their momentum exploded in 2025 when they won "Best Indie Rock Act" at the Radio Wigwam Awards, with growing international and internet radio play putting them firmly on the map.
Live, AlphaLine are a force of nature—blending hypnotic grooves, shimmering atmospheres, soaring vocals, and raw, magnetic energy into performances that hit just as hard as the music itself. From iconic venues to buzzing festivals, they've built a reputation for turning every stage into an unforgettable experience.
Their debut full-length album Electromagnetic (July 2024) captures the full sweep of their evolving sound: a 12-track journey through light and shadow, featuring both full and soundtrack versions of the ethereal "White Fire," a heavy club remix of "What U Gonna Do" (engineered by studio renegade DJ12Inch), and standout tracks like "Release," "Dual," and "Deluded." Available on all major streaming platforms, Electromagnetic marks a major evolution in AlphaLine’s journey—pushing their sound deeper, wider, and wilder into new sonic dimensions.
With press features in Reading Today and Wokingham Today, strong playlist support including five consecutive weeks on The RawSounds Playlist, growing support from radio stations and an expanding fanbase, AlphaLine is building a fire that’s only getting harder to ignore. And they're just getting started.
Under The Surface are Sanne Rambags - vocals / lyrics, Bram Stadhouders - guitars / compositions, Joost Lijbaart - drums, Lennart Heyndels - bass and Annabel Laura - vocals, guitar, keyboard, percussion, lyra
Improvisation, composition, language and culture meet, merge and influence each other. Under The Surface knows no boundaries. On their extraordinary third album, the group reflects on their own background and finds their own “folk”.
After the group’s first two completely free-improvisation albums, Under The Surface (2017) and Trinity (2019), both nominated for an Edison, the next step for Under The Surface is a fully composed album: Miin Triuwa.
Under The Surface was formed in 2015 and since then the band has enjoyed a great deal of international success. Drummer Joost Lijbaart recognized the group’s potential early on and organized more than 200 concerts in 25 countries on 4 continents: from Africa to South America, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Inspired by their many travels and the cultures they encountered, the group developed a unique improvisation language that combines jazz, folk, ethnic and electronic music.
With Miin Triuwa, Under The Surface embarks on a new musical journey with compositions by guitarist Bram Stadhouders. He wrote a suite of eight pieces in which the characters and qualities of the band members are transcendent. The constantly changing improvisations that are so characteristic of the band are now captured in a powerful musical statement that showcases what the band stands for. Instead of traveling to other worlds, in this project the group looks inward and explores how their own roots influence their music.
Under The Surface has a common drive to find the universal essence of different cultures. Thus, for this album the connection was made with the band’s own “forgotten” language, Old Dutch.
Spriggan Mist are no strangers to the Soundle as they played a triumphant set at the 2024 edition and they return to play the Saturday evening.
Originating in the Pagan folk world , Spriggan Mist have been catapulted onto the British Prog scene after a critically acclaimed performance at HRH Prog XI at the 02 in Sheffield. It was there that The Spriggs’ as they are affectionately known were labelled as Progressive Folk rock, and doors were kicked wide open to mainstream festivals such as Weyfest and Cambridge Rock Festival. As well as some great shows on the Prog scene across the country
However you label them Spriggan Mist’s version of Progressive folk rock is diverse and somewhat eclectic, blending overdriven guitars with instruments such as Saxophone, Recorders ,whistles and even a crumhorn creating a perfect backdrop for charismatic lead vocalist Fay Brotherhood to tell stories in that unique singing voice about Murderous Steampunk Mechanical Dragons , The Fae and a whole number of other mythical creatures. You leave a Spriggan Mist show having been truly entertained.
Headine Act on Saturday are The Blackheart Orchestra. More details to follow....
Sunday
Beatrix Players
Viper Soup Complex
Square Wild
FreeJam
Headine Act are dear Friends Franck Carducci & The Fantastic squad
You may also like the following events from VicsGigs:
- Next month, 11th March, 07:00 pm, McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle Little Ember Session In Oundle in Corby
- Next month, 19th March, 07:00 pm, Findlay Naper & Boo Hewerdine Little Ember Session Oundle in Peterborough
- This April, 8th April, 07:00 pm, Solstice Play Oundle with support from Leoni Jane Kennedy in Corby
Also check out other
Music events in Peterborough,
Entertainment events in Peterborough,
Festivals in Peterborough.
