Festival Review: Origins Festival Hereford 2026
Friday 25th – Saturday 26th September 2026
The Victory is a proper local pub—feels like rock music has been soaked into the walls for years. Pulling up and seeing people outside in full rock and metal gear, I knew I was in the right spot straight away. Inside, the ceilings are high and the bar is actually built to look like the side of a wooden ship. Further back, there’s a tight back room with a small stage prepped for the night. People were at the bar greeting each other like old friends, which set a great community vibe before any music started.
The three piece lads from Bristol VSX opened up the live music around 6:00. They played a catchy alternate rock set filled with bouncy bass lines and catchy guitar licks. The lads kept up plenty of cheeky banter with the crowd, getting people dancing early on. Fronted by Jake Williams on lead guitar and vocals, Lou Hopcutt on bass and backing vocals, and Damo Goldsmith on drums, they did a fantastic job warming up the room. Their new song Washed was a real highlight and well worth a listen on Spotify.
Things got a lot heavier when Cardiff four-piece Risperidrone stepped up. They brought a thick, guitar-heavy grunge sound, with lead guitarist Kew looking the part with big hair and massive riffs alongside frontman Fin on lead vocals and guitar. Ioan’s crashing cymbals and Charlie’s heavy bass built a huge wall of noise, topped off with Fin’s vocals shifting back and forth between clean lines and guttural growls. They ran through Embalmed, Wizard Weed, After Dark, and Anvil, but Black Shuck—the title track from their debut album last August—stole the set. It started out with a heavy 90s Nirvana feel before erupting into raw noise that the crowd loved.
For a total change of pace, Wayne King came out with a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody to introduce the Lili Del Fflur burlesque lineup. Featured artists Miss Cocoa Amore, Kittie Phoenix, Bonnie Darko, Mistress Macabre, and Coco Robanne put on an entertaining, hypnotic show. Then things took a wild turn with the sideshow danger routine as Frances Widow pushed right through the pain threshold—swinging a beer can from a rod in her nose, spinning a keg off her ears, and finishing up with a spectator standing on her while she was sandwiched between two beds of nails.
Headliners Shape of Water finished off Friday with a high-energy set that attacked every sense. The three piece set list included to name a few – Out Of Time, Last Goodbye, She Never Sleeps Alone, Where I Belong and Snoot. And also included a fantastic cover of the weekends Blinding Lights. Rox on lead vocals and bass was locked in tight with Keyton’s heavy drumming, while Luca commanded the stage delivering massive lead guitar riffs while looking every inch the rock star, he even came out among the crowd mid song and shred right in the middle of them. Their sound jumped from 80’s synth to electric art rock. Rox showed off a huge vocal range and also cut a piano solo mid set that got massive applause. Silence of the Lambs was the biggest tune of the night, getting the packed room rocking and whistling right to the end.
A big shoutout goes to sound engineer Shaun, who dialled in a punchy mix for every act in a tight room, backed up by great lighting. Massive thanks to Craig and the organizers for having me out—it was a cracking Friday event and hopefully the start of a very successful annual rock and metal festival for Hereford.
By: Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson Photography Live Music & Events