NEWS: No Play Festival Wave 2 Announcement

“The sun rises and I hit rewind.“

An already stacked lineup from the first announcement, No Play Festival has bolstered an already stacked bill, announcing eight new and exciting additions, including a headliner, international acts, and some smaller, more local talent.

Fronting this new announcement is the festival’s headlining act, Stick To Your Guns. A band already renowned for their exciting, energetic live performances, it’s about time they headlined an international festival, and No Play feels like the perfect fit for them. No strangers to UK soil, they’ve played on a handful of tours, including supporting Paleface Swiss, and closing out 2000Trees‘ “The Cave” stage just a year prior. You may be asking, “what makes No Play any different?”, and it seems the festival has already considered that as well. The key difference is that their set will be a no-barrier set. It will be a raw, unfiltered performance, with crowd interaction being at an all-time high. This is the way that Stick To Your Guns are meant to be heard.

Then we have Roman Candle, one of the best up-and-coming scramz/hardcore bands in the US right now. Having just recently put out their debut album, Unadulterated, they’re an obvious must-see for anybody planning on attending the fest. One of the best debut releases in recent memory, Unadulterated has so much to offer, but it’s in a live setting where these tracks will truly shine. Having quickly made a name for themselves in the US for their raw, energy-filled performances, there’s no better place to catch their set than at No Play. They are set to return in support of Split Chain shortly afterwards – why not catch them early to see what you think?

A smattering of smaller acts flank these heavy-hitters, with Stoke-on-Trent’s Invasion and London’s Sunday Best amongst the smaller names, and scene heroes Malignant Methods also making a rare appearance. If you’re even remotely into the heavy scene, you need to check these bands out. Smaller bands are what keep the scene alive, and No Play giving them a platform is nothing short of admirable. Here at Boolin, we’ve had the pleasure of catching some of these bands already, and we’re telling you now that they will not disappoint.

Once again, we cannot stress this enough, but this isn’t even the full lineup. Already looking to be one of the strongest day-fests in recent memory, No Play already has plenty to offer. If, somehow, this isn’t enough for you yet, we strongly urge you to keep in mind that there is still more to come and that any new additions will undoubtedly be fantastic.

The full list of wave two additions is:
Stick To Your Guns
Roman Candle
Dormant
Fools Game
Invasion
Malignant Methods
Safeguard
Sunday Best

No Play 2026 takes place in Liverpool city centre on the 5th September, with tickets available for purchase here.