Leicesterval: Leicester Indiepop Weekender 2027

Fifteen years. That's how long we'll have been doing this by the time the 2027 edition rolls around, our third weekender growing ever upwards and outwards. Saturday runs from 2pm to around 10.30pm followed by an indiepop disco with some special guest DJs at Duffy's Bar (round the corner on Pocklingtons Walk) until gone 1am. Then we reconvene on Sunday from 3pm to 8.30pm. ALSO: we're adding a FREE warm-up on Friday 26th February at Duffy's, with PINK OPAQUE (Sheffield synth spangliness), VELVET CRISIS (unapologetic garage punk from the Riotous Collective stable), ALEX HALE & THE PRIVATE SECTOR (anti-cool sharp indiepop) and THE SUNBATHERS (landlocked shoreline wistfulness), TBC but likely 7pm-10.30pm. SATURDAY: LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS Emerging out of Belfast, Language Of Flowers spent the mid-2000s gaining a reputation for their their post-C86 band of classic janglepop songwriting. Reforming in 2025 they don't play live that often, which makes a return to where it partly began a special occasion. BRITISH BIRDS Our co-headliners' DIY observationally mounted psych-garage-pop stew is gathering speed around their third album and first on Skep Wax, Murmurate, Oscillate, and their energetic live reputation spread through supporting BC Camplight, The Lovely Eggs and The Bug Club. NO PEELING They call it 'egg punk', this kind of fast short sharp stabs of art-punk that the quintet from the Nottingham DIY underground deal in with a lyrical lean towards the absurdity of everyday life. May 2026's EP2 features seven tracks in nine minutes. SIMON LOVE 'The One True Prince Of Wales (in exile after abdication)' is what the former/occasional leader of The Loves called 2026's fourth solo album, his pop nous sharpened to a literate, alternately cynical and self-lacerating point. HIBBETT & CHRISTOPHER Like Love, MJ Hibbett is making his third proper appearance at Leicesterval, this time in a new guise as pathos-laden almost crooner collaborating with Chris T-T on piano, stripped back but no less effective in his humorously observational eye. PRECIOUS METALS Gaining a reputation in their Sheffield base for their psychedelically inclined lively, spiky post-punk stewed jangliness, they describe themselves as "Cate Le Bon fronting the B-52s" and you're going to love them. FALLING AND LAUGHING Around for about twenty years all told and only releasing an album in 2026, we've wanted to get the Birmingham duo for a while, their indiepop attack buffed by quiet-loud dynamics, wry lyrical content and sheer affability. MISSKICKS Another product of the reliable Riotous Collective, MissKicks are noisy and scrappy in the best way, "inspired by the drama of everyday life", having supported Tulpa and NYC riot grrls Mona Freaka in 2026. SUNDAY: THE SPOOK SCHOOL Eleven years after a memorable Leicesterval debut they're back, not just to Leicester but from the moon with an upcoming album Like A Heartbeat, "explor(ing) themes of gender identity, queerness, and self-acceptance through energetic, melodic pop that blends humour with emotional honesty." Last time they played the Midlands they sold out a bigger room than Firebug. You'll want to be there. CURRLS Unapologetically charismatic garage-punks from Brighton, Lamacq, Huw, Marc Riley and Radio 1's Alyx Holcombe have all got behind their raw and uncompromising huge hook-laden melodic attack, "encouraging listeners to embrace self-love and resilience". GAY SKELETON CLUB The empathically queerpunx trio have at time of writing one single out but we've fallen for their melodic indie-punk, their glorious snappy songs about skeletons, cats and far less good things brought to Fightmilk support and Skep Wax's Pets Sounds compilation. COURT JESTER The new identity of Leicester mainstay Courtney Askey, Court Jester is a vehicle to bring bedroom synths and electronics to contemplative lyrics and send both in unexpected directions, in their own words "part pop, part doom, part dance". COUNT JAAKOLA London-based Finn Tiia Jaakola, who was Allo Darlin's live keyboardist on their last UK tour - their Paul Rains is part of her live band - makes DIY dreamscapes of synthpop ethereality that often nods to classic pop shapes. Firebug is an 18+ venue after 7pm. Please bear in mind that the upstairs venue is only accessible via stairs, whilst the downstairs area has only one step up to the entrance.