Returning for it’s ninth year Darlington’s Last Train Home Festival once again cemented it’s reputation for bringing amazing new music, established acts and a good dose of comedy to this part of North East England. Organised and promoted by Tracks Darlington, a music collective that not only brings the festival to town but works tirelessly throughout the year to support activities and events for the benefit of local musicians and audiences. Timed to finish so that those attending can catch the last train from Darlington station – just a 10 minute walk away – to a significant number of places including Newcastle, Leeds and York this year’s event was, in the words of more than a few attendees, possibly the best yet. That’s really saying something when you consider previous years have seen blistering performances from Pigs x 7, The Lovely Eggs, Hot Wax, PINS, and Avalanche Party.
Five main stages, four showcasing bands and one, Hilarity Bites, for comedy spread across three venues with a maximum 3 or 4 minute walk between those furthest apart mean it’s easy to get from one to another. And, if the weather happens to be awful (it wasn’t) you can stroll between three of them without going outside and the other two are in the same building just up the road. From the stunning surrounds of the 120 year old Hippodrome Theatre, the ultra modern Hullabaloo Theatre, a tiny upstairs lounge and the The Forum Music Studios this is a festival where your feet might ache from dancing but they won’t ache from walking all over between venues.
Whatever your musical tastes it’s more than likely you’ll find a band/artist you’ll love. Pop, sludge-rock, punk, post-punk, indie, contempory jazz/soul – Last Train Home brought it all, and more. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Everyone will find something to enjoy. Unless of course they don’t like music.
Brilliantly organised, full of like minded people, great staff, bar and food prices that don’t make your eyes water. Friendly, inclusive and safe. If you’re on your own you’ll have new mates by the end of the day. Ticket prices for this year were kept the same as 2025. £25 for over thirty bands/musicians and another nine acts on the comedy stage. Seriously, what’s not to like?
The irony of a late train (cows on the line somewhere down near London) meant I arrive at 2.15pm instead of 1.00 and manage to witness twelve bands. I like full sets rather than dashing about trying to see just a couple of songs from nearly everyone playing. And considering the number of gigs I go to every year it was a pleasant surprise to find that this year’s line-up featured just three I’ve seen before. Proof indeed that there are so many great bands around nowadays. People just need to look away from the massive arenas to witness the sheer volume of talent playing in independent venues.
I catch just a couple of songs from Anna Karila on the Noisy Daughters stage. New to me and wow, what a stunning voice. Her cover of the Stones ‘Wild Horses’ is, quite simply, gorgeous. Northern Hospitality tear the Narc.Mag Stage apart with their punk influenced rock n roll. Singer/guitarist Gaz Price is an absolute powerhouse as the band punch through the fast paced, foot tapping, ‘Goodbye To Shrangri-La’, ‘Don The Balaclava’, ‘Runaway Like Me’ and more.
Back on the Noisy Daughters stage Nano Kino are playing their first gig since the release this week of debut album ‘Object A’. Packed full of catchy hooks, spikey guitar courtesy of Duncan Lloyd (Maximo Park). Their songs veer from dreamy pop to a full on sonic charge all topped with the ethereal vocals of Sarah Suri. Think the best of 90’s shoegaze with a distinct harder edge.
The lush surrounds of the Hippodrome are perfect for the hypnotic voice of Katie Grace. Together with her band she delivers a brilliant set of guitar driven, atmospheric pop songs that soar round this old theatre.
When your mate who sees hundreds of bands a year says “This lot will be right up your street.” you know a band is going to be good. Wench are phenomenal. Loud, passionate, angry, ferocious songs packed with an attitude and energy that hits you hard and batters you relentlessly for a full thirty minutes. A spellbinding set, one that confirms the future of punk is in safe hands. Get your ears round their EP ‘Relaxing Rain Sounds For Baby Sleep’. You won’t be disappointed and surely worth it for the title alone.
Risco pack out The Forum main stage and rightly so. Their mod/garage influenced rock n roll is full of swagger, addictive beats and a chemistry between all three members, but particularly bassist Maya and vocalist/guitarist Ralf that shines through. Everything about Risco demands your attention – the songs, the stage presence, the energy that oozes from the stage. In a fair world we’ll soon see Risco headlining a stage at one of the numerous, brilliant one day festivals in the North East and it won’t be too long before they’re just as popular countrywide.
Back on the Narc Mag Stage Claudia are raw and powerful. Fuzzy, heavy bass riffs, screeching vocals, pounding drums that’s all actually very catchy and heads are bobbing within seconds of opener ‘Revolt’ starting. Full of commentary about social expectations and challenging those unspoken rules Claudia pack a tremendous punch with songs such as ‘Peer Pressure’ whilst raging about shit jobs in ‘My Boss’. Set closer ‘Dog Food’ is nothing short of incendiary.
The Empty Page deliver another standout set of the day. Packed full of social commentary and huge shout outs against depressingly common attitudes we still too often see from ignorant people their music is punk with emotion, energy and genuine passion for what they believe in. Kel on bass/vocals and Giz with his superb guitar work dominate the stage as they hammer out ‘When We Gonna Run’, rage against the pervasive marketing of beauty products and the expectations placed on women in ‘A Feminine Ending’, call out the loud, brash, cocky, swaggering jocks in ‘Cock Of The Fifth Year’ with it’s yell of “Lock up your sons”. And with ‘Dry Ice’ The Empty Page deliver a perfect slice of foot tapping punk rock n roll.
Narc.Mag Stage is absolutely rammed for Bitchfinder General and so it should be. A perfect blend of DIY punk attitude, disjointed sounds, sometimes shouty, sometimes quietly emotional and at times a little chaotic. Non-stop energy, a song about slasher movies, a shout out to all the dads in the audience in ‘Be My Dad’ Bitchfinder General are just great fun and yet another festival highlight.
What to say about Benefits that hasn’t been said before? Their headline set in The Forum is the final instalment of their long spell promoting ‘Constant Noise’ and this reviewer can’t wait to see what they deliver next. Tonight, like all Benefits shows, isn’t just a gig it’s something you really experience. You can literally feel the noise, the anger and the beats pounding you from the stage. There’s no singing just spoken work, vicious shouting and behind the searing commentary from Kingsley Hall are the beats, the drone, the electronic pulses. Add in the fact it’s almost an hour of constant strobes, flashes of blinding white light piercing a blanket of red and a silhouette pounding the stage or hunched over a soundboard, mic chord wrapped around his neck, sweat dripping and, as Hall said before they started properly, you’d be forgiven if it got too much and felt the need to leave. That’s what Benefits do. They push musical boundaries to the extreme and in doing so test your own limits. How much thought provoking, anxiety inducing, political, tormenting, gut wrenching rage can we endure. There’s no relief. That’s deliberate. And it’s brilliant.
My ‘Last Train Home’ leaves at 10:20 pm so I don’t get to spend as much time as I’d like with Noisy Daughters Stage headliners Lucia And The Best Boys. They go down a storm with their clever merging of rock and pop soundscapes. Lucia Fairfull has the crowd hooked and they’re lapping up every moment of her mesmerising stage presence. Sadly after just a couple of songs and a few photographs I need to dash.
Last Train Home Festival did it again. Friendly, well organised, amazing value, brilliant bands covering practically all musical tastes, great staff and what better feeling is there than being surrounded by people with a common goal – music lovers having a great day listening to great sounds. Roll on LTH ’27.
words/photos: steve white
Click on any image below to open a slide show of images from the day.
