This recap takes us to lovely Leeds, for something that – shockingly to anyone who didn’t read the title upon accessing – isn’t Slam Dunk.

No, no. Handfest is a festival that, in its third year, is organised by UK skacore supremos Random Hand, with instalments at Brudenell Social Club in Leeds and The Dome, London. Both versions take place in between two different rooms, with the audience getting their steps in swapping between them.

Bringing together a bunch of scene friends covering the ever-vast punk spectrum, Handfest Leeds ’26 was jam-packed with sets and hangs across the evening of the Friday 30th, and all day Saturday 31st January. Let’s get into that Friday first…

Old Radio

Kicking off the whole Hand shebang (that can not be how that is spelled – oh wait, it is.) was skacore five-piece Old Radio from Liverpool.

Fast-paced and rage-filled anti-fash tunes filled these lads’ set, blending distorted offbeat riffs with rapped and melodically yelled vocals. They did save some of their allotted time for a bit of grooving with a couple of slower tracks, however.

We in attendance were also treated to a cheeky Beastie Boys cover – it wouldn’t be a ska punk fest without a play on popular stuff from the ’80’s, after all!

Brassick

Next up was spirited hardcore punk outfit Brassick from the West Midlands. Their bassist and guitarist’s riffs were on point – at times, I would have thought there were three axes on that stage if I was visually impaired in some way.

Screamed lyrics discussed a search for true belonging, along with the various elements of bigotry and greed that plague our world.

There was still room for a shared laugh however – as with many of the acts – including the sharing of a quick tale entailing some of the band needing to relieve themselves on the way up to Leeds. We’ve all been there.

The Hostiles

Back with the ol’ ska now with American-fronted west Scotland outfit The Hostiles, who brought clearly third wave-inspired goodness to the masses. It was awesome to briefly speak with frontman Josh at the merch table later on, too!

Party tunes laced with regret and painful strives for hope were the order of the day, accompanied by a trumpet-trombone combo.

We were also treated to a cover of the same Beastie Boys song as the one Old Radio performed earlier – no complaints at all, for it really wouldn’t be a ska punk fest without a play on popular stuff from the ’80’s. The first reader to guess which song that was gets a cookie.

Zen Baseballbat

Oooh, so this lot were pleasantly different in style altogether, and particularly highly anticipated among some mates I’d chatted with in the lead-up.

Warrington-based Zen Baseballbat are a band that performed a wonderful melting pot of ska, funk and ’80’s (we STAN that decade!) new wave. Think a mix of Eurythmics, Madness and Talking Heads, and you’ll be on the right track.

Dancey vibes manifested by keys and rhythmic guitars thinly concealed an undercurrent of dissatisfaction around the current political climate.

Pickled Dick

We were then back in the Community Room for some pop punk from Pickled Dick – formerly known as Mike TV, and even further back, Pickled Dick. This was their second Handfest appearance, having returned under their current band name at Handfest London 2024.

These punk scene veterans from Hampshire, performing as a three-piece, got the crowd chanting for “more dick” with some three-pronged, harmonic choruses and ’90s West Coast US-esque (try saying that three times fast) riffs.

I and the rest of those in attendance were relieved to know Domb ended up being ok, having felt faint towards the end of the set.

Wonk Unit

Another group brought back once again by the Hand lads was London legends Wonk Unit, who do songs about problems with the rich and politics generally, along with romantic complications and – obviously – horses.

Helping the peeps prep for the headliners by initiating “reggae dancing”, the group blazed through their set with typical guile and whimsy, the latter of which always works well as a keyboard-backed juxtaposition to most of the subject matters Alex and co cover.

Notably (I guess anything can be notable if you put your mind to it 🤔), the band performed with their original drummer Mez, following the recent departure of long-term stickmaster Max.

Random Hand | Hando No.5 in Full

Rounding off the first evening of the fest was a full rendition of Random Hand’s latest album. It was a real treat hearing certain tracks from their back catalogue outside studio recordings, for the first time.

For ‘Here Lies The Music’, the band brought in Elsie from local talents HELLE to do guest vocals in place of Becca from The Marmozets, who featured on the studio album – and Elsie nailed it!

Because the lads had time to spare once those songs were all done, they provided some extra songs from earlier releases – a sign of things to come the next evening.

Closing Remarks

The Friday of Handfest Leeds 2026 was, from my perspective, a delightfully varied showcase of bands that got a well deserved spotlight, along with tried-and-tested familiarity in terms of acts later on.

I have always enjoyed the performance of albums in full – an endeavour previously carried out by RH with first LP Change of Plan at London 2024 – and this evening was no exception.

Overall, my first impressions of how Leeds do Handfest on home turf for Random Hand, and the Brudenell, were completely positive. To see if that is maintained on the Saturday, check out my recap of day two here 😏

Thanks very much for reading. Up the Posh, and up the Punx 🤘