North Shields will be taken over by new music again this May as A Stone’s Throw Festival 2026 returns for a full day across the town’s independent venues.
The multi-venue festival takes place on Saturday 23 May 2026, with stages at Salt Market Social, Salt Market Social #2, The Engine Room, Three Tanners Bank, King Street Social Club and The Exchange 1856. Wristband exchange runs from 12pm to 9pm at Salt Market Social, which makes that the obvious starting point before heading out across the route.
It is a festival built around movement. Not a main-stage-and-barrier sort of day. More of a “check the clashes, pick a route, change your mind halfway through” kind of thing. One ticket gets you into the venues, then it is down to how much you want to squeeze in.
There is help with getting around too. A Stone’s Throw says most stages are within walking distance, but a dedicated festival bus will run continuous loops across the site throughout the day, with stops positioned close to each participating venue. The festival FAQ also says the shuttle bus service is included in the ticket price, with a free-entry double-decker bus circulating between venues.
This year’s line-up is headed by Luvcat, Working Men’s Club, Panic Shack and Chalk, with a packed bill running from early afternoon through to late evening. There are plenty of names already making noise elsewhere, but the pull of A Stone’s Throw is that you do not have to treat it like a headline-only festival. The smaller rooms matter here. The early sets matter too.
For SoundBite, that local thread is the bit worth shouting about. Hector Gannet play King Street Social Club at 5.15pm, bringing a strong North Shields connection to the day. Charlie Floyd are at The Exchange 1856 at 4.45pm, while House Proud close out The Engine Room from 9.45pm. The Rooks play Salt Market Social at 4.30pm, and Bottle Rockets are at Three Tanners Bank at 8pm.
That is where these days can really work. You might buy the ticket because you know the bigger names, but you leave talking about someone you caught by accident in a smaller room. That is not a throwaway thing for local music. It is how new favourites start.
The Exchange 1856 has Loren Heat opening its stage at 3.30pm, followed by Charlie Floyd, Chartreuse, Billy Reekie and Luvcat, who close the venue from 9pm to 10pm.
At Salt Market Social, the day starts earlier, with Smith & Liddle at 1.30pm, then Formal Sppeedwear, The Rooks, Lots of Hands, Fright Years, Imogen and the Knife and Working Men’s Club, who play from 9.45pm to 10.45pm.
The second Salt Market stage brings Burnout, Nothing Rhymes With Orange, Cutscene, Spacecadetbloom and Slaney Bay, while Three Tanners Bank hosts Cherryholt, Faeda, Central Arcade, Tough Cookie, Bottle Rockets, Ain’t and Idle Hands.
Over at The Engine Room, the line-up runs through Lottie Willis, Beattie, WRKHOUSE, City Parking, Tidetied, Croíthe and House Proud. King Street Social Club has Adult Leisure, Gia Ford, Hector Gannet, Bean Magazine, Chalk and Panic Shack, with Panic Shack closing that room from 10.30pm to 11.15pm.
The clashes are going to be part of it. There is no clean way to see everything, and that is probably the point. A Stone’s Throw works best when you stop trying to do it perfectly. Get your wristband, have a rough plan, then leave enough space to follow the noise from one venue to the next.
There is also something good about seeing North Shields used this way. Salt Market Social, The Engine Room, Three Tanners Bank, King Street Social Club and The Exchange 1856 are not just names on a poster. For one day, they become a proper live music trail through the town, with food spots, wristband exchange and the festival bus helping tie the route together.
The festival also lands on the same weekend as Sunderland’s One Big Summer Launch Weekend, making it a busy few days for music and culture across the North East. While One Big Summer brings free creative activity into Sunderland city centre, A Stone’s Throw gives North Shields its own all-day music route.
For anyone into new music, local venues or just finding something different before everyone else catches on, this is one to have marked. Do not just turn up late for the biggest name. Get there early. Catch the local sets. Let the day surprise you a bit.
A Stone’s Throw Festival 2026 takes place on Saturday 23 May 2026 across multiple venues in North Shields.
Tickets and more information:
https://www.astonesthrowfestival.co.uk/