FAWNS are set to return to Aelius Alternative Festival 2026 this Saturday, bringing their indie-folk sound to one of the North East’s most grassroots-focused days of live music. The Newcastle festival takes place on Saturday 18 April 2026 across The Globe, Head of Steam and Mosaic Tap, with FAWNS scheduled to play Mosaic Tap from 21:45 to 22:15.
For the duo, that sense of grassroots support is a big part of why the festival matters. “It’s always really lovely to be a part of something so heavily focused on grass roots,” they say. “We are both very excited and, as always, nervous but we are both pretty confident it’s going to be very nice.” That mix of warmth, honesty and self-awareness runs right through the band’s answers, and it feels like a good fit for an event that has built its name around local artists, local venues and giving smaller acts a proper platform. Aelius says this year’s edition marks its third return, with more than 160 creatives supported across its first two years.
Asked how they would describe themselves to anyone catching them for the first time, FAWNS keep it simple: “We’re an indie-folk duo. We like to write sad songs that make you cry, but we chuck in some really nice harmonies to soften the blow. We have maybe one song that’s happy. (ish)” It is the kind of answer that tells you a lot in a few lines. There is emotion in what they do, but there is personality too, and that balance sounds like it will shape their set at Aelius as much as the songs themselves.
That comes through even more when they talk about what people can expect on the day. “You can expect sad songs but it’s not all doom and gloom,” they say. “We tend to be daft between songs and don’t take ourselves seriously, so you might get a laugh out of us too.” It is a nice reminder that not every quiet or emotionally heavy set has to feel weighed down. FAWNS clearly lean into feeling, but they are not interested in presenting themselves as overly serious either. There is room for a laugh, a bit of chaos and the odd unpredictable moment too.
They are not planning to reinvent things just because it is a festival slot. FAWNS say it will still be the two of them with guitar, banjo and harmonicas, though they admit they will be doing what they can to settle nerves ahead of a headline appearance. “It’s such an honour to be invited at all, let alone have a headline slot,” they say. That gratitude sits naturally alongside the scale of the occasion. Aelius has become one of the more visible grassroots festivals in the region, and a closing slot at Mosaic Tap gives them a strong place in this year’s running order.
There are a couple of songs they already know could land particularly well live. “November is always one of our favourites to play live,” they say, before quickly undercutting that confidence with a joke about now probably messing it up. Their song Bags and Boxes comes with even more of a warning, with the duo saying it has made people cry at previous gigs. That tells you plenty about where FAWNS work best: songs that hit emotionally, but never without a bit of dry humour around the edges.
That honesty carries into the bigger picture too. When asked why festivals like Aelius matter, they do not dress it up. “The music industry is broken,” they say, pointing to how hard it can be for smaller artists and venues to keep going, especially for disabled musicians trying to sustain creative work alongside health struggles. It is one of the most grounded parts of the Q&A, and it lines up closely with what Aelius has positioned itself around this year through its continued focus on grassroots spaces and independent culture in Newcastle.
There is also new material on the way. FAWNS say they have two new songs ready, including Another Life, which has only been played once before, and a second brand new track that is still unnamed. For a duo who say they have not had new material for a few years, that feels like one of the more important parts of where they are at right now. They describe writing again as one of their biggest recent steps forward, especially with life and health getting in the way at times. It does not read like a band trying to force momentum for the sake of it. It reads like people pleased to have found their way back into making new things together.
That probably makes Aelius a fitting place for this set to happen. FAWNS are not arriving with a polished, overworked story about career milestones. What comes through instead is something more like real affection for local music, a bit of self-deprecating humour, and songs built to actually make people feel something. In a festival built around grassroots spaces and local talent, that should be more than enough.
Aelius Alternative Festival 2026 takes place on Saturday 18 April across The Globe, Head of Steam and Mosaic Tap in Newcastle, with tickets from £17 plus fees via Fatsoma. FAWNS play Mosaic Tap from 21:45 to 22:15.