Fat Dog and Mike D 5D lead the first Mutations Festival 2026 line-up announcement
Mutations Festival has announced Fat Dog and Mike D 5D as its first headliners for 2026, with Brighton’s multi-venue event set to return on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October.
The eighth edition of the festival will once again spread across nine grassroots venues in the city, with more than 90 artists due to be revealed in the coming weeks. Tickets start at £35 and go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 22 July.
Fat Dog take top billing after new album release
Fat Dog will arrive at Mutations following the release of their second album, Cancel Me (I’m Tired), which is due out via Domino Records in October.
The expanded seven-piece, led by Joe Love, are returning to Brighton with new members and new material in tow. Their headline set follows earlier appearances at the festival, where the band were among the acts helping establish Mutations’ reputation for booking emerging artists before they break wider.
Cancel Me (I’m Tired) is described as moving between electro-pop, rave-driven intensity, psychedelic textures and country-leaning detours, while its lyrics take in addiction, family, AI, aliens and a scattered assortment of British cultural references.
A rare Brighton appearance from Mike D 5D
Mike D 5D, the live project led by Beastie Boys member Mike Diamond, will also perform a rare headline set at the festival. The group features Diamond alongside his sons Skyler and Davis Diamond, plus Eddie Ruscha, Will Graefe and Milo Ruscha.
The appearance will mark the first live show in Brighton by a Beastie Boys member since the group played the Brighton Centre with Run-DMC in May 1987.
Diamond’s debut solo album, Thank You, is released through Capitol Records on 28 August. The 13-track record has been billed as a collection of post-electronic grooves and off-centre hooks, with Rolling Stone describing the project as “embodied with the punk energy that led to his band’s early breakthrough”.
Find Mike D’s album details here.
Nine Brighton venues host the festival
Mutations Festival 2026 will take place across Chalk, Patterns, Revenge, The Hope and Ruin, Green Door Store, Dust, The Prince Albert, Folklore Rooms and Alphabet.
The event has previously hosted early Brighton appearances from artists including CMAT, Yard Act, Sprints, The Last Dinner Party, Wunderhorse, English Teacher, Kneecap, Arooj Aftab and Big Special.
Tickets and further festival information are available from the official Mutations Festival website.
