Mike D’s first Brighton show in almost 40 years and a riotous Fat Dog headline set lead the first wave of acts for October’s multi-venue music festival.
Mutations Festival has revealed its first headliners for 2026 – and they’re not messing about.
Joining the bill for this October’s multi-venue festival are Mike D 5D, the new live project from Beastie Boys legend Mike Diamond, aka Mike D, alongside one of the UK’s most exhilarating live bands, Fat Dog.
Mike D’s appearance is particularly notable. It’ll be the first time a member of the Beastie Boys has performed in Brighton since the group’s now-legendary Brighton Centre show with Run-DMC way back in 1987. His new project sees him joined by his sons Skyler and Davis Diamond, plus Eddie Ruscha, Will Graefe and Milo Ruscha, performing material from his debut solo album Thank You, which lands in August.
Meanwhile, Fat Dog return to Brighton as festival headliners after rapidly becoming one of the UK’s most talked-about live acts. Known for their riotous, anything-can-happen performances, the seven-piece will arrive armed with new music from their forthcoming second album Cancel Me (I’m Tired), due out in October.
The eighth edition of Mutations takes place on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th October, once again taking over some of Brighton’s best-loved grassroots music venues. More than 90 artists are still to be announced over the coming weeks, so watch this space for updates.
Part of what has made Mutations such a fixture in Brighton’s music calendar is its knack for booking artists just before they explode. Previous editions have featured future stars including The Last Dinner Party, English Teacher, Wunderhorse, Kneecap, CMAT, Yard Act and Sprints before many of them graduated to much bigger stages.
This year’s festival will once again spread across nine brilliant Brighton venues: Chalk, Patterns, Revenge, The Hope & Ruin, Green Door Store, Dust, The Prince Albert, Folklore Rooms and Alphabet.
Weekend tickets start at £35 and early-bird tickets go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 22nd July – pop it in your calendars!
Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th October, 2026; various venues; from £35
mutationsfestival.com
Photo credits: Quinn Graham and Emma Toma
