Sat 6 June 2026 | Doors open 3.30pm | Tickets from £39.95 | All ages
Enjoy a brilliant line-up of Indie legends at this year’s unique, boutique one-day music festival Ryland Caravan, presented by MAC and Independent Country. Like an old-time travelling show, the Ryland Caravan – a tip of the hat to Cannon Hill Park benefactor, Louisa Ryland – pulls into the atmospheric surroundings of MAC’s Outdoor Theatre for the fourth year running.
- Era-defining band The House of Love, fronted by hugely influential songwriter Guy Chadwick, shine on this year’s line-up. A leading force in the late 80s / early 90s music scene, the band continue to bridge the gap between indie pop, psychedelia and post-punk in their magnetic live shows.
- Co-headliners Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band will showcase gems from Head’s incredible songbook which spans decades and has established Head as one of the UK’s most gifted songwriters, through his stints at the helm of critically-acclaimed groups Shack and The Strands and much-loved cult 1980s band, The Pale Fountains.
- Local talents Johnson & Finnemore and Ollie Cook & The Hogwash round out the set, while Birmingham’s favourite cowboys Independent Country return as your hosts, taking favourite indie classics on a rollicking, unexpected ride to Nashville and back.
The House of Love
The House of Love are one of the most distinctive and influential British bands of the last 40 years. Formed in London and fronted by songwriter Guy Chadwick, the band were a leading force on the late 80s/early 90s music scene, helping to define a sound that fused shimmering guitars, melodic intensity and emotionally direct songwriting – bridging the gap between indie pop, psychedelia and post-punk.
Rising to prominence on the legendary Creation Records, The House of Love earned widespread acclaim with a run of era-defining singles including “Shine On”, “Christine”, “I Don’t Know Why I Love You” and “The Beatles and the Stones”, before achieving mainstream success with the UK Top 10 hit “Destroy the Heart.” The band continue to captivate audiences, balancing classic material with deeper cuts in their magnetic live shows.
Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band
Across a career spanning more than four decades, Michael Head has established himself as one of Britain’s finest and most distinctive songwriters.
Emerging in the early 1980s as the frontman of cult Liverpool band The Pale Fountains, he then formed Shack, whose much-loved albums included Waterpistol and H.M.S. Fable. In the late 1990s he also led Michael Head and The Strands, recording the album The Magical World of the Strands, which has since rightly become regarded as one of the great lost records of its era.
With The Red Elastic Band, he has entered another rich chapter, with Adiós Señor Pussycat, Dear Scott and Loophole drawing widespread praise.
Johnson & Finnemore
| Stew and Dan are a Midlands-born duo who first joined forces in 2018 on the debut Swampmeat Family Band LP, with Stewart bringing over two decades of touring experience — including time with The Toy Hearts and a West End run in Great Balls of Fire — and Dan arriving fresh from nearly a decade writing and recording with US act Low Cut Connie, earning praise from the likes of Barack Obama and Jack White. Their debut album “Find A Love That Brings You Home” marks a more stripped-back chapter in their evolving partnership. |
Ollie Cook & The Hogwash
| Ollie Cook & The Hogwash are an Alternative Folk quintet from Birmingham. Having described themselves as “Brumicana Dad Rock”, Cook and his band embrace their slowly adopted ‘slacker’ ethos. After multiple years of performing Cook’s solo work, a spout of solitary songwriting came to an end. Favouring a more collaborative environment, Ollie would form The Hogwash with previous band members – Eddie Guthrie, Jack Brannon, Jaimie Jagger & Elliot Smith. What emerged was a new and fresh dynamic for Cook and the band, weaving through checked shirts and thick tweed. |
Your hosts: Independent Country
| Described as “the best thing I have EVER heard” by Jesus and Mary Chain’s Jim Reid, your hosts Independent Country are six cowboys from Birmingham (UK) who take indie classics on a rollicking, unexpected ride to Nashville and back. |
Cam ‘The Doc’ Docherty of Independent Country said:
“For this year’s Ryland Caravan, we’re totally blown away to welcome The House of Love, my own favourite band in my formative teenage years, who have stayed in my playlist ever since. We’re equally thrilled that one of the UK’s finest ever songwriters, Michael Head, is co-headlining with gems from his hugely melodic songbook that spans decades.
We’ll also be showing off Brum’s own local talent represented by Johnson & Finnemore and Ollie Cooke & The Hogwash – and as always your favourite alt cowboys Independent Country will be hitching up their wagon once again to take favourite indie classics on a rollicking, unexpected ride to Nashville and back.
In previous years, Ryland Caravan has played host to legends like Gerry Love from Teenage Fanclub, Miki Berenyi from Lush and Stuart Murdoch from Belle and Sebastian. We’re buzzing to keep the parade of indie royalty flowing at MAC again this year.”
Doors open at 3.30pm for this all-day cavalcade, with delicious food and drink available on the day.
For more information, go to macbirmingham.co.uk/ryland-caravan-2026.