It was a bit of a kick in the shins when Independent, organisers of Waves Festival, announced that this year’s event wouldn’t be going ahead; but the bad news didn’t last long – a follow-up post on socials quickly lifted spirits with the announcement of a one-off replacement: Ripples, an all-dayer at Inde-P set to fill the gap until Waves returns in 2026.
Essentially, Ripples is Waves-lite; 17 bands across three stages between Independent and Space Bar, with the familiar setup of moving from room to room and trying to catch your favourites up close.
Topping the bill are Brighton’s electrifying, bass-driven punk trio SNAYX, high-energy, psych-inspired Ellis·D, and powerhouse alt-rockers Jools. They’re joined by an eclectic mix of exciting emerging artists, many of whom hail from the region, if not Sunderland itself.
Keeping true to the Waves philosophy means a few of last year’s highlights won’t be returning, but that’s actually a testament to the strength of the Sunderland scene; there’s a huge local presence this year, with Lottie Willis, Patrick Gosling, Swindled, Critch, and Wool all flying the Sunderland flag. Add in brilliant regional talent like Marketplace (Hartlepool) and Leazes (Newcastle), and the North East is looking properly represented.
Other notable acts include Leeds-based electronic/disco outfit Galaxians (with new vocalist, Sunderland’s own Beccy Young), a Waves regular who’ve closed the festival for the past three years, and Manchester’s Distant Listening — who I caught at the mid-summer Klang event at the Saltgrass and highly recommend checking out if you can squeeze in.
All signs point to Ripples being a fantastic day of live music, celebrating some of the best new bands on the circuit. It might not be a like-for-like replacement for Waves, but it doesn’t need to be. Here’s hoping Waves makes a triumphant return in 2026… and maybe, if we’re lucky, there’ll be space for another Ripples next year too.
