Love Saves the Day 2026: Sammy Virji, Sub Focus & Rizzle Kicks

I was warned going in that: ‘it’s very young’, but getting older is non-negotiable and at some point you have to decide that as there’s only one direction of travel on that particular issue; you either stay home or decide that it’s someone else’s problem. So I jump on the shuttle bus. Immediately the anxiety sets in, when a lad (possibly too Gen Alpha to know better) asks with genuine puzzlement, ‘who even is Katy B?’ What am I walking into? 

I, of course, have no need to worry. I discover Dubtendo running their full Mario Kart-themed stage where the guiding philosophy seems to be ‘put a banging donk on it.’ They kick off the day with a glorious mess of pop music, gaming themes and bass from their ’Dubtendo All Stars’ which immediately dispel any doubts this will be a great day. With Mario Kart tokens and moustachioed men flying through the air to ‘Better Off Alone,’ I remember how good it is to dance with your mates and be a bit silly. 

Katy B makes a statement of exactly who she is from the off, opening with ‘Lights On’- and yes, before long the crowd absolutely does know who she is. She shows her depth with ‘Paradise’ , her track with Kings of the Rollers. By the time she ends on ‘Katy on a Mission’ with a sea of people on shoulders, the question on the bus feels very far away. Eve is next, true hip-hop royalty, bouncing onto the stage with ‘Who’s That Girl’ and taking the crowd on a tour of her career. This is exactly the singalong you’d expect as ‘Let me blow ya mind’ gets everyone going and she absolutely smashes it. 

The fun of Love Saves is the sheer diversity of music on display and your ability to sample all the genres in a single day. In a packed tent stage I find Hamdi absolutely ripping heads apart with a ridiculous set moving through different dubstep styles, quite clearly winning over new fans who’ve never encountered him before. 

The headliner is Sub Focus, who has clearly taken the diversity of genres to heart and takes us on a journey through house, acid techno via ‘that acid track by Marie Vaunt’ into ‘Heads will roll’ and much more before landing on Underworld to close. It’s an impressive mix that has the crowd in awe. As the fireworks light up the sky at the end of day one, the warnings about youth are thoroughly blown out the water.  Yes, the crowd skews slightly younger, but no one would feel out of place here, and Love Saves The Day reminds us that dancing has no age limit. 

Sunday is busier entirely because Rizzle Kicks are opening and everyone arrives early. They run through the hits, and I know most of them: ‘Lost Generation,’ ‘Back When I Was a Youngster’, ‘Mamma do the Hump’. Their unreleased new song ‘Living the Fucking Dream’ feels like an instant classic, a bouncy banger made to soundtrack exactly this kind of festival field. Ending with ‘Down With the Trumpets’, everyone is again on shoulders, as they should be. 

Basslayerz are throwing some serious DnB silliness around the tent, with wobbly basslines getting everyone dancing. Though in this 31° heat the flame effects are probably unnecessary. I’m sweating. Following this [IVY] b2b Mandidextrous, only raise the bar. Both are clearly having so much fun playing together that the energy is completely infectious, spinning a mix of hard style dance that’s cleverly accessible to the wide ranging audience here this weekend.  I’m sweating even more, they also love to use the flames.

Sammy Virji closes things out as headliner. A lot of attention is on his sets as one of the most popular current names in dance music, and he doesn’t disappoint. Mixing genres across a well-paced 90 minute set. He drops into a more soulful middle with ‘I Guess We’re Not The Same’ before pulling everyone back to the communal party with a Daft Punk segue into his hits and an incredible end to the day.  He’s having so much fun it was impossible not to be swept along with him.

The team behind Love Saves The Day describe it as their love letter to music and the electronic community. After two days in the sun at Ashton Court, it’s hard to argue. The grounds are beautiful, the infrastructure simple and easy to navigate, and the music does exactly what it promises. A huge variety of top-quality electronic music, some old favourites, some new discoveries, and a crowd united by the same basic instinct to dance. 

See you next year.