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Counterflows 2026
9-12 April

Scotland’s longest running festival of experimental and marginal music is back. Its gives us great pleasure to reveal the full artist line-up, welcoming a carefully threaded-together cast of local and international artists.

The full festival passes are now sold out, but some individual event passes are now on sale below.

Over the 4 days of the festival there will be live performances, club nights, film screenings, a small publishers fair and discussions. Nae headliners, nae scheduling clashes, nae nonsense. We’re a festival about bringing people together, listening together, dancing together, and opening up possibilities.

This year we’re making a few small changes: All the evening events will take place at the Woodside Halls, a venue we felt was cosy, great sounding and the right sort of vibe for what we do. The festival will still explore different spaces of Glasgow, with daytime programmes, hang-outs and clubs dotted around carefully selected venues in the City Centre and West End. We’ll be keeping it intimate, sensitively laid-out and sounding great, with ample breaks so you can chill out and get food.

Festival Schedule

View as:
19 events
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Mono

Project Ability X Counterflows exhibition
Thu 9 April 2026, 13:00

Exhibition dates: 2 April, 2026 – 25 April, 2026 Counterflows is delighted to announce its continued collaboration with Project Ability, building on the success of last year’s inspiring partnership. As part of this year’s programme, artists from Project Ability’s Aspire studio have once again creatively reimagined the profile images of performers appearing in the festival. […]

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Woodside Hall

Remont Pomp + Rhodri Davies / Áine O’Dwyer (duo) + Agnès Pe
Thu 9 April 2026, 18:00

Counterflows kicks off with a night of sprawling collaborative endeavour. Spanish multi-media artist Agnès Pe opens the festival with a performance of ‘Doo, who, rrrr or brrr. A masquerade symphony’, a composition for multiple kazoos, performed by a selection of people who have no knowledge of musical notation. The cyclical structure of the composition is […]

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The Art School - Assembly

Counterflows Hang out with Hexakaidecagon & DJs
Thu 9 April 2026, 22:00

Counterflows Hang-Outs are time to gather your thoughts and chat in between events. Our first late night Hang-out takes place in the Art School, welcoming mischievous Glasgow duo Hexakaidecagon: a band that shares members with Benicio del Trainwreck, Asparagus Piss Raindrop, Dome Riders, Peeesseye, etc. They are absolutely thrilled to welcome situations in which possibilities […]

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Woodside Hall

Ryu Hankil – Rubber Balloon Orchestra Workshop (all ages)
Fri 10 April 2026, 10:30

Sign up details here. This workshop explores basic physical acoustic phenomena and interesting sound effects through simple crafting. Using objects including a rubber balloon, a cup and a rubber band, participants will create a balloon percussion instrument and a balloon flute. The aim of the workshop is to form a balloon orchestra and perform together, […]

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Adelaide Place

Counterflows on Paper 2026 Launch
Fri 10 April 2026, 12:30

Join us as we celebrate this year’s edition of the Counterflows Zine. Featuring: live readings from Nisha Ramayya and Sarah Lasoye, a special solo performance from Ali Robertson, and DJ sets from Masa Nazzal and DJ Lanyard. Counterflows On Paper 2026 features new writing by Lola Olufemi, Nisha Ramayya, dundee radio club, Masa Nazzal, Lewis […]

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Woodside Hall

Ryu Hankil – Human Field Recorder and Player Workshop (16-25 year olds only)
Fri 10 April 2026, 13:00

Important note: The workshop is for 16–25* year olds. There are 10–15 places There will be tea and coffee provided. Sign up details here. Participants will be invited to choose a space to listen in, and write down the most memorable or distinct sounds, exactly as heard. The writing can use onomatopoeia, phonetic symbols, or […]

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Adelaide Place

Annea Lockwood discussion and listening event, hosted by Kate Molleson
Fri 10 April 2026, 14:30

It’s our honour to welcome Annea Lockwood for this in person discussion and listening event, hosted by writer and broadcaster Kate Molleson. A chance to delve deeper into her sprawling practice and collectively listen to some key recordings of her work. Lockwood’s lifelong fascination with the visceral effects of sound in our environments and through […]

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The Art School - Assembly

Michaela Turcerová + Marlo De Lara
Fri 10 April 2026, 18:30

We kick of Friday evening’s proceedings with Marlo de Lara, an artist who first caught our attention after their absorption in the Edinburgh weirdo/noise scene. Their practice works within the realms of sound performance, visual distraction, and film. Previously under the moniker ‘marlo eggplant’, their sound works are textural compositions which develop from microscopic tone […]

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Woodside Hall

Los Thuthanaka + Al Karpenter
Fri 10 April 2026, 20:15

Scottish debut performances from two of the most vital groups operating today. Al Karpenter is the post-genre punk band of Álvaro Matilla, Marta Sainz (bass, vocals), Enrique Zaccagnini (percussion, electronics, vocals), and Mattin (computer, drums, vocals). Born in the Basque Country’s experimental underworld and raised on a diet of no wave, noise, improvisation, and dissent, […]

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The Art School - Assembly

DJ E + Turbo Sonidero + Escocia Mania
Fri 10 April 2026, 23:00

We’ll have two clubnights at Counterflows this year. This is the first, taking place in the Art School’s Assembly Hall, where we’ll be focussing on making it sounding and looking as good as possible: fully prep’d for 4 hours of dance subsumption. Downstairs we’ll be keeping the Vic Bar open as a quieter spot to […]

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Kelvin Hall Lecture Theatre

Film Screening: ‘Annea Lockwood / A Film About Listening’ by Sam Green
Sat 11 April 2026, 11:00

Commissioned as part of our Counterflows at Home edition of the festival in 2021, we’re delighted to welcome this rare screening of Sam Green’s intimate portrait of Annea Lockwood. Over 33 minutes the film offers a a glimpse into the enthralling world of sound that Annea has been creating and exploring over her expansive career. […]

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Kelvin Hall Lecture Theatre

Film Screening: ‘Annea Lockwood / A Film About Listening’ by Sam Green – 2nd screening
Sat 11 April 2026, 12:00

Commissioned as part of our Counterflows at Home edition of the festival in 2021, we’re delighted to welcome this rare screening of Sam Green’s intimate portrait of Annea Lockwood. Over 33 minutes the film offers a a glimpse into the enthralling world of sound that Annea has been creating and exploring over her expansive career. […]

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Community Central Halls

Annea Lockwood: ‘bayou-borne’ + <3 (Less Than Three)
Sat 11 April 2026, 14:30

We return to the beloved Maryhill Community Central Halls venue for two sprawling group performances. <3 (Less Than Three) open the show, the trio of Deas McMorrow, Lene Tassin and Harry Bix. Their musical compositions are a fragmented exploration of each member’s world. Hand forged instruments, spoken word, fiction, and musical instrumentations overlap. Their performance […]

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Woodside Hall

@xcrswx + Ryu Hankil + Inweys + Soldier
Sat 11 April 2026, 19:00

Saturday night welcomes a four way tangle, welcoming artists from Glasgow, Chengdu, Seoul and London. After welcoming Beijing’s Yan Jun last year to Counterflows, we continue with our focus on China’s rich and sprawling underground music scene. This time we welcome an exciting new project from Chengdu – Soldier – an experimental duo, representing one […]

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The Art School - Assembly

Seekersinternational + Mother (DJ) + Alliyah Enyo (DJ)
Sat 11 April 2026, 23:00

Our 2nd clubnight as part of Counterflows returns to the Art School’s Assembly Hall, where we’ll be focussing on making it sounding and looking as good as possible: fully prep’d for 4 hours of dance subsumption. Downstairs we’ll be keeping the Vic Bar open as a quieter spot to hang out and chill, meaning you […]

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Civic House

Small publisher fair
Sun 12 April 2026, 12:00

It’s become a tradition now that at each Sunday at Counterflows we present a fair, welcoming stalls from our favourite small publishers. Expect records, cassettes, books, zines and various other nick nacks. We’ll be revealing the list of everyone involved nearer the time. This event is free entry and welcome to everyone In the bar […]

◂ Small Publishers Fair by Brian Hartley
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Gathering Ground CIC

Annea Lockwood’s Piano Garden
Sun 12 April 2026, 14:00

Following the intimate performances of the Piano Garden by Xenia Pestova Bennett we’ll be opening up the Gathering Ground community garden space to the public. This is a chance to come along and see Annea’s planted piano in public, and have a plonk on it if you so choose! The Piano Garden is not at […]

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Woodside Hall

Annea Lockwood / Nate Wooley: ‘Becoming Air’ + Lin Chiwei with Uzganc Choir: “All Sentient Being Sounds” + Garazi Navas + Rufus Isabel Elliot & Kings Park Brass
Sun 12 April 2026, 18:00

The curtain falls on the festival with four performances, welcoming work from Taiwan, the USA, The Basque Country and Scotland. Skye-based artist Rufus Isabel Elliot will open the event, presenting a short new work commission for the festival. The piece will be performed by Kings Park Youth Brass, a brass band organisation based in the […]

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Civic House

A final hang-out
Sun 12 April 2026, 21:30

A final hang-out and goodbye for 2026. Come join us for a drink in the Civic House bar. Our good friends Patrick Ward and Frances Morgan will be on the decks. Please note the capacity for this is limited

Artists