SPACE 101.1 FM DJs were on the job exploring music at Bumbershoot 2026 this past Labor Day weekend, and Seattle’s annual music and arts festival did NOT disappoint! Despite only having 3 main music stages, Bumbershoot managed to pack in a smorgasbord of great music that had something for everyone, from international artists like ZamRock legends W.I.T.C.H., and Minsk based Molchat Doma, to hip hop royalty De La Soul, and hardcore rockers Turnstile. And of course, PNW music featured heavily throughout the weekend, from local legends Death Cab For Cutie, to rising artists like Bexley, Lucha Luna, Hannah Duckworth, Hard Maybe, and Midpak.
The SPACE DJ crew got to peek behind the scenes in the artist’s lounge in the Fisher Pavilion, and managed to score interviews with L.A. teen punks XCOMM and Seattle’s own Morgan Paris Lanza. Check out the interviews on Instagram: XCOMM and Morgan Paris Lanza.
SPACE 101.1 has been hosting multiple Bumbershoot artists on our weekly Big Takeover Program where musicians take over the station to DJ and talk about their favorite music for an hour. From this year’s Bumbershoot lineup, we were proud to host Juliet Daniel, Oblé Reed, XCOMM and Bexley in studio. Check out their picks, and listen to Big Takeover every Saturday at 1pm.
Our mission is to bring you great music week after week, and Bumbershoot made that job easier by delivering an outstanding lineup. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! In case you missed Bumbershoot this year, check out these SPACE 101.1 Bumbershoot themed shows that aired on August 23rd – Seattle Sound Check #59 and UNSLUMP! #38.
Some other festival highlights:
XCOMM: L.A. hardcore, but barely post-puberty? That’s the M.O. for this up-and-coming group of rockers. Drummer Revel Ian is only 14, but wouldn’t surprise me if he was drumming in utero. Embracing influences like Fugazi, Queens of the Stone Age and Guns N Roses, these guys didn’t disappoint.
Listen to the band’s Big Takeover guest DJ set, and our backstage interview.
Molchat Doma: The Belarusian vampire duo put the crowd into a trance with gothic new wave flair as rain drizzled down on Bumbershoot fans Saturday night. For fans of Depeche Mode, members-only goth clubs, and skullets.
Oblé Reed: Seattle’s own Oblé Reed makes hip hop that finds its way straight to your soul. Mixing heart-thumping production and emotionally resilient, witty lyricism, it’s no wonder his acclaimed debut LINDENAVE! was named the #1 Album of 2023 by the Seattle Times. Back on the stage after being diagnosed with a heart condition, Oblé brought his relentless, contagious optimism to Bumbershoot this weekend.
Listen to his Big Takeover. SPACE 101.1fm is proud to present the debut of Reed’s latest single, “Que$t love”.
W.I.T.C.H.: Zambian reggae meets psychedelic rock as this group rocked rasta hats and made jamming look effortless. The sound of sunshine, simpler days and chilling out- Don’t sleep on these guys!
Lucha Luna: One of my favorite bands to emerge into the Seattle scene- Lucha Luna fuses reggaeton, punk and cumbia. A truly powerful stage presence, their debut BRILLA BRILLA is nothing short of brilliant.
Death Cab For Cutie: Local indie rock heroes brought 30 years of old favorites, along with a standout set of songs from their new release, I Built You A Tower, as they closed out the festival on Sunday night.
