Est. 2002 · Stroud, Gloucestershire

Form a band. Write a song. Play a real gig.

Bandit is a four-day band and songwriter project for young people aged 8–17. No auditions, no experience needed — just turn up with your instrument or your voice, join a band, write an original song and perform it live on a professional stage.

Bandit 40 daydream · 27–30 July 2026 Bandit 41 26–29 Oct 2026 Maidenhill School, Stonehouse

Upcoming projects

The next two Bandits

Both projects run at Maidenhill School in Stonehouse and finish with a full live show. Places go quickly — many families plan their holidays around it.

Applications open
40

daydream

Monday 27 – Thursday 30 July 2026

Maidenhill School, Stonehouse · Final gig Thursday 30th at Stroud Brewery — doors 6:30pm, show 7pm, live-streamed too

Apply online
Save the date
41

Bandit Forty-One

Theme: revealed soon…

Monday 26 – Thursday 29 October 2026

Maidenhill School, Stonehouse · Final gig on the Thursday night

Join the mailing list

Questions, posters, sponsorship or anything else — call 07827 434246 or email kevin@longtrainride.co.uk and we'll get straight back to you.

24
Years running
39
Projects so far
50–70
Young musicians each time
8–17
Ages welcome

What is Bandit?

Four days. One band. One song. One unforgettable night.

Young people from across the community come together, form bands with people they've often never met, and write a completely original song.

With a team of professional musicians on hand all week, every band builds its song from the first riff to the full arrangement — then takes it to the stage for a full-scale gig with proper sound, lights and a real audience. Along the way there are guest speakers from the creative industries, green-room interviews, and cameras rolling to capture the lot.

It's not polite. It's not quiet. It's music as it should be — messy, alive and necessary. And it's been a rite of passage for young musicians in Gloucestershire for over twenty years.

A packed crowd of young performers at the Stroud Subscription Rooms during a Bandit final show

How it works

The four days

Day one

Meet your band

Ice-breakers, jam sessions and band-forming. Pick a theme, start throwing around ideas, and find the first spark of your song.

Day two

Write the song

Riffs, chords, melodies and lyrics take shape with tutors on hand in every room. Guest speakers share what a life in music really looks like.

Day three

Make it yours

Arrangements, harmonies and stagecraft. Bands perform for each other, take feedback, and push their song to its final shape.

Day four

Play the gig

Soundcheck like a touring band, then play a full-production live show — lights, smoke, cameras and a roaring crowd of family and friends.

See it for yourself

The Bandit films

Every project is filmed and every final show goes online, so the bands can relive their gig — and you can see exactly what your kids would be part of. Press play.

Bandit 37 — Gothic

Bandit 37 · Gothic

Filmed at Woodchester Mansion

Bandit 36 — Ephemera

Bandit 36 · Ephemera

Final show, Stroud Subscription Rooms

Bandit 35 — Retro

Bandit 35 · Retro

Final show, Stroud Subscription Rooms

Bandit 33 live performance

Bandit 33 · Live

Stroud Subscription Rooms, 2023

Bandit 32 — Life

Bandit 32 · Life

Stroud Subscription Rooms

Bandit 31 — Robot

Bandit 31 · Robot

Stroud Subscription Rooms

More on the Bandit YouTube channel

Reviews

What families say about Bandit

It's like a crash course in being good humans and figuring out who you are. I hope you're aware of how special it is.
Mathew, Bandit parent
In three days — and then they're performing. Wow. I was close to tears throughout watching the gig.
Adam, Marley's dad
Thank you for running Bandit. It was a blast. I had a lot of fun and I really faced my fears going on stage.
Zach, age 10
Stanley is a different person doing Bandit. It has been a really positive part of his life.
Rachel & Lee, Bandit parents
It's such a special and rare thing, and we're so grateful our boys have this experience.
Kate, mum of Dan & Seb

Every Bandit has a theme

One theme. Twenty new songs.

Each project gets a theme, and every band writes its song around it — so every Bandit sounds completely different from the last. Gothic songs in a Gothic mansion. Robot songs with robot lights. You get the idea.

Next up, Bandit 40: daydream

Supporters

Made possible by

Maidenhill School Long Train Ride

With thanks to everyone who has backed Bandit over the years — including the Subscription Rooms, the Prince Albert, Stroud Arts Festival, Stroud Valleys Artspace, Tewkesbury School, the Roses Theatre, Stonehouse Town Council, Arts Council England and many more.

Get in touch

Ready when you are.

Applications, dates, posters, sponsorship, or joining the mailing list — drop us a line and we'll sort you out.