The 2026 Double Decker Arts Festival hosted 10 bands and artists in Oxford on April 24-25.
Despite rain on Friday, April 24, bands The War And Treaty, Shane Smith and The Saints and Penelope Road drew in large crowds.
On Saturday, April 25, there were seven musical acts, capped by alternative rock band Wilco, the headliner of this year’s festival.
With classic releases such as “Jesus, Etc.,” and “California Stars,” Wilco was the most anticipated act of the weekend.
Peter Mueller, a 2025 University of Mississippi graduate who majored in integrated marketing communications, shared a song he was hoping the band would play.
“I am stoked about Wilco,” Mueller said. “I’m excited to hear them play ‘Heavy Metal Drummer,’ one of their hits. I’m just pumped.”
Wilco took the stage around 8:30 p.m. The indie rock group played a 90-minute set, featuring songs from the since-dissolved band Uncle Tupelo (whose former members formed Wilco). The band also played early hits like “Heavy Metal Drummer” from its album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and material from its newer albums, including songs like “Annihilation.”
The set had a strong nostalgic air. A number of times, lead vocalist and guitarist Jeff Tweedy reminisced on his time with Uncle Tupelo. He even gave a shoutout to Square Books.
“That might be the first time we’ve ever given a shoutout to a bookstore,” Tweedy said.
The love Wilco showed for Oxford did not go unnoticed. Morgan Greene, an employee at The End of All Music, an independent record shop on the Square, was impressed by the performance.
“I thought they (Wilco) played really well. They paid nice homage to Oxford, and the show was just fun,” Greene said.
Penelope Road, an Atlanta-based band with a self-described “stanky funky junk” sound, performed at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Their performance gained a fan in Grace Wiggins, a junior elementary education major.
“I had not known who they were previous to seeing them live,” Wiggins said, “but I just thought that they were genuinely amazing.”
On stage, the band performed their signature mix of soul, pop and vintage rock. Wiggins said keeping an open mind to new artists is essential to the Double Decker experience.
“I think some people get caught up when they don’t see a name they know,” Wiggins said. “But I think that the choices that they had this year were really good, whether you knew who they were or not previously.”
Annie and the Caldwells, a family gospel group from West Point, Miss., performed at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Annie Caldwell, the group’s lead vocalist, was backed up by her daughters, displaying harmonies that were a standout feature of the performance. They primarily played songs from their 2025 record, “Can’t Lose My Soul.”
The Animeros, a rock group from Austin, Texas, played after Annie and the Caldwells. The band’s set sounded a bit repetitive, but their blend of psychedelic and Latin influences created one of the most unique sounds of the festival.
Mountain Grass Unit followed at 2:30 p.m. Guitarist Luke Black delivered a strong country sound and impressive guitar skills. The group played a number of its own songs, such as “Cicada Song,” and also showed skill with its covers. The group played a particularly strong cover of “Glendale Train” by New Riders of the Purple Sage.
Later in the afternoon, British rock band The Heavy Heavy performed. The duo from Brighton, England, was particularly impressive to Merritt Tompkins, a first-year graduate student pursuing her Master of Arts in Southern Studies.
“The Heavy Heavy set was really awesome,” Tompkins said. “They played two of their biggest hits, for me at least: ‘Happiness’ and ‘Go Down River,’ and it’s cool when you see a band live and they don’t sound that much different from the recording.”
Tompkins also watched Margo Price, the last act on Saturday before Wilco took the stage. Price is a country artist based in Nashville, Tenn., and she performed a varied set according to Tompkins.
“I’d never seen her live before or listened to much of her music, really, but I had a blast,” Tompkins said. “I think she sang a really good mixture of slower country ballads and more upbeat, danceable music. It seemed like the crowd was not as into it as much as The Heavy Heavy, but overall, it was great.”
This year’s Double Decker assembled an impressive lineup of musical acts with an excellent headliner to top it off, and the rainy weather on Friday simply could not put a damper on the enthusiasm. Senior accountancy major Everett Heuer, an Oxford native, explained why he thought the particular lineup was effective for Double Decker.
“I was definitely more excited for this year because I was familiar with the headliner and a few of the openers, so I would personally say the music promotion was better this year,” Heuer said. “I think Wilco was the perfect match for Double Decker. It was a union of generations.”
