PHOTOS: Newport Folk Festival Day Three – Tom Morello, Dave Matthews, CMAT, and more (07.26.26)
Editor’s note: Day three of Newport Folk Festival always comes with some huge surprise, and 2026 was no different. NE Sounds’ Brianna Gately was busy again, making her way between three different stages all day, covering a variety of acts.
First up was Brittany Davis, who kicked off the day’s performances bright and early at 11 am. Davis is a multi-instrumentalist from Seattle who has been releasing music since 2022, when she shared her debut EP I Choose to Live. Her most recent record, 2025’s Black Thunder, came out last June and was the source material for several songs from her Newport set.
Philadelphia seven-piece group Snacktime took to the Fort Stage shortly after; so far this year they’ve released three singles, including “SUNSHINE (K Y O N Remix)” in May. Meanwhile, over on the Quad Stage, Irish folk musician Dove Ellis was playing songs from his debut album, Blizzard, that came out in December.
On the Harbor Stage, Alice Phoebe Lou and Ziv Yamin’s collaborative project Strongboi played some songs from their catalog, including several from their self-titled debut album, released in 2023.
Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, who we caught on her headline tour earlier this year, was on the Fort Stage playing songs from her recent release, Euro Country, as well as some singles from her back catalog, including “I’d Want U,” for which Brandi Carlile joined her.
American funk supergroup The Fearless Flyers, consisting of drummer Nate Smith, bassist Joe Dart, and guitarists Cory Wong and Mark Lettieri, played their set on the Quad Stage. They featured several songs from throughout their catalog.
One of the weekend’s most anticipated sets, a performance by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, also took place on the Quad Stage, with a large crowd packing in for it.
As Nathaniel Rateliff took the stage for the weekend’s final set, he surprised the entire festival by announcing a surprise set by Dave Matthews. Rateliff then proceeded to play through a set full of a few originals and a large number of covers with a star-studded selection of guests including Matthews, Joan Baez, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Courtney Marie Andrews, John C. Reilly, Mavis Staples, Brandon Flowers, and Brandi Carlile.
Photos – Newport Folk Festival 2026 (Day Three) at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI on July 26th:
