This year was the 20th Birthday of Kendal Calling 2025. Each year that has passed has seen the event go from strength to strength and this year was no exception. A sell out crowd of over 45,000 attendees over the course of 4 days and guaranteed the vast majority went home with a big smile and the hope of returning next year. The weather gods smiled, departure day apart! Multiple stages ranging from the impressive Main Stage, set in its natural amphitheatre, giving probably the best views for thousands at any UK festival, the large Parklands and Coming Out, down to more intimate Woodlands and BBC Introducing/Roots stages and a few more in between.
So when it came to choosing which artists to go see, the once predominately indie festival now has something for just about everyone, spoilt for choice comes to mind, top headliners were The Courteeners, Fatboy Slim and The Prodigy, with Kaiser Chiefs on the Thursday night. If you add in the likes of The Last Dinner Party, Travis, The Wombats, Sophie Ellis Baxter you knew we were In for a good time. That’s not mentioning the other 100 plus artists performing.
As well as catching up with some personal favourites, for me half the fun of a festival is discovering new musical talent you have not come across before. Some finds for me this year include The Wednesday Flowers, a young all girl group, with a nice indie/grunge vibe, the emotive Talia Rae, atmospheric Robyn Errico, alt.pop from Isabel Maria and sultry voiced Lois, a quartet of talented singer songwriters destined for bigger things, the bands Long Island, High Fade, Dutch Criminal Record and They Say Jump. Add to this some more established artists I managed to catch up with included Nina Nesbitt, Nieve Ella, Siobhan Winifred, Chloe Slater, Lowes, Dub Pistols and the Lottery Winners. It was great to see even the artists on earlier in the day and on the smaller stages still brought in decent sized appreciative audiences and I personally didn’t come across one bad performance out of more than twenty I took in, the vast majority being top notch.
Whilst there can always be room for improvement, address the queues to get on site on the Thursday, the very long hikes from camping and parking and some acts needed a bigger stage are more logistical than anything else. The whole production, sound quality, lighting, amazing visuals and fireworks, the people, the vibe, the energy all come together to deliver one off the best Festival experiences you can have.
I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph the festival as well, so do check out some shots on the Music News Social Media sites.
Tickets go on sale for Kendal Calling 2026 on Thursday 7th August 2025, another sold out event would not surprise me.
MUSIC PREMIERES
KARMA, the new album from Stray Kids, takes the top spot in this week’s fan-voted music poll.
Listeners cast their votes in a Billboard poll shared Friday (Aug. 22), naming the K-pop group’s newest LP as their favorite fresh release of the week.
KARMA claimed the number one position in a week filled with new drops from Doja Cat, Laufey, and others. In a close race, KARMA edged out Doja Cat’s newest single, pulling in more than half of the votes and securing first place.
The group’s new full-length project features 11 songs, including the track “Ceremony” with STAY, all created by production team 3RACHA.
According to a press statement about the album, KARMA reflects Stray Kids’ unique perspective on destiny. “Destiny is shaped by a tangled web of choices and consequences,” it explained. “KARMA begins with this very idea, an attempt to interpret Stray Kids’ fate. Despite countless external judgments and inner conflicts, they have continued to forge their own path with unwavering resolve. Through their music, Stray Kids represent a story of growth.”
The boy group finished their biggest world tour yet, Stray Kids World Tour <dominATE>, in late July after completing 54 concerts across five continents.
Doja Cat’s “Jealous Type” followed closely behind KARMA on this week’s poll with 47% of the votes. Other new projects that placed include Laufey’s A Matter of Time, Sombr’s I Barely Know Her, Deftones’ Private Music, Offset’s KIARI, Kid Cudi’s Free, and BigXThaPlug’s I Hope You’re Happy.
See the final results of this week’s poll below.
