DIY Festival Guide 2025

&your ultimate

guide to

the best

festivals on

the planet!

SPECIAL EDITION • SUMMER 2025

DIYMAG.COM

inside barry can’t swim’s epic summer

OLIVIA

RODRIGO

NINE INCH

NAILS

KINGS

OF LEON

ALANIS

MORISSETTE

GRACIE

ABRAMS

NOAH

WEEZER

GIRL

KAHAN IN RED

JUNGLE DJ

SET

LUVCAT

BENSON

BOONE

HANNAH

WANTS

MISS

MONIQUE

NSQK AKRIILA

ST. VINCENT

PEGGY

GOU

THIRTY SECONDS

TO MARS TSHA

ROYEL

D 3

OTIS

FR

TH

10

LEON BRIDGES · THE BACKSEAT LOVERS · MOTHER MOTHER · THE WOMBATS

ROYEL OTIS · BRIGHT EYES · REFUSED · FIDLAR · BLONDSHELL · CIRCA WAVES

NSQK · ALESSI ROSE · GEORDIE GREEP · DEADLETTER · JERUB · KINGFISHR · LAVIN

THE LOOP ARGY · THE BLESSED MADONNA · MYD live! · HANNAH WANTS

11

FOSTER THE PEOPLE · JET · KAISER CHIEFS · ARTEMAS · FUTURE ISLANDS · MARK AMBOR

HERMANOS GUTIÉRREZ · NATALIA LACUNZA · DEAD POET SOCIETY · ALCALÁ NORTE

BAD NERVES · ALMOST MONDAY · LAST TRAIN · BATTLESNAKE · MYCHELLE · WILL KOLAK · JØL

THE LOOP MISS MONIQUE · MATHAME · TSHA · KRYSTAL KLEAR · POLE POSITION

ST

12

ST. VINCENT · GLASS ANIMALS · GIRL IN RED · FINNEAS · BLOC PARTY

PVRIS · THE TESKEY BROTHERS · LUVCAT · TANNER ADELL · AKRIILA

THE LOOP

SD

13

ASHLEYS · MISS BLANCHE · RODRIGO RAMÍREZ

SAMMY VIRJI · SALUTE · CHLOÉ CAILLET · FAKEAR

4

PARTNER

D

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNER SPONSOR PROVEEDOR LOGÍSTICO OFICIAL

MEDIA PARTNER

DIY

FOUNDING EDITOR

Emma Swann

MANAGING EDITOR

Sarah Jamieson

DIGITAL EDITOR

Daisy Carter

DESIGN

Emma Swann

COVER PHOTO AND INSET

Rory Dewar

CONTRIBUTORS

Isabella Ambrosio, Megan Graye,

Patrick Clarke, Rhys Buchanan,

Rishi Shah.

4 sprints

6 2025’s must-see moments

12 festival essentials

22 deadletter

10 your favourite new bands

14 barry can’t swim

26 alt blk era

24 panic shack

28 ezra furman

33 festival index

editor’s

letter

Anyone lucky enough to be

at Glastonbury last summer

knew that something special

was afoot when it came to

Barry Can’t Swim. Hot on the

heels of his Mercury Prizeshortlisted

debut ‘When Will

We Land?’, his performance

at Worthy Farm last year was

one for the history books,

with the entire Park Field

shut off in the wake of his

performance. So if that’s not

enough to have you giddy

with excitement at the idea of

his return to festival season

this summer - with a new

album in tow, no less! - we

don’t know what else to tell

you. Ahead of the release of

his second record ‘Loner’

and his upcoming packed live

schedule - which culminates

with a huge show at this

year’s All Points East - we

caught up with the Scottish

producer to find out more.

Elsewhere in this bumper

issue, we get prepped for

festival season the only way

we know how: by wrangling

a load of our favourite artists,

and quizzing them on what’s

to come. Turn the page to

dig into chats with fest faves

Sprints, DEADLETTER, and

Panic Shack, as well as a

rather special conversation

with Ezra Furman about

her tenth album and its

celebratory live outing.

Time to grab your wellies, dig

out the sun cream, and we’ll

see you down the front!

Sarah Jamieson,

Managing Editor

All material copyright (c). All rights reserved.

This publication may not be reproduced or

transmitted in any form, in whole or in part,

without the express written permission of

DIY. Disclaimer: While every effort is made

to ensure the information in this magazine is

correct, changes can occur which affect the

accuracy of copy, for which DIY holds no

responsibility. The opinions of the contributors

do not necessarily bear a relation to those

of DIY or its staff and we disclaim liability for

those impressions. Distributed nationally.

downtime is not something

that has presented itself to

Sprints of late. Particularly

when they dropped an

album of the year contender

just five days into January

2024 - their sprawling punk

opus, ‘Letter To Self’. “It

was a wild year,” recalls

frontwoman Karla Chubb,

reeling off the statistics as she calls DIY from Dublin

café Naked Bakes. “We did 103 shows last year, and

we were away for about 250 days.”

Reading, gaming and playing tennis have replaced

load-ins, soundchecks and long drives as the main

parts of the Sprints day-to-day over the past few

months, as Karla – who has recently rediscovered

her love of reading through starting a book club with

her friends – explains. “I was reading ‘Prophet Song’

by Paul Lynch, and I’m reading ‘Detransition, Baby’

right now… myself and Jack [Callan, drummer] are

swapping books back and forth.

“Gaming-wise, we’ve all been playing anything

that’s full of escapism. Zac [Stephenson, guitarist]

completed ‘Elden Ring’ twice, and we’ve all been

really into ‘Fallout: New Vegas’, which actually has

played an influence on the new album massively – that

dystopian other world.”

More on that later, but the immediate future for Sprints

is another hectic festival season, where they’ll soon be

packing for life on the road. “I hate myself when I say

it, but I do have the itch again – when are we back on

the road?” grins Karla. The likes of Wide Awake, Live

At Leeds in the Park and 2000trees will be hosting

Sprints’ frantic live show, before heading further afield

to Germany’s Deichbrand and Holland’s Pinkpop,

the latter of which finds itself headlined by Justin

Timberlake, Olivia Rodrigo and Muse.

Karla’s personal crown jewel, however, is Glastonbury

– where the band will return to play Woodsies after

conquering its Leftfield stage in 2024. “We’re doing

a televised slot, which is a massive moment in any

band’s career,” she beams. “We’ve really wanted

that for a long time, and we’re so honoured to be part

of Woodsies. It was such a magical experience last

time.”be it their last-minute call-up to the main

stage at a muddy, waterlogged Bearded

Theory (“There’s some curse on Sprints

– it’s either 30 degrees or lashing, and

there’s no in between”) or the Guinness

stage’s crowd that seemed to never stop growing at

All Together Now at home in Ireland, Sprints’ festival

tally is already crammed with highlights. In 2025, you

get the sense that there are many more memories still

to be created.

For example, Iggy Pop has

hand-picked the group to

support him at Dublin all-dayer

In The Meadows, a bucket list

moment for Karla, who was blown

away by his set at All Together Now

in 2023. “I grew up listening to The

Stooges,” she says. “The Stooges and

Iggy Pop, they were constant reference

points for Sprints. To share a stage [with

him], I don’t think it’s hit us yet, but I think I

might die.”

While Karla counts Confidence Man’s euphoric,

sun-soaked Other Stage set at last year’s

Glastonbury as one of her all-time favourites, Savages

at Electric Picnic also holds a special place for the

band at large. “That’s a gig that me, Jack and Colm [O’Reilly,

former guitarist] went to, and we were like, ‘This is the music

we want to make. Why aren’t we making music like that?’

That kind of became the birth of Sprints, so that set definitely

stuck with me a lot.”

Fast forward to the present day, and things look very

different for Sprints. Having navigated changes in

the band – where Zac replaced Colm – and their

personal lives, the sentiment around throwing

themselves back into another festival season

comes with an increased sense of

responsibility.

“We’re definitely professionals now, and

we try to treat it as such,” begins Karla.

“We’ve given up our day jobs to pursue

this full-time, and so we’re very much

treating it like a job, which sounds so un-

6 D

after celebrating debut album ‘letter to self’ with 103 shows last year,

dublin quartet sprints are set to be one of the highlights of 2025’s festival

season. with a packed live schedule on the horizon, it’ll double as the

perfect opportunity to road test some new material...

rock‘n’roll! We have accountants, we’re looking to set up pension

plans and all that boring adult shit…

“Quite frankly, [it’s about] cutting out a lot of the drinking and late

nights, because we are in it for the long run. We want to go to all

these festivals, have fun and see as many bands as possible, and

that’s impossible to do if you’re absolutely sloshed and hungover

every day. It’s about enjoying it and being present in all the

moments that we’re very fortunate to have.”

ith rehearsals already underway for Sprints’ 2025

festivals, a sprinkling of new music from the muchanticipated

successor to ‘Letter To Self’ will make its way

into the setlist, Karla confirms. “Road testing has always been a

massive part of our band, as a way to gauge what works and what

doesn’t work,” she reiterates. “You could call it slower in some

aspects, but it’s definitely heavy, and there’s some influences in our

new material that are very suited to the summertime vibe.”

Remaining tight-lipped on when these recorded tunes might see

the light of day, Karla reveals the band know the exact song with

which they will announce their next chapter, whenever that may be.

“It’s a glimpse into the next elevation of the Sprints sound… people

have been describing it as mature. We want to reward people that

are fans of the sound already, but definitely introduce some new

touches.

“The world that we’re stepping into is very much inspired by this

dystopian reality we seem to be living in right now, but it’s quite

hopeful. Despite how fucking bizarre everything is, we’ve managed

to survive everything together, and all we want to do is go out and

play music. I feel like it’s a little bit of a renaissance.” Rishi Shah

Photos: Niamh Barry, Emma Swann, Leah Lombardi

“there’s some

influences in our

new material that

are very suited to the

summertime vibe.”

- karla chubb

sprints play...

Wide Awake (23rd May), Live at Leeds in the Park

(24th May), Dot To Dot (24th-25th May), In The

Meadows (7th June), God Save The Kouign (13th-

14th June), Release Athens (18th June), Pinkpop

(20th-22nd June), Days Off (24th-28th June),

Glastonbury (25th-29th June), Wilde Weide (4th-6th

July), 2000trees (9th-12th July), Dour (16th-20th

July), Deichbrand (17th-20th July), Rock Herk (18th-

19th July), Latitude (24th-27th July), Deer Shed

(25th-28th July), Cabaret Vert (14th-17th August)

and Congés Annulés (15th August).

D 7

this year’s festival season is set to be packed with proper, pinch-us “we were there” moments;

here are just a few of the ones to be sure to catch…

olivia rodrigo

reigns

supreme at

glasto and

beyond

Much like we predicted all the way back

in 2023 (in our On The Record feature

at the time), Olivia Rodrigo has finally

been pinned to close out Glastonbury’s

iconic Pyramid Stage, and we cannot

contain ourselves. After last year’s

mammoth tour saw her take

‘GUTS’ to some of the biggest

arenas in the world, it was only a

matter of time before she decided to take on festival

season, and with a slew of huge headline spots across the

summer (she’ll also top the bill at - deep breath - Governors

Ball, Bonnaroo, Rock Werchter, Mad Cool, NOS Alive and

many more), she means business.

refused take their

final bow

Undisputably known as one of the most

important bands in punk, Swedish quartet

Refused have confirmed that this festival

season will be their last. Not content with

redefining the landscape of the genre all

the way back in 1998(!) with their iconic

album ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come’, the

band reunited back in 2012 to give fans

a second taste of their fury, alongside two later

releases, 2015’s ‘Freedom’ and 2019’s ‘War Music’.

Now, they’re beginning their victory lap with a slew

of festival sets before calling it a day with a set of

headline shows later this year: be there, or miss out on

seeing a slice of musical history.

chappell roan is given

the headlining slots she

deserves

We’ve all seen the videos online: last year was absolute carnage

wherever Chappell Roan seemed to go, which is what makes her

storming promotion to headliner this summer even more exciting.

Continuing her incredible story, this year will see her bring ‘The Rise

and Fall of a Midwest Princess’ to the likes of Primavera Sound,

Way Out West, Sziget and Reading and Leeds for what’s arguably

going to be the most ridiculously fun, wonderfully camp evening of

the whole season. And if recent single ‘The Giver’ is anything to

go off, she might even debut some new material while she’s at it.

Watch this space…

bloc party sound

the ‘silent alarm’ for

20th anniversary

celebrations

While anyone over the age of 35 was likely lucky

enough to witness it the first time around, the

fact that Bloc Party will be taking to the stage to

celebrate the 20th anniversary of their seminal

album ‘Silent Alarm’ is very special indeed. One

of the standout releases of the mid-Noughties

(and, oh, what a time that was for indie-rock),

the likes of ‘Helicopter’ and ‘Banquet’ have more

than cemented themselves into indie disco lore by

now; getting to hear them live this

summer, however, will surely ignite

a fresh fire in a whole new generation

of festival-goers.

wolf alice

make their big

return

Okay, so it’s not as though they’ve got

a busy festival season; it is just the one

performance at Glasto in the quartet’s

diary (...so far), but what a return it’ll be!

The band will be heading back to Worthy

Farm this June for what we

can only assume will

be the start of LP4’s

unveiling. Already,

they’ve started teasing what’s coming

and all we know right now is that

there’s a new single on the way

(‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ lands on

15th May), but surely, they can’t

keep us hanging on even

longer? Fingers crossed for

a big Glasto-shaped

reveal.

catch them...

Olivia Rodrigo plays Governors

Ball (6th-8th June), Bonnaroo (12th-

15th June), Pinkpop (20th-22nd

June), BST Hyde Park (27th June-

13th July), Glastonbury (25th-29th

June), Roskilde (28th June-5th

July), Rock Werchter (3rd-6th July),

NOS Alive (10th-12th July), Mad

Cool (10th-13th July), I-Days (29th

May-9th July), Lollapalooza Paris

(18th-20th July), Lollapalooza (31st

July-3rd August), and Osheaga (1st-

3rd August).

Refused play Rock For People

(11th-15th June), Nova Rock (11th-

14th June), Hellfest (19th-22nd

June), Jera On Air (26th-28th June),

Vainstream Rockfest (27th-28th

June), Mad Cool (10th-13th July),

Sjock (11th-13th July), Electric

Castle (16th-20th July), Tsunami

Xixón (18th-19th July), Rock Land

(18th-19th July), Punk Rock Holiday

(4th-8th August), Øya (6th-9th

August), Way Out West (7th-9th

August), Sziget (6th-11th August),

Bay Fest (8th-10th August) and

Picture On (8th-9th August).

Chappell Roan plays Primavera

Sound (4th-8th June), Orange

Warsaw (7th-8th June), Øya (6th-9th

August), Syd For Solen (7th-9th

August), Way Out West (7th-9th

August), Sziget (6th-11th August),

Rock En Seine (20th-24th August)

and Reading & Leeds (22nd-24th

August).

Bloc Party play Just Like Heaven

(10th May), Live at Leeds in the Park

(24th May), Days Off (24th-28th

June), Musiques en Stock (3rd-5th

July), Beauregard (3rd-6th July),

Down The Rabbit Hole (4th-6th

July), Mad Cool (10th-13th July),

Montreux Jazz (5th-20th July),

FIB Benicàssim (17th-19th July),

Splendour (19th-20th July), Truck

(24th-27th July), Summer Sonic

(16th-17th August), Reading & Leeds

(22nd-24th August) and Victorious

(22nd-24th August).

Wolf Alice play Glastonbury (25th-

29th June).

Photo: Emma Swann, Sinéad Grainger, Corinne Cumming

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JULY

04

JULY

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JULY

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main

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LINKIN PARK DEFTONES

FONTAINES D.C. DE LA SOUL AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS

WHILE SHE SLEEPS GLINTSAL

IGGY POP LONDON GRAMMAR JACOB COLLIER SIGRID

MOTHER MOTHER CHARLES

NIA ARCHIVES HEILUNG EZRA COLLECTIVE ALESSI ROSE

YSEULT GRADE 2

COHEED AND CAMBRIA SEXTILE ENGLISH TEACHER

LAMBRINI GIRLS CORELLA JULIA WOLF

GREEN DAY SIMPLE MINDS

GIRL IN RED WEEZER WET LEG SYLVIE KREUSCH

PVRIS

UNDERWORLD LOLA YOUNG WARHAUS MARK AMBOR

BERRE DIKKE

PURPLE DISCO MACHINE CARIBOU ARSENAL CELESTE

THE BACKSEAT LOVERS THEE SACRED SOULS

FAT DOG JOEY VALENCE & BRAE BOSTON MANOR BAD NERVES

JASMINE.4.T THE SCRATCH

SAM FENDER KINGS OF LEON

RAYE DAMIANO DAVID GOLDBAND JAZZ BRAK

MARIBOU STATE ELBOW BETH GIBBONS AMENRA

BRIGHT EYES JACOTÉNE

BARRY CAN’T SWIM CYMANDE HERMANOS GUTIÉRREZ

FAYE WEBSTER BLANCO WHITE MATT HANSEN

WISP NOFUN! GURRIERS PETER CAT RECORDING CO. MRCY

ALMOST MONDAY

OLIVIA RODRIGO NOAH KAHAN

GRACIE ABRAMS DEAN LEWIS POMMELIEN THIJS

DAVID KUSHNER DASHA

RUFUS DU SOL SOULWAX GOOSE FINNEAS

SHABOOZEY JOKKE

USED : LIVE OVERMONO BOLIS PUPUL

FOSTER THE PEOPLE WUNDERHORSE REMY BOND

DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS SAWYER HILL

SOMEBODY’S CHILD ALLIE X CLIFFORDS EMMY D’ARC

CLOSING SHOW 2MANYDJS X ROCK WERCHTER 50

riot fest

When? 19th - 21st September

Where? Douglass Park, Chicago, IL

Must-see acts: Green Day,

Weezer, blink-182, Jack White

Why go? Glancing at the

acts above, you may

well think that we’ve

unearthed a time

machine and travelled

back two decades; in fact,

this Chicago rock mainstay

has opted to celebrate

their 20th birthday by turning

back the clock appropriately,

booking some of the genre’s biggest

names for what’s sure to be a hell of a bash.

Plus, while you’re over in Chicago you can eat

loads of deep dish pizza. What’s not to love?

Travel: Direct to Chicago from

London and Edinburgh.

pitchfork cdmx

When? 2nd - 4th May

Where? Estadio Fray Nano, Mexico City, Mexico

Must-see acts: Little Simz, Black Country, New

Road, Earl Sweatshirt

Why go? While Pitchfork Music Festival

admittedly has two outposts a little closer

to home (in London and Paris, specifically),

that’s no fun! Instead, head over to

Mexico’s incredible capital - a melting

pot of brilliant food, culture, history and

tradition - and you’ll likely get a preview of some

of Simz’ new album before it lands this summer.

Travel: Direct to Mexico City

from London Heathrow.

iceland airwaves

When? 6th - 8th November

Where? Reykjavík, Iceland

Must-see acts: Fat Dog, Antony Szmierek,

Kenya Grace, jasmine 4.t and more

Why go? The Northern Lights; the Blue Lagoon; the world’s

“only genuine penis museum”. We’re not lying when we

say that Iceland has it all, which is why a visit to

Iceland Airwaves is always so appealing. What’s

even more incredible about the event is that it

takes over all manner of venues in Reykjavík,

no matter how big, small, or unusual. So, who

wants to see Fat Dog play the Phallological Museum?!

Travel: Direct from London, Manchester,

Glasgow and Newcastle.

mad cool

When? 10th - 13th July

Where? Villaverde, Madrid

Must-see acts: Olivia Rodrigo, Iggy

Pop, St Vincent, girl in red

Why go? Not only is Madrid one of Spain’s most

vibrant cities for all things food,

drink and culture, but the festival

site being so close to town

makes it the perfect option for a

Mediterranean-flavoured long

weekend. Plus, as well as having

a jam-packed bill, this year for

the first time the fest will be

hosting a special Brunch Electronik

takeover on Sunday, which will cap

off the event via DJ sets from Peggy

Gou, Jungle and more big names.

Travel: Direct from London,

Manchester, Edinburgh,

Bristol and Liverpool.

We understand that, in the

light of climate concerns,

people may not be entirely

comfortable with flying but

if you’d like to offset the

carbon emissions of your

flight, there are all sorts of

organisations to help you

do so. Which? currently

recommends non-profit

organisation atmosfair.de.

10 D

While we all love getting reacquainted with the great British countryside when festival season rolls around,

sometimes it’s nice to go somewhere a little further afield. So if you’re hoping to have one of those cheeky once-ina-lifetime

experiences this year (which don’t involve imbibing too many poppers and ending up in the medical tent),

then look this way…

montreux jazz


Where: Montreux, Lake Geneva, Switzerland

Must-see acts: Pulp, Sam Fender,

RAYE, Ezra Collective, FKA Twigs

Why go? If you’ve ever wondered what a music

festival crossed with a Wes Anderson film would

look like, then this is as close as it comes. Set

on the gorgeous shoreline of Lake

Geneva, the event’s reputation is only

partly down to its incredible musical legacy. The fact you

get to take in such stunning views while watching some of

the world’s best artists is undoubtedly also a big factor.

Travel: Direct from London, Manchester,

Edinburgh, Bristol and Birmingham.

summer sonic


Where? ZOZO Marine Stadium &

Makuhari Messe, Tokyo & Expo’70

Commemorative Park, Osaka, Japan

Must-see acts: Fall Out Boy,

beabadoobee, The Prodigy, Bloc Party

Why go? Is there really a more fun holiday

destination than Japan? Let’s be honest, it’s

unlikely! What’s more, when it comes to heading

to Summer Sonic, there are two iconic cities

to choose from. Taking place on the same

weekend in both Tokyo and Osaka, you can

take your pick of where to visit, whether

that be the many distinct districts

of the Japanese capital, or the

lively food markets of Osaka. The

choice, as they say, is yours.

Travel: Direct

to Tokyo from

London Heathrow.

rising

When? 4th - 15th June

Where? Various venues, Naarm

/ Melbourne, Australia

Must-see acts: Japanese Breakfast, Soccer

Mommy, Suki Waterhouse, Mount Kimbie

Why go? While temperatures

may be a little cooler in

Melbourne by the time Rising

rolls around in June, as a festival

designed to meld together art

installations, theatre performances

and music shows, there’ll be no

shortage of things to do across the Aussie

city. After all, there aren’t many events where

you can watch Japanese Breakfast perform

one day, before seeing a production of Hamlet,

or digging into a film retrospective of Miranda

July another. Here, that’s all possible, and you’ll

get a damn fine coffee while you’re at it.

Travel: Direct to Melbourne

from London Heathrow.

Photos: Emma Swann, Georgina Hurdsfield

D 11

we all love getting to see a massive headliner close out the night with

all the bells and whistles of a career-defining set, but it’s always worth

remembering that you don’t get to top the bill without rising through the

ranks first.

as ever, nestled among the smaller print on this year’s festival line ups

are tons of brilliant new artists, gearing up to play their hearts out and win

over a whole new legion of fans in the process. so if you wanna brag to

your mates in a few years’ time that you were at the front of the crowd back

when they were opening things up, now’s the time. dive in and discover your

new favourites…

luvcat

Having slunk onto the scene at the tail

end of last year with all the elegance

and cool charm of her namesake, Luvcat

- though just four songs in - has quickly

amassed a devoted cult following who

worship at the altar of her noir-pop ballads:

this is a world of seduction and drama, of

lipstick-stained wine glasses, illicit liaisons,

and whirlwind romance. Her touring circus

has already made stops across Europe and as

far afield as Japan, so any time she spends in

(relatively) small festival venues and tents this

Summer is not to be missed. Regardless of what

the Chinese Zodiac says, 2025 is the year of the

cat.

chloe slater

Much like a certain Geordie Springsteen,

Chloe Slater has an inherent knack for

packaging her explorations of very real

socio-political issues within earworm,

anthemic choruses, drawing on a

plethora of choice cultural references

(Trainspotting, Sylvia Plath, and

Molly-Mae, to name a few) to pen a

winning line in politically astute

indie bangers. It’s music made

for a generation of frustrated

young Brits, written and

delivered by one of their own

- and what better place for

the two to meet than in the

fields?

mrcy

Picture the scene: it’s golden hour, you’ve got a pint

of the good stuff in hand, and the honeyed tones

of Kojo Degraft-Johnson are carrying you very far

away from whatever miscellaneous field you’ve

found yourself in. Such is the MRCY effect - the

transportive power pairing of vocalist Degraft-

Johnson and producer/multi-instrumentalist Barney

Lister, who together have channeled their extensive

industry experience into a project that seamlessly

combines the vibrancy of afrobeat, the dynamism

of jazz, and the emotive heft of soul. The duo’s

second EP - aptly named ‘VOLUME 2’ - arrives

just as festi season begins in earnest, so expect

a live set packed full of hot-off-the-press gems.

cliffords

Despite the fact that Cliffords’ Spotify bio states “a day out

of Cork is a day wasted”, their vast festival run this summer

implies otherwise. The Irish five-piece, who have been garnering

attention since their fierce self-released EP ‘Strawberry Scented’

in 2024, are quickly upping the ante. Recently signed to new

label Soil To The Sun (Relentless Records), they’ve been busy in

London’s Battery Studios with producer Richie Kennedy on soon

to drop EP, ‘Salt of the Lee’. Clearly, there’s no time

to squander before catching the band in small

tents and venues. Don’t miss

out.

getdown

services

Their Instagram bio - which reads ‘Britain’s Best Band’ -

may be a tongue-in-cheek joke, but Getdown Services truly are

one act we can pretty much guarantee you won’t regret catching

this festival season. The Bristol duo have spent the past few

years winning over even the most cynical of punters with their

pithy observations on everyday life, and their irresistibly joyous

live show will have you belting lyrics about TV chefs, existential

angst, and packets of cheese’n’onion at the top of your lungs.

Pure serotonin.

westside

cowboy

If you heed only one tip from this

stacked selection (if we do say so

ourselves), let it be this. Having been recently

named as winners of 2025’s Glastonbury

Emerging Talent Competition, Manchester quartet

Westside Cowboy live up to their early hype

emphatically; masters of thrilling dynamic

shifts and heartening harmonies, their

self-coined brand of ‘Britainicana’ feels at

once fresh and strangely familiar, as if

rediscovering an old favourite on first listen.

‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could

Really Love (Until I Met You)’ may be a mouthful, but it’s

one of the best debut tracks we’ve heard in yonks - and its

opening yelp is even more satisfying live.

dog race

It might have been a steady start for

this Bedfordshire band, but Dog Race

aren’t showing any signs of slowing down.

Best known for enticing scratchy singles

‘The Leader’, ‘Terror’ and ‘It’s the Squeeze’,

they’ve become a firm favourite in the live

scene - unsurprising, given vocalist Katie

Healy’s possessing performance. They’ve only

accelerated that reputation

recently, with a host of BBC 6

Music plays (including a live

slot at the station’s New Music

Fix) and they made the shortlist for

2025’s Glastonbury Emerging Talent

Competition. Catch them at a host of

festivals this summer if you want to get

your money’s worth. Odds are, you’ll be blown

away.

ugly

Contrary to what their name suggests, Ugly are a band you really

want to see. On stage - in particular - the art-rock six-piece really

come into their own. Live comradery, harmonies and swapping

spotlights mean all members get the chance to shine. For a taste

of what you can expect in that sticky festival tent, listen to the

curiously jolly latest single, ‘Next to Die’ and you’ll soon agree

that the allure of Ugly isn’t to be

underestimated.

catch them...

Luvcat plays The Great Escape

(14th-17th May), Wide Awake

(23rd May), Live at Leeds in

the Park (24th May), Primavera

a la Ciutat (2nd-8th June),

Come Together (4th-8th June),

Bludfest (21st June), Mad Cool

(10th-13th July), Sziget (6th-11th

August), Rock En Seine (20th-

24th August) and Reading &

Leeds (22nd-24th August).

Chloe Slater plays The Great

Escape (14th-17th May),

London Calling (16th-17th

May), Live at Leeds in the Park

(24th May), Neighbourhood

Weekender (24th-25th May),

Come Together (4th-8th June),

Rock For People (11th-15th

June), Glastonbury (25th-29th

June), TRSNMT (11th-13th July),

MIDI (18th-20th June), Truck

(24th-27th July), Tramlines

(25th-27th July), Appletree

Garden (31st July - 2nd

August), Y Not (31st July - 3rd

August), Kendal Calling (31st

July - 3rd August), Pukkelpop

(14th-17th August) and Poplar

(11th-14th September).

MRCY play Les Eurockéennes

de Belfort (3rd-6th July) Rock

Werchter (3rd-6th July), Love

Supreme (4th-6th July), NN

North Sea Jazz (11th-13th July),

Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul (11th-

13th July), Pori Jazz (17th-19th

July), Latitude (24th-27th July),

Nice Jazz (20th-23rd July),

Winterthurer Musikfestwochen

(7th-18th August), Summer Well

(8th-10th August) and Into The

Great Wide Open (29th August-

1st September).

Cliffords play The Great

Escape (14th-17th May), Live at

Leeds in the Park (24th May),

Neighbourhood Weekender

(24th-25th May), Bludfest (21st

June), Rock Werchter (3rd-6th

July), Latitude (24th-27th

July), Truck (24th-27th July),

Tramlines (25th-27th July) and

Y Not (31st July - 3rd August).

Getdown Services play The

Great Escape (14th-17th May),

Bearded Theory (21st-25th

May), Wide Awake (23rd May),

Live at Leeds in the Park (24th

May), Maifield Derby (30th

May-1st June), SLUSH 1 (6th-

7th June), Fans Out (13th-15th

June), The Weekend Rumble

(4th-5th July), Victorious (22nd-

24th August), Manchester

Psych (30th August), Edinburgh

Psych (31st August) and Poplar

(11th-14th September).

Westside Cowboy play

The Great Escape (14th-17th

May), Dot To Dot (24th-25th

May), Supersonic Block Party

(29th-31st May), Brighten

The Corners (13th-14th June),

MIDI (18th-20th June) and

Manchester Psych (30th

August).

Dog Race play The Great

Escape (14th-17th May), Dot To

Dot (24th-25th May), Chauffer

dans la Noirceur (11th-13th

July) and Brighton Psych (29th

August).

UGLY play The Great Escape

(14th-17th May), Wide Awake

(23rd May), Ypsigrock (7th-10th

August) and Poplar (11th-14th

September).

Photos: Emma Swann, Daniel Lansburgh, Cal McIntyre, Siôn Marshall-Waters, Joe Moss, Lily Doidge, Seren Carys

12 D

vango tay 400 tent

Decided to finally take your Glasto plans out of the group chat

and not sure what to do about accommodation for you and your

mates? Save yourself the hassle of dragging several one-man

tents onsite with the Vango Tay 400. With enough room for four

people - but still promising to pack down nice and small - it’s the

perfect bit of gear to keep you comfy while camping this summer.

RRP: £150

GET IT: vango.co.uk

juice integrated 1

portable power

bank

Long gone are the days of

just planning to meet your

mates at the Stone Circle

at 2am. You need to stay

connected (even if the signal’s

a bit naff), so you don’t have time

to be running out of battery midway through your camping

stint. With Juice’s Integrated 1 Portable Power Bank, it does

all the hard work - it’ll charge your average smartphone from 0

to 50% battery in less than an hour, plus it’s made from 100%

recycled plastic, to make it even more environmentally-friendly.

RRP: £14.99

GET IT: juice.co.uk

bose soundlink flex

freshwipes

There’s nothing worse than trying to get in

the mood for a night out without a good

soundtrack, so why would that be any

different in a field? Luckily, Bose’s new

SoundLink portable speaker has you

covered, and will help get the party started

wherever you are in the campsite; what’s

even better is it’s waterproof, dustproof,

and incredibly durable, so no need to

worry about it breaking midway through.

RRP: £149.95

GET IT: bose.co.uk

Look, it’s true: certain things have to take a bit

of a back seat when it comes to festival life,

and we’re sorry to admit that sometimes it has

to be basic bodily hygiene. So if you can’t be

bothered to join the never ending shower queue,

never fear, FreshWipes are here for you. 100%

biodegradable and entirely plastic-free, these

antibacterial wipes will help freshen things up, and

you’ll only need one wipe for your whole bod.

RRP: £5.99

GET IT: freshwipes.co.uk

a quickfire guide to everything you’ll need to be prepared all summer long.

moth

cocktails

highlander

venture

backpack

Sick of having to lug all your gear onto

the campsite in various different tote

bags? What you need is something

sturdy, sizable and comfortable: this

Highlander Venture Backpack covers

all bases. Not only is it 20L, so can

hold all your essentials, but it’s also

the perfect size for cabin luggage,

meaning if you decide to head further

afield this summer, it’ll work for that too.

RRP: £24.99

GET IT: outdoorworlddirect.co.uk

Packing for festival season

isn’t all about having the right

tent pegs or air bed pumps, it’s

also about making sure you’re

adequately prepared when it

comes to extracurricular activities.

That means cocktails! Pros of

the canned cocktail, MOTH have

recently launched two delicious new options,

that - whether you’re partial to something sweet

or spicy - will be perfect for wetting your whistle this summer.

RRP: £26 for 8 cans

GET IT: mothdrinks.com

loop

experience 2

earplugs

Obviously, heading to a festival

is an incredibly fun experience,

perfectly designed to blow off

steam. But it’s equally as important

to remember to look after yourself -

and that means your ears too! Currently,

1 in 2 of us don’t wear any sort of hearing

protection when attending live events, and Loop

are here to change that. Not only do they offer

a variety of earplugs designed for different needs,

but they come in a load of different colours and finishes (to suit

your ‘fits) - plus, they won’t hinder your audio experience either!

RRP: £29.95

GET IT: loopearplugs.com

altruist moisturising

fluid with spf50

We’ve all been there; waking up late and blearyeyed

the morning after the night before, rushing

to get down to the main stage, forgetting to bring

along your trusty SPF. But if you’re planning on

spending any time in the sun this summer, get that

SPF where it belongs: on your face! To make things

even easier this year, Altruist have just launched their

new Moisturising Fluid with SPF50, which will help

keep your skin protected and looking glowy (thanks

to the added Hyaluronic Acid) all weekend long.

RRP: £8.50

GET IT: altruistsun.com

14 D

Friday 22 August

Victoria Park

London E3

Barry Can’t Swim

Confidence

Man

Shygirl

DJ HEARTSTRING

Interplanetary Criminal

salute

Presents True Vision

Chloé Caillet

Leon Vynehall (Live)

Pretty Girl (Live)

ATRIP

+ many more to be announced

Marlon

Hoffstadt

(Presents Daddycation)

New album ‘Loner’ Out 11 July

dancing

in

the

dark

after rapidly rising through the ranks thanks to his 2023 debut ‘when will we

land?’, scottish producer and dj barry can’t swim is on the verge of his biggest

summer yet, but the build up’s not been entirely plain-sailing. on new album

‘loner’, josh mainnie tries to make sense of the rollercoaster he’s been on over the

past two years, while reminding himself of who he is as an artist along the way.

words: patrick clarke

behind Josh Mainnie

on the Zoom call

is a glimpse of the

Mexican sunshine

beaming through

the window of his

posh hotel room.

Josh – aka Barry

Can’t Swim – has

just landed in the

country for a couple of shows but he’s not

on until 11pm, so he’s looking forward to “a

bit of exploring time, that’s been carved out

beforehand”. He’s also booked a week’s

holiday there immediately after the gig to

enjoy with his partner before embarking

on a run of shows across the US. “I can’t

complain, man, life’s good!” he beams.

He’s an extremely affable interviewee,

frequently at pains to acknowledge his

luck. There are not many artists who go

from performing their first live show to an

afternoon set on Glastonbury’s Park Stage

upgraded. Nobody knew that was going to

happen, least of all me.”

The chance to get back in the studio on a

label’s dime is a thrill in itself. “I still love that

more than anything else,” Josh says. “There’s

no better feeling than writing a piece of music

that clicks. Just to have the freedom to write

music is a crazy privilege.” Putting together

the follow-up to his 2023 debut ‘When We

Will Land?’ (which, befitting Josh’s seemingly

endless well of good fortune, was a Mercuryshortlisted

smash), also offered him a chance

to take stock of a period that frequently

tipped over into the all-out surreal.

unningly scheduled for release

in mid-July - peak festival

season and a few weeks out

from his All Points East headline

show - it’d be natural to expect

pure euphoria from album two, a victory lap

for the overnight megastar to cement his

status. It’s telling, however, that what

emerges is something far more complex.

“i’m at my most

creative

i’m

when

comfortable.”

(so popular that the entire arena had to be

walled off to contain the crowds), to selling

out three consecutive nights at Brixton

Academy, and booking a headline set at All

Points East, all within the space of two years.

“It’s just been pretty nuts, to be honest! I

keep having to remind myself how recently it

all was,” says Josh. He recalls a story he told

on stage during one of those colossal Brixton

dates, about his first meeting with now-label

Ninja Tune. “They asked, ‘What’s the longterm

goal?’ I said, ‘Headlining Brixton in 10

years’ time would be a dream.’ Then, within a

couple of years we’d done three [nights in a

row].” Even that first ever live set, in May 2023

at Islington Assembly Hall in London, marked

an outstripping of expectations, he points

out. “It was initially meant to be in Hoxton

Hall, which is at most 400 capacity, and my

agent was a bit like, ‘I don’t know if we’re

gonna sell out this first show.’ I got cold feet

as it approached, because it’s a lot of money

you have to front. But then it sold out, so we

There are, of course, plenty of bangers – the

shimmering Kali Uchis-sampling ‘Still Riding’,

the soaring energy of ‘Different’ that’s already

an established live favourite – but so too does

the record often deliver washes of

melancholia, reflection, and even alienation.

It opens, for instance, with ‘The Person You’d

Like To Be’, a jarring blast of sirens giving way

to an edgy off-kilter melody and a brooding

beat. “I wanted it to feel uneasy to listen to,”

Josh says. It underpins a back-and-forth

dialogue between his friend and spoken

word artist Séamus that begins in a place

of delusional hyper positivity: “You are an

exceptional person, in some ways you are

better than everyone else”. As Josh explains,

“it’s a take on affirmations, which I think can

actually be surprisingly toxic. It legitimises

some kind of idea that there was something

wrong in the first place.” Employing distorted,

AI-enhanced vocal manipulation to up the

uncanniness, the vibe shifts into paranoia

(“Don’t look into someone’s eyes if you love

them for too long / They will see you as you

are”) and then total vulnerability (“Can you

sit down with me for a moment please? /

Can you hold my hand?”). It signals, Josh

18 D

D 19

explains, the overriding themes

that will continue across

the record, of “isolation and

loneliness. What better way to

do that than with a fake voice

that weaves between human

and AI?”

If, as he says, “the album is

completely an expression of my

past year,” then it’s clear that

that supersonic flight to stardom

was not without turbulence.

It’s titled ‘Loner’ after all. “If

I’m honest, I’ve been a bit

hesitant whether to just tell the

truth about the album title,” he

says frankly. “Because I just

fucking hate it when people

who have everything going for

them say ‘my life is so hard’.”

Nevertheless, he admits, “over

the last year I started to feel quite

distant from myself. In order for

me to process everything and

deal with the imposter syndrome

that came with having to step

onto a stage in front of loads of

people, I detached from what I

was really doing. Then, I ended up not really enjoying it

as much as a result.

“It didn’t come in bursts, or in moments, like when

you’re about to step onstage,” he continues. “It’s just

kind of there, all the time, and this underlying feeling of

fear, fear of the fact that it was going well but I didn’t

have any control over it.” While he doesn’t take himself

too seriously – the stage name Barry Can’t Swim is a

long-standing in-joke, he likes to “take the piss when

I’m on social media,” as he puts it – he’s also quite shy.

“There are little things, like how I find it really hard to talk

on stage. I could play the music all day, but those little

moments where I have to talk to the crowd… I find them

so hard.

“And a lot of it was not even just about shows or anything

like that,” he continues. “It was just about coping with

change, where that starts to define everything.” The

detachment, he says, “was partly just holding onto the

part of myself that was there before it all happened.”

Again, Josh is at pains not to be seen as wallowing too

much. “I’m so blessed, and all of this was self-imposed,”

he adds hastily, but his self-effacement feels a little

uncharitable; under such circumstances, anyone would

be more than entitled to an identity crisis. In fact, it’s a

minor miracle that he’s still so affable. “Part of the reason

I’ve been able to deal with it is because I’ve got really

good people around me – like my partner [who also runs

Barry Can’t Swim’s social media], and my manager who’s

a really good friend. I know so many artists who have

been chewed up and spat out by the industry, and I’m so

lucky that hasn’t happened to me.”

it’s telling that all of the features on ‘Loner’ are

drawn from that close inner circle. Séamus, who

reappears on the ambient interlude ‘Machine

Noise For A Quiet Daydream’ following his role in

the opener, is a friend from university. “He doesn’t

even have anything online, but he’s just unbelievably

talented and I think he’s brilliant. I’ve always wanted to

work with him, even when we were just at uni.” Producer

O’Flynn, meanwhile, who co-wrote meditative album

highlight ‘Kimpton’, has been a close confidant since

Josh’s first ever DJ set. “He’s one of the few producer

friends that I would actually really call a mate, and I feel

like we can just bounce off of each other.”

By contrast, big-name guests on the record are

conspicuously absent. Given his status at the vanguard

of a new wave of mainstream dance music, there has

been pressure to up the star power, Josh notes. “Plenty

of people on the industry side of things have tried to push

me to work with X, Y and Z. I won’t name names, but

people have reached out wanting to collaborate, but I just

don’t really like doing that. Particularly with this album,

I wanted to just do something that was really authentic

and a true expression of how I felt, and getting big names

doesn’t really do that, even if it might draw more eyes.”

In addition, he says, “I’m at my most creative when I’m

comfortable, and so if I’m with people that I know and

trust and feel safe around, then I’m going to make the

best thing that I can.”

Even the record’s artwork and visual direction is created

in tandem with an old friend, Rory Dewar who he’s been

working with since his very first self-released single. As

with O’Flynn and Séamus, Josh points out, “I’m not just

working with him because he’s a mate, he’s incredibly

talented as well.”

That talent shows on the artwork in question, where on

one side, Josh sits tucked away in a back room on the

edge of an unmade bed, his eyes drawn to a slightly

monstrous figure, draped head to toe in colourful

rosettes that draw attention. It’s not hard to read into the

uncomfortable dichotomy at ‘Loner’’s source: on one

side is Josh, the shy and pensive human being who just

wants to produce music, while on the other, we might

guess, is Barry, the surreal beast that his music has

forced him to become, weighed down – literally in this

case – by the burden of success.

For what it’s worth, Josh is wary of offering too much in

the way of direct explanations. “I think it’s more impactful

“in order for me to

process

everything,

i detached from what

i was really doing.”

D 21

to keep it open ended,” he says, but admits that it does

speak directly to his aim on the record – to make peace

between the two halves of a newfound split personality.

He recalls a point early on in the process where he was

struggling to do so, “feeling the pressure of living up to

my own expectations, thinking too much about it,” which

is when he got in touch with O’Flynn, who lived around

the corner. “I wasn’t thinking about it in terms of using

it to kick start an album, it was more ‘I’m going to write

some music for fun,’” Josh says. “But then, I realised

that, actually, that’s all this ever was. It’s just about trying

to express something authentically and enjoy it.”

‘Kimpton’, the track they made that day, turned out to

be an epiphany, a reminder, Josh continues, “that you

can only really do what you want to do, and that that’s

the most authentic thing. Everything just clicked into

place. I stopped thinking about anything other than what

I wanted to make, and it just became fun.” On the day

he eventually delivered what he thought was the finished

record, he felt a rush of liberation. “I went downstairs

and wrote a song that literally came together in about

two or three hours because I was just doing it for me.”

He noticed that all of a sudden he was writing with the

future in mind, the colossal summer shows, and that he

was approaching them not with detachment but with

ambition. “I had one eye on All Points East, and I thought

to myself, ‘I need some bigger moments.’ And now, since

I’ve been on tour, I’ve been writing more with a view to

the show being bigger.” The song, the up-tempo roller

‘About To Begin’, was added to ‘Loner’ at the last minute,

to stand as its new euphoric centrepiece.

It was the final piece of the puzzle, the final act of creative

processing that sees Josh entering festival season if

not transformed, then at peace with himself. “I think I’ll

always be a little bit shy, that’s just who I am,” he says,

“but I don’t feel like I’m putting any barriers up any more.

I feel a lot more comfortable with this journey I’m on, a lot

more positive and not trying to shy away from it all. I’m

trying to recognise that this is all me, it’s Josh as much

as it is Barry.”

‘Loner’ is out 11th July via Ninja Tune. D

barry can’t

swim plays...

Sónar (12th-14th June), Bonnaroo

(12th-15th June), Best Kept Secret

(13th-15th June), Rock Werchter (3rd-

6th July), NOS Alive (10th-12th July),

Lollapalooza (31st July-3rd August),

Osheaga (1st-3rd August), Rock En

Seine (20th-24th August), Lost Village

(21st-24th August), All Points East

(22nd August), Forwards (23rd-24th

August) and III Points (17th-18th

October).

“i stopped thinking about anything

other than what i wanted to

make, and it just became fun.”

Photos: Rory Dewar

22 D

22-24 AUG

stanford hall

leicestershire

TICKETS

FRIDAY

DRAKE

MILLIGAN

UK EXCLUSIVE

SATURDAY

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SUNDAY

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BAY

SEASICK STEVE. LARRY FLEET

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THE WHITE BUFFALO. ALANA SPRINGSTEEN

EVAN HONER

GARETH. FANTASTIC NEGRITO . ELLES BAILEY

MACKENZIE CARPENTER. ASHLEY MONROE

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CHUCK RAGAN SUMMER EXCLUSIVE

. FANCY HAGOOD . TROUSDALE

A - Z Bobbie. BONNIE DOBSON & THE HANGING STARS . CHRIS LINTON

CROWE BOYS. DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD . DAVID UNLAYAO . DENITiA

EVAN BARTELS. FANNY LUMSDEN . FIRST TIME FLYERS . GILL LANDRY . GREAZY ALICE

HALLE KEARNS. jade turner . JANET DEVLIN . JAYWALKERS . KELLIE LODER

KIM CHURCHILL. NOLAN TAYLOR . RAINBOW GIRLS . ROBBIE CAVANAGH

THE ROCKINGBIRDS. SIMEON HAMMOND DALLAS . STEADY HABITS

WILL VARLEY & THE SOUTHERN RUST

STAGE TAKEOVERS FROM

RISSI PALMER’S COLOR ME COUNTRY . LOOSE MUSIC . SNAKEFARM RECORDS - NEW FOR ‘25

beyond the music

The Lucky Dice Classic Car & Bike Show

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Craft Beer . U.S. street food & American BBQ

LINE DANCING . Lil’ Possum Kids Camp

& so much more

come stay with us

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Drive-Up Camping Plots . Hotel Packages

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Motorhome, RV & Campervan Plots

& so much more

ALL TICKETS & INFO THELONGROAD.COM

deadletter

play...

Bearded Theory (21st-25th May),

Live at Leeds in the Park (24th May),

Maifield Derby (30th May-1st June),

Brighten The Corners (13th-14th

June), Mad Cool (10th-13th July),

Pohoda (10th-12th July), RockLand

Art (18th-20th July), Chausse Tes

Tongs (25th-26th July), Brighton

Psych (29th August), Manchester

Psych (30th August) and Edinburgh

Psych (31st August). 2000trees

(9th-12th July), Dour (16th-20th

July), Deichbrand (17th-20th July),

Rock Herk (18th-19th July), Latitude

(24th-27th July), Deer Shed (25th-

28th July), Cabaret Vert (14th-17th

August) and Congés Annulés (15th

August).

having cultivated a fierce reputation via their frenzied live shows and last

year’s debut ‘hysterical strength’, this summer’s set to be another scorcher

for yorkshire troop deadletter. ahead of a packed festival season, we catch up

with frontman zac lawrence to dive into what lies ahead.

downtime has been a seldom

seen luxury for Deadletter across

the last few years. As we catch

up with the South London-via-

Yorkshire band, frontman Zac

Lawrence cuts a reclined figure as

plumes of cigarette smoke waft

in front of his camera mid-Zoom.

Although enjoying time away from

their demanding touring schedule,

he’s clearly a man energised to get back out on the road this

summer. “Life is good, the seasons are changing and we’re

all feeling a bit better about life.”

Reflecting on last year’s debut album ‘Hysterical Strength’,

he describes it as a document of their journey to date. “We

recorded it after the longest stretch of touring we’d ever

done. We’d just done nine weeks on the road so it was

maybe quite responsive to that,” he explains. “Really, it was

the culmination of three and a half years of being in a band.

There are some themes and topics that lie within it, but it

wasn’t so conceptual, it was a load of ideas that we’d had

over quite a big amount of time brought together as one

piece.”

That immersive, raw and pent-up energy of the band’s live

show is heard across the full-length. With a bubbling tension

that ebbs and flows throughout the album, they channel

their own heroes like The Fall, Magazine and Gang Of Four

while also ruminating on the world we live in today. Just take

the claustrophobic ‘More Heat’ as Zac sings like a wired

soothsayer, “These ailments, they manifest, the doomsday

arm moves doom-wise.”

There’s certainly a freedom in their feral sound. “I’m

happiest about the fact that there aren’t any expectations

that it’s assumed that we have to succumb to. I’d much

rather have that than have people see a formula in

everything you do.” Although there’s clearly no limitations

to where the band feel they can go, the record has helped

them cut-through their saturated guitar-wielding stomping

ground.

“The thing with that post-punk term is that it seems to

be such a blanket term that it doesn’t define anything

anymore,” he muses. “We’re just focused on our own

pathway. The music seems to have really resonated with

people out on the road which is incredible. It’s been

interesting to see the variety of people and different ages

in our crowds. It’s always flickering and changing but in

Europe they’re just getting busier and we really latched onto

that excitement for our live show.”

Having already toured heavily off the back of the album - a

run which saw the band headline a 1500-capacity show

at Electric Brixton - it’s natural that they now feel some

distance from the material. “It got to the point that we

got a bit tired of the tunes,” Zac explains. “Stepping back

out there this year and playing them again has felt really

refreshing and exciting though. I think personally, we’re all

very proud of how that first record sounds. When it’s your

own work, your feelings about it will naturally shift as time

goes on.”

fast approaching a busy festival season this summer,

the band are looking forward to celebrating

more milestone moments. “We’ve got about 40

festivals this summer and most of them are in other

countries.” He points to sharing a bill with the likes of

Queens Of The Stone Age, Iggy Pop and Massive Attack at

July’s Pohoda in Slovakia as a big standout.

“We were actually due to be headlining in the place of

Queens Of The Stone Age last year after they pulled out,

but then because the festival is set on an airfield, this giant

storm came and blew the whole thing down, so we’re really

looking forward to heading there and making up for it this

year. It’s just great to rub shoulders with some of these

giants of the game. That’s one of the things you dream of as

a kid, especially when you’ve done your first festival and it’s

something you like, then you start playing them, then you

end up on the same bill as major influences.”

He says soaking up these far-flung adventures with his best

pals is a big driving force in keeping the band hungry and

excited. “I often have these moments in hindsight where I

can fully appreciate what we’ve done, where we’ve been

and who we’ve played to. It is something I dreamt of so it’s

important not to forget that feeling. We’re breaking new

territory this year as well - we’re going to Iceland, Poland,

Sweden and Norway, which we can’t wait for.”

In terms of the band’s ethos and their delivery, he says the

disciplines of festival season largely stay the same though.

“It’s about going into the gigs with the same intensity, the

only difference is the length of the set. We try to keep it as

energetic as possible, we’ve all been to loads of festivals so

we always think about what we’d like to see onstage.”

“it’s just great

to rub shoulders

with some of

these giants of

the game. that’s

one of the things

you dream of as

a kid.”

- zac lawrence

Looking beyond the summer, the band plan on keeping

the momentum going into their second full-length record.

“We’re definitely going to have some new music out soon

but then all eyes are on recording a better second album

which I assume you’ll hear next year.” Zac says he’s

looking forward to writing and recording from a different

place. “This record will be a lot more focused and less of a

sprawling amalgamation. It’s going to sound very different

just considering that fact, we’re all really excited for this next

one.” Rhys Buchanan

Photos: Melissa Gardner, Georgina Hurdsfield

D 25

find yourself facing a festie dilemma? never fear! fresh from announcing

details of their self-titled debut album, we’ve recruited the cardiff quartet to

answer all of your tent-related conundrums…

Give us your top five packing essentials for

spending three nights camping in the middle of

British summer please!

A peebowl (Google it!), makeup wipes, tequila, lime

and soda.

How far in advance do you really think we should

be checking the weather forecast? Is it ever

actually any good?

Realistically we’re probably checking the day before.

It’s not like it never just pisses down anyway.

You’ve finally got on site and only just realised

that the dog’s chewed a hole in the side of your

tent - what’s the best way of patching it up?

Easy! Gaffa tape (must ask randoms for some gaffa

tape) or put an umbrella outside covering the hole.

Honestly there is no problem too big or small for us.

What are the best tips for saving a bit of cash

while you’re on site?

Get a multipack of discos so they burn off every last

taste bud on your tongue (for carbs); BYOV (Bring

your own vodka) and a top tip is to ask the bar for

soda water and ice; the driest-ass

discounted cereal bars you can

find at the supermarket (for

sustenance); one single

brown banana (never getting eaten). Respect the

balance!

It’s Night One, your phone’s already run out of

battery and you’ve lost your entire friendship

group, with no knowledge of where your tent is.

How do you survive?

We would telepathically send a message to each

other or shout “SHITMUNCHERS” at the top of our

lungs until one of us hears it. If all else fails, one of us

will be at the bar, you can guarantee that.

Your ex is gonna be heading to the same festival

as you and you’re not sure what the best way of

avoiding them is - what’s the plan of action?!

Text one of their friends to find out where they’re

camping and pitch faaaaar far away from them. Buy

a disguise at a festival stall and cross the road when

you see them coming.

It was a bit of a big one the night before but

you’ve just bumped into your favourite musician

as they walk out of the guest area and they seem

in a good mood - do you say hello and go in for a

selfie, or sadly swerve and forever feel gutted?!

It depends if the hangxeity has kicked in yet or not.

Do I really wanna see a piccy of me hanging out

my arse, looking like I’ve been dragged through

a bush backwards awkwardly smiling next to

my favourite artist? Actually you know what,

probably yeah…

It’s an unexpectedly muddy affair when

you arrive on site and you’ve only brought

your Crocs - do you suck it up and buy

some better shoes on site or try and ride

it out?

Crocs are a very versatile choice of

footwear. Raining? The water will drain

right out. Sunny? Very breathable. Long

walk ahead? Don’t you worry, the Crocs

are extremely comfortable and cushioned

Congratulations on your debut album! How

excited are you feeling about it finally being

announced?

Oh my god, it has been a long time coming! We

are absolutely buzzing. We have worked our tits

and arses off to get to this point so can’t wait to

finally get it out into the world.

Did you have an idea of what you wanted to

explore with the album? Was there a game

plan going into making it?

We definitely wanted to level up. We can only

write about our own experiences and keep things

fun. Song ideas just come really naturally to us

whether we’re out on the piss, sharing stories or

seeing or reading something that sparks an idea

in one of us. I guess the game plan was just being

best friends and being absolute legends too.

and an excellent fashion choice (if you wanna endorse

us, Crocs, you can).

It’s the final day and your ride home has decided

they want to leave early. Do you stay and finish

the festival in style, blagging an alternate way

back, or go with the flow and pack up your things

sooner than planned?

We would actually rather walk home than leave early

BUT I guess it does kinda depend on the line up.

There is no way on this goddamn earth we would be

missing any of our fave artists, but if Coldplay are

closing, we’ll probably give that a pass and take the

lift. Soz Chris!

Any final words of advice?

Don’t deplete supplies on the first night. Remember

this is a marathon, not a sprint. Try and shove

something down your neck, it’ll make you feel better.

Drink water. If you’re super organised, take some

toilet paper with you and check the tent pegs are in

the bag.

‘Panic Shack’ is out 18th July via Brace Yourself

Records. D

Photo: Ren Faulkner

panic shack

play...

FOCUS Wales (8th-10th May), In It

Together (23rd-25th May), 2000trees

(9th-12th July) and Homestead

(18th-20th July).

Multi-Venue

Music Festival

Ipswich

Live Music,

Talks, DJs

Food, Drink

and more

Dry Cleaning • Bob Vylan

Adwaith

BLACK FONDU

Bobby Lee

Caleb Kunle

corto.alto

Daudi Matsiko

DEADLETTER

deary

Disgusting Sisters

ELLiS·D

Gruff Rhys

Hitmen

HotWax

James Alexander Bright

JD Cliffe

Lime Garden

Lucy Gooch

Mandrake Handshake

Marla Kether

Master Peace

Mermaid Chunky

Miss Tiny

Monster Florence

THE NONE

OneDa

The Orchestra (For Now)

oreglo

pencil

Piglet

The Pill

Rich(ard) Dawson

SHOLTO

shortstraw.

SILVERWINGKILLER

Sons Of Sevilla

Van Houten

W. H. Lung

Waldo's Gift

Westside Cowboy

Y

Yuuf

& more

Tickets & more information @ www.brightenthecorners.co.uk

polar opposites, the perfect pair, we catch up with ALT BLK ERA after the release of their debut

album ’Rave Immortal’ and their MOBO win to reflect on things so far.

Nottingham duo ALT BLK ERA are yin-and-yang,

both literally and metaphorically: when Nyrobi, 20,

wears white, Chaya, 17, wears black. When Chaya

sings like an angel, Nyrobi roars like a demon.

They are complete opposites, yet they wouldn’t

be able to exist without the other; an inseparable

force of nature that craft melodies and construct

lyrics as if they’d been writing songs from the day

they were born, all while simultaneously finding

the ability to balance one another out.

The fierce sisterhood felt between Nyrobi and

Chaya Beckett-Messam has equally allowed for

ruthless studio sessions unafraid of hurt feelings

and rewrites, constant back-and-forths as they

root for the best solution together, understanding

how the other’s brain works. In turn, that led to

their debut album, ‘Rave Immortal’, and reaching

heights the sisters could never have dreamed of;

while the album charted at #1 on the Official UK

Rock and Metal Albums chart in its first week,

the sisters have also been nominated for Best UK

Breakthrough Act at the Heavy Music Awards,

and Best Alternative Music Act at the MOBOs in

2024 – the very category they went on to win this

year.

Congrats on your recent achievements! What has

your relationship with ALT BLK ERA been like so

far?

Nyrobi: I think we’ve always liked to match things

up with our personalities – so, Chaya wearing black

made the most sense. Especially with the music

she listens to and her personality vibe, some people

would say it’s gloomy, but I know her as a bit more

fun, because we have that sister bond. And me, just

having a really wild personality. So, in our music, I’ll

do most of the rapping parts, like the high energy

[vocals]. Whereas Chaya will do the operatic vocals

and she’s the singer of the duo. It’s like you said – yin

and yang, we balance each other out, it’s white and

black, and I think that’s always going to be our thing…

And how did that yin-and-yang originate?

Nyrobi: When I was first getting into music, my mum

was like ‘Let’s get you into lessons’, because I did

the piano lessons they do at school but I wasn’t

interested in earning grades, I was interested in

playing music and singing, not playing like Beethoven.

So, my mum said, ‘No, we’re going to get you to

express it how you need to’, so that was when we

started going to CRS [Community Recording Studio].

How did that musical environment foster your

development within music?

Nyrobi: It was really mixed. We were getting one-onone

lessons for guitar, piano, drums, songwriting…

there was a real mix of music. There were [male and

female] R&B singers, and rappers. And we were in

the youth club, so we got

to songwrite with other

people – that was

the only time we’ve

written with other

people, and

that gave us

a good

musical base of everything that we wanted to do, and

let us understand our sound and our style. But back

then, we were writing mainly R&B and pop songs… I

spent most of secondary school writing in that style.

So, if you grew up writing songs, when did you

actually start writing ‘Rave Immortal’? Or were

you always unintentionally writing for that record?

Chaya: We write all the time, don’t we? So, when we

started going through our collection of songs and

picking out what would be ‘Rave Immortal’, that was

the end of 2023. It was a very excruciating process

though because we had so many songs, and we had

to pick 10.

Nyrobi: And we got the record finished in March

2024… so, we’ve had it for ages. Even though the

world is like, ‘This is new,’ we’re like, ‘Next!.’

With a catalogue of songs, you might have had

songs that might have been a year old, or three

years old.

Nyrobi: I think all of them [ended up being] new

ones because of how we work – because we write

so much, there’s always better [songs] with more

experience, with different life situations, and different

emotions and feelings. So, the original project that we

would have put together would have been completely

different because I will look at it and think ‘I can write

better than that song, that song seems like a weak

link, let me do something better’. And once it levels

up, and I elevate it, I think: ‘oh no, now there are

three more songs that need to be on this level’. The

only reason that we stopped was because we had a

deadline.

Even now, we’re working on albums two and three.

We’re just writing – no dates or anything – but we

have the songs listed out. But I know by the time we

get to album three… I just wonder, are any of [those]

songs going to be on there? Two years from now, we’ll

be completely different people; Chay[a] is 17 now, but

when she’s 19 or 20,

life is just going to

be different. So

even though the

songs are really

exciting now… I

mean, a few have

stood the test

of time though;

I’m very proud

[of those]. Isabella

Ambrosio

‘Rave Immortal’ is out

now via Earache. D

alt blk era play...

Bearded Theory (21st-25th May),

OneFest (10th-13th July), and

Outcider (31st July-3rd August).

Photo: Dean Chalkley

28 D

oetry is the spontaneous

overflow of powerful

feelings”: so says

Ezra Furman in the

self-penned bio for

‘Goodbye Small

Head’, her compelling

forthcoming tenth LP.

If poetry is an overflow, then her discography to date is a

veritable flood, linked across sonic and appellational changes

by an ever-present, visceral howl of emotion.

“Making art is really so analogous to having dreams,” she

muses today, speaking to DIY over Zoom from her home in

Boston. “You don’t know what your dream is while you’re

having it, and you don’t know exactly what it meant after you

had it, but I do think [both making art and dreaming] reflect

what’s going on with you in your unconscious [mind].”

Crucially, though, Ezra’s work has also always felt remarkably

prescient, reflecting not just her own inner workings, but

contemporary anxieties shared by people the world over: take

2018’s ‘Transangelic Exodus’ - released a year into Trump’s

first presidential term - which blooms from the conceptual

seed of queer angels on the run from oppression; or her last

offering, 2022’s ‘All Of Us Flames’, which gives voice to the

parallel marginalisations of trans folk and the Jewish diaspora.

“It always feels like I’m just following my own personal

experiences and private emotions to write what I write,” she

says thoughtfully, “and then when I look at what I’ve done,

there’s something about [it] that rhymes with the present

moment in public life.

“This record, especially, feels so first person singular,”

she continues, describing the thematic heart of ‘Goodbye

Small Head’: “this is happening to me, I’m alone, and I’m

overwhelmed with these experiences of beauty and pain.”

And yet, she acknowledges, the album is far from insular -

rather, its themes and execution are “very mid-2020s in some

public way”.

to not only still have new things to say, but to also still

have resonant, relevant things to say, is a feat few

other artists this far into their career are capable of.

Ezra, though, is one for whom reinvention has long

been a hallmark. “I think I definitely reached a point

of exasperation with my own established style,” she nods.

“I think that was in the mid 2010s, and I kind of did have

to burn it down and restart in a bit of a different place for

‘Transangelic Exodus’. And that lined up in a weird way - I

mean, in a probably not coincidental way - with maturation of

my queerness and transness, and in some ways becoming a

new person.”

If ‘Transangelic Exodus’ was the sound of Ezra stepping

further into her true self, then ‘Goodbye Small Head’ is the

sound of her stepping down from any sugar-coated pedestals

she’s unwittingly found herself occupying as that self - of

her saying “‘no more role model stuff, just be fucking real’.”

Because, we wonder, being a trans woman in the public eye

must encode specific, significant pressures: to be ‘strong’ in

the face of adversity; to maintain a sense of optimism in spite

of concerted, institutionally ratified attacks. “Yes,” she nods.

And that must be quite a load to bear? “I have to think about

this before I say it because I don’t want to….” she trails off,

and it’s some time before she answers.

“I really felt like it became my purpose to go around to these

rooms full of queer people and be like ‘it’s gonna be OK’. I talk

to people after shows, and they sometimes get a little intense,

[saying things like] ‘you saved my life’ or ‘we need you, you

have to keep doing what you’re doing’. And I take those things

as some of the greatest honours of my career - it’s truly

one of the greatest things about the work that I do, to meet

people who feel sustained by this art in a way that I have been

sustained by music that I have loved. But also, if you hear that

stuff too many times, you hear them saying ‘you can’t stop or

we will die’.”

as such, ‘Goodbye Small Head’ is all the more

powerful for its refusal to soften the blow. Flying

in the face of toxic positivity, or the empty

activism of Instagram infographics, the album

makes no bones about the sheer, crushing

weight of having your very existence debated, derided, and

distilled into a flashpoint issue for political point-scoring. “I’ve

been spending a lot of time accepting my own overwhelm and

just looking straight at the sheer size of my feelings, trying to

say [them] in the most stark, honest way,” she affirms. “Lifting

the veil. I want to stop hedging, I guess, or minimising, or

making something clever to deflect from how it feels.”

“The new world is flawless / You’ve got to have good skin,”

goes ‘You Mustn’t Show Weakness’, the first of two LP

centrepieces: “You’ve got to have it together whatever the

weather / Whatever secret storm you were born and living

in”. Then there’s ‘Submission’ - the second of the pair, it’s

a gut-punchingly stark surrender that whips away any of its

predecessor’s lingering bluster to reveal a gaping wound.

(“We’re fucked / It’s a relief to say / We’ll see no victory day”).

“I was like ‘I can’t write this, I can’t say this - this is not my

message to the world,” she says. “[That] we’re fucked? How

can I say that? It’s so dark, but it’s true that it felt like a relief

to me - it just felt emotionally honest and vital and was the

thing that I was afraid to say. And it turns out, you can have

the feeling you’re afraid to have, and you can admit how much

it hurts and the way that it hurts. And then you’re still alive and

feeling a different feeling the next day.”

This, in essence, is the crux of ‘Goodbye Small Head’; across

its 12 tracks, Ezra admits mortal fear and despair and sheer

exhaustion, but nevertheless always stops short of total

defeat. “I really feel like the record ended up being some kind

of embrace of weakness,” she nods. “All day long, people

- trans people in particular - are telling each other: ‘we’re

strong’; ‘keep fighting’; ‘it doesn’t matter what people say

about you, just ignore them’. But I kind of got tired of being the

strong one who has no feelings. It’s just not me. And it’s just

not what it’s like to be a person.”

the de facto tagline for her tenth album, then, is not a

naive, rose-tinted pipe dream, but rather a passionate

plea for community and connection: A World Of Love

And Care. Taking cues from the record’s penultimate

and closing tracks, it’s an ethos which embodies

“this confession of need” - that innately human desire to

find common ground with each other, to understand and be

understood. And rarely is this feeling more powerfully realised

than at live music events. Enter: Ezra Furman Presents A

World Of Love And Care - an all-day takeover of London’s

“i think that queer people and

feminists and artists who model

freedom kind of unlock the

imagination of people who are

watching.”

30 D

now on the verge of releasing her tenth studio album, ezra furman knows the

meaning of courage and community more than most. with this month’s a world

of love and care - a specially-curated day festival hosted at london’s earth -

she’s re-affirming the case for love as a revolutionary act.

“having a band is an

opportunity to create your own

little micro-culture.”

EartH which will see her joined by the likes of Du

Blonde, Modern Woman, jasmine.4.t, and Westside

Cowboy. What better way to give ‘Goodbye Small

Head’ its very first live airing?

“When we have these concerts, the person at the

front of the room can really demand things, and ask

people to carry themselves in a certain way,” she

considers. “And it’s not that everyone must comply,

but it’s an invitation to bring out certain kinds of

relating to one another; you can draw a little line

around this culture and [say] ‘in here, this is gonna be

a place of love and care for each other’. Or a place

of passion, or a place of queerness, or a place of

expression and different kinds of awareness.

“Having a band is an opportunity to create your own

little micro-culture,” she continues. “And it took me

a while to understand that the more I talked about

what I cared about, the [more] the audience started to

change. In terms of demographic stuff - people going

‘oh, this is a queer artist and I’m queer’ - but also in

[the way] the same middle-aged, white British, classic

rock dudes would keep coming, but I’d watch their

hearts kind of soften, and they’d start painting their

nails or something.”

We both laugh, but it’s an anecdote that encodes

more than just a 6 Music dad copping a bottle of

Barry M; it’s testament to the significance of gigs as

places of safety and sites of progress, even for the

most unlikely of attendees. “I think that queer people

and feminists and artists who model freedom kind of

unlock the imagination of people who are watching,”

says Ezra. “That’s what’s going on when I listen to my

favourite music, or take in art, or read a certain kind

of great writer, or feminist scholarship. I feel more free

after taking in the perspectives of people who are

demanding freedom. And I think that’s pretty much

universal. The more inclusive that message, the more

universal it’ll be.

“There is something about creating a little utopia that

I’ve only become more conscious of recently. And you

know, you walk out into the world and [the utopia] all

dissolves in the rain. But you had it, and something

about it doesn’t dissolve, it doesn’t disappear. It

leaves an impact on me, that togetherness with

people - whether I’m attending a concert, or

performing one.” Daisy Carter

‘Goodbye Small Head’ is out 16th May via Bella

Union. D

what a wonderful

world

Ezra Furman on the other acts populating

her all-dayer’s stacked bill.

I love the four bands we’re playing with - they

were really selected with love. I’ve never not been

excited about music, but there are so many great

new bands… You encounter people online who

are just like ‘oh, I wish it was the ‘90s, those were

the cool bands’. And I’m like ‘oh my god! You’re

dying of thirst, leaning on a water fountain!’ It

drives me nuts. And also, the water needs you

to drink it to get paid! The metaphor has broken

down now, but you get what I mean…

ezra plays...

Ezra Furman Presents A World

Of Love And Care (18th May) and

Bearded Theory (21st-25th May).

Photos: Eleanor Petry, Emma Swann

l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e

S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S

v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W

g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g

J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J

w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w

w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

may

welcome to

rockville

15th - 18th May

DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY,

DAYTONA BEACH, FL ?

Bullet For My Valentine, Green Day, Korn,

Of Mice And Men, Taking Back Sunday

welcometorockvillefestival.com

S Daytona Beach

kilby block party

15th - 18th May

UTAH STATE FAIR PARK, SALT LAKE

CITY, UT ?

Jay Som, Lime Garden, St. Vincent, Walt

Disco, Weezer

kilbyblockparty.com

S Salt Lake City

london calling

16th - 17th May

PARADISO, AMSTERDAM ?

Annie DiRusso, Bored At My Grandmas

House, Chloe Slater, Soccer Mommy,

total tommy

londoncalling.nl

S Amsterdam

electric daisy

carnival

16th - 18th May

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, NV ?

Bicep, Boys Noize, Chase & Status,

Rudimental, Skepta

lasvegas.electricdaisycarnival.com

S Las Vegas

wildflower!

16th - 18th May

GALATYN PARK URBAN CENTER,

RICHARDSON, TX ?

Cold War Kids

wildflowerfestival.com

S Dallas

get together

17th May

KELHAM ISLAND, SHEFFIELD

Cosmorat, Divorce, English Teacher,

Freak Slug, Swim Deep

gettogetherfestival.com

% City Hall

cruel world

17th May

ROSE BOWL, PASADENA, CA ?

Devo, Garbage, Madness, New Order,

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

cruelworldfest.com

S Los Angeles

bearded theory

21st - 25th May

CATTON HALL, DERBYSHIRE

Ash, Iggy Pop, Manic Street Preachers,

Nova Twins, Yard Act

beardedtheory.co.uk

% Lichfield Trent Valley

lightning in a

bottle

21st - 25th May

BUENA VISTA LAKE, KERN COUNTY,

CA ?

Audrey Nuna, Four Tet, Jamie xx, Shygirl,

Underworld

libfestival.org

S Meadows Field

shindig

22nd - 25th May

DILLINGTON ESTATE, SOMERSET

Ibibio Sound Machine, Moonchild Sanelly,

Asian Dub Foundation, Gilles Peterson,

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

shindigfestival.co.uk

% Taunton

c6 fest

22nd - 25th May

PARQUE IBIRAPUERA, SÃO PAULO ?

AG Cook, Cat Burns, English Teacher,

Gossip, The Last Dinner Party

c6fest.com.br

S São Paulo

boston calling

23rd - 25th May

HARVARD ATHLETIC COMPLEX,

BOSTON ?

Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, I Don’t Know

How But They Found Me, Public Enemy,

Vampire Weekend

bostoncalling.com

S Boston

bottlerock

23rd - 25th May

NAPA VALLEY, CA ?

Green Day, Lauren Mayberry, Miya Folick,

Public Enemy, SASAMI

bottlerocknapavalley.com

S San Francisco

wide awake

23rd May

BROCKWELL PARK, LONDON

Daniel Avery, English Teacher, jasmine.4.t,

Mannequin Pussy, Sprints

wideawakelondon.co.uk

% Herne Hill

in it together

23rd - 25th May

OLD PARK FARM, MARGAM, PORT

TALBOT

Antony Szmierek, Kaiser Chiefs, Nova

Twins, Panic Shack, Daniel Bedingfield

inittogetherfestival.com

% Port Talbot Parkway

a stone’s throw

23rd - 25th May

VARIOUS VENUES, NORTH SHIELDS

Home Counties, Humour, Man/ Woman/

Chainsaw, shame, Swim Deep

astonesthrowfestival.co.uk

% North Shields

foul weather

23rd - 24th May

LE HAVRE ?

Enola Gay, Heartworms, Shelf Lives, Adult

DVD, Lola Sauvageot

foulweatherfestival.fr

S Le Havre

dot to dot

24th - 25th May

VARIOUS VENUES, BRISTOL / VARIOUS

VENUES, NOTTINGHAM

BIG SPECIAL, jasmine.4.t, Låpsley,

Sprints, The Horrors

dottodotfestival.co.uk

% Bristol Temple Meads / Nottingham

D 35

the great escape

14th - 17th May

VARIOUS VENUES, BRIGHTON

Once again taking over the venues of the south coast’s most musical city, over its four days The Great Escape will play host

to artists including familiar names to DIY readers such as English Teacher, Luvcat and Picture Parlour, but also introduce

some surefire future faves, like Chloe Qisha, Man/Woman/Chainsaw and Punchbag.

greatescapefestival.com

% Brighton

immergut

29th - 31st May

NEUSTRELITZ ?

Dehd, mary in the junkyard, Pom Pom

Squad, Porridge Radio, Shout Out Louds

immergutrocken.de

S Berlin

tomavistas

29th - 31st May

CAJA MÁGICA, MADRID ?

Bombay Bicycle Club, Caribou, Kiasmos,

Mogwai, Amaia

tomavistasfestival.com

S Madrid

supersonic

block party

29th - 31st May

SUPERSONIC, PARIS ?

Chappaqua Wrestling, Do Nothing,

Gengahr, Melin Melyn, Opus Kink

supersonic-club.fr/block-party-2025

% Paris

field day

24th May


Jayda G, Mall Grab, Peggy Gou, James

Blake (DJ) B2B Mala, Jungle (DJ)

fielddayfestivals.com

% Herne Hill

love saves the

day

24th - 25th May

ASHTON COURT ESTATE, BRISTOL

Ghetts, Giggs, Groove Armada, Mall

Grab, Nia Archives

lovesavestheday.org

% Parson Street

movement

24th - 26th May

HART PLAZA, DETROIT ?

Boys Noize, Chase & Status, Jamie xx,

Ben UFO, Skepta Más Tiempo

movementfestival.com

S Detroit

cross the tracks

25th May


Ezra Collective, Michael Kiwanuka,

Sinead Harnett, Gilles Peterson, Jordan

Rakei

xthetracks.com

% Herne Hill

maifeld derby

30th May - 1st June

MAIMARKTGELÄNDE, MANNHEIM ?

Antony Szmierek, Franz Ferdinand, mary

in the junkyard, Nilüfer Yanya, The Notwist

maifeld-derby.de

S Frankfurt

orange warsaw

30th - 31st May

WARSAW-SŁUŻEWIEC ?

Barry Can’t Swim, Chappell Roan, Charli

XCX, Michael Kiwanuka

orangewarsawfestival.pl

S Warsaw

neighbourhood

weekender

24th - 25th May

VICTORIA PARK, WARRINGTON

Chloe Slater, Luvcat, Nieve Ella, Sigrid,

Wunderhorse

nbhdweekender.com

% Warrington Bank Quay

slam dunk

24th - 25th May

TEMPLE NEWSAM, LEEDS / HATFIELD

PARK

A Day to Remember, Alkaline Trio, Finch,

Scowl, Twin Atlantic

slamdunkfestival.com

% Leeds / Hatfield

portals

24th - 25th May

EARTH, LONDON

Brontide, Foxing, The NONE, Yndi Halda,

Cats and Cats and Cats

portalsrock.com

% Dalston Kingsland

live at leeds in the park

24th May

TEMPLE NEWSAM, LEEDS

There’s a pair of main stages for a pair of indie icons at Live at Leeds in the Park, with Manic Street Preachers set to bring their

considerable arsenal of hits to Temple Newsam while Bloc Party present theirs alongside a full run-through of seminal debut

‘Silent Alarm’. Elsewhere, there’s spots for local heroes Yard Act plus Sports Team, Do Nothing and singalong guarantee

Natasha Bedingfield.

liveatleeds.com

% Leeds

Photos: Emma Swann

36 D

index

wychwood

30th May - 1st June

CHELTENHAM RACECOURSE

Home Counties, Ibibio Sound Machine,

Public Service Broadcasting, Songhoy

Blues, The Zutons

wychwoodfestival.com

% Cheltenham Spa

come together

4th - 8th June

TOWN MOOR, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

With Robbie Williams, Kings of Leon and Kaiser Chiefs among its big hitters this June, it won’t just be former Little Mix

star Perrie who’s got some serious vocal cord warmups to do ahead of Get Together. Among others set to appear at the

event, which takes place on Newcastle’s Town Moor, are The Cribs, Nell Mescal, Luvcat and Nieve Ella.

cometogetherfestival.co.uk

% WEST JESMOND

spring festival

alicante

30th - 31st May

MULTIESPACIO RABASA, ALICANTE ?

Suede, Fangoria, Lori Meyers, Mikel Azal,

Sidonie

springalicante.es

S Alicante

dauwpop

30th - 31st May

HELLENDOORN ?

DEADLETTER, Getdown Services,

Sunday (1994), The Vaccines, Tramhaus

dauwpop.nl

S Amsterdam

vestrock

30th - 31st May

EILAND BUITENVEST, HULST ?

Another Sky, BIG SPECIAL, Dinosaur Jr,

Nova Twins, STONE

vestrock.nl

S Brussels

the great estate

30th May - 1st June

SCORRIER HOUSE, CORNWALL

Happy Mondays, Leftfield, Supergrass,

Falmouth Gospel Choir, Hip Hop Karaoke

greatestatefestival.co.uk

% Redruth

mighty hoopla

31st May - 1st June


Allie X, Big Freedia, Daphne & Celeste,

JADE, Sans Soucis

mightyhoopla.com

% Herne Hill

outside

31st May - 1st June

CIVIC CENTER PARK, DENVER, CO ?

Khruangbin, Lord Huron, Sylvan Esso,

Waxahatchee, Neal Francis

festival.outsideonline.com

S Denver

june

nuits de

fourvière

2nd June

VARIOUS VENUES, FOURVIÈRE ?

Been Stellar, Fontaines DC, Franz

Ferdinand, Jorja Smith, The Kills

nuitsdefourviere.com

S Lyon

i-days

2nd June - 27th August

IPPODROMI SNAI, MILAN ?

Dua Lipa, girl in red, JPEGMAFIA, Olivia

Rodrigo, Wet Leg

idays.it

S Milan

primavera sound

4th - 8th June

PARC DEL FÓRUM, BARCELONA ?

Charli XCX, FKA twigs, Fontaines DC,

LCD Soundsystem, Turnstile

primaverasound.com

S Barcelona

kala

4th - 11th June

DHËRMI ?

Ezra Collective, Kelly Lee Owens, Sofia

Kourtesis, Horse Meat Disco (DJ), Theo

Parrish (DJ)

kala.al

S Corfu

mystic

4th - 7th June

GDAŃSK SHIPYARD ?

Bullet For My Valentine, Health,

Apocalyptica, Opeth, Suicidal Tendencies

mysticfestival.pl

S Gdansk

caribana

4th - 7th June

CRANS, SWITZERLAND ?

Air, Poppy, The Prodigy, Alan Walker,

Kavinsky

caribana.ch

S Geneva

rising

4th - 15th June

VARIOUS VENUES, MELBOURNE ?

Japanese Breakfast, Jessica Pratt, Mount

Kimbie, Soccer Mommy, Suki Waterhouse

rising.melbourne

S Melbourne

sweden rock

4th - 7th June

SÖLVESBORG ?

Korn, Slipknot, Opeth, Sex Pistols

featuring Frank Carter, Within Temptation

swedenrock.com/en

S Kristianstad

unaltrofestival

4th June - 30th July

VARIOUS VENUES, MILAN ?

Massive Attack, Fontaines DC, Smashing

Pumpkins, Wunderhorse

unaltrofestival.it

S Milan

northside

5th - 7th June

AARHUS-ESKELUNDEN ?

Barry Can’t Swim, Denzel Curry, LCD

Soundsystem, Raye, The Dare

northside.dk

S Aarhus

art rock

6th - 8th June

SAINT-BRIEUC ?

Cat Power, Franz Ferdinand, La Femme,

Yelle, Texas

artrock.org

S Nantes

festival de les

arts

6th - 7th June

CIUTAT DE LES ARTS, VALÈNCIA ?

Crystal Fighters, Ginebras, Sexy Zebras,

Viva Suecia, Zahara

festivaldelesarts.com

S Valencia

governors ball

6th - 8th June

CORONA PARK, FLUSHING MEADOWS

?

Conan Gray, Glass Animals, Olivia

Rodrigo, Raye, Tyler, The Creator

governorsballmusicfestival.com

S New York

rock am ring

6th - 8th June

NÜRBURGRING / EIFEL ?

A Day to Remember, Biffy Clyro, Bring Me

the Horizon, IDLES, Slipknot

rock-am-ring.com

S Bonn

rock im park

6th - 8th June

ZEPPELINFELD NÜRNBERG ?

Biffy Clyro, Deafheaven, Korn, SOFT

PLAY, Weezer

rock-im-park.com

S Nuremberg

we love green

6th - 8th June

BOIS DE VINCENNES, PARIS ?

Air, Charli XCX, Magdalena Bay, Parcels,

spill tab

welovegreen.fr

S Paris

Photo: Emma Swann

38 D

SUBJECT TO LICENCE

A CROSSTOWN CONCERTS PRESENTATION

C A N O N S M A R S H

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plus special guests

a crosstown concerts presentation

subject to licence

25 JUNE 2025 BRISTOL HARBOURSIDE

SUBJECT TO LICENCE

27 june 2025

canons marsh amphitheatre

bristol harbourside

CANONS MARSH

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BRISTOL HARBOURSIDE

SATURDAY 28 JUNE '25

ALL

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3PM-11PM

PLUS DJ

P R E S S

P L A Y

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A CROSSTOWN CONCERTS PRESENTATION

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

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BRISTOL HARBOURSIDE

29 JUNE

2025

SEETICKETS.COM BRISTOLSOUNDS.CO.UK

lido

6th - 15th June

VICTORIA PARK, LONDON

It’s a festival debut for Victoria Park, as LIDO takes over a corner of East London in June. Headliners include Charli xcx, London

Grammar, Jamie xx and Massive Attack, whose whole live show will be 100% battery powered.

lidofestival.co.uk

% Mile End

eden sessions

12th - 26th June

THE EDEN PROJECT, CORNWALL

Biffy Clyro, Deftones, Madness, Nova

Twins

edensessions.com

% St Austell

greenfield

12th - 14th June

INTERLAKEN ?

High Vis, Slipknot, Thrice, Sex Pistols

featuring Frank Carter, Spiritbox

greenfieldfestival.ch

S Zurich

tunes in the

dunes

6th - 8th June

PERRANPORTH BEACH, CORNWALL

Busted, Twin Atlantic, Daniel Bedingfield,

Jess Glynne, Vengaboys

tunesinthedunes.co.uk

% Truro

orange blossom

special

6th - 8th June

GLITTERHOUSE GARTEN,

BEVERUNGEN ?

Divorce, Dylan LeBlanc, Egyptian Blue,

King Hannah, Personal Trainer

orangeblossomspecial.de

S Hannover

in the meadows

7th June

ROYAL HOSPITAL KILMAINHAM,

DUBLIN ?

Gilla Band, Iggy Pop, Lambrini Girls,

Sprints, Trupa Trupa

inthemeadows.ie

S Dublin

hampton court

palace

11th - 21st June

HAMPTON COURT, LONDON

Elbow, Bananarama, Chaka Khan, James,

Rag’n’Bone Man

hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com

% Hampton Court

bonnaroo

12th - 15th June

GREAT STAGE PARK, MANCHESTER,

TN ?

Avril Lavigne, Glass Animals, Olivia

Rodrigo, Tyler, The Creator, Vampire

Weekend

bonnaroo.com

S Nashville

heartland

12th - 14th June

EGESKOV ?

Altin Gün, Cat Power, Efterklang, Justin

Timberlake, MØ

heartlandfestival.dk

S Copenhagen

mallorca live

12th - 14th June

ANTIGUO AQUAPARK, CALVIÀ ?

Aziya, Iggy Pop, Massive Attack, Nathy

Peluso, Suede

mallorcalivefestival.com

S Palma

meltdown

12th - 22nd June

SOUTHBANK CENTRE, LONDON

Little Simz, The Streets, Mahalia, Lola

Young

southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/festivalsseries/meltdown

% Waterloo

bergenfest

11th - 14th June

BERGENHUS FESTNING ?

Anna Of The North, AURORA, Getdown

Services, John Grant, Paris Paloma

bergenfest.no

S Bergen

rock for people

11th - 14th June

HRADEC KRALOVÉ ?

Creeper, Deafheaven, Fontaines DC,

Poppy, Slipknot

rockforpeople.cz

S Prague

brighten the corners

13th - 14th June

VARIOUS VENUES, IPSWICH

The multi-venue event returns across Ipswich, this year with headliners Dry Cleaning and Bob Vylan, plus an array of

names familiar and new across its two-day runtime, from Lime Garden, Gruff Rhys and Master Peace to deary, Westside

Cowboy and THE NONE.

brightenthecorners.co.uk

% Ipswich

40 D

primavera sound

porto

12th - 14th June

PARQUE DE CIDADE, PORTO ?

Central Cee, Charli XCX, Deftones, Jamie

xx, Turnstile

primaverasound.com/en/porto

S Porto

nova rock

12th - 14th June

PANNONIA FIELDS, NICKELSDORF ?

Biffy Clyro, Deafheaven, Health, Poppy,

Slipknot

novarock.at

S Bratislava

outbreak

13th June


Having made its home in Manchester for a few years now, the punk and hardcore centred all-dayer expands down south this

year, taking over East London festival mainstay Victoria Park with headliners Turnstile, plus Danny Brown, Glassjaw, Alex G,

Momma, and Julie among others.

outbreak-fest.co.uk

% Mile End

sónar

12th - 14th June

VARIOUS VENUES, BARCELONA ?

Arca, Four Tet, Honey Dijon, Jayda G,

Nathy Peluso

sonar.es

S Barcelona

best kept secret

13th - 15th June

BEEKSE BERGEN ?

Deftones, Djo, Michael Kiwanuka, Nia

Archives, The Dare

bestkeptsecret.nl

S Eindhoven

download

13th - 15th June

DONINGTON PARK, CASTLE

DONINGTON

Green Day, Korn, McFly, Poppy, Weezer

downloadfestival.co.uk

% East Midlands Parkway

outbreak

14th - 15th June

B.E.C. ARENA, MANCHESTER

Danny Brown, Glassjaw, Slowdive, Alex

G, Sunny Day Real Estate

outbreak-fest.co.uk

% Manchester Piccadilly

piknik i parken

13th - 15th June

SOFIENBERGPARKEN, OSLO ?

AURORA, Faithless, Leftfield, Okay Kaya,

Susanne Sundfør

pipfest.no

S Oslo

margate

summer series

13th June - 24th August

DREAMLAND, MARGATE

Basement Jaxx, George FitzGerald,

Mount Kimbie, Sex Pistols, Supergrass

margatesummerseries.co.uk

% Margate

somewhere

13th - 14th June

VARIOUS VENUES, WICHITA, KS ?

Aloe Blacc, Deadmau5, Flying Lotus, Kim

Gordon, Suki Waterhouse

somewhere-fest.com

S Wichita

parklife

14th - 15th June

HEATON PARK, MANCHESTER

Antony Szmierek, Charli XCX, FLO, Jorja

Smith, Peggy Gou

parklife.uk.com

% Heaton Park

warped tour

14th - 15th June

FESTIVAL GROUNDS AT RFK CAMPUS,

WASHINGTON, DC ?

Avril Lavigne, FEVER 333, Scowl, State

Champs

vanswarpedtour.com

S Washington

copenhell

18th - 21st June

REFSHALEØEN, COPENHAGEN ?

Health, Poppy, Slipknot, The Prodigy,

Skunk Anansie

copenhell.dk

S Copenhagen

azkena rock

festival

19th - 21st June

VITORIA-GASTEIZ ?

Manic Street Preachers, Public Image

Ltd, Richard Hawley, The Flaming Lips,

Buzzcocks

azkenarockfestival.com

S Bilbao

isle of wight

19th - 22nd June

SEACLOSE PARK, NEWPORT

Busted, Clean Bandit, Example, Faithless,

Justin Timberlake

isleofwightfestival.com

+ West Cowes / Ryde Esplanade

metronome

19th - 21st June

EXHIBITION GROUNDS, PRAGUE ?

The Streets, Tommy Cash, Alanis

Morissette, Rag’n’Bone Man, Sara James

metronome.cz

S Prague

summerfest


LAKE MICHIGAN, WI ?

Flo Milli, Japanese Breakfast, Matt

Maltese, Megan Thee Stallion, The Killers

summerfest.com

S Chicago

b-sides

19th - 21st June

SONNENBERG, KRIENS ?

Efterklang

b-sides.ch

S Zurich

graspop

19th - 22nd June

DESSEL ?

Creeper, Deafheaven, Employed To Serve,

Nova Twins, Slipknot

graspop.be

% Antwerp

electric forest

19th - 22nd June

ROTHBURY, MI ?

Barry Can’t Swim, Caribou, Justice,

Khruangbin, Nia Archives

electricforest.com

S Muskegon

hellfest

19th - 22nd June

CLISSON ?

Korn, Muse, Poppy, Refused, Turnstile

hellfest.fr

S Nantes

body & soul

20th - 22nd June

BALLINLOUGH CASTLE, CO.

WESTMEATH ?

TBA

bodyandsoul.ie

S Dublin

hurricane

20th - 22nd June

EICHENRING, SCHEESSEL ?

Amyl & The Sniffers, Biffy Clyro, Green

Day, Wet Leg, Yellowcard

hurricane.de

S Hamburg

pinkpop

20th - 22nd June

MEGALAND-LANDGRAAF ?

Biffy Clyro, Muse, Olivia Rodrigo, The Last

Dinner Party, Weezer

pinkpop.nl

S Maastricht

southside

20th - 22nd June

NEUHAUSEN OB ECK ?

Biffy Clyro, Djo, girl in red, Green Day,

Sam Fender

southside.de

S Zurich

Photo: Emma Swann, Pooneh Ghana

D 41

la prima estate

20th - 22nd June

PARCO BUSSOLADOMANI, LIDO DE

CAMAIORE ?

Air, Kings of Leon, St. Vincent, TV on the

Radio, Yard Act

laprimaestate.it

S Pisa

mablis

20th - 21st June

VÅLANDSSKOGEN, STAVANGER ?

Chloe Slater, Divorce, Infinity Song, Taus,

The September When

mablisfestivalen.no

S Stavanger

bludfest

21st June

MILTON KEYNES BOWL

Denzel Curry, Luvcat, Master Peace,

Peach PRC, Rachel Chinouriri

bludfest.com

% Milton Keynes Central

hideout

22nd - 26th June

ZRCE BEACH, NOVAL ?

Benga, Danny Howard, Eliza Rose,

Hannah Laing, Patrick Topping

hideoutfestival.com

S Zadar

festival de

nîmes

22nd June - 24th July

VARIOUS VENUES, NÎMES ?

Korn, London Grammar, Tiakola, MC

Solaar, Santana

festivaldenimes.com

S Nîmes

forever now

22nd June

MILTON KEYNES BOWL

Happy Mondays, Johnny Marr, Kraftwerk,

Public Image Ltd, The Jesus & Mary

Chain

forevernowfestival.co.uk

% Milton Keynes Central

inmusic

23rd - 25th June

YOUTH ISLAND, ZAGREB ?

Fontaines DC, Kings of Leon, Michael

Kiwanuka, St. Vincent, Yard Act

inmusicfestival.com

S Zagreb

sthlm fields

24th June

STOCKHOLM GARDET ?

Green Day, Mando Diao, Muse, Weezer,

Millencolin

sthlmfields.se

S Stockholm

tons of rock

25th - 28th June

EKEBERGSLETTA, OSLO ?

Deafheaven, Green Day, Muse, Poppy,

Weezer

tonsofrock.no

S Oslo

resurrection

25th - 28th June

VIVEIRO, LUGO ?

Korn, Slipknot, Judas Priest, Northlane,

Skindred

resurrectionfest.es

S Santiago de Compostela

openair st gallen

26th - 29th June

ST GALLEN ?

Alessi Rose, Kenya Grace, Kings of Leon,

L’Impératrice, Nieve Ella

openairsg.ch

S Zurich

jera on air

26th - 28th June

YSSELSTEYN ?

Health, High Vis, Hot Water Music, Thrice,

Yellowcard

jeraonair.nl

S Eindhoven

tinderbox

26th - 28th June

TUSINDÅRSSKOVEN, ODENSE ?

Alessi Rose, Green Day, Kylie Minogue,

The Black Keys, The Streets

tinderbox.dk

S Billund

provinssi

26th - 28th June

SEINÄJOKI ?

Avenged Sevenfold, Bambie Thug, Sailor

Honeymoon, The Hives, Sexmane

provinssi.fi

S Vaasa

bst hyde park


HYDE PARK, LONDON

ELO, girl in red, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina

Carpenter, The Last Dinner Party

bst-hydepark.com

% Hyde Park Corner

lido sounds

27th June - 29th June

DONAUUFER UHRFAHRMARKT, LINZ ?

Justice, Parcels, UCHE YARA,

Beatsteaks, Fiio

lidosounds.com

S Linz

mighty sounds

27th - 29th June

AIRPORT ČÁPŮV, TÁBOR ?

Boston Manor, FIDLAR, Hot Water Music,

Rat Boy, SOFT PLAY

mightysounds.cz

S Prague

levitation france

27th - 28th June

LAC DE MAINE, ANGERS ?

Boy Harsher, berm, DITZ, Heartworms,

Hinds

levitation-france.com

S Nantes

roskilde


ROSKILDE ?

Arca, Fontaines DC, Geordie Greep, MØ,

Stormzy

roskilde-festival.dk

S Copenhagen

all your friends

28th - 29th June

BURL’S CREEK, ON ?

Avril Lavigne, Four Year Strong, Rise

Against, State Champs, Underoath

allyourfriendsfestival.com

S Toronto

july

pause guitare

1st - 5th July

VARIOUS VENUES, ALBI ?

Franz Ferdinand, La Femme, The Kills,

Julien Doré, Sting

pauseguitare.net

S Toulouse

lucca summer

1st July - 27th July

LUCCA, TUSCANY ?

Nile Rodgers, Alanis Morrisette, Nick Cave

(solo), Scorpions, Simple Minds

luccasummerfestival.it

S Pisa

eurockéennes

3rd - 6th July

MALSAUCY, BELFORT ?

High Vis, Justice, La Femme, Lankum,

The Last Dinner Party

eurockeennes.fr

S Basel

bristol sounds

25th - 29th June

CANONS MARSH AMPHITHEATRE,

BRISTOL

Kaiser Chiefs, Supergrass, Olly Murs,

Texas

bristolsounds.co.uk

% Bristol Temple Meads

glastonbury

25th June - 29th June

WORTHY FARM, PILTON

As predictably jam-packed as ever, this year’s Glastonbury will not only host headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Neil Young and The

1975 - and a legends slot from grandmothers’ poster boy Rod Stewart - but also what are set to be huge moments from

Wolf Alice, Doechii, Charli xcx, Biffy Clyro to name just a few.

glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

% Castle Cary

Photo: Emma Swann

42 D

9 - 12 JULY 2025 CHELTENHAM

BATTLESNAKE • PUPPY • RIFLE • BANDIT • DREAM NAILS • HIMALAYAS • KAREN DIÓ • SUPERBLOOM • LOVE LETTER • GRUMBLE BEE • L.A. EDWARDS • VEXED

FALSE REALITY • MERYL STREEK • GOOD HEALTH GOOD WEALTH • YOUTH KILLED IT • SPACED • UNCERTAINTY • GRIEVING • JESSE BARNETT • GRIEF RITUAL

CHROMA • PAVÉ • QUEEN CULT • SAN DEMAS • TERMINALS • BABY SAID

VENUS GRRRLS • BENEFITS • HAIL THE SUN • COILGUNS • KEG • JOOLS • MALLAVORA • OVERSIZE • YOUTH FOUNTAIN • ORCHARDS • IMOGEN AND THE KNIFE • SPARE KID

TAYNE • TERMINAL SLEEP • KAONASHI • CLOBBER • EVILLE • THANK • HECTARES • COUGHIN VICARS • SPLIT DOGS • FAILSTATE • EVER • FRANK TURNER (LOVE, IRE & SONG FOREST SET)

KEVIN

DEVINE

SOAPBOX • LOWLIVES • GIRLBAND! • CATBITE • RIDING THE LOW • THE MOLOTOVS • GEN AND THE DEGENERATES • LOVE IS NOISE • CHASTITY • HUMOUR • OUT OF LOVE • PEST CONTROL • EYES

DAYTIME TV • LAST HOUNDS • HIDDEN MOTHERS • RONKER • BRUISE CONTROL • BAD SIGN • TARMAC • LOVE RARELY • HUNNY BUZZ • CYAN KICKS • FREDDIE HALKON • BEN BROWN

OTHER HALF • BUDS.• BLANK ATLAS

garorock

3rd - 6th July

PARC DES EXPOSITIONS, MARMANDE

?

Ashnikko, Black Eyed Peas, The Black

Keys, The Last Dinner Party, J Balvin

garorock.com

S Bourdeaux

les ardentes

3rd - 6th July

LES ARDENTES, LIÈGE ?

Tiakola, Gucci Mane, I Hate Models, J

Balvin, Young Thug

lesardentes.be

S Brussels

open’er

2nd - 5th July

GDYNIA-KOSAKOWO AIRPORT ?

There’s another set of international big-hitters heading to the Polish coast come July, with Massive Attack, Nine Inch Nails,

Doechii, FKA twigs, JPEGMAFIA, Raye, Jorja Smith and St Vincent among the artists confirmed to appear across the

event’s four massive days.

opener.pl/en

S Gdansk

vida

3rd - 5th July

VILANOVA I LA GELTRÚ ?

Benjamin Clementine, Billie Marten, Ezra

Collective, Future Islands, Supergrass

en.vidafestival.com

S Barcelona

beauregard

3rd - 6th July

PARC DU CHÂTEAU DE BEAUREGARD

?

Fontaines DC, girl in red, Jorja Smith, The

Last Dinner Party, Wet Leg

festivalbeauregard.com

S Tours

festival d’été de

québec

3rd - 13th July

VARIOUS VENUES, QUEBEC ?

Alessia Cara, Avril Lavigne, Rod Stewart,

Simple Plan, Thundercat

feq.ca

S Quebec City

la nuit de l’erdre

3rd - 6th July

NORT-SUR-ERDRE ?

The Black Keys, Ben Mauzé, Julien Doré,

Sting, Vald

lanuitdelerdre.fr

S Nantes

splash!

3rd - 5th July

FERROPOLIS, GRÄFENHAINCHEN ?

Doechii, Ferg, Ken Carson, Sadboi,

Sampagne, Schoolboy Q

splash-festival.de

S Leipzig

arti vive

3rd - 6th July

VARIOUS VENUES, SOLIERA ?

Black Country, New Road, Emma Nolde,

Giorgio Poi, Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys,

Whitemary

artivivefestival.it

S Bologna

main square

4th - 6th July

LA CITADELLE, ARRAS ?

Alessi Rose, Aziya, Deftones,

Wunderhorse, David Kushner

mainsquarefestival.fr

% Paris

ruisrock

4th - 6th July

RUISSALO, TURKU ?

Camila Cabello, Axwell, Benjamin

Ingrosso, Joost, Käärijä

ruisrock.fi

S Turku

down the rabbit

hole

4th - 6th July

DE GROENE HEUVELS ?

FKA twigs, Japanese Breakfast, Massive

Attack, Sam Fender, Wunderhorse

downtherabbithole.nl

S Weeze

rock werchter

3rd - 6th July

FESTIVALPARK WERCHTER ?

It’s not only one of the summer’s most stacked lineups, as Olivia Rodrigo, Green Day, Sam Fender, Fontaines DC, RAYE

and De La Soul are all among those making their way to Belgium in July, but the festival will celebrate its 50th Birthday over

the weekend with a closing set from local (ish) heroes and certified party starters, 2manyDJs.

rockwerchter.be

S Brussels

radar

4th - 6th July

VICTORIA WAREHOUSE, MANCHESTER

Bob Vylan, ĠENN, YONAKA, As

Everything Unfolds, Novelists

radarfestival.co.uk

% Deansgate

Photos: Emma Swann

44 D

2000trees

9th - 12th July

UPCOTE FARM, NEAR CHELTENHAM

Another guitar-heavy weekend is destined for the Gloucestershire countryside as acts including Taking Back Sunday,

FIDLAR, La Dispute, Alexisonfire and Sprints are among those performing at this year’s 2000trees.

2000trees.co.uk

% Cheltenham

hex post

9th - 10th July

LA BELLEVILLOISE, PARIS ?

Alien Chicks

instagram.com/hex.post

S Paris

bilbao bbk live

10th - 12th July

KOBETAMENDI, BILBAO ?

English Teacher, Japanese Breakfast,

Kylie Minogue, Pulp, Wunderhorse

bilbaobbklive.com

S Bilbao

exit

10th - 13th July

PETROVADIN FORTRESS, NOVI SAD ?

Eric Prydz, Loreen, Sex Pistols feat. Frank

Carter, The Boomtown Rats, Tiësto

exitfest.org

S Belgrade

mouth of the

tyne

10th - 13th July

TYNEMOUTH PRIORY AND CASTLE

Elbow, Karen Harding, K-Klass, Ministry

of Sound Classical, UB40

mouthofthetynefestival.com

% North Shields

montreux jazz

festival

4th - 11th July

VARIOUS VENUES, MONTREUX ?

Pulp, FKA twigs, RAYE, Sam Fender,

FINNEAS

montreuxjazzfestival.com

S Geneva

cruïlla

9th - 12th July

PARC DEL FÓRUM, BARCELONA ?

girl in red, Gracie Abrams, Kaiser Chiefs,

Leon Bridges, St. Vincent

cruillabarcelona.com

S Barcelona

slottsfjell

9th - 10th July

TØNSBERG ?

Tyla, Benjamin Ingrosso, Rakkere, Synne

Vo, Undergrunn

slottsfjell.no

S Oslo

pohoda

10th - 12th July

TRENČÍN AIRPORT ?

Ashnikko, Bambie Thug, Fontaines DC,

JME, The Kills

pohodafestival.sk

S Bratislava

longitude

5th - 6th July

MARLAY PARK, DUBLIN ?

AJ Tracey, 50 Cent, David Guetta, Sonny

Fodera, blk

longitude.ie

S Dublin

rolling loud

europe

5th - 7th July

RACINO, EBREICHSDORF ?

Flo Milli, Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj, Travis

Scott

europe.rollingloud.com

S Vienna

musilac

9th - 12th July

LAC DU BOURGET, AIX-LES-BAINS ?

Air, Amyl & The Sniffers, Benjamin

Clementine, Chalk, Fontaines DC

musilac.com

S Chambery

afro nation

portugal

9th - 11th July

PRAIA DA ROCHA BEACH, PORTIMO,

THE ALGARVE ?

Burna Boy, Tems

afronation.com

S

mad cool

10th - 13th July

VILLAVERDE, MADRID ?

The Madrid event once more sizzles like the Spanish sun this July, with acts set to grace the multiple stages of the city’s

Iberdrola Music including Olivia Rodrigo, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Glass Animals, FIDLAR, St Vincent and Iggy Pop.

madcoolfestival.es

S Madrid

Photos: Emma Swann, Leah Lombardi

46 D

Tickets now on sale

rallyrallyrally.co.uk

love trails

10th - 13th July

GOWER PENINSULA

Hak Baker, Ibibio Sound Machine

lovetrailsfestival.co.uk

% Swansea

ottawa bluesfest

10th - 20th July

LEBRETON FLATS, OTTAWA ?

Green Day, KAYTRANADA, Pixies, The

Linda Lindas, Turnstile

ottawabluesfest.ca

S Ottawa

trnsmt

11th - 13th July

GLASGOW GREEN

It’ll be ‘in da park’ for 50 Cent for this particular weekend on Glasgow Green where some other highlights across the event’s

three days are surely set to come from Biffy Clyro, Fontaines DC, Wet Leg, Wunderhorse and JADE.

trnsmtfest.com

% Bridgeton

somerset house

summer series

10th - 20th July

SOMERSET HOUSE, LONDON

FLO, Giggs, Jacob Banks, Rizzle Kicks,

St. Vincent

somersethouse.org.uk

% Embankment

north sea jazz

11th - 13th July

AHOY CENTRE, ROTTERDAM ?

Celeste, Ezra Collective, Jorja Smith,

Kamasi Washington, MRCY

northseajazz.com

S Rotterdam

sjock

11th - 13th July

POEYELHEI, GIERLE ?

FIDLAR, Refused, The Undertones,

Melissa Etheridge, The Bellrays

sjock.com

S Antwerp

wireless

11th - 13th July

FINSBURY PARK, LONDON

Burna Boy, Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR,

Summer Walker, Vybz Kartel

wirelessfestival.co.uk

% Finsbury Park

cactus

11th - 13th July

MINNEWATERPARK, BRUGES ?

dEUS, Kae Tempest, Richard Hawley,

Slowdive, The Black Keys

cactusfestival.be

S Ostend

rock zottegem

11th - 13th July

ZOTTEGEM ?

Manic Street Preachers, Arsenal, Merol, J.

Bernardt, Within Temptation

rock-zottegem.be

S Brussels

mostly jazz, funk

& soul

11th - 13th July

MOSELEY PARK, BIRMINGHAM

Ezra Collective, Jalen Ngonda, MRCY

mostlyjazz.co.uk

% Birmingham New Street

ilosaarirock

12th - 14th July

LAULURINNE, JOENSUU ?

Nova Twins, Artemas, Battlesnake,

Shaboozey, The Hu

ilosaarirock.fi

S Helsinki

kaleidoscope

12th July

ALEXANDRA PARK & PALACE, LONDON

Faithless, DJ Spoony, Eats Everything,

Goldie, Sleeper

kaleidoscope-festival.com

% Alexandra Palace

nos alive

10th - 12th July

PASSEIO MARÍTIMO DE ALGÉS ?

The massive weekender that’s all but guaranteed to bask in the Portugese sunshine returns with some suitably huge names,

from headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Kings Of Leon and Nine Inch Nails to others like Sam Fender, Finneas, Bright Eyes,

Glass Animals and St Vincent.

nosalive.com

S Lisbon

lollapalooza

berlin

12th - 13th July

OLYMPIASTADION & OLYMPIAPARK,

BERLIN ?

Alessi Rose, Ashnikko, Raye, The Last

Dinner Party, Wasia Project

lollapaloozade.com

S Berlin

48 D

paléo

22nd - 27th July

NYON ?

If the idea of some of the festival season’s biggest names next to Lake Geneva sounds a reasonable way to spend a summer

weekend, then those headed to Nyon for Paléo this year include Will Smith (yes, that one), Justice, Skunk Anansie, Texas

and David Guetta.

yeah.paleo.ch

S Geneva

midi

18th - 20th July

HYÈRES ?

Chloe Slater, Christopher Owens,

jasmine.4.t, Westside Cowboy, Hitech

midi-festival.com

S Toulon

nozstock

19th July

BROMYARD, HEREFORDSHIRE

Gentleman’s Dub Club, Beans On Toast

nozstock.com

% Hereford

colours of

ostrava

16th - 19th July

DOLNÍ VÍTKOVICE ?

FINNEAS, Iggy Pop, Justice, Snow Patrol,

Sofi Tukker

colours.cz

S Ostrava

dour

16th - 20th July

PLAINE DE LA MACHINE À FEU, DOUR

?

Danny L Harle, La Femme, Nilüfer Yanya,

Parcels, Stormzy

dourfestival.eu

S Brussels

gurtenfestival

16th - 19th July

GURTEN, BERN ?

Franz Ferdinand, Macklemore, Nathy

Peluso, Will Smith, Shaboozey

gurtenfestival.ch

S Zurich

electric castle

16th - 20th July

BÁNFFY CASTLE, TRANSYLVANIA ?

Bicep, Justice, Justin Timberlake, Nilüfer

Yanya, Refused

electriccastle.ro

S Cluj

beat-herder

17th - 20th July

THE RIBBLE VALLEY, LANCASHIRE

Armand Van Helden, Congo Natty, Dub

Pistols, Noasis, Nubiyan Twist

beatherder.co.uk

% Clitheroe

benicàssim

17th - 19th July

RECINTO DE CONCIERTOS DE

BENICÀSSIM ?

Bloc Party, Hinds, Olly Alexander, SOFT

PLAY, The Black Keys

fiberfib.com

S Valencia

happiness

17th - 19th July

SCHWANN, BADEN-WÜRTTTEMBERG

?

BHZ, Ennio, Filo, Greta, Nina Chuba

happiness-festival.de

S Munich

les vieilles

charrues

17th - 20th July

CARHAIX, BRITTANY ?

AURORA, Damiano David, Lambrini Girls,

Macklemore, The Kills

vieillescharrues.asso.fr

S Brest

deichbrand

17th - 20th July

CUXHAVEN / NORDHOLZ ?

Enter Shikari, Escape The Fate,

Macklemore, Millencolin, Timmy Trumpet

deichbrand.de

S Hamburg

lucerne live

17th - 26th July

VARIOUS VENUES, LUCERNE ?

BIG SPECIAL, Ezra Collective, Kae

Tempest, King Hannah, Tempesst

luzern-live.ch

S Zürich

rock herk

18th - 19th July

HERK-DE-STAD, LIMBURG ?

Blonde Redhead, Bob Vylan, Gossip, La

Dispute, Sprints

rockherk.be

S Brussels

bukta

18th - 19th July

TELEGRAFBUKTA, TROMSØ ?

Band Of Horses, SNAYX, CIVIC, The

Hellacopters, The Last Internationale

bukta.no

S Tromsø

tsunami xixón

18th - 19th July

GIJÓN, ASTURIAS ?

BIG SPECIAL, Hot Water Music, Refused,

Sex Pistols feat. Frank Carter, Zebrahead

tsunamixixon.com

S Asturias

on the beach

18th - 27th July

BRIGHTON BEACH

Bloc Party, Bonobo, Kaiser Chiefs, Carl

Cox, Eric Prydz

onthebeachbrighton.com

% Brighton

lollapalooza

paris

18th - 20th July

HIPPODROME PARISLONGCHAMP ?

FLO, Lola Young, Olivia Rodrigo, Raye,

The Last Dinner Party

lollaparis.com

% Paris

splendour

19th - 20th July

WOLLATON HALL & DEER PARK

Aziya, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, Sophie

Ellis Bextor, TTSSFU

splendourfestival.com

% Nottingham

latitude

24th - 27th July

HENHAM PARK, SUFFOLK

Basement Jaxx, Elbow, Fatboy Slim,

Snow Patrol

latitudefestival.com

% Diss

standon calling

24th - 27th July

STANDON LORDSHIP, HERTFORDSHIRE

TBA

standon-calling.com

% Ware

truck

24th - 27th July

HILL FARM, OXFORDSHIRE

Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Hard Life,

The Last Dinner Party, Wunderhorse

truckfestival.com

% Didcot Parkway

deer shed

25th - 27th July

BALDERSBY PARK, TOPCLIFFE

Antony Szmierek, BIG SPECIAL, Divorce,

Idlewild, Wunderhorse

deershedfestival.com

S Thirsk

junction 2

25th - 27th July

BOSTON MANOR PARK, LONDON

Deadmau5, Erol Alkan, Mount Kimbie,

Sofia Kourtesis, Soulwax

junction2.london

% Boston Manor

tramlines

25th - 27th July

HILLSBOROUGH PARK, SHEFFIELD

Franz Ferdinand, Pulp, Sigrid,

Spiritualized, The Last Dinner Party

tramlines.org.uk

% Hillsborough Park

morriña fest

25th - 26th July

PORTO DE A CORUÑA ?

Nathy Peluso, Ozuna, Jhayco, Mikel Izal,

Residente

morrinafestival.com

S A Coruña

Photos: Emma Swann

D 49

index

fuji rock

25th July - 27th July

NAEBA SKI RESORT, YUZAWA-CHO ?

Balming Tiger, English Teacher, Fred

again.., HAIM, Vampire Weekend

fujirockfestival.com

S Tokyo

belladrum

31st July - 2nd August

BELLADRUM

Example, Katie Gregson-MacLeod,

Supergrass, Paul Heaton, Texas

tartanheartfestival.co.uk

% Inverness

osheaga

1st - 3rd August

PARC JEAN-DRAPEAU, MONTREAL ?

Doechii, Lucy Dacus, Olivia Rodrigo, The

Killers, Wunderhorse

osheaga.com

S Montreal

open flair

6th - 8th August

ESCHWEGE ?

Enter Shikari, Maximo Park, Papa Roach,

The Chats, Yungblud

open-flair.de

S Hannover

low

25th - 27th July

CIUDAD DEPORTIVA GUILLERMO

AMOR, BENIDORM ?

Bomba Estéreo, Empire Of The Sun, Pet

Shop Boys, The Kooks, Sexy Zebras

lowfestival.es

S Alicante

life in death

26th July

HEARTBREAKERS, SOUTHAMPTTON

Claire Rocha, Defcon Lawless, Mary

Mousetrap, Porchlight, Jot Sloppy

instagram.com/lifeindeathfestival

% Southampton Central

warped tour

26th - 27th July

SHORELINE WATERFRONT, LONG

BEACH, CA ?

HO99O9, KennyHoopla, Nova Twins, The

Paranoyds

vanswarpedtour.com

S Los Angeles

wacken open air

30th July - 2nd August

WACKEN, SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN ?

Guns n’ Roses, Mastodon, Papa Roach,

The Hellacopters, Within Temptation

wacken.com

S Hamburg

rockstadt

extreme

30th July - 3rd August

RÂȘNOV ?

And So I Watch You From Afar,

Counterparts, Dying Fetus, Mastodon,

While She Sleeps

rockstadtextremefest.com

S Brașov

kendal calling

31st July - 3rd August

LOWTHER DEER PARK, LAKE DISTRICT

Alfie Templeman, Nieve Ella, Sports Team,

The Big Moon, The Prodigy

kendalcalling.co.uk

% Penrith

wilderness


CORNBURY PARK, OXFORDSHIRE

Air, Basement Jaxx, mary in the junkyard,

Supergrass, Wet Leg

wildernessfestival.com

% Charlbury

y not


PIKEHALL, DERBYSHIRE

Franz Ferdinand, Hard Life, Lime Garden,

Panic Shack, The Last Dinner Party

ynotfestival.com

% Buxton

camp bestival

dorset


LULWORTH CASTLE

Basement Jaxx, Nieve Ella, Sugababes,

Tom Jones, Vanity Fairy

campbestival.net

% Wool

lollapalooza


GRANT PARK, CHICAGO, IL ?

Doechii, Korn, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina

Carpenter, Tyler, The Creator

lollapalooza.com

S Chicago

all together now


CURRAGHMORE ESTATE, CO.

WATERFORD ?

English Teacher, Fontaines DC, Leftfield,

Michael Kiwanuka, Wet Leg

alltogethernow.ie

S Cork

xtreme


CAP DÉCOUVERTE, LE GARRIC ?

Hatebreed, Karen Dio, Napalm Death, Sex

Shop Mushrooms, The Exploited

xtremefest.fr

S Carcassonne

appletree

garden


DIEPHOLZ, NIEDERSACHSEN ?

CATT, Chloe Slater, Franc Moody, Molly

Payton, Shout Out Louds

appletreegarden.de

S Hanover

august

edinburgh

international

1st - 24th August

VARIOUS VENUES, EDINBURGH

TBA

eif.co.uk

% Edinburgh Waverley

off

1st - 3rd August

DOLINA TRZECH STAWOW, KATOWICE

?

Fontaines DC, Geordie Greep, James

Blake, Lambrini Girls, Pa Salieu

off-festival.pl

S Katowice

hinterland

1st - 3rd August

SAINT CHARLES, IA ?

Bleachers, Clairo, Lana Del Rey, Scowl,

Tyler, The Creator

hinterlandiowa.com

S Des Moines

maha

2nd August

HEARTLAND OF AMERICA PARK,

OMAHA, NE ?

Band Of Horses, Little Brazil, Magdalena

Bay, Silversun Pickups, Waxahatchee

mahafestival.com

S Omaha

hard summer

2nd - 3rd August

HOLLYWOOD PARK, INGLEWOOD, CA

?

Floating Points, Four Tet, KAYTRANADA,

Gestaffelstein, Sean Paul

hardsummer.com

S Los Angeles

humber street

sesh

2nd August

HULL MARINA

Divorce, Casino, Fiona-Lee, Jodie

Langford, The Howl & The Hum

humberstreetsesh.co.uk

% Hull

boardmasters

6th - 10th August

FISTRAL BEACH, WATERGATE BAY

Bob Vylan, Hard Life, Raye, The Prodigy,

Wet Leg

boardmasters.com

% Newquay

boomtown

6th - 10th August

MATTERLEY ESTATE NEAR

WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE

Nia Archives, Overmono, Fat Dog, Kenya

Grace, Nova Twins

boomtownfair.co.uk

% Winchester

øya

6th - 9th August

TØYENPARKEN, OSLO ?

Charli XCX, Fontaines DC, girl in red, Pa

Salieu, Wet Leg

oyafestivalen.no

S Oslo

sziget

6th - 11th August

ÓBUDA ISLAND, BUDAPEST ?

Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Ecca Vandal,

Kenya Grace, Luvcat

szigetfestival.com

S Budapest

bloodstock

7th - 10th August

WALTON-ON-TRENT, DERBYSHIRE

Creeper, Gojira, Lacuna Coil, Mastodon,

Trivium

bloodstock.uk.com

% Lichfield City

syd for solen

7th - 9th August

VALBYPARKEN, COPENHAGEN ?

Chappell Roan, Queens of the Stone Age,

CMAT, Sam Fender, Bikini Kill

sydforsolen.dk

S Copenhagen

way out west

7th - 9th August

SLOTTSKOGEN, GOTHENBURG ?

Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Fontaines DC,

Little Simz, Wet Leg

wayoutwest.se

S Gothenburg

ypsigrock

7th - 10th August

CASTELBUONO, SICILY ?

English Teacher, Jacob Alon, Lambrini

Girls, Porridge Radio, The Voidz

ypsigrock.it

S Palermo

rebellion

7th - 10th August

WINTER GARDENS, BLACKPOOL

Elvana, Millencolin, Public Image Ltd, The

Damned, The Undertones

rebellionfestivals.com

% Blackpool North

taubertal

7th - 10th August

ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER ?

Enter Shikari, I Prevail, Papa Roach, The

Chats, Yungblud

taubertal-festival.de

S Stuttgart

flow

8th - 10th August

SUVILAHTI, HELSINKI ?

Air, Charli XCX, FKA twigs, Fontaines DC,

Little Simz

flowfestival.com

S Helsinki

positivus

8th - 9th August

LUCAVSCALA, RIGA ?

Carnival Youth, Mura Masa, Rag’n’Bone

Man, Two Feet, The Hellp

positivusfestival.com

S Riga

50 D

Pip Millett

Dry Cleaning

Blondshell

Anna Ternheim

Big Special

Ben Ellis

Gizmo Varillas

BC Camplight

Just Mustard

Luvcat

49th & Main

Cara Rose

Deki Alem

Coach Party

Ruthven

Nell Mescal

Man/Woman/

Chainsaw

Far Caspian

Mychelle

Ellie Dixon

Jon Poppii

She's in

Parties

RIP Magic

Really Good

Time

Jana Diab

The Pill

unpeople

TTSSFU

Ebbb

and many more

Hamburg, Germany

Imagine

Togetherness!

funded by

supported by

Organiser: RBX GmbH

all points east

16th - 24th August


Once again over a handful of weekends in August, Victoria Park in London’s East End will play host to a series of day events,

with headliners including returning indie veterans The Maccabees, cover star Barry Can’t Swim, and pop queen RAYE, with

Doechii, JADE, Shygirl and Tyla also among those set to perform.

allpointseastfestival.com

% Mile End

pukkelpop

14th - 17th August

HASSELT, KIEWIT ?

A$AP Rocky, Chappell Roan, Jamie xx,

The Last Dinner Party, Vampire Weekend

pukkelpop.be

S Brussels

cabaret vert

14th - 17th August

CHARLEVILLE-MÉZIÈRES, ARDENNE ?

IDLES, Jamie xx, The Last Dinner Party,

Vampire Weekend, Wet Leg

cabaretvert.com

S Charleroi

south facing

8th - 23rd August

CRYSTAL PALACE BOWL, LONDON

Basement Jaxx, DJ Shadow, Mogwai,

Lankum, Morcheeba, UNKLE

southfacingfestival.com

% Crystal Palace

up in the sky

8th - 9th August

BUTTERMILK, ASPEN, CO ?

Glass Animals, Kacey Musgraves, Jensen

McRae, Role Model, Suki Waterhouse

aspensnowmass.com

S Denver

big smoke

9th August

CRYSTAL PALACE PARK, LONDON

Skepta, Chip, Chy Carter, Jordsss, Skyla

Tylaa

bigsmokefest.london

% Crystal Palace

paredes de

coura

13th - 16th August

PRAIA DO TABOÃO, PAREDES DE

COURA ?

Black Country New Road, Franz

Ferdinand, Lambrini Girls, Nilüfer Yanya,

Sharon Van Etten

vodafoneparedesdecoura.com

S Porto

green man

14th - 17th August

CRICKHOWELL, BRECON BEACONS

CMAT, TV on the Radio, Underworld, Wet

Leg, Wunderhorse

greenman.net

% Abergavenny

we out here

14th - 17th August

WIMBORNE ST GILES, DORSET

Emma-Jean Thackray, Everything Is

Recorded, Michael Kiwanuka, Pa Salieu,

Rosie Lowe

weoutherefestival.com

% Salisbury

motocultor

14th - 17th August

CARHAIX ?

DIIV, HO99O9, Mogwai, Fear Factory, I

Prevail

motocultor-festival.com

S Nantes

lowlands

15th - 17th August

WALIBIHOLLAND, BIDDINGHUIZEN ?

Antony Szmierek, Chappell Roan,

Fontaines DC, Suki Waterhouse, Vampire

Weekend

lowlands.nl

S Amsterdam

arctangent

13th - 16th August

FERNHILL FARM NEAR BRISTOL

Adebisi Shank, Melvins, Rolo Tomassi,

The Fall of Troy, Vessels

arctangent.co.uk


la route du rock

VARIOUS VENUES, SAINT-MALO ?

13th - 16th August

Pulp, Kraftwerk, Yard Act, Porridge Radio,

Black Country New Road

laroutedurock.com

+ Saint-Malo

reading & leeds

21st - 24th August

RICHFIELD AVENUE, READING / BRAMHAM PARK, LEEDS

Chappell Roan, Bring Me The Horizon, Wunderhorse, Limp Bizkit, Soft Play, Bloc Party and Amyl and the Sniffers are

among the acts set to play the August Bank Holiday’s two-headed beast, signing off the end of the summer in suitably (we

imagine) rowdy style.

readingandleedsfestival.com

% Reading / Leeds

Photos: Emma Swann, Corinne Cumming

52 D

ms dockville

15th - 16th August

HAMBURG-WILHELMSBURG ?

Good Neighbours, Lola Young, Nieve Ella,

Raye, The Last Dinner Party

msdockville.de

S Hamburg

beautiful days

15th - 17th August

ESCOT PARK, DEVON

Grandmas House, Panic Shack, Sex

Pistols feat. Frank Carter, Sleeper,

Spiritualized

beautifuldays.org

S Exeter St Davids

the long road

22nd - 24th August

STANFORD HALL, LEICESTERSHIRE

A celebration of folk and country in the East Midlands, this year’s event will include sets from Seasick Steve, Chuck Ragan,

Janet Devlin and Fantastic Negrito among others.

thelongroad.com

% Rugby

summer sonic

16th - 17th August

ZOZOMARINE STADIUM & MAKUHARI

MESSE, TOKYO / MAISHIMA SONIC

PARK, OSAKA ?

BABYMETAL, beabadoobee, Bloc Party,

Fall Out Boy, The Prodigy

summersonic.com

S Tokyo / Osaka

rock en seine

20th - 24th August

PARC DE SAINT-CLOUD, PARIS ?

Chappell Roan, Doechii, Luvcat, Suki

Waterhouse, Vampire Weekend

rockenseine.com

S Paris

into the wild

21st - 25th August

CHIDDINGLYE ESTATE, SUSSEX

TBA

intothewildgathering.com

% Balcombe

lost village

21st - 24th August

LINCOLNSHIRE

Barry Can’t Swim, Caribou, Four Tet, Joy

Orbison

lostvillagefestival.com

% Newark Northgate

victorious

22nd - 24th August

SOUTHSEA SEAFRONT, PORTSMOUTH

Lime Garden, Man/ Woman/ Chainsaw,

The Last Dinner Party, Vampire Weekend,

Wunderhorse

victoriousfestival.co.uk

% Portsmouth & Southsea

zurich open air

22nd - 30th August

ZÜRICH OPENAIR ?

Empire Of The Sun, The Prodigy, Post

Malone, Scooter, Tiësto

zurichopenair.ch

S Zurich

rally

23rd August

SOUTHWARK PARK, LONDON

Floating Points, CASISDEAD, Geordie

Greep, Porridge Radio, Ben UFO

rallyrallyrally.co.uk

% Surrey Quays

forwards

23rd - 24th August

CLIFTON DOWNS, BRISTOL

Barry Can’t Swim, Doechii, The Last

Dinner Party, English Teacher, Confidence

Man

forwardsbristol.co.uk


summer sonic

bangkok

23rd - 24th August

IMPACT CHALLENGER HALL,

BANGKOK ?

Babymetal, Black Eyed Peas, Camila

Cabello, Creepy Nuts, The Rose

summersonicbkk.com

S Bangkok

110 above

28th - 30th August

GOPSALL HALL FARM,

LEICESTERSHIRE

Kynsy, Nothing Rhymes With Orange,

Somebody’s Child

110above.com

% Polesworth

end of the road

28th - 31st August

LARMER TREE GARDENS, WILTSHIRE

Black Country New Road, Caribou,

Geordie Greep, Sharon Van Etten, These

New Puritans

endoftheroadfestival.com

% Salisbury

into the great

wide open

28th - 31st August

WADDEN ISLAND ?

Yard Act, Chloe Slater, MRCY, Nectar

Woode, The Mary Wallopers

intothegreatwideopen.nl

% Amsterdam

electric picnic

29th - 31st August

STRADBALLY HALL, CO. LAOIS ?

Bambie Thug, Calvin Harris, Ethel Cain,

Kylie Minogue, Raye

electricpicnic.ie

S Dublin

brighton psych

fest

29th August

VARIOUS VENUES, BRIGHTON

Heartworms, Do Nothing, DEADLETTER,

Gruff Rhys, Opus Kink

brightonpsychfest.com

% Brighton

manchester

psych fest

30th August

VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER

Crocodiles, Deary, Do Nothing, Goat,

Honeyglaze

manchesterpsychfest.com

% Manchester Oxford Road

superbloom

30th - 31st August

OLYMPIAPARK, MUNICH ?

Conan Gray, Hozier, Raye, Suki

Waterhouse, Wasia Project

superbloom.de

S Munich

edinburgh psych

fest

31st August

VARIOUS VENUES, EDINBURGH

Crocodiles, DEADLETTER, Deary, Do

Nothing, Honeyglaze

edinburghpsychfest.com

% Edinburgh Waverley

september

the town

6th - 14th September

AUTÓDROMO JOSÉ CARLOS PACE,

SÃO PAULO ?

Green Day, Iggy Pop, Kamasi

Washington, Mariah Carey, Sex Pistols

feat. Frank Carter

thetown.com.br/pt

S São Paulo

poplar


DOSS TRENTO, TRENTO ?

King Krule, Confidence Man, Chloe Slater,

Getdown Services, UGLY

poplarfestival.it

S Venice / Milan

riot fest

19th - 21st September

DOUGLASS PARK, CHICAGO ?

Jack White, Green Day, Weezer, The

Linda Lindas, Lambrini Girls

riotfest.org

S Chicago

Photo: Chloe Hashemi

54 D

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reeperbahn festival


VARIOUS VENUES, HAMBURG ?

The storied venues of Hamburg’s Reeperbahn district play host to an abundance of acts - from the brand new to live

favourites - across a week each September. A case in point: some of the first names confirmed for this year’s event, like

Blondshell, The Pill, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Dry Cleaning and Coach Party.

reeperbahnfestival.com

S Hamburg

m for montreal

19th - 22nd November

VARIOUS VENUES, MONTREAL ?

TBA

mpourmontreal.com/en

S Montreal

rollingstone

beach

21st - 22nd November

FERIENPARK WEISSENHÄUSER

STRAND ?

86TVs, Big Special, Cursive, Pom Pom

Squad, The Murder Capital

rollingstone-beach.de

S Hamburg

left of the dial

23rd - 25th November

VARIOUS VENUES, ROTTERDAM ?

TBA

leftofthedial.nl

S Rotterdam

joyland jakarta

28th - 30th November

GELORA BUNG KARNO COMPLEX,

JAKARTA ?

TBA

joylandfest.com

S Jakarta

shaky knees

19th - 21st September

CENTRAL PARK, ATLANTA, GA ?

Deftones, English Teacher, My Chemical

Romance, Pixies, Vampire Weekend

shakykneesfestival.com

S Atlanta

pop montréal


VARIOUS VENUES, MONTRÉAL ?

Bon Enfant, Alix Fernz, Billianne, Knitting,

Ribbon Skirt

popmontreal.com

S Montreal

all things go


MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION,

COLUMBIA, MD / FOREST HILLS

STADIUM, NYC ?

Lucy Dacus, DJO, Doechii, The Last

Dinner Party, Clairo

allthingsgofestival.com

S Washington / New York City

float along

27th September

VARIOUS VENUES, SHEFFIELD

TBA

floatalong.co.uk

% Sheffield

october

beyond the

music

10th - 12th October

VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER

Human Interest, Fuzz Lightyear, Alien

Chicks, Coach Party, Shelf Lives

beyondthemusic.co.uk

% Manchester Piccadilly

wild paths

14th - 18th October

VARIOUS VENUES, NORWHICH

Lime Garden, Getdown Services, O.,

BINA, Y

wildpaths.co.uk

% Norwich

c2c

30th October - 2nd November

VARIOUS VENUES, TURIN ?

AG Cook, Blood Orange, Four Tet, Saya

Gray, YHWH Nailgun

clubtoclub.it

S Turin

november

pitchfork music

festival paris

3rd - 9th November

VARIOUS VENUES, PARIS ?

AG Cook, Blood Orange, Indigo De

Souza, Jay Som, Momma

pitchforkmusicfestival.fr

% Paris

pitchfork music

festival london

5th - 10th November

VARIOUS VENUES, LONDON

Indigo DeSouza, Jay Som, King Gizzard

& The Lizard Wizard, Laurie Anderson,

Momma

pitchforkmusicfestival.co.uk

% Various

iceland

airwaves

6th - 8th November

VARIOUS VENUES, REYKJAVIK ?

Antony Szmierek, Babymorocco,

jasmine.4.t, Kenya Grace, Night Tapes

icelandairwaves.is

S Reykjavík

le guess who?

6th - 9th November

VARIOUS VENUES, UTRECHT ?

Kim Gordon, Arooj After, Tropical Fuck

Storm, Wu-Lu, DARKSIDE

leguesswho.nl

S Amsterdam

simple things

8th November

VARIOUS VENUES, BRISTOL

DITZ, Hotline TNT, MOULD, These New

Puritans, Tunde Adebimpe

simplethingsfestival.co.uk


live at leeds in

the city

15th November

VARIOUS VENUES, LEEDS

TBA

liveatleeds.com

% Leeds

warped tour

15th - 16th November

CAMPING WORLD STADIUM CAMPUS,

ORLANDO, FL ?

Angel Du$t, IDKHOW, Scowl, State

Champs, Thursday

vanswarpedtour.com

S Orlando

december

clockenflap

5th - 7th December

CENTRAL HARBOURFRONT, HONG

KONG ?

TBA

clockenflap.com

S Hong Kong

meredith

5th - 7th December

MEREDITH SUPERNATURAL

AMPHITHEATRE ?

TBA

mmf.com.au

S Melbourne

january

rockaway beach

2nd - 5th January

BUTLIN’S, BOGNOR REGIS

TBA

rockawaybeach.co.uk

% Bognor Regis

esns

14th - 17th January

VARIOUS VENUES, GRONINGEN ?

TBA

esns.nl

S Groningen

Photo: Emma Swann

56 D

14 17 MAY 2025

BRIGHTON - UK

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EIVØR · ELLIE O'NEIL · FLAWLESS ISSUES

FOLK BITCH TRIO · FUZZ LIGHTYEAR · GANS

GETDOWN SERVICES · GODDESS · GOETIA

GOODBYE · GORDI · HEAVY LUNGS

HOLIDAY GHOSTS · JD CLIFFE

JORDAN ADETUNJI · KAICREWSADE

KNATS · L E M F R E C K · LAICOSITNA

LAURIE WRIGHT · LONNIE GUNN · LUVCAT

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DIY Festival Guide 2025

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