Kendall Calling 2025 Review - Part 1

Sitting and looking back at pre-Kendal Calling 2025 plans, it becomes clear- once more- that planning what to see, where to go and what to do, ahead of a festival, is a monumental waste of time. Must see artists remain unseen, far-flung corners remain unexplored, and healthy meal options remain in their wrappers at the bottom of rucksacks- discarded at the first sight of the culinary delights available within the sacred confines of the festival arena. And, above all this, despite the warnings of the weather forecasters in the weeks leading up to Kendal, despite the fact that Cumbria is only marginally less wet than the actual ocean, waterproof jackets also largely stayed in rucksacks- right next to the big bag of whole-wheat pasta.

Thursday nights are a recent innovation in festivals, allowing a staggered arrival of punters to the site, and the opportunity for more entertainment. It was a cool evening at the end of a warm day, on this particular Thursday night, as people began to drift into the arena to witness Corella, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and Kaiser Chiefs take to the Main Stage. Thursday nights definitely have their own vibe, much like the first day of school; there are people trying to find their bearings, everyone’s clothes are really clean, and nobody’s entirely sure how they’re expected to behave. So, as Ellis-Bextor took to the stage, it’s fair to say that the audience (whilst as giddy as school children) had not yet found their dancing shoes. Dressed in a frock seemingly made entirely of silver tassels, Ellis-Bextor skilfully worked the crowd, really kicking the party off with a set of stone-cold bangers, and by the time she sang Madonna’s ‘Just Like A Prayer’, the audience had found those dancing shoes, and kept going till she closed the set with that song off of Saltburn. Kaiser Chiefs closed the Main Stage, playing a set celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their debut album, ‘Employment’, but with other songs thrown in for good measure. Ricky Wilson’s vocal seemed quite low in the mix, which led to a somewhat muted performance overall, but the crowd made up the difference.

As if the temporary residents of the Lowther Deer Park needed whipping up, Dick and Dom did just that with their party DJ set, early Friday on Parklands (the festival’s second stage). Like their audience, the former CBBC duo’s schtick has grown up, and a full tent is treated to an hour of dancing, singing and party games. Next up on Parklands is Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, a jolly good fellow dressed sharply, playing a banjolele (half banjo, half ukulele, naturally) and spitting rhymes. Not actual spitting, that would be uncouth. One of the highlights of the weekend was an early Friday evening performance by Luvcat, on the Calling Out stage. Luvcat’s sound is cinematic, it’s dramatic, it demands attention. It’s at once both magisterial and tragic, stately yet unruly, it’s just bloody good. The sound is only half of the appeal of this band, and every adjective above could be applied to their aesthetic or their stagecraft- they are the complete package, wrapped up and ready to go. Elvana brought their high energy show to Parklands, playing a mix of Nirvana and Elvis songs, all served up with a great big dollop of The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself (squint and put sand in your ears, and it really could be) on the lead vocals. The Wombats played the penultimate slot on the mainstage, delivering their trademark off-centre lyrics to an audience who were only too happy to sing them back. Matthew Murphy cuts a lonely figure, left of centre stage, but Tord Øverland Knudsen on bass covers enough stage for the pair of them. Friday night headliners on Woodlands were East London reggae band The Skints. Originally a ska band, The Skints played a festival friendly blend of reggae, dance hall and dub, with just a touch of the heavy. Whilst Joshua Rudge fulfils a lot of the front man responsibilities, it is Marcia Richards who sits centre stage at the keyboard and sampler. Richards is physically centre stage and she controls it, pulls it all together, and pulls instrument after instrument out- whilst the flute was a bit of a surprise, the melodica was the star- its haunting melody soaring over the band and into the stars.

The Royston Club followed Pigeon Detectives on the Main Stage on the Saturday lineup. The Wrexham four piece and one of the many young Post-Indie Sleaze guitar bands who are in the ascendancy at the moment- see also Lottery Winners and K’s. Performing in front of a Palestinian flag, anyone hoping for controversy was left disappointed, but the devoted crowd were anything but. Reverend & The Makers are a firm favourite at Kendal Calling and while frontman, Jon McClure may have mellowed with age, The Reverend’s songs are belted back at him with a ferocity he would have been proud of when he was in his pomp. The sun was beating down by this point, and it was a sun-drenched crowd who witnessed Lottery Winners’ triumphant return to the Main Stage. Lottery Winners and Kendal Calling are fast becoming intertwined, and it feels like one couldn’t really exist without the other- they are a permanent fixture that has grown through the festival and travelled further and further up the line-up.

A band who seem to be at the start of a career growth spurt are Keo, a London four piece who appear on Woodlands looking like they’ve just been plucked from early 90s Seattle. Sonically, Keo are less grunge and more like hard alt-rock, but they have a determined and loyal following who are making sure that these boys make waves. They hardly have any recorded material available, but crowds are still growing and word of mouth is clearly spreading; don’t be surprised if you hear their name a lot over the next couple of years. A name that is definitely being heard a lot more, is that of Willie J Healey, who took to the Calling Out stage on Saturday evening. Healey makes his guitar sing, filling the stage with sound, and the audience are swept away with him; he’s on tour this Autumn, and well worth a watch. His song-writing is tinged with Americana- but the sound the band creates is much more powerful than that might suggest, and it’s not a surprise that he is another artist whose star appears to be on the rise. Sports Team topped the bill on Calling Out on Saturday night, their third album may have had disappointing figures when compared to their first two, but for that hour and a quarter, they were the only band that mattered. Alex Rice was imperious, delivering vocals with such urgency, power and desperation that the crowd were almost knocked over by the force of his performance. For that time on stage, he was a man possessed, careering and bursting through a crowd-pleasing set comprised of songs from throughout the band’s career and only a couple from their latest album. Moonchild Sanelly wrapped things up on Woodlands, for the Friday night. A low-profile stage for her to play, perhaps, but there was nothing low profile about Moon’s performance. The singer blew away her audience, along with funky hooks and the deepest of beats- the people were moving and Moon was down to party with them. You could be forgiven for believing that the show would have gone on all night, were it down to Moon- eventually, having finished her set down in the photography pit followed by conversation after conversation with adoring fans, she was bustled off by the tour manager, leaving a trail of moondust behind her.

You might have already got the picture, but there are bands who are closely identified with Kendal Calling, acts that are not just regulars, but almost part of the furniture. It’s fair to say that The Lancashire Hotpots are one such band, the audience comes pre-prepared with flat caps and a sense of humour, and their early Sunday set was very well attended. Less well attended, but (sorry Hotpots) a lot more exciting was Glasgow’s Soapbox, who performed at the same time, but on the Calling Out stage. Soapbox roared through their half hour with an energy and venom that left their audience breathless, but exhilarated. Lead singer, Tom’s regular forays up to the barrier and eventually into the crowd, with mic, to join in the moshpit, did nothing to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm, and his stagecraft made this another of the standout performances of Kendal Calling 2025. Polly Money has spent time working with the 1975- essentially as a session musician, but eventually as more of a fifth member. This summer has seen her branch out on her own, delivering guitar led pop songs with an achingly beautiful vocal, and she delivered an especially beautiful half hour on the Calling Out stage. Way back at the start of the festival, Friday at midday, Manchester legends Inspiral Carpets played a nine song set in the incredibly intimate surroundings of Tim Peakes’ Diner. The venue was absolutely rammed, unsurprisingly, but the gig was recorded and released on vinyl on the final day of Kendal 25. On the day of its release, the Inspirals played to a absolutely packed Parklands stage, with the crowd spilling out of the tent and onto the grass outside. For a band that has gone through so much- line up changes, fallings out, death- there is still a lot of love for Inspiral Carpets. One new song is offered up, ‘Drag the Bag’ is a fresh sound with guitar and keyboard in synchronised syncopation, and the crowd are very much there for it. Needless to say, it’s the classics that get the biggest response though, and none more so than when Tim Burgess is brought on to sing ‘This is How it Feels’. Tim, the Inspirals and the tent, singing in unison and being as one for that moment. Another band who bring people together in moments of shared experience, are Skindred- one such moment has become their signature move, The Newport Helicopter. The whole crowd ripped their tops off (or even, removed them carefully) and twirled them round their heads in unison, as Benji Webbe smashed home more and more of the band’s unique reggae/dub/metal crossover. Liverpool band Stone headlined Woodlands on the Sunday evening, and the Liverpool band absolutely smashed it. Finn Power is a powerhouse of a front man, and was strutting the stage like a stumbling Ian Curtis, drawing the crowd in with frequent trips down into the camera pit.

And so, Kendal Calling was over for another year, the fields were emptied and everyone went back to reality having had a peep into an alternative world, where everyone gets on and cooperates, where people are brought together rather than divided, and where experiences are greater for having been shared with strangers. So, by all means think about things that might be nice to do once you get to the festival, but rest assured- the festival will make your plans for you.

Review - Jm Stoakes

Photos - Snapagig.com