Spotlight: Kendal Calling 2025 - Looking Beyond The Main Stage

As any fool will tell you (and as if to prove a point, I’m about to do just that) Main Stage line ups only tell a fraction of the story, when it comes to determining whether a line up is any good. The main stages draw the large crowds, but any festival worth its salt will have a multitude of stages playing host to a dizzying array of talent- both musical and spoken, wild crowds, showstopping performances, and ever so occasionally, the downright bizarre. Kendal Calling has earned its stripes, is worth its salt, and has proved its mettle as an established UK music festival. It’s not the biggest, it’s not even in the top ten, but it continues to provide an inspired and truly powerful main stage line up- and one that would be the envy of many larger festivals. But that’s a tiny fraction of the acts playing at Kendal, here’s a whistle-stop guide to what to look out for on the other stages.

Considering the arena’s relatively compact nature, there are nine stages squeezed into the main arena. Parklands is Kendal’s second stage, and Daniel Bedingfield, Scouting for Girls and Maximo Park will play headline sets in the tent, this weekend. Alongside the headliners, anyone heading to Parklands can look forward to being treated to sets from Pixie Lott, The Untold Orchestra- playing Legends of Hip Hop (I know, it sounds amazing), Lindisfarne, Dub Pistols, Nieve Ella, Inspiral Carpets, and- pretty much the only Elvis fronted Nirvana tribute act that I can immediately bring to mind- Elvana. Scouting for Girls, despite being a little too Radio 2 friendly for some (narrow minded) folk, will be a great show, and they’ll even have the cynics singing along by the end.

Calling Out is the third stage, and what would have been called the ‘new band tent’ if the organisers had shown limited imagination. Another issue with the ‘new band tent’ name, is that they tend to have a mix of up and coming names playing alongside more established acts. And they’re not always bands. And sometimes, they’re not even in tents. I digress. Calling Out is a tent, it has a mix of bands, solo performers and DJs, and it does have a mix of new artists playing alongside the more established. Headline sets from Big Moon, Sports Team and Alfie Templeman are sure to be highlights, but Divorce, Luvcat, Willie J Healey, Master Peace, The Guest List, Siobhan Winifred, Chloe Slater and Polly Money are all exciting prospects for the weekend.

One of the most enchanting stages at Kendal, Woodlands is nestled amongst the trees (well, duh) and really is an amazing setting; it’s like part music festival, part rave in the forest. It’s a wild mix of styles on the stage as well, and there’ll be something there for absolutely everybody at some point over the weekend. Moonchild Sanelly will headline Woodlands on Saturday night, her Afro ghetto funk will be well worth a wander into the woods. Other gems to be found in the line up for Woodlands include London rapper JD Cliffe, reggae punksters The Skints, electro-weirdness and lovely chaps a plenty from Mark Radcliffe’s Une, experimental loveliness and funky beats from Pedro Pedro Pedro, the heartbreakingly beautiful vocals of Molly Payton, and a headline set from Liverpudlian indie rock act Stone.

The Chai Wallahs tent is not so much a stage, as it is a vibe. Or, in less pretentious terms, it’s a place to hang out and take a moment, whilst also witnessing amazing artists playing a whole load of styles. There’s nothing that’s out of place here, music from around the world is welcomed- 21^st Century ska from The Kubricks, instrumental surf rock from Los Fucking Surfer Smokers, Afro-jazz from Agbeko, and producer Aziza Jaye will bring her unique blend of electro dance, fusing house, D+B, dub, trance, and pretty much anything she can lay her hands on.

Tim Peake’s Diner is one of the more idiosyncratic stages in the UK festival scene, which sees artists crammed into the corner of a pretty small café, and the audience almost on the ‘stage’. On a day to day basis, its size is absolutely fine- it can house multiple tables of families enjoying pots of tea and homemade caramel slice (I imagine). As a gig venue, it’s intimate. Like really intimate. This is a great spot to catch acts who are just about to break, as well a few more familiar names. Although, be warned, if you want to see any of those more established names, there are only so many people who can fit into a pretty small café. So, if you’re wanting to catch Inspiral Carpets, Tim Burgess, The Wytches, or BMX Bandits, then get there early.

As well as all of this, there’s a comedy tent playing host to a myriad of comedians including Justin Moorhouse and Lost Voice Guy, live podcast recordings, quizzes, bingo, and lots of laughs. The Town Hall tent is a mix of tribute bands, local acts, shows that couldn’t find a home anywhere else but need to be seen. The Desert Island Disco spins all the disco greats, right through until the wee small hours. And talking about the wee small hours, once the line up has finished in the Parklands tent, it turns into a proper party- with DJs, neon clubwear, young people looking shocked and chewing gum furiously- a proper party. DJ Yoda is scheduled to bring the whole show to a close on the Sunday night, before Monday morning blues kick in with a vengeance.

Preview - Jm Stokes