Spotlight: Kendal Calling 2025 Preview

Celebrating its 20^th birthday, and 16 years in its current home of Lowther Deer Park, Kendal Calling returns to the fields at the end of July, to entertain a sold-out crowd making the most of whatever the Cumbrian weather has to offer them. Whatever the weather, the Kendal (well, actually it’s closer to Penrith, but never mind) crowd are guaranteed to not let it get in the way of a good time. Kendal is a party festival. Sure, there’s some provision for families, and there have been great immersive art installations (are they outstallations if they’re outside?) but Kendal is primarily and unapologetically concerned with the music and the vibe. Full of wide-eyed teenagers given their first taste of the freedom that only festivals can provide, music enthusiasts enjoying the rare opportunity to see actual proper bands play in Cumbria, folk coming along to see what the fuss is all about, and those prepared to party, Kendal has no chill. Considering the relatively small arena size, there is so much packed into it- physically, and in terms of the lineup.

The Main Stage is filled with acts that are nailed on to have the crowd in the palm of their hand; Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Kaiser Chiefs kick off proceedings for the Thursday night crowd, and if I don’t see a field full of people singing ‘I Predict a Riot’ before I go to bed that night, then I’ll be very surprised. Ellis-Bextor has continued to entertain crowds with her high-energy feelgood pop, and TikTok has introduced her to younger audiences also. Kaiser Chiefs are almost a British institution now, and they’re a solid selection for the Thursday night Main Stage closers.

The anthems keep coming on the first night of the festival proper, with a definite Indie feel to the Friday evening. The K’s, The Wombats and Courteeners top the Main Stage and are nailed on to leave thousands of bucket hatted lads with hoarse throats, both from singing along and from inhaling the smoke from a thousand handheld pyrotechnics. It really feels like The K’s are making waves, and Kendal will come a week after their second album is released, it could end up being quite the party. Their feverish brand of indie rock has been entrancing live audiences for some time now and, whilst that energy thankfully translates to their recorded output, the performance at Kendal will be well worth watching. The Wombats are just about as old as Kendal Calling, with their Japanese only debut being released in 2006. They’ve lost none of the cheeky chirpy chappy-ness that helped define their early sound, with wittily crafted yet ever relatable lyrics delivered with what can only be described as really good tunes, this is bound to be a cracking set and a great warm up for the final act of the night. Courteeners are no strangers to Kendal, and when I saw them play there in 2019, it almost felt like they epitomised the whole festival. Everyone was there to see them close the Main Stage on the final night, and their music sound-tracked the campsite for the full weekend. Expect anoraks, expect bucket hats, expect the crowd singing as one, expect pyro, expect a big end to the first full night.

The party builds on the Saturday, with Kendal veterans Reverend & the Makers, Lottery Winners, and Travis warming up the crowd before Fatboy Slim brings the party vibes. Reverend & The Makers command a fiercely loyal following, having a back catalogue which spans from nearly 20 years ago, when they smashed into the public conscious with ‘The State of Things’, they’re a persuasive act who will draw a great crowd. Lottery Winners are deserving of their spot, well up the bill on the Main Stage, their last two albums have been in credibly well received, and they’re a world apart from the band who played the Woodlands Stage at Kendal, back in 2019. Travis, the band who were Coldplay before Coldplay were Coldplay, may not have achieved the global mega stardom of Chris Martin and chums, but it’s difficult to overstate just how massive, and just how fucking everywhere they were at the turn of the century. Their music has stood the test of time however, and ‘The Man Who’ is now revered by those who have come to realise that popular success isn’t necessarily the antithesis of good music, and that moving to a more melodic and melancholic sound was all just part of the band’s evolution. Shifting the night up several gears, will be Brighton’s adopted son Norman Cook, and his Fatboy Slim alter ego. Fatboy Slim provided a bridge in the mid to late 1990s, between the indie guitar music that dominated British music, and the dance music scene which continued to grow alongside. With thoughtful sampling and chonky beats, Fatboy Slim was the DJ that guitar music fans could like- he’d been in bands, he worked with contemporary guitar bands, and his infectious feelgood music was just too good not to dance to. His music continues to fill dancefloors, and his set on Saturday night is bound to go down a storm with a crowd who are ready to party.

Whilst the previous nights on the Main Stage have seemed quite coordinated, it seems a curious mix on the final day. Perennial Kendal faves The Lancashire Hotpots will bring their signature blend of northern witticisms and cheerful synth and banjo to the Main Stage. Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls are perhaps not the most obvious follow up, but let’s go with it. The way that the day-splits look at the moment, Heavy Metal dubsters Skindred are up next- it’s difficult to think of too many bands who fuse reggae with metal, and it’s going to be interesting to see if the crowd gets on board with them, but this set has the potential to really get the crowd bouncing and energised, which is no mean feat on the last day of a weekend comprised of not enough sleep, and primitive living conditions. The Last Dinner Party are up next, and with their meteoric rise of the past 4 years, you could be forgiven for wondering if there’s anything they can’t do. Their summer is filled with a dizzying number of festivals at home and abroad, and ‘From the Pyre’, their follow up to last year’s chart topping debut, will be released in the August. There’s a degree of wistfulness to the haunting power of Abigail Morris’ vocal, and the big, cinematic sound of the band is going to sound amazing as it floats over the fields.

We need to talk about The Prodigy, Sunday night’s Main Stage headliners. A band that has always evolved, from the pop ravers of the early 90s, to the more industrial dance rock they were producing by the end of the decade, which really cemented their place as a legendary live act. Six years ago, The Prodigy were forced to face a new stage of their evolution, following the tragically early death of frontman Keith Flint. Fast forward to the present day, and The Prodigy are on the back of a stand out Glastonbury set dedicated to the memory of Flint, which showed that the band are as strong, innovative and exciting as ever.

The Main Stage is bound to draw the big crowds, and understandably so, but there’s so much more to discover at Kendal, and in the weeks leading up to Kendal Calling 2005, we’ll be looking at the best of the many other stages on offer.

Preview - Jm Stokes