Eyes down, everybody. We're playing the annual round of British festival line-up bingo. The Kooks? Courteeners? Kasabian? Lottery Winners? Kaiser Chiefs? They'll all be circling the UK's cider-soaked fields, as much as a constant of the British summer as heatwaves, strawberries and cream, and sunburnt, topless blokes going on a jog.
Festival line-up season should feel like an exciting roll of the dice as opposed to a predictable game of bingo. They could, and should, be a mirror held up to the current musical climate, bringing what's fresh, challenging and current to an audience making summer memories to cherish. It's hardly like we're short of talent, especially in this current point in time. We're hardly short of opportunities either. This is, after all, the era of 'peak megagig', with big shiny pound signs in the eyes of every local council looking to rake in some more cash.
In some ways, the climate looks troubling. Chances are, you're likelier to see a band with 'The' or 'Club' (Two Door, Bombay Bicycle, Red Rum, Royston etc...) in the name higher up on a poster than women or non-binary people (save for The Last Dinner Party, who fit both categories). There's a worrying trend of festivals leaning for safety, homogeneity and in particular nostalgia when it comes to making calls to booking agents and nostalgia just happens to be a giant, reliable cash cow. It's been leaned upon in a time where survival is perilous, costs have soared and over 200 festivals had disappeared between the years of 2019 and 2024. Some were killed off by Covid, others by concerns about weather, and the rising cost of living, as ever, remains a huge culprit.
Nonetheless, being reliable and safe does not a good festival poster make, neither is it necessarily guaranteed to hook fans in if they believe they have seen it all before. Pockets of discourse and disappointment have popped up in enough corners of the internet for it to now become a subject of concern. There's also an aspect of responsibility, especially for bigger festivals, to platform rising talent, or at least try and lock down names which are more current.
Progress in the way of diversity also seems slow. The promoters Not Bad For A Girl published an open letter to the music industry last week criticising the "regression" in line-ups across electronic music events, pointing out that some line-ups have fewer than 10 per cent female and non-binary artists. TRNSMT were also put on blast last year for failing to book any female headliners for the ninth year in a row.
The systematic 'pipeline problem' of women being held back from headline positions by misogyny is getting harder to justify in an era where Olivia Dean has sold out The O2 six times over, Billie Eilish is making concert films and British women in particular have been doing the heavy lifting during awards season. (Primavera's top billing of Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli xcx last year feels utopian in comparison).
Emma Wilkes
I could sit here and bitch and moan, but I'm not about to tell you that you're better off sunbathing in the garden this summer. There's more than enough going on over the summer to make your credit card cry at least once. I, for one, will likely be spending multiple weekends this summer in fields, small venues and the odd car park (Outbreak Manchester, I love you dearly), and these events are what I dream about as the leaves turn orange, the air turns cold and the seasons reset again.
We could be pessimists and look at what is going wrong, but it's equally vital to spotlight who's doing it right. Here are a few examples of festivals who are properly delivering at the moment, who others ought to be taking notes from:
Bearded Theory
I've never been to Bearded Theory as it takes place on a weekend I'm usually not available, but this year's line-up really does read as a who's who of the great modern guitar music wave that's swept through the industry. And, hurrah, they know and they get that women are powering this as well. (Sprints! Lambrini Girls! NewDad!) There's a cracking mix of the heritage and the current, and a stacked crop of headliners in the form of Pixies, Garbage and Skunk Anansie.
When: 20th-24th May
Where: Catton Park, Derbyshire
ArcTanGent
See, women can and do headline festivals! ArcTanGent have put not one but two on top this year, with Chelsea Wolfe headlining its first night and Julie Christmas joining Swedish post-metal titans Cult Of Luna - one of the best bands I've ever seen, after catching them at ArcTanGent in 2022 - for a 10th anniversary celebration of their landmark album Mariner. Every year's line-up is a grab bag of experimental gems, with a beautiful sense of community. My picks this year would be Svalbard's final show (bring the tissues), Neptune Prize-nominated Overhead, The Albatross, Maruja, Conjurer, Nothing, Chat Pile, Pupil Slicer, Meatdripper and the live return of Jamie Lenman. Also, between this and sister festival 2000trees, they have both the best food and an infamously fun silent disco.
When: 19th - 22nd August
Where: Fernhill Farm, Bristol
Emma Wilkes
End Of The Road
End Of The Road's 20th anniversary is a bombastic celebration of music set to bring summer to a triumphant end. Pulp are headlining, promising “an unusual performance”, with CMAT, Kurt Vile and the Violators and a mystery headliner taking pride of place at the top of the poster. Also hugely worth checking out are Folk Bitch Trio, Model/Actriz, recent podcast guests PVA, M(h)aol and YHWH Nailgun.
When: 3rd - 6th September
Where: Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset
All Points East
Park festivals tend to offer a more accurate snapshot of who's raising pulses in music at a particular moment. All Points East this year have curated what could be their most varied line-ups yet. Lorde tops the bill on its first day with PinkPantheress, Neptune Prize-nominated Rose Gray, 2hollis and more in tow, while Tyler, the Creator crosses genres across a two-day takeover with everyone from Baby Keem to... Turnstile. Its team-up with Outbreak features an epic crossover of Deftones, Amyl and the Sniffers, IDLES, Interpol, Deafheaven and more (did they look inside my iTunes library?), while the following week is catnip for the alt kids with Twenty One Pilots and the likes of Kid Kapichi, Nova Twins and PVRIS.
When: 22nd-30th August, selected dates
Where: Victoria Park, east London
Marrapalooza
Based in the North East, Marrapalooza combines fantastic line-ups and equally fantastic principles. They choose reinvesting in their local scene over playing into algo-daddy's hands, refusing to share Spotify links or to book bands based on their social media presence, and communicating with fans via their mailing lists rather than through Meta platforms. Line-up wise, they know their stuff, with Los Campesinos!, Jasmine.4.t and The Chisel standing as a greatly diverse batch of headliners. And, if that sounds appealing, their promoter David Littlefair is appearing on the podcast with Sean next week.
When: 5th-7th June
Where: Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle and Northumbria University
Bulletproof
Don't mind us if we plug this brilliant new festival whose line-up we helped announce the other week. Embodying the spirit of community and resistance, this new three-day event from Jeremy Corbyn's Peace & Justice Project is a celebration of both the UK's grassroots venues and the rich array of politically conscious music we have right now to unite people. Headlined by Maruja, Sprints and Pussy Riot: Riot Days, this is set to be a vital new addition to the festival calendar.
When: 4th-6th June
Where: EartH, The Victoria, The Shacklewell Arms and The Jago, East London
Emma Wilkes