FESTIVALS
All the news from the fields.
The old guard remains, but what’s the future of rock at Reading & Leeds?
South Arcade, Bilmuri and NXDIA steal the spotlight, while Enter Shikari rage against the machine and Limp Bizkit turn in a Facebook-core greatest hits set.
“I want to teach you a dance”: Chappell Roan’s Reading & Leeds headline debut is a pop spectacle for the ages
From drag goblins to wind machines, Chappell owns the Bank Holiday Weekend.
Glixen are building a shoegaze utopia, one festival stage at a time
At 2025’s Reading Festival, Glixen talk musical evolution, trip-hop dreams and unlocking new sounds.
Britain’s biggest contemporary metal band, Bring Me The Horizon find new heights at Reading 2025
From circle pits to ‘Wonderwall’, BMTH close the Nex Gen cycle with fireworks.
Pale Waves are just seeing what happens, really
Backstage at Reading, the band talk maybe-new-eras, crowd anxiety and refusing to find new bands to like.
Dork x All Points East: Katy J Pearson is in her element
With ‘Someday, Now’ still glowing and a coveted slot at All Points East on the horizon, Katy J Pearson is riding a year of joy, growth and finally owning the pop star within.
FKA twigs has signed up for All Points East, joining RAYE’s headline day
She replaces Doechii on the lineup.
FESTIVAL GUIDES
From pits to pop stars: who to see at Reading & Leeds 2025
Are we biased? Yes. Are we right? Obviously.
Doechii has pulled out of All Points East, Forwards and Rock en Seine festivals
North American tour dates remain scheduled for October.
Harvest Rock will return to Adelaide in October with The Strokes and Jelly Roll headlining
The two-day event spotlights local food, wine, and tourism with government backing.
From Brat to Bladee: Øyafestivalen 2025 brings pop, politics and pyro to Oslo
From pop extravaganzas to politically-charged protests, Øya offers up the contrasts that define the summer of 2025.
Kneecap call out Norway’s oil fund and KKR during Øyafestivalen set
Kneecap used their Øyafestivalen to condemn Norway’s sovereign wealth fund over links to Israel and criticise KKR’s ties to the festival operator.
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Keo and Brògeal have joined the lineup for this year’s The Gathering Sounds festival
London rockers Keo and Scottish folk-punk band Brògeal join Somebody’s Child as headliners for Stockton’s multi-venue Gathering Sounds festival.
Barry Can’t Swim is going to play an All Points East afterparty at Colour Factory
Electronic producer Barry Can’t Swim will headline an exclusive afterparty at Colour Factory following his All Points East festival performance.
Pop, pints and pit-starters: Dork’s Day Out 2025 goes off at Signature Brew, London
Dork’s Day Out turns Signature Brew inside out with some of the UK’s best new acts.
Fat Dog and Fcukers are among several new additions for Live At Leeds: In The City
Live at Leeds festival adds over thirty new acts to their 2025 lineup, including Fat Dog and Fcukers, for November’s multi-venue event.
Bristol’s Simple Things Festival has expanded 2025’s lineup with some new names
Bristol’s Simple Things Festival adds Nala Sinephro, Clark, and The Bug with Flowdan to its 50-act November lineup across multiple venues.
Øya 2025: Seven artists worth turning up early for
Whether you’re front row or hillside lounging, don’t sleep on these sets: you’ll be bragging about them for years.
JADE is going to headline an intimate Amex Afters show following All Points East
Following her All Points East festival set, Jade will perform a late-night show at London’s Colour Factory with support acts.
DORK x ALL POINTS EAST: Folk Bitch Trio are stepping out of the studio and onto the big stage
On their debut album ‘Now Would Be A Good Time’, Melbourne three-piece Folk Bitch Trio – coming to All Points East this summer – find power in softness, honesty in chaos and humour in heartbreak.
Welly bring the mayhem, Sports Team bring the carnage for Dork 100 at The 100 Club
Their sold-out 100 Club show becomes a full-throttle celebration of all things unhinged and undeniably Dork.
Old gods, new heroes: It’s Mad Cool 2025
Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams and Girl In Red steal the spotlight from the stadium acts at this year’s genre-hopping weekender.
All guts, no gloss: Royel Otis get real on ‘hickey’
A little sweat, a lot of soul. What started in Bondi and spiralled through Byron Bay and LA has landed as ‘hickey’, a shimmering second album where Royel Otis stop overthinking and start saying exactly what they mean.August 26, 2025 | By Neive McCarthy
