The gates are open for day one proper of Kendal Calling 2025, as we look forward to a packed full day of music and performances across all the festival’s diverse stages. As the hordes pour through the gates with their tent and sleeping bags aloft you can hear the hum of sound tests for our opening bands as we get ready for…
Dick & Dom
There’s an age bracket at this festival who will be very familiar with this early Parklands performing duo. This irreverent pair were the soundtrack to many young people’s breakfast in the mid noughties. They spent many years in the wilderness following the end of their whacky “In Da Bungalow” TV show, but in recent years have found their way back into mainstream consciousness as a DJ team and are here to pump some energy into us with their lunchtime set.
Every bit as excitable as their children’s TV personas, Dick & Dom were the perfect launching pad for a busy Friday. They rifled through fan favourites like Dizzee Rascal’s “Bonkers” and The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” leaving plenty of smiles and giddyness to multiply out into the fields.
The Native Cult
There is a long list of local talent being offered an enormous platform for their art this weekend and one of the first to take to that stage this weekend are The Native Cult. The four-piece born from the local shipbuilding town of Barrow-In-Furness have built a solid name for themselves in the North West, regularly performing about the Lake District and at local festivals such as Eskfest, Beathearder and here at Kendal Calling.
The dreamy quartet channel an ethereal brand of folk music, perfect for the idyllic Cumbrian wilderness. Reminiscent of bands like The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men and Mumford and Sons, the band deliver an engaging modern take on the music of our isles and are perfect for an early show on this first afternoon of the festival.
Revivalry
Kendal Calling has become a breeding ground for breakout talent. Revivalry are one of the lucky bands who found their big break at the festival, as they opened up the main stage on the final day of the weekend. This year the fresh faced outfit take to the Calling Out stage which has found home to superstars such as The 1975, Blossoms and Circa Waves, as they look to solidify the reputation they sharply gained last year.
The youthful band was full of vigour, bouncing in and out of the crowd and truly showing why they are more than worthy of a slot at this great festival. They absolutely owned the bizarrely Christmas themed stage and wouldn't have looked out of place on the main stage, who knows what might happen next year…
Corinne Bailey Rae
With the speed at which Kendal Calling flips between brand new talent and legends of yesteryear, it often feels as though you could get whiplash! Next up was an extremely familiar name, especially for those of us around in the mid-noughties. Corinne Bailey Rae immortalised her name in pop music history with her self titled album which cruised to number one. Ever since being thrust to fame by her delicate yet soulful sound, she has been a household name and one which unsurprisingly attracted a hearty crowd.
The performance was exactly the classy and beautiful display you would expect from the accomplished singer, absolutely what was ordered for a peaceful dinner time slot. With nostalgia in the air, we were transported back to some of Corinne’s earlier work, alongside some newer compositions demonstrating her timeless appeal in utter excellence.
The K’s
With one of the largest crowds of the day so far, plenty of young indie fans were radiating with anticipation ahead of this next band. The K’s are taking a march on the music industry and have already staked a huge claim as they had just this evening landed their first number one album.
The show was fierce, with flares left, right and center as the performers delivered their well polished new wave of indie greatness and they will now look to follow in the footsteps of those who have conquered Kendal Calling before them such as Blossoms and Catfish and the Bottlemen. Who knows, it may not be long before we see them take the coveted headliner slot.
Elvana
Anyone who’s regular on the festival scene will likely be very familiar with this next band. There hardly seems to be a festival, from Download to Glastonbury, that hasn’t found home to the quirky cover band. The brand is simple, and Elvis fronted Nirvana tribute, but the execution is bonkers and always a fan favourite wherever they go.
The bonkers combination of styles somehow plays out beautifully with our frontman, fully clad in Elvis attire, stomping about the stage with the swagger of the king. I’m not sure if this is how either Kurt Cobain or Elvis Presley intended their art to be consumed, but it sure as hell is a fun way to do so.
The Wombats
Next up from the revolving door of legends are Liverpool’s own The Wombats. The trio have succeeded in the monumental task of being an unchanged lineup, regularly releasing new music, and touring for over 20 years and you’d expect there are probably more in the audience who have already seen the ever present band than have not. What the crowd likely won't have heard, is the fresh new music from the album Oh! The Ocean released just this past February, so it was a perfect opportunity to learn new songs and celebrate the old.
The Wombats don’t seem to have moved in popularity or performance prowess at all since the noughties and its a credit to the joyful and experience performance they deliver. Plenty of sing-along hits and just all round good fun, with a few on stage dancing marsupials for good measure, to drive home another memorable and perfectly executed Kendal Calling set.
Lowes
Another local legend was next up on the Parklands stage, with the unenviable task of drawing a crowd to combat the imminent arrival of the Courteeners on the Main Stage. Lowes brought the perfect early evening mood switch, easing us into the vibrant electronic sounds which would carry us through to the early morning. It’s easy to see why the Lancaster outfit had been booked in such a prestigious slot with an offering every bit as exciting as the massive Main Stage headliners but vastly different sonically and surely a huge draw for those more keen to get their boogie on nice an early. The beautifully layered electronics paired with gorgeous vocals hark comparisons to The XX spliced with Becky Hill and are equally equipped to raise the roof off the Parklands tent.
The vibrant collective were immediately captivating under the bold lights of the stage, beautiful vocals and energetic instrumental were a joy to the ears, as was the frantic presence of their frontwoman. I hope upon their next appearance, Kendal Calling grant these wonderful artists a more favorable timeslot and, even possibly a main stage spot, so many more can witness their brilliant performing ability.
Courteeners
The Courteeners command massive support anywhere they pop up, but there’s no place that the support is stronger than the North West of England. The returning heroes from greater Manchester would have felt perfectly at home on the stage that they have headlined before in front of a bumper crowd excited to see the indie legends.
Kendal Calling feels like home for this great band and it shows, they absolutely owned the audience from start to finish but nobody would have expected otherwise. Like a well oiled machine they sauntered through their concrete back catalogue of adored hits to an enormous crowd that stretched as far as the eye could see. Kendal Calling could invite them back every year for a decade and this crowd would never get bored of them, they’re just that good.