Welcome to the Fields! It’s a pretty special one if you didn’t know, as Kendal Calling’s is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year! – and it’s safe to say they pulled out all the stops!
Now whilst the main festival does kick off on the Friday, there is always something to entertain the punters that rock up and pitch up on a Thursday, probably a reward for tackling the dreaded hill that everyone talks about in the “Kendal’s Calling You” group on Facebook – (for reference – without tents, bag and all the other shite you have to carry with you, it would have been fine – otherwise it is grim, for any future Kendal Calling go-ers, pack lightly and smartly!).
So to kick off the festivities on the Thursday evening, they had the likes of Performs Soul Dedications, The Untold Orchestra (who were bloody fantastic with the crowd, they really got the crowd warmed up!), Corella on the main stage, plus some across Chai Wallers, Ocktoberfest, Soapbox and the Town Hall to entertain the many.
But let’s talk about the Thursday night headliners, who were in the form of 00’s pop icon Sophie Ellis Bextor and Leeds own The Kaiser Chiefs.
Starting with Sophie Ellis-Bextor though…
Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the Main Stage of Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
She adorned the stage with fantastic graphics and videos on the big screen background of the main stage and came out in what was possibly the sparkliest out I’ve ever seen, she worked it though.
Now Sophie Ellis-Bextor somewhat slipped under the radar after the early 2010’s, but has seen a surge of popularity since the 2023 film hit “Saltburn” that featured her big hit “Murder on the Dancefloor” – which saw the single re-enter the UK charts at number two, 22 years after it’s original release and Sophie being resigned to Universal Music Group.
What a comeback she’s made though – her latest album (at the time of writing) “Perimenopop” is due to be released in September 2025.
Her stage presence is incredible and she really knows how to use the stage as a solo artist, and to be fair, with a long flowy outfit that sparkly, it would be a shame not to!
She played a lot of her back catalogue, which the standouts for me were “Dolce Vita”, her opener of “Relentless Love” and of course “Murder on the Dancefloor” which really saw the crowd give a huge reaction, dancing and singing along – which was brilliant to see, but whilst I know Sophie does like to do a cover, she gave us some fantastic covers of “Like A Prayer” by Madonna, “Lady, Here Me Tonight” by Mojo and “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer, but another highlight was her hybrid cover of both “Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)” by Spiller and “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” by ABBA – a brilliant crowd pleaser that got everyone going.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the Kendal Calling Main Stage – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Overall a fantastic set from Sophie and the perfect way to open up the headliners on Kendal Calling – definitely worth watching if you get the opportunity!
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Now onto the Kaiser Chiefs…
Now I felt a bit of a buzz around The Kaiser Chiefs, especially considering they’re celebrating 20 years of their debut album “Employment” in 2025 and have celebrated with a run of shows, including with their homecoming show in Temple Newsham in summer 2025.
On the spring of shows they’ve been playing the album in full – of course with a few other hits thrown in – and I’ve heard frontman Ricky Wilson enjoys putting on a show – which spoiler alert, he does, how does he have THAT much energy?
After an interesting take on the Jurrassic Park with a fun video (it was quite funny to be fair…) Vijay, Nick, Andrew, Simon and Ricky all burst onto the stage, in actually quite a dulcet manner, but that wasn’t to stay the same – as they soon went into their first song “Na Na Na Na Naa” and the energy went from 0 to 100 in literal seconds.
Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson on the Kendal Calling Main Stage 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Ricky Wilson doesn’t stay still, but in the best way possible, running around, grabbing mic stands, swinging his mic in the air and jumping up and down, and he had better crowd interaction than I gave him credit for, so fair play Ricky.
Some really big hits in the set, including “Modern Way”, “Every Day I Love You Less and Less” and “Never Miss a Beat” being particular highlights, and unexpectedly some covers – with “Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones, hearing the crowd chant “AY OH LETS GO”, which is you know, it’s also the backing of the AO advert with one kid near the front shouting “YEAH WASHING MACHINES” (no advertising/product placement here – it is literally just funny…) – which, sure.
They also surprisingly did a cover of “Pinball Wizard” by The Who, they may do this often at their gigs, but I am not particularly seasoned in Kaiser Chiefs gigs, having seen them a couple of times many moons ago – but regardless, it was brilliant.
The highlights for me were “Ruby” (of course) – as the crowd really sung along and got involved with that, and the energy somehow stepped up a notch again – but the biggest highlight, naturally – was “I Predict a Riot”.
Ricky Wilson was bouncing around like a kid on too many blue smarties, and you could tell he and the band were enjoying every minute of it, which always elevates the performance a little bit for me.
Towards the end, Ricky jumped into the photo pit and stood on the barrier to interact with fans – all of which at the front seemed to lose it.
Now I thought that was the end, oh no. – they actually mixed up the setlist to what I expected, with “I Predict a Riot” actually being further up and not part of the Encore, they ended with “Oh My God” – which to be fair, was a solid choice.
They played their debut album “Employment” in full, bar “What Did I Ever Give You”, “Caroline, Yes” and “Team Mate” – with a couple sprinkled from their second studio album “Yours Truly, Angry Mob”, fifth album “Education, Education, Education & War” and their sixth album “Stay Together” (to name a few).
Ricky Wilson and Simon Rix of the Kaiser Chiefs – Kendal Calling Main Stage 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Overall a fantastic performance, with way much energy than I could ever dream of having and a good variety of hits – a brilliant Thursday headliner choice for Kendal Calling.
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Right, well on Friday’s offerings technically day two, but the first full day packed back to back with music, it’s frustrating I can’t be in two places at once, but here’s a selection of the people on offer for the Friday…
Let’s start with the guys that send all millenials into instant kids tv nostalgia, I’m talking about Dick n Dom, of Dick n Dom in da bungalow fame.
I loved this show growing up for it’s literal ridiculousness and humour and you’re probably thinking “what the bloody hell are Dick and Dom doing at a festival?” well, I’ll tell you, they do a DJ set, and a bloody good one at that.
And before you scoff or say it’s ridiculous, the crowd was so big, it was spilling out and had people watching it on a screen outside The Parklands tent on the grass…
The crowd spilling out of The Parklands Stage Tent for the Dick n Dom DJ set – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
If that isn’t enough of a sign of how good it is, then I don’t know what to tell you… but I’ll do my best – but incase this helps the case, here is the crowd from the inside having the time of their lives!
The crowd inside The Parklands Tent enjoying Dick n Dom’s DJ set – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Now I’d never been to a Dick and Dom DJ set before this (yes they are a legit thing!) but I had heard fantastic things and I am very pleased to say it lived up to the expectation, infact exceeded all of them.
Dick (Richard McCourt) of Dick n Dom – MC’ing at their DJ set on The Parklands Set – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
I thought Ricky Wilson had energy, how they can DJ (very well too!) and also bounce around and hype the crowd up continuously is something I’m in awe of – but they’re both ridiculously entertaining and kept the crowd going, which was brilliant!
Dom (Dominic Wood) of Dick n Dom hyping up the crowd during their DJ set on The Parklands Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 –
Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
They still have that quick wit and bonkersness that you would expect and always had on “Da Bungalow” – sadly, there was no mention or appearance of the Stoke-on-Trent cat (if you know, you know) – but regardless, it was still brilliant.
Imagine all of your favourite 90’s/00’s indie, dance, pop and anthems mixed into one ridiculous rhythm, from a “Wonderwall” singalong for Oasis, to “Bonkers” by Dizzie Rascal, to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, the set had it all – plus a nod to headliners Fat Boy Slim and The Prodigy – it was all parts ridiculous and brilliant.
Dick n Dom in Da Tent on The Parklands Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Well worth seeing if you see them popping up doing a set at a venue or festival in future! P.S – Kendal Calling, if you get them again, put them on the main stage, they need so much more room for the bouncing, singing and raving!
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Next up for me was 00’s/10’s pop princess Pixie Lott.
Pixie Lott on The Parklands Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
She also drew in an impressive crowd into The Parklands Stage tent, most of them seemingly wanting sense of nostalgia! Pixie delivered a fantastic entrance, powering through a big cloud of pink smoke, bright smile and felt ready to go.
Pixie went into “Boys and Girls” for his first track, from her debut album “Turn it Up” and the crowd responded brilliantly by singing along and dancing, to Pixie’s delight, pointing at alot of the crowd and acknowledging them.
Pixie brought out a new album last year, “Encino” after seemingly having some time off, which was met with generally positive response, her second track was off the new album “Somebody’s Daughter” – which was a softer, slower song, but suited her voice beautifully – and a different side to her.
One highlight for me was Pixie performing her debut single “Mama Do” – having seen Pixie Lott back in 2009 after she’d burst onto the scene, I can confidently say 16 years later (that feels weird to say) – she is just as good, if not better than before and she’s really elevated her performance.
A running theme of Kendal is suprising covers, which guess what, Pixie Lott surprised me with too, she named it the “sing-a-long section” and encouraged the crowd to join in – to then go into a mixtape of songs, including “Kiss Me” – originally by Sixpence None The Richer, “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something and “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan, to name a few – plus the song that either you love or hate, “Mr Brightside” by The Killers – which I was pleasantly surprised by.
Pixie Lott entertaining the crowd on The Parklands Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Overall Pixie delivered a stunning set, giving us feelings of nostalgia, love and fun, plus whilst I don’t usually like too many covers, it really got the crowd going, as they connected and stayed throughout, she owned the Parklands Stage!
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Next up for us, was Wigan’s own, The Lilacs.
These lads are always right fun, so you could expect cheekiness, a good laugh and maybe sometimes a little surprise!
Dave Gomersall of The Lilacs on The Calling Out Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
As Shit Shirt Dave (yes, really… although today it wasn’t that shit! but not-so-terrible shirt Dave doesn’t have the same ring to it, ok?) came on, he warmed the crowd up with a catchy drumbeat, with Ollie and Matt soon joining him on stage and said hello to the crowd of adoring fans, who packed out The Calling Out Stage with Lilac’s merch of all varieties, primarily bucket hats!
Now as I said, the lads do like to offer a surprise every now and again, and as the first song kicked off (or so we thought), Ollie stopped and said “Wait a minute” and ran off stage, which left many confused, but then Lilacs guitarist Sam Birchall appeared, which was a really emotional moment for the band and the fans, as Sam has been having some time off recently.
The Lilacs guitarist Sam Birchall on The Calling Out Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Sam’s appearance made it all the more special though, and they kicked off with “Where’ve You Been Hiding” and it was obvious from this point that this was going to be a good set – as all four lads were beaming, and the crowd too, with some happy tears for Sam.
Matty Johnson of The Lilacs on The Calling Out Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
They played a number of things from their ever-growing catalogue, but the main highlights for me were “Sticky Dancefloors” and of course their hits “Grace” and “Vicarage Road”.
The Lilacs Frontman Ollie Anglesea on The Calling Out Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
A stunning set which I can confidently say, from filling The Calling Out Stage, will easily grow into The Parklands Stage if they return again soon.
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Next up were The Covasettes…
Now sadly this is a short but sweet one for these guys as they did clash with The Lilacs, I managed to leg it over quickly for a couple of songs!
The Woodlands Stage is a small stage but in a stunning backdrop so perfect for a small indie set or possibly a DJ set in the evening (Stay tuned to see what I get!)
Frontman Chris Buxton has a lot of passion and charisma which he showcased really well inbetween tracks in the set, the crowd seemed really into it and it was obvious there were a fair few fans there enjoying it!
As I only saw one track, “Twit Twoo” was the highlight, but that said, most songs I’ve seen before are brilliant, from “Love in Polaroid”, “She Is” and “Rebound” every single one was brilliant, and I can see them being on a much bigger stage in a years time!
The Covasettes POV on The Woodlands Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: The Covasettes via X
As you can see, they did attract a fantastic crowd and could have probably overfilled it! They’re definitely ones to watch.
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Taking a small side step now before we go to The Wombats, whilst I sadly didn’t get to photograph their set due to clashes, it should be noted that it was an incredibly special day for Earlestown’s own The K’s.
Their second studio album “Pretty on The Internet” was released last week (you can read our review on it HERE) and they found at Kendal Calling that it had reached number 1!
Here is the moment they revealed it at Kendal Calling and on social media…
The K’s celebrating with their Number 1 album award at Kendal Calling
Photo Credit: The K’s, Kendal Calling, Official Charts Company and Lab Records.
They also showed the award on stage during their set, to their fans delight and celebrated (rightly so!) on stage.
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Onto the penultimate act of the night for us, The Wombats…
The Wombats frontman Matthew Murphy on the Main Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
A set I think a lot of people were looking forward to, The Wombats released an album earlier this year, their sixth studio album “Oh! The Ocean” which was met with a fantastic response.
They opened with “Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come” (the title alone wins me over) – with big energy, big smiles and they seemed raring to go.
Having seen The Wombats on a few occasions, I was intrigued to see how they would mix up the setlist, and to my surprise (pleasant surprise mind!) they burst straight into “Moving To New York” which in fairness, was the perfect place to put it, whilst the crowd responded well on the get-go, but they reacted incredibly to “Moving To New York”, bouncing, singing and making the main stage arena one big party.
The Wombats bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen – showing us HUGE energy on the main stage – Kendal Calling 2025
Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Also, the moves and showmanship of bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen, is out of this world, the man was running, jumping and busting all sorts of moves, it was unreal!
Another highlight was “Pink Lemonade” – it’s such a stunning song and it just seemed to roll off of all the band members seamlessly, whatever their role and was placed brilliantly in the middle of their set.
The biggest numbers though, were “Kill The Director” – which has THE biggest singalong capability, with the crowd doing just that, it’s lyrically genius and generally an incredibly easy listen, but I’d be doing the set an injustice if I didn’t mention the finale “Lets Dance to Joy Division” – which was the biggest response to a set closer I’ve seen up to now over the weekend – it was bloody brilliant! The crowd were dancing, jumping, singing and generally lapping it up – a natural choice to finish on.
Us with Matthew Murphy – Frontman of The Wombats – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
I was also lucky enough to catch a quick chat with Wombats frontman Matthew Murphy, who is such a lovely guy, we spoke about the origins of The Wombats and the newest album, and how they’ve grown, the interview is coming soon!
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Now the one I was probably looking forward to the most of today, and yes, I am a big fan of these guys and admittedly it was my 11th time seeing them, but they always put on a good show, it’s The Courteeners…
Courteeners headling the Friday Main Stage – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
As always, Oasis song “What’s The Story (Morning Glory)” blared out of the speakers, with fans immediately reacting, as the band bounced onto the stage.
They kicked off the set with fan favourite “Cavorting” which always gets a good reaction from the crowd, there was plenty of jumping, chanting (especially “LIAM, LIAM, LIAM”) and everyone singing the chorus back, it was non-stop choas in the crowd, but in a good way.
Liam Fray has a lot of charm and spoke to the crowd alot saying at one point it was “an honour to be back” and complimented the crowd, saying they were “a good bunch” – which received a positive response.
Plenty of material from their newest album “Pink Cactus Cafe”, which was released back in 2024, I particularly enjoyed “Solitude of the Night Bus” – particularly the part where everyone chanted “Leave me alone” in unison – which was glorious, also “The Beginning of the End” – which he dedicated to The DMA’s, who collaborated on the tune for the album.
Courteeners frontman Liam Fray and keyboardist Elina Lin – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
To my surprise they played “Take Over The World” – which they don’t seem to play an awful lot these days, so that was definitely a highlight, as the world just seemed to stop as the whole crowd took it in.
In regards to other songs, of course “Not Nineteen Forever” got the crowd really jumping around and singing – and whilst that is always a good moment on a Courteeners set, the real highlights for me were “The 17th” which is absolutely stunning, especially Elina Lin’s keyboard work, and is a much slower, softer side to them that I love.
The others were “First Name Terms”, which one of the singles off their latest album, initially it was a bit of a slow burner for me when I first listened to it, but the lyrics are meaningful, and talk about everyday issues and the bigger picture that many up and down the country feel and experienced in recent years, I felt it was even better live.
But the top one for me was “Acrylic” – again, despite seeing them 11 times, I’ve not heard “Acrylic” in their sets an awful lot, it was towards the end of their set and it was the perfect position for it in the setlist, after an acoustic version of “Bide Your Time” and “Hanging Off Your Cloud” which slower and has a gorgeous orchestral tone and feel to it, it was the perfect song to elevate the crowd back up for the big finale.
A parting message from the Courteeners – Kendal Calling 2025 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Overall a fantastic set and the perfect way to end the first full day.
Liam Fray, whether you love him or hate him, is a balanced, passionate and brilliant frontman and songwriter,I’m yet to go to a Courteeners gig or set that I’m disappointed with, and may that long continue.
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