WIDE AWAKE FESTIVAL 2025 AT LONDON’S BROCKWELL PARK

★★★★☆ (4.5/5)

**KNEECAP HEADLINING WIDE AWAKE FESTIVAL 2025 AT LONDON’S BROCKSWELL PARK**
**PHOTOCREDIT: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI**

Kicking off the 2025 season with a series of festivals, Brockwell Park welcomed Wide Awake, a festival that represents defiance, diversity and the spirit of a dazzling performance. The festival line up was one of the best ones yet, however, it has been a legal and political challenge pulling the festival off this year.

Just days before Brockwell Park opened its gates to festival goers, organisers faced a legal battle that threatened to cancel their events. In the leadup to Wide Awake, local residents in Brixton raised concerns over environmental impacts and public access, leading to a court case that put the festival’s future in jeopardy. Even though the case resolved in favour of the residents, the festivals were allowed to proceed as planned and will hopefully continue their run in the coming years. In light of this, the festival’s CEO made a public appeal for support, urging people to purchase tickets up until the last minute to help sustain the event and its mission to promote independent music.

As if this was not enough to dent the festival’s livelihood, headliners Kneecap had recently been in the news for their comments during their performance in Coachella, with the trio facing pull-outs not just from Wide Awake but also from Glastonbury. Yet, they came and they conquered – but more on that later.

Wide Awake is a festival that champions diversity – not just in terms of artists they bring on but also in terms of their crowd. The festival goers pull off incredible outfits but this year the message was much more political, so the festival attire was mostly Palestinian flags, expressing solidarity for the ongoing war in Gaza. Kneecap were not the only artists that rallied fans with chants of ‘Free Palestine’, as many artists spoke about the atrocities committed in Israel on stage, the Doctors without Borders gave a speech on the situation in Gaza and lastly, Jeremy Corbyn made a surprise appearance just before Nadine Shah hit the stage to urge people to support live music venues and festivals and to not turn a blind eye to the ongoing war. All these little initiatives were met with incredible enthusiasm from the crowd, as solidarity and humanity remained at the epicentre of Wide Awake’s philosophy that united fans in the first place.

But let’s talk about the music. Wide Awake always knows how to entertain a diverse crowd, with multiple stages across the park, as well as some independent venues providing space for up-and-coming artists to showcase their talent. Highlights this year included an array of artists such as English Teacher, CMAT, Fat Dog and Peaches. Starting off with Warmduscher performing at the second stage, the London-based band brought their signature post-punk riffs and playful energy under London’s sun to entertain the audience. Their sound is not only eclectic but includes flair, style and disco beats making the crowd move well early in the set.

Running off to main stage straight after, Jeremy Cobyn welcomed Nadine Shah on stage for a performance that was jaw-dropping. The Mercury-nominated singer and songwriter has a very unique voice, blending indie with rock and jazz. She pulled a very large crowd during her set, whilst her voice was heard all over the festival grounds because, yes, she is that good. Following on, English Teacher joined the main stage after a talk from Doctors without Borders. In an emotional state after giving their own speech against the war, the fresh off their Mercury Prize win band showcased their talent and musical prowess on stage performing their most famous tracks from their acclaimed album ‘This Could be Texas’. The band blends alternative and post-rock vibes into their music, whilst the breeze made their performance feel all the more commanding and otherworldly.

The stage became then home to the Dublin garage punk band Sprints, who in my opinion were one of the standout acts of the festival. Raw energy, expressive vocals, powerful stage presence and hypnotising drum beats. The band brought the performance to another level with their intensity, as most previous acts were a bit more mellow, whilst Springs were here to bring chaos. They played a fairly long set with a lot of energetic songs to hype the audience up and definitely made an impression. Thanks for the recommendation, said a friend to me when I told her I am going to watch Sprints because they ended up being her favourite act of the festival – and she hadn’t even heard of them up until ten minutes before she saw them. That is a true testament to how good this band is live.

As if the energy was not already hitting red, CMAT entered the stage during the early evening, with the sun still shining and the heat raging. The international pop star knows how to treat the audience with her theatrical and melodramatic tunes. Entering the stage wearing just underwear and an oversized shirt, the ginger singer was all about the attitude. Sexy, provocative, soft, dramatic, tearful – she had it all. Her audience went wild, and that is an understatement as people from barricade to sound board sang every single line of the song, screamed the lyrics back at CMAT and cheered when the performance got a bit more cheeky and risqué. Treating the loyal and enthusiastic crowd, CMAT performed not only her most famous songs but also three new songs that have not been performed before – in fact, the Brixton audience was the first ever audience to hear them in general. Her voice was incredible as it echoed all around the park, solidifying her status as one of the festival favourites.

It would not be Wide Awake if the second stage did not have Fat Dog performing. The band returned to the stage for a second year in a row, delivering a very high-octane performance. Considering the band plays fairly small venues around London when they tour, the crowd they pull at the festival is astonishingly big. Loyal fans know the deal – moshing, dog masks, singing along and jumping, whilst the singer sings to the charged audience from the precarious spot of the barricade. The band’s sound is enhanced by a sax and drum beats on stage, whilst the cowboy attire inspired a lot of people’s festival outfits. The audience knew the songs before they even started being played, showing that the band is not only well-loved in South London, but also has the potential to headline music festivals repeatedly.

Under siren sounds and ‘Free Palestine’ messages, this year’s headliners Kneecap delivered a charged performance. The Northern Irish punk rap trio has been the hottest act this spring, starting off with the controversy after their Coachella performance and the Glastonbury drama. The crowd was glad the band did not pull off the festival given the ongoing legal issues they are facing, but not only did they pull the biggest audience of the festival, they also showcased solidarity and defiance through their music. The setlist was an array of chaos, with songs such as ‘Amach Anocht’, ‘Fenian Cunts’, and ‘Sick in the Head’ making the audience lose their marbles. People were dancing, jumping and moshing, as the band performed song after song tirelessly, while also communicating with the crowd to promote their undying message of resistance against political oppression. ‘A lot of people have supported us and agreed with us, so we know we are on the right side of history’ is what the band said during one of the ments, and that was a phrase that struck a cord with people around me. Ending the set with ‘Get Your Brits Out’ and ‘H.O.O.D’, the stage was set alight by Kneecap’s setlist and energy. They are definitely an act to keep an eye out for because they truly deliver a message that resonates with many people around the world.

Last but not least, Wide Awake left Peaches to close off the night. The Canadian musician has an iconic style that delivers feminism and sexiness, as the performance artist and the dancers push boundaries and break barriers. Combining electroclash with bold art. Her lyrics are usually about feminism, queerness and gender role representation, and her performances are often a piece of art that aims to provoke. Appearing on stage almost naked with stark makeup and dancers wearing outfits that look like genitalia, Peaches’ show is a bold one to watch. The songs are incredibly famous, given how much they have been used in multiple popular films, so the audience that was not there for Kneecap was definitely showing up for Peaches, as the chanting came in loud and proud. It was a great act to end the festival that showed how artists are there to challenge social norms and to promote themes that make people think a bit harder. We are already looking forward to Wide Awake 2026.