Over four sunshine-y days, forty thousand festival goers gathered in the fields to revel in the magic of Kendal Calling. Once again, the festival was brimming with a sense of community, unison and joy. Transforming Lowther Deer Park into Cumbria’s third largest town, and selling out for a 19th consecutive year Kendal Calling delivered nothing short of an unforgettable weekend.
Photo Credit: Nat Argent
The festival site was bubbling with energy from start to finish as fans of all ages enjoyed a heady concoction of anthemic headliners Paul Heaton with special guest Rianne Downey, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Streets and Paolo Nutini, summer singalong nostalgia with iconic acts such as Kate Nash, Keane, Sugababes and Feeder as well as a vast array of the UK’s most exciting new wave of artists including Mercury Prize 2024 nominated CMAT and The Snuts, who rocked the main stage on their return to Kendal Calling, the place where they made their first ever festival appearance.
Those lucky enough to have bagged a Thursday ticket were treated to a stunning headline performance from iconic performer Paul Heaton who was joined on stage by Rianne Downey who is hotly tipped as one of the country’s brightest new songwriters. The pair performed under a magical golden sunset to mark the return of Kendal Calling in gorgeous style. Declan McKenna had already got crowds dancing earlier in the day as he skipped between his classic breakthrough hits and tracks from his tremendous new album. The Hunna were also a memorable highlight on the first day of the festival, bringing an infectious alternative energy to the main stage.
Friday kicked off with a wide selection of exciting emerging artists ranging from the boisterous main stage performances from CMAT, Flowerovlove and DEADLETTER to the vibrant sets inside the Tim Peaks Diner and Roots stage, the best places to discover your new favourite artist. Dick and Dom brought the party vibes to the festival in a packed out Parklands tent, The K’s had the Calling Out stage rocking with their indie bangers and Katy B got the whole crowd into rapturous singalongs before Keane and The Snuts delivered unforgettable main stage performances. The day was then rounded by one of the all time musical greats, Noel Gallagher, as he and his High Flying Birds conducted a biblical set that will go down as one of Kendal Calling’s all time legendary sets.
Photo Credit: Nat Argent
Saturday headliners The Streets delivered an equally iconic set, bringing their revolutionary mid 00’s sound to a joyous 2024 audience. The Lightning Seeds, Kate Nash and Peace also brought some heartwarming nostalgia to the day as well as bags of energy that had all stages bursting with excitement throughout the day. Tim Peaks FM allowed festival-goers to get an insight into the industry, discover the most hotly talked about emerging artists and hear stories shared between The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess and and BBC 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins. Special guest Russel Howard had the fields in stitches of laughter during his afternoon comedy set on main stage while absolute icons of Sugababes, Heather Small, The Untold Orchestra and Alan Fletcher AKA Dr Karl Kennedy radiated a feel-good disco/dance energy that was appropriate for the glorious sunshine.
The final day of Kendal Calling 2024 fittingly opened with Revivalry, a band who were first discovered by Kendal Calling founder Ben Robinson and signed to his tastemaker record label Cosmic Glue. At only 16 years old, the band made a huge impact, rocking the main stage with a statement performance, even making their way into the crowd. Kendal Calling favourites The Lancashire Hotpots brought everyone from their tents and into the fields as they emitted an infectious singalong energy. The day also marked Gary Neville’s first ever festival appearance as he joined Tim Burgess on stage for a special B2B DJ set in a never-before-seen collaboration. Pale Waves, Royel Otis, Red Rum Club and Antony Szmierek (who also performed a beautiful surprise set in Tim Peaks diner) were among the day’s highlights, marking the very best of the UK’s new wave of festival acts. A tremendous final run of Lottery Winners, Sundara Karma, Feeder and The Reytons had the floors shaking across the site as every tent was dancing along to anthemic hits, filling everyone with anticipation for the festival finale.
Photo Credit: Nat Argent
This finale did not disappoint as Paolo Nutini serenaded the crowds with his sensational vocals, dipping between poignant love songs, groove-laden jams and cinematic soundscapes that brought Kendal Calling 2024 to a close in style. Whether the weekend was spent enjoying a brew in Tim Peaks Diner, wandering the woodlands of Lost Eden or bouncing around down the front of the main stage – it was a sensational Kendal Calling which intrigued, surprised and entertained attendees all ages.
Tickets for Kendal Calling 2025 go on sale at
10am on Thursday 8 August 2024.
%20(1).jpg)
Comments