Wide Awake Festival once again bolstered by the strength and variety of its lineup
The independent alternative day festival shone in its fourth year.
Photo: Luke Dyson
I always look forward to Wide Awake as one of the best places to catch established indie bands in London, but also unearth new discoveries. This year, the Brockwell Park festival kept up its momentum through stellar live performances, stalls and food, assisted by rare unfiltered sunshine in May, which tipped it as the starting point to the summer and festival season.
After a speedy entrance, I eased into this year’s offerings with a fresh discovery, Australian psychedelic group Babe Rainbow at the wordy Desert Daze x Bad Vibes x Manchester Psych Fest stage. The four-piece were fun and funky, bringing an upbeat neo-hippie ‘60s psychedelia vibe, which the crowd were really grooving to. Their sound to me was reminiscent of fellow Aussie bands Pond and Parcels, but with a cool throwback sound and aesthetic.
After the first act I was already buzzing, so was delighted to next hear KEXP radio’s own Cheryl Waters introduce mellow jazz rock band Crumb, on the Wide Awake x KEXP stage. Crumb are consistently cool, they kept their instrumentals tight to produce a dreamy, laidback sound to get lost in, especially aided by the intermittent use of synthesisers and the saxophone.
The beating sun and drink quickly ensured the rest of the festival would be more scattered, as me and my friends hopped to different stages, catching partial sets of many artists. This was interspersed with trips to the workshop tent, where many fantastic social justice stalls and talks were taking place, including by direct action activists Sisters Uncut, as well as a zine-making workshop. South London’s own leftfield art rock artists Dry Cleaning presented their deadpan charm with punky backing, and surf rockers La Luz moved the crowd with contagious energy and soul. Unfortunately, there were notable sound issues with both these sets, namely them not being consistently loud enough!
Wide Awake also offers something for the electronic heads — I particularly enjoyed the UK funky and deep house set of OK Williams, whose beats brought the roof of the Corsica Studios x DMY stage down. Meanwhile, Ghent-based duo Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul were a pleasant surprise — bringing socially conscious electro-entertainment to the delighted and growing crowd.
Though I managed to miss Atlanta punks Upchuck, I heard they brought fantastic vibrancy to their set, cementing their status as big up and comers in the hardcore scene. Experimental post-punk band Squid were an audial delight, making original use of percussion sounds to flow seamlessly through intense, distorted jams, both from their debut and most recent album, O Monolith.
Mercury Prize winners Young Fathers on the main stage were simply scene-stealing — creating a raucous atmosphere on stage and in the crowd, with vocalist Kayus Bankole even hilariously taking over a stage camera to film members of the audience and the rest of the band. The energy during their whole set was electric, with my highlights being the classic singles Shame and I Heard, proving they deserve a big billing at any festival, even headline material next time.
Dream pop icons and originators Slowdive were a sublime addition to the Wide Awake lineup, channeling shoegaze nostalgia into a beautiful set to a legion of overspilling fans, during the golden hour of the day no less. The background visuals of swirling circles and vivid spiralling colours complemented their layered guitar textures and timeless sound, ensuring their recent revival was well and truly needed by ethereal pop enthusiasts everywhere.
By the time the headline acts were due, I was not ready for the festival to end. It was especially tough to choose between the tantalising final acts, which ended with me splitting my attention (not always recommended but I stick by my decision!). Dutch-Iranian avant-garde pop artist Sevdaliza never disappoints – she put on a mesmerising performance made up of her own mystique and grand, trippy visuals on the Moth Club x Wonderland stage. Main act King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard were an undeniable tour de force, with pure energy emanating from their “face melting riffs” as my friend put it. And, last but not least, veteran electronic duo Modeselektor brought the house down with dynamic and complex bass-y beats, ending on a positive disco high.
Suffice to say, all acts were impressive, and barring a few sound and microphone issues, Wide Awake continued its streak of showcasing alternative London. Bring on 2025!
Early bird tickets are on-sale for Wide Awake 2025 now, get yours here.
