Up until a few months ago Wide Awake was just a normal indie festival with the kind of music that would play bands with names like “Psychedelic Porn Crumpets” and “King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard”; and nobody would be none the wiser of to its existence. However, that would all change after Kneecap – responsible for the biggest moral panic on the music scene since the Sex Pistols, (whose former frontman, John Lydon, has now sold out denouncing Kneecap’s existence as a band); all for speaking up in favour of Palestine and broadcasting “f*** Israel” at Coachella and reminding people that they’d wiped out 60,000 Palestinians in less than a Year; essentially committing genocide. Their frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, operating under the stage name Mo Chara, was allegedly seen displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in London in November; and got slapped with Terror charges as a response, a court date. Yet here they are tonight – to a fanbase that meant the world to them.
I’m struggling to think of a time when the music scene has been this rebellious, this much of a firecracker ready to explode, and this true to what a band believes in. Kneecap’s commitment to the freedom of Palestine is the shot in the arm that the scene needs – and it almost didn’t happen “They tried to stop this gig,” Mo Chara says on stage – “Honestly, you have no idea how close they came to pulling us,” which would have probably signalled the death knell for an already struggling festival, moved to a workday Friday to accommodate larger festival Field Day, and experiencing threats of closure from NIMBYS who would call for the shutdown of an entire summer of community-driven, affordable events whilst they themselves, run retreats in Peru. I’m sure the locals in Peru would approve. Kneecap themselves ate up the 20,000 worth of attendees, who joined in unison for the “free, free Palestine” chant – that has earned them death threats when they performed it at Coachella in the summer; and were funny too – They remind the audience why they speak in Irish, and you don’t know it, because of the British Government’s foreign policy – and reminds the crowd that they don’t hate the people of Britain; not the crowd anyway, they hate the Government.
“How do you say c**t in sign-language?” Chara asks – a natural comedian; saying how much he can’t wait until they get to Fenian Cunts. And get to Fenian Cunts they did – after a recap that showed figures like Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne and the crowd denouncing them with loud jeers; pantomime villains in every sense. Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shit never felt more appropriate – now a stand-in for the band’s defiance of the persecution of an Israel-backed government that continue to send arms into Israel. Get Your Brits Out even went down a stormer in London – they even had time for a performance of Better Way to Live, the song they co-performed with Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten. In terms of stage presence, these guys have it all – and donating all their profits to Médecins Sans Frontières, doubling down right the way through. Appropriately archaic it was the most incendiary show to grace London’s scenes in an age. Or at least, since their secret show at The 100 Club the night before. It’s important to remember though – Kneecap and the faux outrage are not the story here – 60,000 dead Palestinians and Israel’s genocide is. MPs focusing on Kneecap and not on the genocide are agents of Israel.
That was the headliners; in a nutshell. Those who worried Kneecap were not as strong as previous years’ shouldn’t have bothered – the only problem was the clashes with bands like Peaches and Wine Lips (all my friends left me for Wine Lips, so I was the sole holdout at Kneecap), but Wide Awake is a lineup where no matter what you see is going to be a good time. It’s also the only festival where Jeremy Corbyn can be brought on stage to a riotous audience, and you can miss it because you’re at another stage having an equally good time and somehow not feel disappointed. This is Corbyn’s festival, and Corbyn’s audience. Heavy hitters like Nadine Shah, English Teacher and Fat Dog I all passed by – which would seem insane only last year; but having seen them multiple times I opted for bands I hadn’t seen with a couple of exceptions.
Those exceptions were shoegaze band bdrmm and synth dance-punk outfit Sextile; who had just put out one of the most dance-y fun albums of the year. They brought out Savages’ frontwoman Jehnny Beth to let out an outpouring of anger at Push Ups; opening their tour with music direct from the LA Underground. They were aware that they were on too early in the day – Melissa Scaduto brought out a flag to try and get the audienced energised, but the real glow would be saved for an afterparty following the end of the main festival. One of the casualties of the festival being moved to a workday meant that great bands like Sextile didn’t get their fair share of attention; but by the time bdrmm played the crowd felt like they had turned up in their masses and we got some dancing going in the pit. I saw them before at their solo show and to see them again here in the festival scene was euphoric. John on the Ceiling, Lake Disappointment, their big throwback Happy moment – it was all so good to see the shoegazers switch towards a dancier album and the crowd obliged – keeping up their consistency that is deserving of a bigger status.
It meant sacrifices of course, good music always does – I missed out on one of my favourite bands, Getdown Services, but that’s the thing – there are no wrong options at Wide Awake. Five different people will not overlap their plans throughout the entire day and not a single one will have a bad experience. Music experiences like this should be treasured; not threatened so people can have a quiet night in central London; a city famous for its lack of noise in central spaces.
There was a healthy Irish turnout at Wide Awake this year in support of Kneecap. I missed the brilliant CMAT, but did get involved in the Gurriers mosh for a good portion if not all of their set; songs like Dipping Out and Top of the Bill allowed for the second time that I’ve seen them this year and they’re just as fresh as the first time over – coming on to Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. Everyone wants to get stuck in; everyone wants a piece of the action – people pick each other up who have fallen over and phones are handed back to those who have dropped them. The Shacklewell Arms stage existing on a slope meant it could be an uphill battle to stay engaged, but Gurriers’ Dan Hoff edged the band on and they ate up their barnstorming appreciative audience. Fun was the watchword of the day, and they delivered.
Also Irish; also very good – Sprints. Coming off a whirlwind year of opening for IDLES and PIXIES, and giving off one of the best sets at End of the Road festival last year – they took the stage to deliver the biggest support for Palestine pre the headliners. It was a slow start for the crowd but that didn’t last long; moshes were in full affect by Adore Adore Adore, and the crowd was one of the most respectful in any mosh that I’d been in. Went down twice; got picked up – got a passport to the front security who reunited it with its owner after the set. These are one of my favourite bands now (I’m saying this with every band here; which is a good sign) – and working through their setlist with practiced ferocity really played to an audience of devoted fans.
There were; believe it or not, bands I hadn’t seen at Wide Awake before and I had time for the spectacularly named Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. I couldn’t turn down the prospect of a good mosh at the moth club stage and I’m pretty sure at least 50% of the audience, myself included, went up and crowd-surfed during their performance. It was a riotous pit and they more than delivered – proving they’re more than just their silly name but a tour de force known for their raucous live shows. In a showcase for their new album, Carpe Diem, Moonman, they ate up their biggest crowd to date. Having been raised on a healthy dosage of Suicide albums I finally got to see Martin Rev, blending dance synth with harsh and abrasive no wave since moving from his band in favour of an illustrious solo career. This predictably attracted the older fanbase – but it was a refreshing change of pace from the louder, rowdier sets.
If this is Wide Awake’s last ever year – and all signs are pointing to its status as a festival under threat; despite the large turnout for Kneecap that saw over 20,000 in attendance, and a main stage more packed and more involved than it’s ever been, what a year to go out on. I had a great time with my friends old and new; and I’m not even joking when I say that single day might have been one of the best experiences of my life. Going to gigs solo is good – going to gigs with mates is even better.
Wide Awake Festival took place on May 23, 2025.
Learn more about Wide Awake, including how to get tickets, at the festival’s official website.
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