Festival Review: Wide Awake // Brockwell Park - 23/05/2025
Wide Awake 2025 will go down as one of the most poignant festivals of the summer, as thousands flocked to Brockwell Park in solidarity with live music and live music venues, Palestine and Kneecap…and to catch a glimpse of the legend Jeremy Corbyn.
The sun shone down on the masses as they made their way to Brockwell Park for Wide Awake on Friday, kicking off the Brockwell Live series and the start of the summer day festivals in London. After facing challenge after challenge in the weeks building up to the festival, with legal battles between Lambeth Council and local residents, to a member of the headliners, Kneecap, being charged with a terrorism offence by the Met the night before, it must have been one hell of a few weeks for the Wide Awake organisers. There was a definite energy in the air as people entered the park - one of relief (from both organisers and festival-goers), one of excitement, and one of determination. Most specifically, there was a sense of unity, of solidarity - as people donned Palestine jerseys, Irish jerseys, Irish and Palestinian flags, Kneecap hats, shirts and signs as Gaeilge (in Irish). There was no doubt that the crowd were here to have a good time…but they were also here to make a point.
It is safe to say that the organisers of the festival, who are responsible for two of the best live music venues in London, MOTH Club and the Shacklewell Arms, never fail at putting together a stellar line-up, and this year was absolutely no different. It was a day spent mostly on your feet, bouncing from stage to stage to catch all of the amazing acts, as well as a few surprise speakers. London band RIP Magic kicked off the day nice and early on the main stage - a band whose popularity has grown only via live shows and word of mouth, as they haven’t officially released any music. With a sound that blurs the lines between indie-rock and electronica, they demand (and receive) attention. Whilst the Cambridge six-piece Ugly followed straight after. A band that’s sound is a mix of post-rock, folk and choral, accompanied by stunning, almost ecclesiastical, harmonies, they are incredible to witness live - and many people walking past the stage stopped to take them in as they performed their new track Next To Die, as well as tracks from debut EP, Twice Around the Sun.
The Wide Awake organisers have no doubt picked up on the immeasurable talent that is coming out of Ireland at the moment, alongside the headliners Kneecap, there was a steady flow of other Irish acts on throughout the day. Post-punk Dublin five-piece Gurriers dominated the Shacklewell Arms stage in the early afternoon. People were spilling out of the tent, trying to catch a glimpse of the lads in action. Their high energy performance was chaos from start to finish, as the crowd flung themselves into a mosh pit that kept up momentum throughout the entire set, which included songs Nausea, Des Goblin, Approachable, and one old lad in the crowd’s “fuckin favourite” Top Of The Bill. Dublin-based hip-hop artist Curtisy took to the Grove DIY stage right after Gurriers - which was luckily positioned right across the grassy plain for those keen to catch both acts. Curtisy is making waves within the Irish hip-hop scene, and it is understandable why. His live set is punchy, charismatic, and humorous. The rapper performed favourites such as Landmine!, while also treating Wide Awake fans to a couple of unreleased tracks from his upcoming mixtape BEAUTY IN THE BEAST, which is out on the 30th of May.
The Queen of Ireland a.k.a CMAT, took to the main Wide Awake stage later in the evening and put on a show-stopping performance. The woman is an endless pool of talent, as are her “very sexy CMAT band”. Her country-pop is in a league of its own, and her stage presence is nothing short of perfection. The joy that Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (CMAT) exudes on stage bleeds straight into the crowd, with people waving their hands in the air during Have Fun, and pouring their hearts and souls into providing the backing vocals for Stay for Something. The singer took a moment to introduce her latest single, Take A Sexy Picture Of Me and the meaning behind it, having faced horrendous online bullying after live performances last year, most of it based on her looks. Now, while it might be her saddest, darkest song yet, that didn’t stop CMAT from having a field full of people doing the “I did the butcher / I did the baker / I did the home with the family maker” dance along with her and her “very sexy CMAT band”. The crowd swayed from side to side, singing along to cult favourite I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!, which CMAT announced as one of the best live Cowboys yet. Fans were also treated to an unreleased song from her upcoming album EURO-COUNTRY, which is a bit of a diss track to UK chef Jamie Oliver, The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station, as well as the first single from the album, Running/Planning. CMAT, an absolute force to be reckoned with, an outrageous talent, was sure to be a highlight for many at Wide Awake. No one is doing it quite like her.
CMAT was not the only person dissing Jamie Oliver on Friday. Bristol duo, Getdown Services, gathered a mammoth crowd down at the Grove DIY stage for a chaotic, hilarious set…as well as helping to orchestrate a surprise proposal. The Bristolians had a couple of thousand people all dad dancing (which was encouraged) in a field under the sun to funky disco beats, shouting at the top of their lungs, “Jamie says the dinner takes fifteen minutes, I say get back Jamie, I’ve only got five” during Get Back Jamie. Getdown Services are the ultimate festival act with danceable beats that get people sweaty in minutes, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a knack for engaging and interacting with the crowd. Each song on the setlist was met with cheers and further two-stepping as the duo performed favourites, Dog Dribble, I Got Views and Crisps. A bunch of people two-stepping in a field, pints of beer in hand, all chanting “I’ve got choccy in my pockets / can I have some crisps / I’ve got bits” must have been a sight to behold.
A highlight for many, perhaps, was Wide Awake’s surprise speaker, Jeremy Corbyn, who took to the main stage before Nadine Shah. Corbyn’s speech focused on the power of music, the importance of grassroots music venues and the ongoing genocide of Gaza. After a turbulent couple of weeks for the Wide Awake organisers, who were faced with the possibility of the festival being cancelled, as well as smear campaign and police charges against their headliners, Kneecap, Jeremy Corbyn’s speech was hopefully a ray of light for them, as well as proof that their event and the artists they picked were on the right side of history. Palestinian flags were flying high in the air during Corbyn’s speech, it might as well have been a protest in itself. In the words of Jezza, “music brings people together in times of the greatest and deepest adversity”. The sense of unity that was felt when people walked through the gates earlier that day, at this point, had risen and surrounded the entire grounds of the Wide Awake festival.
Los Angeles psych-punk band Frankie and the Witch Fingers caused absolute mayhem in the Shacklewell Arms tent. The band are a force of nature, all swampy, guttural guitars, fiery, quick-tempo drums, and biting vocals. The crowd opened up a never-ending mosh pit, bodies hurtling in various directions during tracks like Futurephobic and Dead Silence. While over on the Bad Vibes stage, seasoned Wide Awake performers, Fat Dog, set the stage alight. They’re a band that seems set on the path of world domination, on a never-ending rise, and their Wide Awake performance proved it. The energy at the stage was electric - lads dancing together, bouncing around on the grass, drinks in hand, thousands of heads bobbing in unison along with the chaotic noise of All the Same. The pace of the bobbing heads and bouncing bodies only intensified when the band played their techno-heavy punk track, King of the Slugs. You can see why Wide Awake had Fat Dog back for a second year on the trot, the band are in a league of their own, full of energy and with a sound that has the ground beneath your feet vibrating.
The act most people had shown up to see, to support and to stand in solidarity with, Kneecap, took to the Wide Awake stage in front of 20,000 plus people at the end of the night. The day before, it was announced that the Met would be charging Mo Chara, one of the Kneecap trio, with a terrorism offence. The Belfast group are well known for being vocal against the Israeli genocide of Gaza, displaying pro-Palestine signs and calling out both the UK and US governments for their complicity in the genocide during their live shows. Despite the smear campaign that has been led against them since their Coachella sets, and Mo Chara’s charges, Kneecap did not back down and remained vocal as ever during their Wide Awake performance. “They tried to stop this gig, you have no idea how close they were to stopping this gig” the trio stated as they came out to ITS BEEN AGES, which immediately had the crowd swinging themselves about with reckless abandon, shouting “oh it's been ages, since we made the front pages / sin deireadh linn ar hiatus / back to annoy 'em cunts that hate us”, the lyrics more relevant than ever. In between their songs such as Fenian Cunts and Better Way To Live, which saw Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten’s face appearing in a TV on the screens behind them, Kneecap continued to speak up about Palestine and calling out all of those complicit in the Genocide stating “the world needs to see the solidarity of 20,000 people in a park in London shouting FREE PALESTINE” which of course, led to 20,000 people chanting “Free Palestine” in a park in London.
Palestinian flags and Irish flags were waved around proudly while the Irish group, made up of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, played their biggest headline gig yet. There were mosh pits in all areas, people opening up their own small ones in different pockets of the crowd for Parful, CEARTA and Sick in the Head. The trio released a new track that day, exclusive to those who were in their WhatsApp group. Given the reception The RECAP received, it seemed most of the park was indeed in the group. It was safe to say that all sense was completely lost during Rhino Ket, with its hectic lights and the sheer chaos of the crowd making the duration of the song feel like a trip in itself. Kneecap closed out their set, and the evening, with fan favourite, H.O.O.D, which saw DJ Próvaí getting himself right into the middle of the pit, and the whole of Brockwell Park screaming “Focain caite amach arís / Barraíocht piontaí le barraíocht snaois / Equals a cocktail bread for unleashing the beast / Oíche mhór amach fuinne, at least” at the top of their lungs. Kneecap are a group that are both without a doubt making history, and on the right side of it. Their Wide Awake performance is proof of that, as the trio also donated their earnings from the festival to Doctors Without Borders. Bualadh bos Kneecap, they are an absolute bunch of legends.
Whilst this year’s Wide Awake faced hurdle after hurdle, it will perhaps be remembered as one of the most poignant festivals of the summer. A day full of incredible music and filled with a feeling of pure joy and solidarity. As Mo Chara pointed out during Kneecap’s set, “it is a privilege to be here, without the threat of bombs raining down on us.” Wide Awake brought people together, and in the words of Jeremy Corbyn, it provided “music for the many, hope for us all.”
Saoirse don Phalaistín (Freedom for Palestine).
Words by Angela English
Photo Credit: Gary Jones
