Kendal Calling 2019

From 25-28 July, the Lake District welcomes back Kendal Calling, an eclectic festival featuring up and coming artists and legends of the industry.

This year’s “legends” come in the shape of Welsh rock gods Manic Street Preachers, super guitar funk maestro Nile Rodgers and Manchester indie cult heroes Doves. Of course, Courteeners will also be headlining the festival but we theorize all eyes will be on the up and coming acts playing at Lowther Deer Park this year.

Gerry Cinnamon, Easy Life, The Snuts and many other new acts who are footing the excellent bill, are sure to impress the Kendal Calling faithful. Every year thousands of music lovers from around the UK flock to the family friendly event, which caters to all music tastes. From mainstream to the underground, the varied curation is also a celebration of the immense amount of fantastic music we are lucky to have access to these days. Legends of the electronic game Orbital for example, will be playing and it’s fantastic to know that you can catch the proven guard and bands which may very well be in the larger fonts at future festivals.

The Snuts for example are a Scottish indie band that are sure to be the big dogs in a few years, with their sound being very reminiscent of UK indie favourites Catfish and the Bottlemen. This comparison isn’t a bad thing, they have a similar knack it seems to write catchy guitar bangers that wouldn’t be out of place in a headlining festival slot. Songs such as ‘Seasons’ embody this idea of flares from topless teens, living fast and maybe not dying young, but certainly having a bit of a headache from all that dark fruit consumption.

Also to look out for is ‘Kampfire Vampire’ singer Gerry Cinnamon, who has taken the UK music scene by storm these past eighteen months. With legendary live performances and his album Erratic Cinematic now becoming a cult favourite amongst listeners young and old, he’s sure to get the place bouncing in Kendal, especially if he blasts ‘Belter’ during his much anticipated performance.

Other ones to watch out for include Slowthai and Idles who epitomise the new wave of angry, political music whose ambition is to talk about the horrors of modern life due to unwanted austerity and poverty. Idles’ new tune ‘Mercedes Marxist’ and Slowthai’s fantastic debut Nothing Great About Britain are the latest examples of this surge in socially charged songwriting which challenge the rich and empower the poor or vulnerable. Be sure to get on these exciting British artists if you’re attending this year’s festival.

The theme of Kendal seems to be Britain, and its fantastic to see a lineup dominated by music from our shores. Although the music sonically undoubtedly may come from other parts of world, its crucial we celebrate artists from our own plains and celebrate them as giants in the game. Headliners Manic Street Preachers embody this idea, with the group celebrating their most successful record this year, 1998s This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours. Featuring classics such as ‘Tsunami’ and ‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next’, this album live is an absolute triumph of slick, powerful songwriting which saw the group win Best British Album at the 99 Brit awards and cement their place as rock music legends.

All in all its set to be an amazing four days of music, comedy and family entertainment. Be sure to get your tickets if you haven’t already!

Kendal Calling: Official