“A SET FOR THE AGES” | WIDE AWAKE CONQUERS WITH KNEECAP, CMAT, FAT DOG AND MORE!

WIDE AWAKE FESTIVAL, LONDON | 23rd May 2025 by Lucy McLachlan

London’s Wide Awake, now in their fifth year, has navigated numerous challenges to reach this final point. Amid the unpredictability of the UK grassroots music scene, the Brockwell Park day festival have partnered with the Moth Club and the Shackwell Arms to curate two of their stages, alongside concert promoters Bad Vibes, who are known for championing underground music. Not only highlighting their commitment to supporting local talent but also provides a platform for international acts to express themselves freely, a theme that resonates throughout the event.

Personally, I was mostly looking forward to catching psychedelic garage punk heavyweights like W.I.T.C.H, Frankie & the Witch Fingers, Snooper, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Wine Lips and Warmduscher. But it was actually less familiar artists (at least personally, not necessarily for Northern Exposure) like Irish alt country singer CMAT and chaotic electro punk London band Fat Dog, who gave the best and most memorable performances. And goes without saying, the highly anticipated appearance by headline making Irish political hip hop trio Kneecap was an all round peak of Wide Awake.

“Not all publicity is good publicity”

In a statement, Wide Awake founder and booker Keith Miller admitted that “not all publicity is good publicity”. Despite all previous tiers selling out, ticket sales stagnated over the final two weeks, prompting concerns about the festival’s future.

Right until the final moments, 2025’s run has been far from plain sailing, with Wide Awake stirring quite a few headlines in music news recently – predominantly thanks to the aforementioned Irish headliners, Kneecap. Billed as their first UK performance since their notorious Coachella appearance in April, the band has encountered significant backlash in the UK and Europe, triggering a wave of cancellations spurred by their provocative remarks and political views. A controversy which has now escalated to criminal terrorism charges, the band’s headlining slot was something to be debated until the very last minute.

And then there was the community driven Protect Brockwell Park, who took legal action against Lambeth Council, arguing that the planning permission for the Brockwell Live events this summer was incorrectly obtained. The case progressed to the High Court, where Protect Brockwell Park prevailed, as the judge ruled that Lambeth Council acted unlawfully by closing off significant areas of the park for extended periods each summer for these events. From being on the brink of cancellation, Lambeth Council issued a new certificate of lawfulness to Brockwell Live, however it may have all come a bit too late for Wide Awake.

WIDE AWAKE

The political statements carried on into the festival itself with acts like Peaches openly calling out the UK government and its Supreme Court Ruling against the Trans community. “If someone says they’re a man, they’re a man” states Peaches, continuing “Nobody’s safe until we all are safe”.

A surprise appearance from Jeremy Corbyn ahead of Nadine Shah‘s performance, saw the former Labour leader speak with great passion about the closure of UK grassroots music venues and his continued abhorration of the Palestinian genocide. Met by huge cheers from the crowds with chants of “oh Jeremy Corbyn”, even Fat White Family sax player Alex White was witnessed holding his saxophone high in the air with solidarity.

CMAT

CMAT gave one of the best performances of the festival with loyal fans displaying homemade cardboard signs and large printed tea towels professing their love to the red headed country singer. The Irish talent such an engaging artist to watch with so much energy, at one point even linking arms with band members for some line dancing. We aren’t big country music fans, however latest single ‘Take a Sexy Picture’ was firmly stuck in our heads for the next two days.

FAT DOG

Fat Dog were another band that I happened stumbled on, and to quote another photographer in the photo pit “THIS SET IS INSANE!!!!!” Appearing on stage we can see a saxophonist, violinist and a keyboard player in what looked like a park ranger or boy scout outfit. With smoke filling the stage, there wasn’t much happening until suddenly, somebody runs off the stage, diving straight into the crowd. Frontman Joe Love followed, running up to various parts of the barrier singing in the crowd’s faces and jumping in out of the crowd over the barrier. A number of fans were wearing rubber dog masks which continued to be flung around throughout their set. An easy highlight of the day, Fat Dog delivered a beautifully insane performance.

SNOOPER

The pop up ‘Shackwell Arms’ was left overflowing as Nashville punk band Snooper took to the packed tent.  We love a bit of Snooper here at Northern Exposure and cannot preach enough about catching one of their shows.  Even if the music isn’t your thing, their live shows are a rush.  The band are electric, with everything just hitting 100mph and it’s hard to keep up.  For those who stick around for the end of their set are treated to a spectacular sight as lead singer Blair makes her way through the crowd doning a huge green papier-mâché creature We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; you’re never ready for a Snooper show.

KNEECAP

The vibe before Kneecap took to stage was electrifying. With chants of “Free Palestine” ripping through the crowds wrapped in a blend of balaclavas, Palestine flags and various Irish tri-colour attire, a powerful message flashes up on the screen. “Over 60,000 people have been murdered by Israel in 12 months” and “It is being enabled by the British Government”, before ending with the words “FREE PALESTINE”. As the trio emerged, they began calling out the attempts to cancel their appearance at Wide Awake, but here they were anyway, about to perform their biggest show to date.

It wasn’t long before the hot topic of Mo Chara’s recent terrorist charges was addressed by the band. “He’s getting sentimental because he’s going to court” steps in Moglai Bap, suggesting that the arrest was made to prevent them from playing Glastonbury, able to repeat comments they made in front of a Coachella crowd to a UK audience. Addressing their Irish lyrics, they quipped “you might have heard of it, if it wasn’t for your government’s foreign policy”. The set was one for the ages – I can hardly find the words to describe it! The backlash to attempts to silence this band only fueled the crowd and Brockwell Park was bouncing with Kneecap right at the centre of it. Shouting “You with the balaclava, stop talking and open up this mosh pit” before rallying the crowd for an epic mosh pit.

Wide Awake Festival delivered a packed lineup, with Kneecap, Peaches and Wine Lips all drawing huge crowds, though their overlapping set times made for tough choices. Other festivals might clear smaller stages before the main act but Wide Awake embraced its mix of Irish hip-hop, psychedelic garage punk and feminist punk, each attracting different crowds. This writer, running on fumes, wasn’t about to pick a side, so the final stretch became a whirlwind trip around all three stages.

FINAL THOUGHTS

One thing we didn’t get round to during the festival was checking out the many food stalls, markets and merch on offer. With a schedule full of incredible artists and inevitable clashes, we spent more time running between stages than exploring what else was happening, though we knew there were workshops such as zine-making taking place across the site.

Unlike other festivals, Wide Awake also ditched the VIP “golden circle” barrier, bringing fans right up to the stage instead of separating them. VIPs could opt for a balcony view or join the crowd, something Kneecap jokingly called out, suggesting they start a mosh pit up there.

Wide Awake stood out for its bold stance on major social and political issues, speaking up on everything from trans rights to the war in Gaza and the closure of grassroots venues. “They wanted to cancel our appearance” Kneecap noted at the start of their set, as even international artists weighed in on the state of free speech and growing restrictions on public opinion. In a time where speaking out feels increasingly risky, Wide Awake created a space where voices could still be heard.

With so much happening, the festival wasn’t just about entertainment, it was about making a statement.