KENDAL CALLING 2026: A LITTLE SCISSOR SISTERS CHAOS AND WOLF ALICE MAGIC

FESTIVAL REVIEW | KENDAL CALLING 2026 | 30th July – 2nd August by Lucy Holden

Another final weekend of July rolls around and the fields of Lowther Deer Park, Penrith – not actually Kendal, by the way – swing open once again. A sold-out 40,000 crowd is back for another weekend of music, questionable sleep and a few beers, of course.

This year’s bill is topped by Biffy Clyro, Two Door Cinema Club, Wolf Alice and The Kooks, with loads more going on elsewhere, deciding where to go and who to watch a full-time job.

First things first, the setting is just impeccable. After driving through the grounds, where you pass cows along the way, you turn the corner on foot and are met with those gorgeous Lake District mountainous views. Kendal Calling is one of the most stunning festival backdrops around. And in contrast to this, sits the 24-hour-party-people campsite, packed with angsty teenagers and people clinging to any youth they have left, while the likes of Emperor’s Field offer running showers and ‘proper toilets’ and, crucially, a curfew that saves you from being woken at 6am by “Alan!”

THURSDAY – THE KOOKS KICK THINGS OFF

Thursdays at festivals are usually some of the nicest nights of the weekend. Everyone’s still fresh, the excitement is clearly in the air and nobody has remembered that they’re going to be absolutely knackered by Sunday.

I missed Vanessa Carlton and The Cribs, but arrive just in time for The Kooks, who feel like the perfect Thursday headliner.

It takes just three songs before Luke Pritchard properly addresses the crowd because he doesn’t really need to. There’s still an effortless star quality about him, think somewhere between Alex Turner and Liam Gallagher, just without the attitude problems – and 20 years on from their debut, it’s all still there.

The most moving moment comes during ‘Listen’, as Pritchard tells the story of his late dad leaving him a box of records and a guitar, and how that became the reason he makes music. Then comes ‘Seaside’. The crowd are instantly louder than the band themselves, catching Pritchard off guard as he mutters “oh yeah” with a grin.

For a Thursday headliner, it’s pretty much spot on. At Kendal, it feels like every generation here knows at least a handful of those songs.

FRIDAY: SUNSHINE, SCISSOR SISTERS AND TWO DOOR

Friday starts with the sun absolutely cracking the flags, which quite frankly you cannot take for granted in the Lakes.

The day becomes a main-stage marathon, taking in Black Honey, Hard-Fi, The Snuts, The Vaccines, Scissor Sisters and Two Door Cinema Club.

Black Honey hit the stage at 2pm, with Izzy Baxter Phillips bringing a dramatic, moody presence that feels slightly wasted in broad daylight. Heavy eyeliner, intense energy and a stage that looks like it could swallow the band whole. I’d love to see them in a tent later in the evening, where that atmosphere could really shine.

Hard-Fi are engaged with the crowd, although there are a few quieter patches before ‘Hard To Beat’ gets things moving again. Meanwhile, The Snuts bring plenty of Scottish pride to the main stage, reflecting on their previous Kendal appearance nine years ago before launching into ‘Gloria’ and ‘Seasons’.

The Vaccines follow with exactly what you want from a festival set: banger after banger. Justin Young still absolutely has it, and as the 6:30pm sun hangs over the field, the crowd becomes one of the most animated I’ve seen all day.

Then comes Scissor Sisters. Honestly, I could talk about this set forever. They should probably have headlined. From the second they hit the stage, everything is ridiculous in the best way possible: outfits, feather boas and a gigantic scissor backdrop. Opening with ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ is an outrageous way to start a festival set, and I am genuinely in favour of artists not saving their biggest songs until the end.

Whether you knew all of the set, 13 songs and counting, or none of them, you just really couldn’t look away. “We are Scissor Sisters and so are you” pretty much sums it up. Pure fun and an unreal feeling of festival love and chaos amongst the crowd of mixed ages.

Then, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, come Two Door Cinema Club. It’s always going to be difficult following that, and saving the biggest songs until the end doesn’t quite help. The set has its moments, particularly when it breaks into sections finishing with ‘This Is The Life’, ‘Are We Ready?’, ‘Sun’ and eventually ‘What You Know’, but there are flat patches.

Away from the main stage, Kongo Dia Ntotila on the smaller of the stages, Chai Wallah, provide one of those perfect festival moments including some incredible sax sounds, infectious energy and a crowd made up of dancing kids, grandads and everyone in between. African-rooted beats, jazzy guitars and brass that seems to lift the whole place. For a while, nothing outside these walls exists.

SATURDAY: SECRET SETS AND SCOUSE PRIDE

Saturday brings The Hunna, playing one of their final festival appearances before their farewell tour. Their guitar-heavy, indie set and catchy choruses feel like a fitting send-off.

There’s also time for bits of Gabrielle, before the festival randomness kicks in again. Woody Cook, son of Fatboy Slim, appears for a secret 5pm set at the Thatchers bar. The tiny space is rammed, the tunes are relentless and the whole thing has Ibiza-sunset energy.

Then comes Jamie Webster.

With my Scouse family in tow, this was always going to be a huge one. Webster walks on with a ridiculous amount of energy and a genuine excitement about being there. The sun comes out at exactly the right moment and ‘Weekend In Paradise’ and ‘Something In The Air’ give the best crowd singalongs. His politically charged lyrics give the set plenty of weight beneath all the good vibes.

Then it’s time for The Libertines. Carl Barat and Pete Doherty still have that glorious, brother-like chemistry, helping to turn the field into one enormous pub singalong.

Before Biffy Clyro, I wander into the new Boss Man Shop – a stage hidden behind what looks like an ordinary corner shop. Inside are DJs, free vapes, a tiny capacity and the strange feeling that you’ve somehow left the festival while still being completely inside it. I really hope this one returns.

Then Biffy. And wow what a booking that is.

‘Many Of Horror’, ‘Who’s Got A Match’ with a flamethrower, and a catalogue of the rest of their huge, guitar filled songs fill the field and Simon Neil has the crowd in the palm of his hands, while Ben Johnston’s drumming gives everything an edge so loud and in your face that you just can’t look away.

This is exactly the kind of booking that gets written into the festival books and drawn in the folklore art on site. Then the fireworks come out to add an extra spark of excitement to this set. Goosebumps.

SUNDAY: WOLF ALICE AND A FIREWORK FINALE

Sunday arrives with actual sleep achieved and the small matter of my personal favourite band headlining one of my favourite festivals.

I unfortunately miss The Lancashire Hotpots, although judging by the noise I can hear from my tent, they’ve absolutely got the crowd, nothing shocks me there. They are legends at this festival.

Sunday also means dressing up, with this year’s theme being ‘Back To The Movies’. The standard Minions costumes and then someone dressed as the actual Titanic, not to scale, obviously, and everything in between appear across the site. I go for Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction, while the highlight is watching my own dad dance around dressed as Fred Flintstone.

Florence Road are another band I’ve been desperate to catch. The Irish four-piece have gone from the Woodlands stage in 2025 to the main stage in just one year, and their 30-minute set feels far too short. Lily Aron’s vocals are stunning on ‘Heavy’ and ‘Break The Girl’. They are flying up the music industry ranks, and hopefully we will see them headline this stage in a few years.

Then Red Rum Club arrive. I’ve seen them at Kendal before, including their secret set the previous year, but this feels like another level. A huge crowd arrives shortly before they do and they bounce on that stage with a palpable amount of energy and that brilliant trumpet they are known for, making it impossible not to dance.

After a quick Roaming Rotisserie stop – if you see this vendor at a festival, just get something – I move on from Primal Scream to K-Klass Live at Parklands for some back-to-back dance anthems.

Then it’s Wolf Alice. However, I am still so hurt from the biggest clash of the weekend, which sees Groove Armada go up against my favourite band. It almost feels like a personal attack.

But oh my god.

Wolf Alice headlining Kendal Calling feels like a moment for everyone involved. From the cannon going off during ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’, you know exactly what’s about to come.

A 90-minute set moves from ‘Just Two Girls’ and ‘Bros’ to the emotional ‘The Last Man On Earth’ and ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’. Hearing thousands scream “you ’til I die,” With Ellie Rowsell’s silhouette bouncing off the disco ball and silver backdrop, this feels biblical.

A very random, yet brilliant ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ Nirvana cover showcases Rowsell’s vocals, while Theo, Joff and Joel create that huge Wolf Alice sound. They finish with ‘Giant Peach’, with confetti flying everywhere, as the rain starts too – this feeling is something I wish everyone could hold onto, strangers hugging and young kids crying just before the band leave and the entire crowd launches into ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

And then Kendal Calling does what Kendal Calling does best – a truly beautiful firework display.

The festival highlights roll onto the screens, soundtracked by Biffy Clyro’s ‘Tiny Indoor Fireworks’, as 40,000 people stare into the sky one last time, holding on to their loved ones, taking selfies and watching with pure emotions.

From The Kooks’ nostalgia-filled Thursday to Scissor Sisters stealing the Friday, Jamie Webster and Red Rum Club bringing the Scousers together, Biffy Clyro delivering a headline moment for the history books and Wolf Alice closing the weekend in their typical, spectacular fashion, Kendal Calling 2026 has had a bit of everything.

Secret sets, ridiculous costumes, corner shops, mountains, cows, fireworks and enough food to feed a small army. Most importantly, it has had those weird little festival moments where everything outside the gates stops existing for a while – something that you can’t replicate anywhere else it seems. Kendal Calling still has that Woodstock feeling, where everyone can love one another, and music can bring together people who might not otherwise cross paths in their day to day lives.

That’s Kendal Calling. And honestly, I can’t wait to do it all over again next year. Thank you to Ben and Andy for making this festival what it is.

Galleries

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Kendal Calling will return in 2027 and with over 50% of tickets already snapped up, you will need to act fast to secure your slot! Tickets on sale HERE.

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Lucy Holden

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