NORTHERN EXPOSURE TEAM PICKS THEIR GIGS OF THE YEAR 2025
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (Morris Shamah / Northern Exposure)
Here at Northern Exposure we are made up of a wide ranging cast of volunteer writers and photographers across the UK and Australia. We’ve asked our team to pick one gig from 2025 that they’ve covered for Northern Exposure that stood out for them this year. 2025 was a banner year for many upcoming and legacy acts, and our coverage ranged from stadiums to pubs, from old fashioned rock n roll to multi-genre festivals and celebrations of all kinds. As we close the door on this calendar year and look forward to the future of music, here’s a quick look back at what made a lasting impression on us these past 12 months.
Rachel Brown – Founder, Writer, Photographer
Kneecap | Octagon Centre
Kneecap have become a beacon for the oppressed, standing defiantly in the glare of the spotlight as they speak freely and passionately for Palestine. Their sets are more than music; they are rallying cries, moments where the beat turns into resistance and the stage becomes a pulpit for truth. In a year when many stayed silent, Kneecap chose to amplify the voices of the silenced, reminding us that solidarity can sound like bass lines and chants echoing across festival fields. Some suggest the politics overpowers the songs, but this is far from the case, the beats are solid, unforgettable, and etched into memory. Without doubt, this was my gig of the year.
KNEECAP SEIZE SHEFFIELD, NIGHT ONE OF UNADULTERED IRISH RAP CHAOS
Anne Kelly – Managing/Editorial Director Writer
Supergrass | Barrowland Ballroom
Celebrating 30 years of their breakthrough album ‘I Should Coco‘, Supergrass hit Glasgow for 2 back to back sold out shows. I went into it knowing a handful of tracks and left playing the album on repeat for weeks! The band were unbelievably tight and was a proper nostalgia trip from start to finish. The highlight though was the crowd. Generations of music fans all blinded by their love for the same band who allowed themselves to be carried away to another time for one special night.
‘I SHOULD COCO’: SUPERGRASS CELEBRATE 30 YEARS OF BREAKTHROUGH ALBUM
“You want a few more then” asks Danny before the unmistakable sounds of ‘Richard III’ fill the room. The tranquility in the room has now burnt away and the fire in this crowds belly has ignited, and for the first time tonight, a sea of bodies come flooding towards the stage; the party just stepped up several notches, refusing to let up until the bitter end.
Abi Chilton – Photographer
Lucy Dacus | Manchester Academy
My favourite gig I’ve been able to shoot for Northern Exposure this year was Lucy Dacus at Manchester Academy in July. One of my all time top solo artists and band member of Boygenius, this tour was a call back to Dacus’ most recent album ‘Forever Is A Feeling‘ released in March of this year. As well as performing her hits such as Hot And Heavy and Night Shift which was named in the top 250 songs of the 21st century so far by Rolling Stone. Supporting Dacus was Manchester based singer/songwriter Jasmine.4.t who has also just completed her own “Tranarchy World Tour”. Both of the artists performances stuck with me up until now and was the most obvious choice as my gig of the year!
LUCY DACUS STUNS IN STARDOM AT MANCHESTER ACADEMY ON HER SOLD-OUT ‘FOREVER IS A FEELING’ TOUR
Hope Simmers – Photographer
Biffy Clyro | TRNSMT Festival
Mines has to be Biffy Clyro on my birthday! The hottest weekend of the year, little did the weatherman know he wasn’t just referring to the weather!
SUNSHINE AND SOLIDARITY | TRNSMT DAY 2 BRINGS ROCK ROYALTY ALONGSIDE THE BEST OF THE NEW
Lucy Holden – Writer
Kendall Calling
Celebrating 20 years, Kendal Calling 2025 drew 40,000 loyal fans to Lowther Deer Park for a weekend of electric energy and community spirit. Sophie Ellis-Bextor set the tone with a glittering disco party, followed by rock anthems from Kaiser Chiefs and a monumental Friday night closing set by Northern royalty, the Courteeners. Saturday was dominated by a spectacular, genre-shattering DJ masterclass from Fatboy Slim. From the brass-fuelled Red Rum Club to the whimsical fun of Dick and Dom, Kendal Calling was a magical, memorable, and vibrant celebration of music and friendship.
KENDAL CALLING 2025: TWENTY YEARS YOUNG, LOUDER THAN EVER
Prepping the crowd for the final act, The Last Dinner Party stepped onstage with undeniable flair. The all-female quartet’s impeccable style and sharp stagecraft made their 7:40pm set unforgettable. Their blend of sultry rock and theatricality captivated even those unfamiliar with their material. Unreleased tracks hinted at a Led Zeppelin influence, while crowd favourites like “Sinner” and “Nothing Matters” ignited cheers. A QR code for Palestine relief underscored their commitment beyond music, adding depth to their performance.
Lucy McLachlan – Photographer, Writer
Wine Lips | Deaf Institute
It was one of those rare gigs where the band, support, crowd and venue all lined up into a perfect package. I’d caught Wine Lips earlier in the year at Wide Awake Festival after missing tour dates for a long time. But at the Deaf Institute the combination of disco ball, sunglasses, bags of energy and a chaotic crowd made for one of the best gigs I’ve seen all year. I thought I’d never heard of Canada’s Gloin before but as soon as they started playing I was asking myself why I hadn’t managed to come across them. They were absolutely magnetic to watch. I spent the whole week after listening to their 2025 release ‘All Of You Anger Is Actually Shame (and I bet that makes you angry)‘ which was long listed for Canada’s Polaris Prize and went along to the Liverpool leg of the tour. Another reason to always, always catch a support band.
PHOTO GALLERY | WINE LIPS | DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER | 11th October 2025
Ollie Hayman – Writer, Photographer
Enter Shikari | Watford Colosseum
Enter Shikari hit up their only UK headline show in Watford this year. The genre-defying band made sure it was the start of an incredible European run – and being the closest they could get to a hometown show made it all the sweeter. Bringing their arena-level production to a 2000-cap venue, they take the cake for gig of the year for me!
ENTER SHIKARI COME HOME WITH A BANG
Craig Harston – Writer
New Found Glory | Victoria Warehouse
The undisputed heavyweights of pop punk finally made their belated return to the UK after 8 years with a blinder of a show! Playing a great set of songs from their nearly 3 decades as a band, from Hit Or Miss to Greatest Of All Time, My Friends Over You to 100%, and everything in between, New Found Glory made sure their die hard fans were catered for while ensuring any newbies got a crash course in classic pop punk! Absolute pop punk perfection!
FLORIDA POP PUNKS NEW FOUND GLORY MAKE A MOST TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO THE UK
Kicking off with ‘Something I Call Personality’, Pundik quickly got the crowd going with plenty of “hey’s’”on the bridge before launching straight into perpetual pop punk classic ‘Hit Or Miss’ (a surprise to hear this one so early in the set) and the melancholic ‘Head On Collision’. ‘Truck Stop Blues’ followed before Pundik addressed the gap since they were last over, gave a shout out to everyone who caught them at Slam Dunk back in May and pointed out they needed to get on with it as they had two pages of songs to get through before the night was over!
Kayleigh Nickson – Photographer, Writer
Amyl and The Sniffers | Sidney Myer Music Bowl
My favourite gig of the year has to be Amyl and The Sniffers performing at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. This show was exactly what I was looking for when I moved to Australia, everything about the night was incredible; the atmosphere, crowd and punk hits.
FROM THE PUB TO THE PAVILION | AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS HUGE HOMECOMING
Gracie Erskine – Photographer, Writer
Tramlines Festival
Tramlines 2025 held a mirror on Sheffield, as a cascade through the ages, a lesson in community and what South Yorkshire pride means. From Jarvis Cocker and co revitalising and reminiscing through their shape-shifting set, to local lads The Reytons firing out a trojan horse to earn and cement their once rogue and precarious status as headliners- Tramlines’s belter of a helter skelter through indie lates and greats is only manifested through its success.
EXPECTATIONS SUBVERTED AND EXCEEDED | TRAMLINES DAY 2
Emma Carrington – Writer
Chase Atlantic | OVO Hydro
The highlight of gig reviewing this year for me, personally, was getting to see Australia’s Chase Atlantic live in Glasgow’s OVO Hydro. This band are well out of my comfort zone and not the genre or style of music I would normally be interested in, which is partially why they were my favourite to review. Northern Exposure pushes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to expand my horizons while making some amazing connections and people I can now call friends.
CHASE ATLANTIC ‘MEDDLE ABOUT’ WITH ADORING GLASGOW CROWD
The energy and bond between Chase Atlantic and their fans is something I’ve never quite seen before. The moment they expressed their care and love for their fans, the authenticity of their words resonated throughout the audience. Lead singer, Mitchel Cave, admits that Glasgow was the “best show of the tour so far” and we “made them do something they’ve never done before” with their surprise rendition of the “unrehearsed” song “Meddle About”.
Morris Shamah – Photographer, Writer
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard | Electric Brixton
I’ve seen quite a lot of great gigs this year, with a lot of highlights. It’s tough to choose, but I’m going with King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard at Electric Brixton because it was one of the most unique gigs I’ve ever seen – a two hour ‘rave set’ that has the whole band around a table full of analogue synthesizers. There’s a cooler of cold ones under the table, an electric flute, live drums, extended beat-based improv, and only the rarest moments of guitar. New, different, and endlessly fun; it felt like stepping into the future.
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD RAVE SET IS A WILD EXPLOSION OF EXPERIMENTATION
Kevin O’Sullivan – Photographer, Writer
Jessie J | Union Chapel, London
Trying to distil a year of live music into a single “best gig” feels almost unfair, especially when 2025 delivered moments that went far beyond simply watching a show — thank you so much, Northern Exposure for giving me the opportunities. Among an exceptional year, my absolute highlight was Jessie J’s She’s Back show at Union Chapel in May, which was simply spellbinding. She commanded the space and the audience through sheer presence, storytelling, and a voice that felt both powerful and fragile. At one point, armed with nothing but a microphone, Jessie walked the chapel singing a Whitney Houston cover, transforming the room into something intimate and reverent. Given the concerns following her 2020 accident, alongside wider, well-documented health worries, the performance felt extraordinary. That weight only deepened when, a week later, she announced further shows, and two weeks after that, shared her cancer diagnosis. In hindsight, the night felts even more profound: a moment of resilience, vulnerability and brilliance that lingered long after the final note.
SHE’S BACK! JESSIE J AT UNION CHAPEL – A MASTERCLASS IN EMOTION, VOCALS AND CONNECTION
