Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop, Manic Road Preachers, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Girlband
Bearded Concept 2025, Catton Park, Derbyshire, UK, Could 22-25, 2025,
Could 29, 2025
Pictures by Faye Stacey/View From The Pit
Internet Unique
In an period of homogenous pageant line-ups and soulless, company all dayers, thank the heavens for Bearded Concept. One of many true impartial bastions on the UK pageant circuit nonetheless in existence, Bearded Concept has survived and grown over its eighteen years into an occasion a lot of its friends can solely dream of. Having secured arguably the best musical invoice wherever on the pageant calendar this summer season, Bearded Concept additionally engineers that one particular ingredient lacking from so many different occasions of an analogous nature: a real sense of neighborhood. Whether or not or not it’s rockers, ravers, indie children, households, first timers or simply these attracted by the stellar headliners, there actually is one thing for everybody.
Located within the idyllic countryside environment of Catton Park on the border of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, Bearded Concept boasts eight phases of music, comedy, theatre, literature and cabaret in addition to its personal youngsters’s village. With eight campsites all inside a 5 minutes stroll of the primary area and an analogous distance separating all the phases, nothing is simply too far or out of attain at any given time. Which is useful as there are clashes galore – an inevitability when an occasion is curated as expediently as this – which means dozens of steps are coated all through every day scorching footing backwards and forwards between areas and phases. Its day by day capability of 10,000 ensures the location by no means feels too massive or overcrowded whereas retaining an intimate really feel, even at a few of its greater phases such because the Meadow Tent or picturesque Woodlands stage, each of which play host to names similar to Leftfield, The Sisters of Mercy and Stewart Lee over the course of the weekend.
This yr’s headline acts are all main attracts in their very own proper. Paul Heaton and Rianne Downey’s hit-packed set on the Pallet (major) Stage on Friday is matched by aforementioned goth legends The Sisters of Mercy in The Meadow Tent (second stage). Beneath the Radar opts for the latter and whereas anticipation ranges are excessive as to what sort of set Andrew Eldritch and co. would possibly ship, we’re left wanting “Extra” (excuse the pun) bangers from the band’s unbelievable again catalogue than they selected to play right here.
Nonetheless, the identical can’t be mentioned for Iggy Pop‘s really life affirming efficiency the next night. Opening with “TV Eye” earlier than diving straight into “Uncooked Energy” then “I Acquired A Proper”, Iggy delivered one of the crucial masterful headline slots we’ve ever witnessed, by no means thoughts this weekend. At seventy-eight years of age, the person christened James Osterberg Jr. nonetheless possesses extra power and charisma than most artists half his age and although the selection of tipple is bottled water today, bristles with angle and belligerence all through. Taking part in a profession spanning twenty songs set that encompassed each his solo work and Stooges classics, it actually doesn’t get significantly better than this.
Though Manic Road Preachers headline set on the Sunday evening definitely got here shut, taking part in a combination of hits, deep cuts and songs off their newest album Crucial Pondering. There’s even a particular second midset the place frontman and guitarist James Dean Bradfield sings the primary half of “Prepared For Drowning” in Welsh whereas “From Despair To The place” is devoted to “anybody that noticed us in 1990” earlier than the confetti cannons and fireworks are launched throughout the grandiose finale of “If You Tolerate This Your Youngsters Will Be Subsequent” which creates essentially the most completely spectacular finale to an exquisite weekend.
One of many issues that makes Bearded Concept so particular is its undercard, and this yr’s was nothing wanting distinctive. Older bands like Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and Gaye Bykers On Acid delivered flawless units on Friday and Saturday respectively, demonstrating why they turned darlings of the underground within the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Whereas songs like “Kill Your Tv” (Ned’s) and “Shoulders” (GBOA) won’t have been acquainted to some beforehand, their look elicited communal singalongs and moshpits at every present. In the meantime The Vaselines and Shonen Knife confirmed why they have been two of the late Kurt Cobain’s favorite bands again within the day, the previous taking part in their solely pageant set of 2025 to an enormous crowd on the Pallet Stage on Friday that was pure pleasure, whereas the latter’s two units – one in all their very own materials, the opposite taking part in Ramones covers because the “Osaka Ramones” – introduced an analogous response on Sunday afternoon.
Over on the Woodland Stage, Headsticks boisterous set on Thursday night included a poignant tribute to The Alarm whose place they’d taken on the invoice after singer and founder member Mike Peters tragically handed away final month. Birmingham’s Swim Deep additionally supplied a well timed reminder of why they have been so hotly tipped a decade in the past on Friday afternoon. Taking part in a set of latest and extra acquainted materials, breakthrough singles “Honey” and “King Metropolis” proving notably fashionable with the big throng assembled out entrance. Fellow West Midlanders GANS are ones to observe for the longer term. Having lately signed to Peter Doherty’s Strap Originals label, the duo’s livewire set evokes reminiscences of Dying From Above 1979 at their wildest or The Black Keys of their earlier pomp. Each drummer Euan Woodman and bass participant Tom Rhodes share vocal and frontman duties, spending as a lot day out entrance within the viewers as they do on stage. Equally, Manchester’s TTSSFU combine melancholic shoegaze and stylish pop-punk that’s each charming and cataclysmic. Basically the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and vocalist Tasmin Stephens. They’re a revelation within the Sunday lunchtime sunshine.
Elsewhere, Nottingham’s Girlband go from power to power and the large crowd that’s turned out to see them open the Pallet Stage at noon on Friday speaks volumes. Charismatic singer/guitarist Georgie How introduces a music about her hometown of Mansfield and the ground erupts, whereas a seamless cowl of “Scorching Love” by T-Rex additionally goes down a storm. Nonetheless, its the band’s two closing numbers that basically stand out. One, known as “Thelma and Louise” that has an early Smashing Pumpkins vibe about it whereas debut single “Not Like The Relaxation” sounds large on this setting, ably demonstrating why this band attained a lot recognition within the first place.
If anybody got here right here hoping to search out their favorite new band, Gdansk-based trio Trupa Trupa have to be surefire contenders. Taking part in their thirty minutes set on the Meadow Stage as if the trio’s lives relied on it, Trupa Trupa’s melting pot of post-punk, summary noise rock and skewered left area pop was positively what the physician ordered to wake one and all recovering from a heavy Friday evening. Current album Mourners being delivered in full after an enthusiastic run via former single “Sister Ray” with major mouthpiece Grzegorz Kwiatkowski an excitable bundle of power all through. Staying with the Meadow Stage albeit forty-eight hours later, Mclusky are one other revelation that threatens to elevate the roof off the tent on morning than one event. Taking part in a set that integrated materials off newest album The World Is Nonetheless Right here And So Are We alongside cuts from the trio’s again catalogue, bookended by their largest singles “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues” and “To Hell With Good Intentions”, Andy Falkous and co have been one of many weekend’s undisputed highlights.
Again on the Pallet Stage, Yard Act gave us a model new music amidst the acquainted likes of “We Make Hits”, “Payday” and “The Overload”. Public Service Broadcasting additionally served up a deal with on Sunday night fusing samples with elegant slabs of Krautrock and dreampop. Beneath the Radar’s favorite new stage of the weekend must be the Convoy Cabaret. Located over the bridge on the midpoint between the Pallet, Woodland and Meadow phases, it performed host to a weekend of anarcho punk, dub reggae, leftfield pop and all issues in between. Hastings-based storage punks Thee Headshrinkers’ raucous set on Friday afternoon gave us a elevate, whereas Tradition Shock led by the inimitable Dick Lucas (of Subhumans and Citizen Fish fame) ensured Saturday evening ended as sublimely because it began.
Previous to Tradition Shock’s political diatribes, Ash reminded us why they’re nonetheless one of the crucial fashionable guitar bands on the planet over three a long time into their careers. Taking part in a profession spanning set that noticed them ship hit after hit after hit, it was no shock to see the gang exterior the Meadow Stage tent stretching all the way in which again into the primary area. The next evening, Asian Dub Basis create an analogous response with their beautiful fusion of punk, dub reggae, hip hop and drum’n’bass that’s worthy of a headline slot in its personal proper. Songs are devoted to people who noticed them within the late ‘90s whereas “Free Palestine” can also be chanted at the very least as soon as throughout theirs (and lots of different artists) units.
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The late evening leisure of DJs, karaoke and Silent Disco ensures people who need to social gathering via the evening can achieve this to their hearts content material. It’s troublesome to encapsulate simply how near perfection this weekend could possibly be, but when there have been a quintessential pageant Bearded Concept would absolutely be within the working.
A outstanding weekend that received’t be bettered wherever this summer season.
All pictures by Faye Stacey/View From The Pit besides Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.