This year’s Kendal Calling has been hailed as the best yet by festival organisers.
Over four days, 40,000 people enjoyed the sunshine at Lowther Deer Park, near Penrith for the 19th festival.
Andy Smith, co-founder of Kendal Calling said, “From Paolo Nutini to Gary Neville, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds to Dick & Dom, packed out fields for Sugababes and The Reytons to the legendary Barrioke, woodlands adventures and swashbuckling parades… even a special visit from the Fury family backstage.
“The history books continue to be written, and 19 years in this could, quite possibly, have been our best one yet!
“As festival goers set off for another year and we return the fields to the wildlife who call it home, we want to extend an enormous and heartfelt ‘thank you!’ to each and every one who makes Kendal Calling the magical place that it is! The revelry, the community and the unutterable feeling of joy spans every corner of our site and that… is all down to you!”
The festival site was bubbling with energy from start to finish as fans of all ages enjoyed a heady concoction of anthemic headliners Paul Heaton with special guest Rianne Downey, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Streets and Paolo Nutini, summer singalong nostalgia with iconic acts such as Kate Nash, Keane, Sugababes and Feeder as well as a vast array of the UK’s most exciting new wave of artists including Mercury Prize 2024 nominated CMAT and The Snuts, who rocked the main stage on their return to Kendal Calling, the place where they made their first ever festival appearance.
Those lucky enough to have bagged a Thursday ticket were treated to a stunning headline performance from iconic performer Paul Heaton who was joined on stage by Rianne Downey who is hotly tipped as one of the country’s brightest new songwriters.
The Hunna were also a memorable highlight on the first day of the festival, bringing an infectious alternative energy to the main stage.
Friday kicked off with a wide selection of exciting emerging artists ranging from the boisterous main stage performances from CMAT, Flowerovlove and DEADLETTER to the vibrant sets inside the Tim Peaks Diner and Roots stage.
Dick and Dom brought the party vibes to the festival in a packed out Parklands tent, The K’s had the Calling Out stage rocking with their indie bangers and Katy B got the whole crowd into rapturous singalongs before Keane and The Snuts delivered unforgettable main stage performances.
The day was then rounded off by Noel Gallagher, as he and his High Flying Birds performed a set that will go down as one of Kendal Calling’s all time legendary sets.
Saturday headliners The Streets delivered an equally iconic set, bringing their revolutionary mid 00s sound to a joyous 2024 audience.
The Lightning Seeds, Kate Nash and Peace also brought some heartwarming nostalgia to the day as well as bags of energy that had all stages bursting with excitement throughout the day.
Tim Peaks FM allowed festival-goers to get an insight into the industry, discover the most hotly talked about emerging artists and hear stories shared between The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess and and BBC 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins.
Special guest Russel Howard had the fields in stitches of laughter during his afternoon comedy set on main stage while absolute icons of Sugababes, Heather Small, The Untold Orchestra and Alan Fletcher AKA Dr Karl Kennedy radiated a feel-good disco/dance energy that was appropriate for the glorious sunshine.
The final day of Kendal Calling opened with Revivalry, a band who were first discovered by Kendal Calling founder Ben Robinson and signed to his tastemaker record label Cosmic Glue.
At only 16 years old, the band made a huge impact, rocking the main stage with a statement performance, even making their way into the crowd.
Kendal Calling favourites The Lancashire Hotpots brought everyone from their tents and into the fields as they emitted an infectious singalong energy.
The day also marked Gary Neville’s first ever festival appearance as he joined Tim Burgess on stage for a special B2B DJ set in a never-before-seen collaboration.
Pale Waves, Royal Otis, Red Rum Club and Antony Szmierek, who also performed a surprise set in Tim Peaks Diner, were among the day’s highlights, marking the very best of the UK’s new wave of festival acts.
A tremendous final run of Lottery Winners, Sundara Karma, Feeder and The Reytons had the floors shaking across the site.
This finale did not disappoint as Paolo Nutini brought Kendal Calling 2024 to a close in style.
The festival will be back in 2025 from July 31 to August 3. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Thursday, August 8.
