Wide Awake Festival announces cult Irish heroes Kneecap to headline 2025 edition

Wide Awake Festival, situated in Brockwell Park, has established itself as one of London’s most distinctive and well-curated festivals in recent years. Today they announce an incredible first wave of acts for their 2025 lineup, headlined by pioneers of Irish-language rap, Kneecap.

Fresh off the acclaim of their second album, Fine Art and the release of their biographical film, Kneecap are set to bring their unmistakable sound straight from West Belfast to the Wide Awake crowd. Comprising of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí, the trio are on a spectacular rise. With their high-energy performances and unique mix of satire and socially conscious lyrics in both Irish and English, Kneecap are an unmissable headliner at Wide Awake.

They’ll be joined by Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, renowned electronic producer Daniel Avery, Mercury Prize winners English Teacher, garage punk icons SPRINTS, Philly punk quartet Mannequin Pussy, Aussie rockers Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Turkish psych pop powerhouse Gaye Su Akyol and cult Bristol duo Getdown Services. Also joining the already stacked line-up are Detroit-based genre-fusing rebels HiTech, the legendary Suicide synth lord Martin Rev, the instrumentalist behind protopunk band Suicide, audio-visual duo Mermaid Chunky, LA-based metal band Patriarchy, pioneers of Zamrock WITCH (We Intend To Cause Havoc) and garage punk psych rockers, Wine Lips.

On top of the already stacked line up will be electronic legend Erol Alkan in an unmissable b2b with Optimo (Espacio), New York alt-rocker trio Hello Mary, first UK signee to Phoebe Bridgers label jasmine.4.t and Cambridge 6-piece Ugly.

Programmed for people seeking something divergent and new, Wide Awake is an independent festival united by a love of music that is unconstrained by genre or convention. It aims to showcase some of the best up-and-coming talent around; expect leftfield Indie, Post Punk, Electronica, Techno and more across a line-up you won’t find anywhere in London. 

The festival prides itself on line-ups that have an equal gender split and 2024 saw it work further on a sustainable ‘Positive Policy’, which was set up to change the way live music events affect the planet.

With social, cultural and environmental awareness being key to the very make-up of Wide Awake, the festival itself is a party for those who want not only the best live acts but also want to encourage change.

With its renowned programme of leftfield indie, post-punk, electronica and techno, Wide Awake 2024 set the bar high with a stellar lineup including King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Slowdive, Young Fathers, Alice Glass, Ben UFO, Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul, Eartheater, Helena Hauff, Squid, Babe Rainbow, The Dare, Fat Dog, Lambrini Girls and more.   

2024 was a big year to follow but with this incredible first wave of acts, Wide Awake 2025 is set to be the place to kick off your festival season. Wide Awake is brought to you by Bad Vibrations, LNZRT and the crew behind MOTH Club and The Shacklewell Arms.