Kendal Calling has announced the line-up for its 2023 festival, featuring massive headline performances from the likes of Blossoms, Royal Blood, Kasabian and Nile Rodgers & Chic.
The beautiful festival takes place in the heart of the Lake District each July, at Lowther Deer Park.
More than 100 incredible acts have been announced today ahead of tickets going on sale later this week.
This year, the festival will welcome huge artists including Kaiser Chiefs, The Lathums, Example, Frank Turner, Circa Waves and Happy Mondays, who will open the show on Saturday.
Kendal Calling’s 2023 bill features some of the biggest names in pop history, like Rick Astley, Melanie C, and Natalia Imbruglia, plus dance music heavyweights like Annie Mac, Mike Skinner and DJ Yoda as part of Glow by Kendal Calling.
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The festival is famed for providing one of the UK’s biggest line-ups in arguably the most beautiful setting, with something geared towards festival-goers of all ages.
Kendal Calling. Credit: Izzy ChallonerKendal Calling. Credit: Tom Martin
This year’s Kendal Calling will take place between 27 and 30 July 2023, with pre-sale tickets going live on Friday 27 January – you can sign up for pre-sale here.
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Kasabian will headline the beloved music event this summer, with frontman Serge Pizzorno performing their big hits like Fire, Club Foot and You’re in Love with a Psycho.
Royal Blood will make their Kendal Calling debut – the Mercury Prize-nominated duo are widely considered one of the best live acts it the world and have previously supported Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys and Iggy Pop.
Local lads Blossoms, originally from Stockport, will be pulling the crowds to the main stage with their brilliant indie back catalogue, including songs Charlemagne and Your Girlfriend.
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Nile Rodgers & CHIC will return to the Kendal Calling stage this summer too. Rodgers is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and a multiple Grammy Award winning songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, and guitarist – quite a CV.
Kendal Calling. Credit: Tom Martin
The group are behind Le Freak, the biggest selling single in the history of Atlantic Records, as well as working with Madonna, Sister Sledge, Dianna Ross and David Bowie on their biggest songs.
Nile Rodgers said: “The last time we played Kendall Calling was epic and one of my favourite shows ever. We are excited to be back this year for more good times!”
Representing the noughties indie scene will be Kaiser Chiefs, Wigan’s own The Lathums, and Circa Waves.
Pop star Example, famed for his energetic stage presence, is on this year’s line-up, as is the legendary Rick Astley, along with folk-punk favourite Frank Turner.
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Beyond the live music scene, one of the biggest podcasts in the UK JaackMaate’s Happy Hour Live will have their first-ever festival booking at Kendal Calling.
You can see the full Kendal Calling 2023 line-up poster below
Kendal Calling’s luxury boutique camping village The Deer Lodge will be back, with free parking, clean enviro loos, hot showers, phone charging and its own food and drink stall.
There’s also The Frontier, with Live-In Vehicle options.
Festival Co-Founders Andy Smith and Ben Robinson said: “After an absolutely stunning festival last year, we cannot wait to get back in those fields!
“With Kasabian, Royal Blood, Blossoms, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Kaiser Chiefs, Rick Astley, Annie Mac – the line-up is looking absolutely stacked. All we need now is a bit of sun and we’ve got the perfect weekend!”
Kendal Calling 2023 pre-sale will start from 10am on Friday 27 January, with general sale from 10am on Saturday 28 January.
Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? named biggest UK studio album EVER by Official Charts
Danny Jones
You’re damn right: Oasis continue to be MASSIVE as new figures from the Official Charts Company have confirmed that (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? has clocked in as the biggest UK studio album of all time.
The Britpop icons and history go hand in hand.
Yes, according to the latest numbers by our domestic chart-crunchers, only two other albums surpassed Oasis‘ second LP – and they’re both greatest hits collections.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, 22 July, just over a whole year on from those reunion world tour shows at Heaton Park. How fitting.
Starting off by channelling Liam Gallagher energy and quipping that “Oasis vibes are in the area”, they go on to explain the colossal cumulative record.
“Oasis claim one of the biggest honours in British music history, they write, “as (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is named the UK’s Official biggest studio album of all time, according to new Official Charts Company data.”
Combining UK sales of the record – both physical and digital over the years – along with modern streaming statistics, the sophomore outing from the Britpop giants has amassed approximately 6.2 million UK chart units. Staggering stuff.
Last year’s Live ’25 shows have no doubt helped give an added boost to their metrics, but it’s still gargantuan stuff from the local band.
Yet another incredible stat not just for the Burnage boys but the Manchester music scene as a whole.
2026 looks to be just as big a comeback, by the looks of things.
In case you were wondering who beat them out in the race for the top spot, they were pipped to the post by Queen’s Greatest Hits and the same again from ABBA, two worthy opponents to take third place after.
You can see the rest of the list in full right HERE.
Oh, and Definitely Maybe also made the list, too, coming in at number 39 – making that two in the top 50 even amongst all the compilations.
It feels like last July all over again, doesn’t it? And if now isn’t the perfect time to stick on the title track, we don’t know what is.
Actually, sod it – we’re sticking the full thing on…
Beat-Herder Festival 2026 – the wonderfully weird festival we can’t stop coming back to
Emily Johnson
Another weekend done in the magical, mystical world that is Beat-Herder.
For one weekend every year, a farm in Clitheroe transforms into what the organisers describe as “a place full of beats and barminess” – and honestly, they couldn’t have summed it up any better.
Big enough to keep you discovering something new all weekend, yet small enough that you’ll keep bumping into the same friendly faces, Beat-Herder strikes the balance perfectly.
Every corner has something different going on, every stage has its own personality, and every sound system is absolutely dialled in.
Where else can you go for a swim, get a tattoo, pop into church, visit Paris and dance until sunrise? No, we’re not describing a chaotic stag-do… we’re talking about Beat-Herder.
Every stage deserves a mention, but a few really stood out this year.
Julie’s Barn, a.k.a. ‘Gay Paris’, remains one of the festival’s best-kept secrets. Hidden away in the woods, it’s worth every wrong turn trying to find it.
A glowing dancefloor, disco balls hanging from the trees and a crowd that somehow never seems to leave. We even stumbled across a secret ‘Samurai Breaks SSBB’ set that had the place bouncing all the way through until sunrise.
Credit: The Manc Group
Over at Stumblefunk At The Factory, Breakage delivered one of the sets of the weekend. The bass rattled the roof, the crowd never stopped moving, and the whole place felt like it was about to lift off.
It’s also home to one of Beat-Herder’s many weird little surprises, with hidden missions and the chance to spy on other festival-goers. If you know, you know.
The Garage is another annual favourite. DJs squeezed into the front seat of a car while everyone else danced on the bonnet of old scrapped cars, bouncing to the bass that rattled from White Noise Audio’s soundsystem. It’s those ridiculous little details that make this festival unlike anywhere else.
Then there’s Beat-Herder’s Got Talent, which has become a non-negotiable part of our weekend. The winner earns a slot on the main stage, so every act gives it everything. This year’s line-up featured everything from incredible harmonica performances and live bands to rap duos.
But one contestant completely stole the show.
She walked on stage, admitted she wasn’t sure her talent was quite as impressive as everyone else’s, and the crowd fell silent. No instrument. No backing track. You could hear a pin drop. What on earth was this contestant about to do? And then she proceeded to fit her entire fist in her mouth.
If that doesn’t sum up Beat-Herder, we’re not sure what does. The wonderful woman didn’t win the contest unfortunately, but let’s hope she can get booked for next year, ey?
One of this year’s new additions was The Dub Tub, which quickly became one of our favourite discoveries. Artists like Woody Cook swapped high-energy sets for slower, dub-inspired sessions, creating the perfect place to reset before diving back into the madness.
Oh, and of course, in true Beat-Herder fashion, the DJs were performing in a bathtub, of course.
And speaking of madness… all the classics are still there. The famous tunnel leading to hidden stages, the weird and wonderful walkabout performers, the random discoveries you’ll never find on a map, the hidden swimming pool, fancy dress costumes, and the constant feeling that you’re about to stumble across something completely unexpected.
Massive credit has to go to everyone behind the scenes. From the organisers to the volunteers and crew, everything runs incredibly smoothly, despite how wonderfully chaotic it all feels. Beat-Herder, you’ve done it again; roll on 2027.
Daisy Jackson -
25th January 2023 
