Bludfest 2025

After facing criticisms on queue lengths the previous year, fans were admitted entry with far greater efficiency than before (despite the initial queue when doors opened consisting of thousands), making the site feel bustling even early on in the day. Billed as a family-friendly festival “breaking boundaries and smashing genres”, there was as much focus on the festival’s atmosphere as there was on the musical lineup. A mockup of a Camden pub, a ferris wheel and the Yungblud Village (which contained a skatepark, funfair games and giant themed inflatables) all indicated that Dom Harrison (Yungblud) intended this to be more than just an ordinary music festival. However, there is no denying that people bought tickets for the music itself, and the extras simply contributed towards the festival’s ambience.

Icelandic singer Elin Hall opened the main stage to a slowly growing crowd whom she charmed with a collection of sad love songs. Interpolating electronic elements into sad ballads (with the help of a moog synthesiser), the singer and her band evoked emotion from the audience despite the lyrical language barrier. Despite being a sweet start to the day, this set was somewhat forgettable amongst the abundance of indie pop artists present at the festival.
Over on the second stage, pop metal singer Reece Young played his first ever UK show. Despite a rocky start (where the drums were just slightly out of time and the vocals were not loud enough), the quality of Reece’s performance picked up throughout his set. The singer was clearly very happy to be there, and was thus very interactive with the crowd. Guitarist Jacob Krulikowski raced an audience member from the sound desk to the stage for merch and Reece encouraged the crowd to headbang. Sadly though, the vast majority of the crowd remained static for the entirety of the set and the band were not given the energy they deserved.

In the sweltering heat, the gimmicky elements of the festival’s site quickly lost their appeal as people grew weary in long bar and food queues, and sought shelter from the sun in the shadow of the main stage. A disgruntled crowd were for the most part satisfied with the appearance of bilingual singer Nxdia, who sang about her identity in English and Arabic. One of many rock-infused indie pop artists to play Bludfest, the majority of the music was less standout than it could have been, but the singer’s messages both lyrically and between songs were not so easy to forget. Performing in a silver sparkly top adorned with tassels, Nxdia advocated for mental health awareness, trans rights and the downfall of J. K. Rowling to the applause and cheers of the crowd. Hits like ‘She Likes A Boy’ and ‘Boy Clothes’ were similarly recognised by the audience.

Presenting themselves as a band of romance and escapism, Luvcat did not disappoint. Singer Sophie Morgan’s smooth vocals were as cool as ice, soothing the scorching crowd. Elevating an average indie set with their signature sexy and summer-y feel, the group relaxed the audience into the afternoon.

Master Peace undoubtedly commanded the most lively crowd at the festival. With upbeat melodies and bouncy tunes, the indie rap rocker encouraged the previously static crowd to jump around and enjoy themselves. A stunning live performer, Peace solidified himself to the Bludfest audience as one to watch at the forefront of the modern indie movement. However, this vibe did not translate far beyond the confines of the second stage.

Despite a spectacular performance from Florida-based rapper Denzel Curry, the crowd simply refused to engage. Denzel initially encouraged the crowd to mosh as he played high-tempo tracks ‘ACT A DAMN FOOL’ and ‘HIT THE FALL’. Realising that the audience weren’t complying, he played to the crowd to the best of his ability, instead encouraging people to put their hands in the air and bounce along. Even during immensely popular songs such as ‘Ultimate’ and recent hits like ‘STILL IN THE PAINT’, however, the crowd remained extremely disrespectful. Even at the front of the audience people sat down and scrolled on their phones, completely ignoring both the performer and those around them trying to enjoy themselves. Though Denzel is undoubtedly one of the greatest performers to grace the modern rap scene (as he made clear in his show last week at London’s Brixton Academy), he could not escape the confines of a crowd that cared little for music they did not recognise. He did what he could, but it was clear by this point that people were treating the day as a Yungblud/Chase Atlantic concert rather than as a festival, and thus the majority of performers did not receive the respect or energy that they deserved.

In a musical throwback to lockdown, nostalgic to many younger members of the audience, blackbear took to the stage armed with a microphone stand covered in Labubus (currently trending plush toys). The quality of performance was unexpectedly good, thanks to the live band performing on-stage as blackbear walked back and forth down the catwalk. The singer himself came across as a little arrogant, speaking about money and fame between most songs, but it seemed in jest and with no ill intentions. By this point the crowd was still unengaged for the most part, except for during hits ‘idfc’ and ‘hot girl bummer’ which trended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australian boy band Chase Atlantic subbed the main stage before Yungblud’s headline set. The finally attentive crowd screamed and cheered as the trio walked onstage. Opening with ‘DIE FOR ME’ followed by hit ‘Slow Down’, the set began as quite a spectacle, with bright lighting, smoke and on-stage pyro. After the opening of the show, the tracks blended into one another and the performance began to drag on a little. A hit-heavy end of the set featured ‘Church’, ‘Swim’ and ‘Friends’ consecutively, but the vast majority was easily forgettable. Despite many songs sounding the same, the crowd were captivated by members Christian, Clinton and Mitchel as they individually performed down the catwalk.

The non-musical areas of the festival site were bustling before the headliner, as attendees made one last effort to explore before watching the final performance. Tucked away in the corner of the site, after navigating through endless merch, food and water queues was a white tent. This ‘Make a Friend’ tent sat over the crest of the National Bowl and featured bean bags, hammocks, one of many photo booths in the festival and plenty of activities (friendship bracelet workshop, cornhole and giant checkers to name a few).

A few minutes walk away Rachel Chinouriri was starting her headline set on the second stage. The crowd here was miniscule (presumably everyone else was securing a good spot for Yungblud) yet felt more engaged than during any previous artist. Presumably these were Rachel’s true fans, and they showed it. Rachel herself performed with incredible live vocals to a great performance from her band. The singer’s crowd interactions were excellent and constant throughout her set; she was very clearly happy to be there.

Having released his new album Idols the previous day, Yungblud opened his set with nine-minute long album opener ‘Hello, Heaven Hello’. Performing both vocally and on guitar, a topless Dom sang tracks old and new to a crowd that echoed the words back at him. ‘Fleabag’ somewhat lost its intrigue after being constantly played on the main stage’s PA system all day long, though the live experience was definitely different. Going all out for this show, Yungblud brought out a brass section for the next few songs, including ‘Lowlife’ and ‘Cotton Candy’. Confetti cannons and pyro ensured a visual spectacle throughout the headline set. Midway through the set Dom played a video describing the work of charity WarChild and advocated for donations. In a complete surprise, Billy Idol was brought onstage to perform his 1982 hit ‘White Wedding’. Closing with Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘I Think I’m OKAY’ and his own ‘Zombies’, Yungblud finally gave the audience what they had been waiting for all day long.

Though Yungblud’s vision for his day festival is clear, it was not the success it made out to be. The musical elements were good and the musicians themselves were excellent, though the lack of energy from the crowd throughout the day made it difficult to completely enjoy the performances. Queues for water and bars were far too long for a scorching day, a short and tedious playlist looped on the main stage’s PA and canceled artists were not replaced. You have to give it to Dom for trying though. He seemingly genuinely cares about providing the best possible experience for his fans, which was made clear through the inclusivity options available: a large platform for disabled attendees and discounted tickets for those struggling with the cost of living crisis. Perhaps the event would have fared better had it been simply a Yungblud concert however, as the majority of attendees seemed to care little about the other music artists performing.