With the festival season fast approaching, the anticipation for a weekend filled with unforgettable melodies, shared memories and a beer in the sun only grows stronger. We have some amazing moments in store, but to kick things off, here’s a run down of the top fifteen songs we can’t wait to hear at Kendal Calling 2024:
Paolo Nutini – Pencil Full of Lead
Sure to end the weekend with a bang, get your best dad-dance ready for this one! Come the iconic trumpet solo you’ll be itching to tap your foot along to the incredible swing inspired sound of ‘Pencil Full Of Lead’!
The Reytons – On The Back Burner
All right, have you seen those lads, there’s a brand new band in town and they’re joining us in the fields! The Reytons are one of our most requested acts and we’re buzzing to have them back, this time on the Main Stage! There’s going to be unbelievable scenes when this one goes off on Sunday evening…
Sugababes – About You Now
Sugababes Saturday anyone? Now, I’m not sure there has ever been a mosh pit for Sugababes but you best believe we’ll be trying to start one. The 00s icons have an unbelievable amount of hits in their back pocket but ‘About You Now’ stands above the rest as the ultimate throwback anthem.
Paul Heaton – Perfect Ten
We can thank Paul Heaton for giving us many-a-classic over the years. Whether it was as frontman for The Housemartins, The Beautiful South or his solo ventures, he has solidified his place as one of the UK’s greatest songwriters. It’s this seminal Beautiful South classic though that will provide the perfect backing track to a raucous first night in the fields!
The Pigeon Detectives – Take Her Back
Are they detectives who are pigeons or are the detectives investigating pigeons? I guess we’ll never know but one thing we are sure of is that it will be absolute carnage as the indie behemoths take to the upside down garden of Parklands for an afternoon of up-for-it anthems. ‘Wait For Me’ is truly a classic of the era with ‘Take Her Back; still igniting a frenzy all these years later.
THE UNTOLD ORCHESTRA PERFORM Stevie Wonder – For Once In My Life
Who wouldn’t be down for an evening celebrating one of the most iconic and legendary artists of all time?! As one of the three different sets across the festival – The Untold Orchestra will grace the Woodlands stage for a tribute to the one and only, Stevie Wonder. Spend your Saturday night, dancing beneath the treetops to some of the grooviest tunes known to man – plus, you’ll be in prime position for the Silent Disco kicking off afterwards!
Declan Mckenna – Brazil
As the sun sets beyond the hills and we’ve sunk those first few pints of the weekend – we’ll be welcoming Declan McKenna to the stage for his third trip to the Lakes! Since he last joined us he’s released his brilliant new album ‘What Happened To The Beach?’ but it’s still this classic protest song that will see us down in the mosh pit.
The Streets – Fit but you know it
Unleashing our inner geezer for this one, this legendary blast from the past is a certified must on our watch-list. It will be a hit… but you know it, so to speak. Set to get everyone bouncing, the second this kicks in will be all the sweeter knowing we’ve waited four years for this very moment.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Don’t Look Back in Anger
With a back catalogue has achieved platinum status more than 80 times, solidifying his status as one of the greatest to ever do it. ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ is sung at the top of lungs in pubs and clubs up and down the country on a weekly basis – creating a moment of unity whenever it is played. Pull your mates in close for this one and get those pints in the air as we get ready to belt ‘Sooooo, Sally can wait!’
Sundara Karma – Flame
You’ll find us causing an absolute scene in the front row for this one. Sundara Karma first took to the fields all the way back in 2016 (unbelievably!) and they’ve gone on to conquer venues up and down the country since. We’re hoping to be transported all the way back to the early days with this one as ‘Flame’ still sticks out as a real highlight in their set.
Keane – Somewhere Only We Know
Following their sold out UK tour – Keane head to Lowther to celebrate twenty years of their seminal debut album ‘Hopes and Fears’. Having had quite the resurgence in the last couple of years thanks to TikTok – there are few songs that resonate across ages quite as much as ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ and we can’t imagine a more perfect atmosphere to witness it live. Against the backdrop of the Lake District fells, in the sunset slot, with a bev in hand – sounds unbelievable if you ask us.
Kate Nash – Foundations
We simply can’t wait to hear a field of 20,000 shouting the word ‘bitter’ as if their lives depended on it. The queen of witty-pop herself will take to the Main Stage on Sunday afternoon and we’ll be ready and waiting to scream-sing ‘Foundations’ like it’s the early 00’s again.
Katy B – Katy on a Mission
Simply put, it’s an absolute banger. Gun fingers at the ready for this one as Katy B takes to the upside down garden of Parklands! Unbelievably, it’s been fourteen years since Katy released this tune but it still hits the exact same as back in 2010.
The Snuts – Gloria
In 2019, The Snuts played Kendal Calling for the first time – opening up Calling Out. Two years later, they returned to headline that very same stage. This year – they’ll make their Main Stage debut! The Scottish sensations will be venturing across the border, armed with their brand new album – including their smash hit ‘Gloria’ – see you down the front?
The Hunna – She’s Casual
Anyone who saw The Hunna’s headline set in Calling Out last year will understand why they had to join this year’s adventure – what an unbelievable atmosphere! We expect nothing less as we transport that electricity onto the Main Stage for 2024. As one of the first acts on, taking to the stage on Thursday evening – we can’t think of a better way to kickstart a weekend in the fields.
