BEARDED THEORY UNVEILS THIRD WAVE OF ACTS FOR 2025 LINEUP

New artists added to the bill include: Public Service Broadcasting, Swim Deep, The Sugarhill Gang & The Furious Five, She Drew The Gun, Alt Blk Era, Mclusky, Irvine Welsh, Dreadzone, Bare Jams, L.T.J Bukem, Mr C (The Shamen DJ Set - Live PA), Altern 8, Billy Daniel Bunter and more

Previously announced names include: Iggy Pop, Manic Street Preachers, Paul Heaton with special guest singer Rianne Downey, The Sisters of Mercy, Yard Act, Leftfield, CMAT, Nova Twins, English Teacher, Ezra Furman, The Mary Wallopers, Divorce, Fat Dog, Mannequin Pussy, Phil Harntnoll (Orbital) and many more

CATTON PARK, DERBYSHIRE, 21-25TH MAY 2025

“Bearded Theory should be the next port of call for any music lover simply interested in having a good time.” The Telegraph

“A spectacular weekend.” Record Collector

"this really is a festival for everyone" The Scene

“Everyone’s a winner at Bearded Theory.” Ticketmaster UK

“Year upon year Bearded Theory simply gets better.” Louder Than War

"Perfectly located festival with a stunning sunset, great food, reasonably priced beer and the best people." Loud Women

"A cacophony of music greats interspersed with serious up-and-coming talent." 5.18

Purchase 2025 tickets here

Multi-award winning independent festival Bearded Theory returns to its idyllic homeland of Catton Park, Derbyshire on the 21-25th May for yet another year of inspirational, community driven, grassroots festivities. Set in the picturesque setting of the National Forest, the festival boasts a myriad of musical, educational and creative activities across the weekend.

Newly announced to the line-up today include cinematic London based musical entity Public Service Broadcasting, British indie poppers Swim Deep, American hip-hop pioneers The Sugarhill Gang & The Furious Five, political psych pop band She Drew The Gun, hotly-tipped genre-bending duo Alt Blk Era, Welsh rock trio Mclusky, electronic dub group Dreadzone and many more.

Across the CODA and Big Ed stages are debaucherous new dance offerings from renown Scottish novelist turned DJ Irvine Welsh, jazz-funk jungalist maestro L.T.J Bukem, international DJ and innovative producer Mr C (The Shamen DJ Set - Live PA), highly influential 90’s rave duo Altern 8, Billy Daniel Bunter, Chris Liberator, Dub Pistols, Leeroy Thornhill (ex-Prodigy), Utah Saints & K-Klass return to CODA, Bearded Theory’s brand new dance-oriented area that launched last year to great success. Already announced, Phil Hartnoll of Orbital is not only returning to the festival after last year’s tremendous DJ set and stunning headline performance in the Meadow stage, but will be headlining the dance tent, alongside carefully curating his own night of electronic debauchery in CODA on the Saturday night.

Orbital’s 2024 Bearded Theory set

They are joined by punk rock pioneer Iggy Pop, celebrated legendary band Manic Street Preachers, Paul Heaton, joined by special guest singer Rianne Downey, English rock institution The Sisters of Mercy, electronic innovators Leftfield, post-punk quartet Yard Act, unique Irish trailblazers The Mary Wallopers, Northern Irish vibrant virtuosos Ash, pop-country phenomenon CMAT, devilishly bass heavy duo Nova Twins, genre-spanning Fat Dog, alt-country grungers Divorce, British singer-songwriter Nadine Shah, Bristonian unique indie songstress Katy J Pearson, Chicago’s genre-defying experimentalist Ezra Furman, and many more, including but not limited to Mannequin Pussy, Terrorvision, The Lottery Winners, Antony Szmierek, The Alarm, The Vaselines, Gurriers, Lime Garden, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, The Lovely Eggs, Bess Atwell, Dream State, CLT DRP and Asian Dub Foundation.

Bearded Theory firmly believes that an education should not only exist within the boundaries of a traditional indoor space. For parents with children and teenagers, the festival offers the UK's first innovative on-site Festival School, located in the cherished award-winning Children’s Village, a coveted area of the site cultivated purely to provide a space for creativity, education and fun for children.

Bearded Theory’s wondrously compact site punches above its weight with eight unique stages and areas full of music, dancing and good times. While the main Pallet and Meadow stages showcase some of the biggest sets throughout the weekend, the magical Woodland stage provides an intimate and idyllic setting for folkier sounds and rock sets alike.

Bearded Theory festival presents attendees with monthly payment instalment plans, enabling buyers to spread the cost of purchase up until May 2025. Tickets are on sale now. For more info on the payment plans, camping options and facilities please go HERE.

Press credit: Izzy Challoner | Big Ed

Full line-up:

IGGY POP • MANIC STREET PREACHERS

PAUL HEATON WITH SPECIAL GUEST RIANNE DOWNEY

THE SISTERS OF MERCY • YARD ACT • PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

LEFTFIELD • THE MARY WALLOPERS • ENGLISH TEACHERº

CMAT • NOVA TWINS • LOTTERY WINNERS • ASH • EZRA FURMAN

FAT DOGº • NADINE SHAH • ANTONY SZMIEREK• MANNEQUIN PUSSY

KATY J PEARSON • DIVORCE • TERRORVISION

A-Z • ALT BLK ERA • ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION • BEANS ON TOAST • BARE JAMS • BESS ATWELL • DEADLETTERΔ

DREADZONE • DREAM STATE • DU BLONDE • GIRLBAND! • GURRIERS • LIME GARDEN • MCLUSKY

MOLOTOV JUKEBOX˚• MILLIE MANDERS AND THE SHUTUP • NED’S ATOMIC DUSTBIN • SHE DREW THE GUN

SHONEN KNIFE • STEWART LEE • SWIM DEEP • THE ALARM˚ • THE LOVELY EGGS • THE MEFFS˚

THE SELECTER • THE SLOW READERS CLUB • THE SUGARHILL GANG & THE FURIOUS FIVE

THE VASELINES • THROWING MUSES • W.I.T.C.H.˚• ZION TRAIN

A-Z • ADWAITH˚ • ANGELINE MORRISON • AUDIOWEB • BENTLEY RHYTHM ACE • CASTLE RAT˚

CHRIS HAWKINS (BBC 6 MUSIC) DJ SET˚ • CLT DRP˚ • DAKKA SKANKS • DEJA VEGA • EIGHTY EIGHT MILES˚

GAZ BROOKFIELD AND THE COMPANY OF THIEVES • GETDOWN SERVICES • HEADSTICKSΔ

INDEPENDENT COUNTRY Δ • INNER TERRESTRIALS˚ • JESS SILK TRIO˚• MAN/WOMAN/CHAINSAW

MERRY HELL • MIDNIGHT RODEO˚ • MIKI BERENYI TRIO • MUDDY SUMMERS & THE DFWS˚

N’FAMADY KOUYATE • NICK PARKER • NUALA • POPES OF CHILLITOWN • RUBY J • SLANEY BAY˚

SLAY DUGGEE • SOPHIE JAMIESON • STICK IN THE WHEELΔ • THE BAR-STEWARD SONS OF VAL DOONICAN

THE BRANDY THIEVES˚• THE DEEP BLUE • THE DELTONES • THE NONE • THE PILL

TRUPA TRUPA • TTSSFU • UJAHMΔ • 3 DAFT MONKEYS

CODA

PHIL HARTNOLL (ORBITAL DJ SET) • L.T.J BUKEM • IRVINE WELSH

MR C (THE SHAMEN DJ SET – LIVE PA)

ALTERN-8 • BILLY DANIEL BUNTER • CARL LOBEN • CHRIS LIBERATOR

DiY SOUNDSYSTEM (GRACE SANDS, JACK & PEZZ) • DRUM MACHINE (LIVE)

DUB PISTOLS (BARRY ASHWORTH DJ SET) • FREESTYLERS • JACK SAID WHAT

K-KLASS • LEEROY THORNHILL (EX-PRODIGY) • STEVE MAC • UTAH SAINTS

CONVOY CABARET • MAUI WAUI • THE SOMETHING ELSE TEA TENT

FUNHOUSE COMEDY • THE MAGIC TEAPOT • CINEMA NIGHTS

EARTH AREA • REAL ALE PUBS • DELICIOUS FOOD STALLS • MARKET STALLS

AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S VILLAGE • THE FESTIVAL SCHOOL • FUNFAIR

˚Performing on Thursday

Δ Performing on Wednesday

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