PREVIEW: Bearded Theory 2024

Gigs

21 May

This week, the UK's outdoor festival season officially kicks off as the great and the good of the alt-scene head to Bearded Theory to celebrate its 15th anniversary in style. With a stacked lineup featuring legends like Dinosaur Jr. and Jane’s Addiction, alongside some of our favourites such as The Menstrual Cramps, Bob Vylan, Meryl Streek, Lambrini Girls, and Les Savy Fav, this year's festival promises to be the best yet.

For those of you who haven't come across Bearded Theory, it's a multi-award-winning independent alternative festival, running this week from 22-26 May. With community and an intrinsic punk ethos at its heart, this highly-coveted festival has become synonymous with championing powerhouse household acts in an intimate, quirky, and inspiring utopia. To manage arrival times and reduce congestion, the festival is opening earlier than ever on Wednesday. This change aims to enhance the experience for all attendees by easing the flow of traffic and allowing festival-goers to settle in comfortably.

Bearded Theory also stands out for its innovative and cherished Festival School initiative, located in the Children’s Village. This program underscores the festival's belief that education shouldn't be confined to traditional indoor spaces. The school, which requires official enrolment and permission from the children’s respective schools, runs from 9 AM to 3 PM on the Friday of the festival and offers a comprehensive itinerary of educational classes for children from Reception through Year 10. This unique feature ensures that parents can enjoy the festival while their little ones and teenagers engage in meaningful learning experiences.

Located at the intersection of three counties—West Midlands, South Derbyshire, and Staffordshire—Bearded Theory is conveniently only two hours away for 50% of the UK’s population, making it the perfect place to kickstart your festival season.

Wednesday

This year, the festival kicks off on Wednesday on the Woodland stage, featuring an eclectic lineup including Henge, Congratulations, and the pick of the day, Pet Needs. The Essex-based punks are riding high as their third album, Intermittent Fast Living, recently broke into the UK Top 20, earning them significant hype. Founded by brothers Johnny and George Marriott, with Jack and Ryan joining on drums and bass, Pet Needs have skyrocketed from bedroom beginnings to world tours. Their latest album, recorded at Vada Studios, captures their frenetic lifestyle, with the lead single "Separation Anxiety" showcasing their punk energy and offbeat lyrical style. Balancing the thrills of rock'n'roll with the stillness of family life, Pet Needs' rapid ascent and energetic performances make them a standout act at Bearded Theory.commitment to social justice and accountability.

Thursday

Things get busier on Thursday as the main Pallet stage joins the act. With a banging lineup including Trantism, Battlesnake, Dutty Moonshine Big Band, and SOFT PLAY—the incendiary punk duo of Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman—the stage is set for an explosive day. This year, the band has dropped a number of killer singles, including the recent “Mirror Muscles,” building hype for their fourth album and first since adopting the SOFT PLAY name.

Over on the Woodland stage, the lineup is equally impressive with acts like Grandmas House, Berries, Total Luck, and Gen-Z punks Noah and the Loners. Their debut EP, A Desolate Warning, is full of non-stop rippers from start to finish, generating significant buzz. If you can only see one band on Thursday, make sure it's Noah and the Loners—you won't be disappointed.

Friday

On Friday, the full festival gets going with all its stages in action. On the main Pallet stage, we have Hotwax, Pip Blom, Bob Vylan, and a headline performance by Future Islands. Over on the Meadow stage, acts like Therapy?, Saint Agnes, and Lambrini Girls promise an epic day. Be sure to rise early and head to the Convoy Cabaret stage for Gen and the Degenerates, who dropped their banging debut album Anti-Fun Propaganda earlier this year.

The Woodland stage's lineup will thrill those of us who are still punk kids at heart, featuring [SPUNGE], The Bar Stool Preachers, and our pick of the day, Meryl Streek. The politically outspoken Irish avant-garde punk's 2022 debut, 796, was one of the year's best releases, and he never fails to deliver an epic show. Prepare for a set that will be full of righteous energy and one you'll remember all year.

Saturday

The Meadow stage features a sonically diverse lineup where you can catch the likes of The Meffs, Sonic Boom Six, BDRMM, and headliners, the legendary electronic duo Orbital. The main Pallet stage boasts another stellar lineup, including Goat Girl, Wargasm, Sleaford Mods, and, in a UK festival exclusive, the legendary alt-rockers Jane’s Addiction. The Woodland stage showcases Kitty Liv, Semantics, and a pair of sets from Beans On Toast.

Saturday's lineup at the Convoy Cabaret stage is a treat, featuring One Eyed God, Dogshite, and our pick of the day—and likely the whole festival—The Menstrual Cramps. The Bristol punks have had a standout year, releasing a collection of banging singles since signing to Alcopop Records, whose titles, when combined, spell ACAB. They've also launched a beer with Courier Brewing Company and helped spearhead the Bands Boycott Barclays movement, which saw over 120 acts drop out of the Great Escape festival in solidarity with Palestine due to the bank's sponsorship and financial ties to companies involved in supplying weaponry to Israel.

Sunday

On Sunday, there's a stacked lineup on the Woodland stage featuring Viji, the legendary Don Letts, and one of the most hyped bands in the UK right now, the Black Country duo Big Special. Their debut album, Postindustrial Hometown Blues, is currently sitting at number two in the UK indie album charts. Over at the Pallet stage, we’ll see Bodega, Amyl and the Sniffers, Gentleman’s Dub Club, and the iconic alt-rockers Dinosaur Jr.

The Meadow stage offers another amazing lineup featuring some of our favourites such as Les Savy Fav, English Teacher, a special performance by Bodega covering Bob Dylan classics, and our pick for the day, Problem Patterns. The Belfast band produced an absolute ripper of an album in Blouse Club—one of the best punk releases in recent years. They are also an amazing live act; I recently caught them on tour with Other Half and was taken aback by how well they capture their songs live, seamlessly swapping between instruments and vocal duties on stage.