Held on Oxfordshire’s Cornbury Park, Wilderness is one of the most endearingly weird and escapist dos in the UK festival calendar. Last year, we spotted a game of dodgeball ushered in by a dance-off, a DJ collective lips-syncing to Shania Twain and two punters dressed as lobsters for some reason. Beyond the quirk, the shindig always boasts a sensational line-up – and this year is no exception.
Here are 10 acts you can’t miss at the stacked weekender (honourable mention for legendary tribute band The Bootleg Beatles, who are sure to be fab on the Sunday afternoon).
Georgia (Friday, The Wilderness Stage, 4.30pm)
London dance don Georgia Barnes first caught NME’s attention with ‘Seeking Thrills’, the techno and house-infused 2020 album that proved she was well ahead of the curve when it came to super-smart dance music. Naturally, she’s still way in front of the competition, having recently returned with ‘Wanna Play’, an electro-punk whomper that’ll get things going on the Friday afternoon.
Air (Friday, The Wilderness Stage, 7.45pm)
The uber-cool French space-pop duo couldn’t be more perfectly suited for the dreamy surrounds at Cornbury Park. In fact, their gorgeous 1998 album ‘Moon Safari’ could be the official soundtrack to Wilderness Festival – which is handy, because they’re going to play it in full on the main stage. The whole show is a sumptuous audio-visual bonanza and the very definition of glam: wear your sparkliest outfit.
Orbital (Friday, The Wilderness Stage, 9.30pm)
It’s fitting that Kent ravers Orbital recently collaborated with Aussie electro-pop tykes Confidence Man, resulting in the frenetic ‘Re-Lush’, given that the latter are set to rock our worlds with a DJ set later in the weekend. If that track represented a passing of the baton from one generation to another, here is an opportunity to pay tribute to two sonic pioneers.
Låpsley (Saturday, The Atrium, 4.15pm)
At the chiller end of the spectrum, the York-born star will ease your sore head with her hazy band of art-pop on the Atrium stage. She’s now a fully independent artist following her own muse, which resulted in this year’s ‘I’m A Hurricane I’m A Woman In Love’, an ‘80s-infused album of experimental new wave tailormade for a blissed-out afternoon at Wilderness.
AURORA (Saturday, The Wilderness Stage, 7.45pm)
In May, AURORA told NME she was still getting her head around having headlined Wembley Arena. “I’m feeling very overwhelmed by it,” she admitted, “but in a very manageable way. It’s been magic and I don’t understand how it can all happen in one room.” Once you’ve experienced her unforgettable show, which is at once ethereal and hard-edged, you’ll know “magic” is the operative word.
Supergrass (Saturday, The Wilderness Stage, 9.30pm)
Britpop’s back, baby! On Saturday night, Gaz Coombes and his merry brand of pop pranksters will celebrate the 30th birthday of their killer debut album, ‘I Should Coco’. When they first started out, the local lads dreamed of playing Oxford venue The Jericho; now they’re headlining a festival down the road, armed with an explosive setlist that’ll showcase said album and a bonanza of hit singles.
Confidence Man (Saturday, The Valley, 12.30am)
Janet Planet and Sugar Bones are like your cool cousins with the world’s greatest record collection. Luckily, as a Wilderness punter, you’ll be in possession of a ticket to their DJ set at the Valley, the festival’s escapist party paradise in the woods. Expect impeccable taste, more bangers than the food trucks and perhaps a smattering of tunes from their euphoric 2024 album ‘3AM (LA LA LA)’.
Hinds (Sunday, The Atrium, 5.15pm)
The Madrid garage rockers went pop with 2020 album ‘The Prettiest Curse’, before two members departed and Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote returned to the scuzzy sound that made their name. ‘VIVA HINDS’, the duo’s pointedly titled 2024 comeback album, proved that they hadn’t lost their knack with a distortion pedal. Their set will be perfect, then, for blowing away the cobwebs on Sunday evening.
Wet Leg (Sunday, The Wilderness Stage, 7.45pm)
Still punch-drunk from the success of ‘Moisturizer’, their second album – and second to reach Number One – the Isle of Wight indie kooks look set to land a knock-out blow at Wilderness. We’re talking about a band who beat Oasis to the top spot (the Gallaghers had to settle for seeing their 2010 best-of ‘Time Flies’ in second place), so you know they don’t mess about.
Basement Jaxx (Sunday, The Wilderness Stage 9.25pm)
Where’s your head at? It’ll probably be a good question by this point in the festival, but the answer should be: in the vicinity of the Wilderness Stage on Sunday night – ready for your mind to be blown all over again. The duo returned to live performance after a decade-long hiatus last year, promising to harness “life-affirming energy”. And what could be more Wilderness than that?
NME is an official media partner of Wilderness Festival
