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Apr 15, 2025 By Dom Gourlay Web Exclusive

The 2025 edition of Bearded Theory takes place next month, and as with previous years the organisers have put together a stellar line-up that stands out from most homogenous festival line-ups elsewhere.

Situated in the idyllic surroundings of Catton Park in the heart of the National Forest, Bearded Theory takes place over the second Bank Holiday weekend in May, running from Wednesday 21st until Sunday 25th.

Having won several awards in recent years including Best Family Festival (2016), Best Line Up (2024) and Best Promoter (2014 and 2023), Bearded Theory has once again pushed the boat with some incredible bookings for this year’s event which sees Manic Street Preachers, Iggy Pop and Paul Heaton featuring special guest Rianne Downey as its headliners.

Under the Radar will be in attendance this year but in the meantime, here’s a short Q&A we conducted with one of the festival’s organisers, Anwyn Williams from DHP.

Bearded Theory first started in 2008 and has gone from strength to strength ever since. What is the key to its longevity?

As soon as you arrive on site, you can feel that our audience has a wonderful community vibe. They are passionate and loyal, but also progressive and ready to check out new music, meaning we can keep putting together interesting line-ups that we’re all excited by and that reach new people to join our party every year.

The festival has won a number of awards over the years - Best Family Festival in 2016 then Best Promoter in 2014 and 2023. What is it that sets Bearded Theory apart from its competitors?

We are fiercely independent, with an incredibly music-passionate team working year round behind the scenes to create the best possible event each time. We understand and listen to our audience and try to keep getting better and better! We also won Line-up of the Year in 2024 which really exemplifies what we’re trying to do with our carefully curated bill.

There’s also a heavy focus on families which adds to the appeal, particularly the Festival School which is quite unique for any UK event of its kind. How did that come about?

Being one of the earlier festivals in the calendar, we know that we clash with term times for families with school age children. We want to ensure that as many of those families can attend as much of the festival as possible. We don’t believe that education needs to be confined to the four walls of a classroom, or that it should come at the expense of enriching life experiences like attending a festival, so the Festival School allows parents to get authorised absences for their kids meaning they can maximise time together at the festival.

The line up is arguably the most attractive and eclectic mix anywhere on the UK festival circuit this summer. Which acts are you most excited about seeing?

Thank you, we’re all really proud of it! English Teacher were amazing when they played the festival last year, and they’ve since gone on to win the Mercury Prize, so I’m really excited to see them come back to the fields. I am a big fan of Mannequin Pussy and have seen them at some of my other favourite festivals over the last few years so can’t wait to have them at Bearded. Divorce are obviously amazing and local to us (being based in Nottingham), I saw them at The Chameleon really early on and it’s awesome to see their growth. Bess Atwell is one of my favourite singer-songwriters - I was obsessed with the Big Blue EP when it came out in 2019, and I grew up in the nineties listening to Manics and Ash in the back of my parents’ car so their sets will all be fun, too. Then of course, having Iggy Pop headline is going to be a huge moment!

If you could pick a year or defining moment/set from past Bearded Theory weekends what would it be and why?

Amyl and the Sniffers in 2024 - it was their first ever festival headline, there were literal fireworks overhead during the finale, and it was just a stunning performance.

Putting an event together like Bearded Theory must take an awful lot of planning. What is the most challenging aspect of organising the festival?

Everyone involved works on different aspects of the event so each of them come with their own unique challenges. However, one of the great things about our team is how close-knit we all are with everyone willing to muck in to help deliver an epic event and make sure everyone has a great time!

If you could choose your 3 dream headliners from any artists past or present, who would it be?

My dream festival would be a wild genre clashing event headlined by Nirvana, Joni Mitchell and probably Taylor Swift just to add another vibe to the mix and because I can’t escape the fact that she’s usually one of my top listened to artists! In an alternate universe I could envisage Nirvana and Joni meeting BT criteria, Taylor might have to be reserved for the silent disco though… Thinking strictly about my personal Bearded dreams: Pixies on the Pallet, PJ Harvey in the Meadow, Laura Marling in the Woodland.

The festival has retained its status as an independent rather than follow the corporate branding of some other events. Is that an important part of Bearded Theory’s ethos?

We’re very proud to be an independent festival as Bearded Theory and an independent promoter as DHP Family. It is absolutely part of our core ethos and how we have always been able to deliver unique events that our audiences love.

What can we expect from Bearded Theory in the future?

More award-worthy line-ups and beautiful weekends in the fields surrounded by one of the best festival communities you could ever experience.

For more information on Bearded Theory including where to purchase tickets, visit the Official Website