Photo Credit: Alia Thomas
Yungblud is famous for not only his musical talent, but for the community that he’s grown within his fans and the inclusivity factor that it’s built around, so it made sense when two years ago he announced that he’d be putting together his own festival and making it more affordable than most. His reason behind it was the disappointment at the rising ticket prices and lack of inclusivity because of it. 2024 was the first year of Bludfest which unsurprisingly sold out quickly, but with any ‘first’ of anything, it had room for improvement which was expressed by the festival goers afterwards. Fast forward to 21st June 2025, and it’s clear that the Bludfest team took note of the issues and made sure the relevant improvements were made to ensure the safety and happiness of the festival attendees. With a packed out day across two stages as well as the Yungblud Village full of various activations, a skate ramp, and merch tents, the day had something for everyone to enjoy.
Opening up the day on Main Stage was Icelandic artist, Elin Hall, with her ethereal sounds. Although perhaps seeming slightly out of place amongst the other artists on the line-up in terms of sound, Hall captivated the audience with her soft, melancholic songs and beautiful voice. To open up the second stage we had American rising star, Reece Young, who kicked off the day with his alt-emo inspired sounds and bountiful energy. Young is great at engaging with the crowd and spoke highly of his first time in the UK, except our lack of air-conditioning which gave everyone a laugh knowing we’re just not made for this hot weather.
Next up we had Nxdia with her fun alt-pop sounds mixed with rock music bringing a whole lot of energy to the main stage. It was very apparent that they had a lot of fans in the crowd, with the singing that came throughout the set, with Boys Clothes clearly being a particular fan-favourite. Their sense of community aligning perfectly with the what Bludfest is about made them a perfect choice for the lineup. Luvcat followed on Main Stage with music giving old soul vibes with a modern twist. Think, Lana Del Ray and Adele with an alternative twist. With a sound that you could almost hear fitting a James Bond theme, Luvcat brings a whole different feel to the vibe in the best way. So much so that Yungblud himself delayed his appearance at The Hawley Arms due to wanting to continue to watch the set.
One of the great things about Bludfest is that, due to only having two stages, and perhaps also due to Jxdn unfortunately dropping out, there weren’t particularly many clashes of performances, especially earlier on in the day, so if you went from Luvcat straight to the second stage you’d easily catch the whole set of Master Peace. Having been a bit delayed due to making a quick stop to witness the frenzy that occurred with Yungblud appearing at The Hawley Arms, we rushed over to the second stage to catch him. Master Peace combines the sounds of alternative rock and rap, creating fast paced songs and brought an energy unmatched to anyone else on that stage that day. With a quick jump over the barrier towards the end of the set, the crowd enjoyed an up-close-and-personal mosh pit experience with Master Peace himself which was greatly enjoyed by many. Bringing the alt-girly-pop vibes back a little was Nieve Ella, who followed on the second stage. The artist has grown quite a following over the last year or so and it showed with the turnout at this show. With songs like Good Grace and The Things We Say on the setlist, it was a popular set and brilliant performance from the 22-year old who has undoubtedly got big things ahead of her.
Back on Main Stage, for reasons unknown, there was an unfortunate ten minute delay to Blackbear coming on stage to which knocked the rest of Main Stage lineup off by the same amount. Despite this not being a massive delay in the grand scheme of things, one of the accessibility aspects of Bludfest was the purposeful finish at 10:30pm to ensure that people were able to get the last trains home without missing any performances, which therefore meant that delays could well mean people having to leave before the end of his set. However, Blackbear gave a good performance overall. This was his first UK performance since 2022 and it was clear the size of his fanbase present at the festival due to the roars of screaming and cheering coming from the crowd throughout the whole set. After playing a number of his popular songs including do re mi, idfc and 90210, the latter half of his set brought in the popular collaborations he did with the likes of All Time Low and MGK. His cover of Monsters by All Time Low and my ex’s best friend by MGK went down a storm. These brilliant boosts of pop-punk/punk-rock were just what was needed to round off the set and build the high energy and excitement in the run up to Yungblud, but first, continuing to get us royally warmed up for Yungblud on Main Stage was Chase Atlantic, the Australian genre-mixing trio that are blowing up the scene at the moment with their alt rock/RnB sounds. It’s a very different sound and vibe to what we’ve been hearing the rest of the day, but it somehow still works. One thing you’ve got to give it to Bludfest for is that they’ve brought a very diverse range of artists to the stages.
Headlining the second stage we had a stunning performance by Rachel Chinouriri, who quite honestly played a set worthy of a main stage slot. The crowd unfortunately had a rather lacklustre turnout, however, Rachel’s performance was one of the best of the day and she was very well deserving of her first festival headline slot. The way she interacts with the audience and her fans is really quite special. It’s clear she cares a lot about connecting with them whilst performing, waving to people, sharing big smiles with people throughout her performance, which really was very sweet to see.
Finally, as the sun set over Milton Keynes, it was time for the final set of the day. The reason why up to 30,000 people lined the National Bowl. Yungblud, having only released his latest album, Idols, the day before, took to the stage in an all-black leather outfit, shades on, oozing rockstar persona. His opener for the evening was, unsurprisingly, Hello Heaven, Hello, the nine minute rock anthem and first single release off the album, to hear it live for the first time was special. Following this was Lovesick Lullaby, the second release off of Idols and a more familiar Yungblud sound. The crowd didn’t disappoint as they sung along to both songs with utter excitement. Throughout the rest of the setlist we had a mix of songs off the latest album with live debuts of The Greatest Parade, Monday Murder and Change, and old fan favourites such as the playful Cotton Candy, Strawberry Lipstick and California, and even went as far as having a verse and chorus of Tin Pan Boy which was his first time playing it since 2019. A special performance came along with an unexpected collaboration with the one and only Billy Idol on his own song White Wedding which really was a performance to remember. Within the encore, we had Ghosts, which has been said to be one of the artists’ own favourite songs off of Idols, followed by a cover of MGK’s I Think I’m Okay, which he featured on, and last but by no means least, to round off a brilliant set and day overall, we ended with a beautiful rendition of Zombie, the love letter to nurses and healthcare workers that featured Florence Pugh in the music video. You couldn’t really ask for a better choice of song to finish the day with.
Overall Bludfest 2025 was a great success. With huge improvements on last years debut festival, it felt like a very diverse, accessible, and safe place for the artists and gig-goes alike. The stunning range of performances was hard to beat for such a festival, and the prospect of what could come of it next year is exciting. No doubt, Bludfest 2026 will be bigger and better than ever.
