Sonic Boom Festival Announces Full Line-up and BBC Introducing Stage for Burton Town Centre Independent Music Event
Sonic Boom Music CIC have announced the full line-up for Sonic Boom Festival 2025, which takes place in Burton upon Trent on Saturday 13 September.
Last year’s event drew over 6,000 people into the town centre for a full day of live music. This year’s festival is significantly larger, with over 50 original international, national and rising regional artists, and stages across town. The programme spans a wide range of genres including indie, punk, hip-hop, folk, pop, rock, drum and bass, jazz, dub, electronic and experimental music, with new music discoveries in almost every corner of the town centre.
Andi Jepson, festival co-director, said:
“We programme Sonic Boom Festival as new music fans. It’s about discovery and quality. You might walk into a venue and see an international touring artist or a future festival headliner, or stumble across an act you’ve never heard of and walk out a fan. The genre-hopping mix of quality national festival acts and new local energy is what gives Sonic Boom Festival its growing reputation.”
A free Main Stage in the Market Place in the centre of town will be headlined by Everything Everything, one of the UK’s most respected alternative bands. The group has achieved five consecutive Top 10 albums, and multiple nominations for the Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello Awards. They have just finished touring with The Wombats and appear at several major UK festivals this summer.
Other Main Stage acts include KOG, Prima Queen, The Clause, better joy, and Burton rising artists Joel Foster and Leah Wilcox. The Main Stage will once again be hosted by Chris Hawkins (BBC Radio 6 Music).
Chris Hawkins said:
“Last year’s festival was unbelievable with an outstanding lineup. This year Sonic Boom is supersized, the energy and atmosphere will be next level. To have Everything Everything on a free main stage is absolutely incredible. The whole line-up is brilliant, I can’t think of another festival like it… an awesome headliner on a free main stage, incredible breaking bands, and a full night of live music across town. Sonic Boom Music Festival is doing it right.”
From 8pm, Sonic Boom Aftershock stages open across the town. Entry to these venues requires a ticket giving access to over 50 exciting artists performing throughout the evening (subject to venue capacity).
This year’s Aftershock line-up includes several acts currently making national and international waves. These include Stoke’s Lissy Taylor, recently signed to Universal Music; Chiedu Oraka, who is supporting Coldplay on their stadium tour; The Bug Club, with new music released on highly respected US label Sub Pop; better joy, touring with Amy Macdonald next year; and The Clause from Birmingham, who appear at major UK festivals throughout the summer.
Also announced are Revivalry, the youngest band to ever play Reading Festival’s main stage; CLT DRP, an exciting high-energy trio from Brighton; Tom A Smith, a Glastonbury and Radio X favourite who’s supported Elton John and played festivals across the UK; and Joan Smith & the Jane Does, travelling from Canada to perform in Burton for the first time.
BBC Introducing presenter and champion of Midlands music Dean Jackson will host a dedicated stage and broadcast live from the Brewhouse Arts Centre as part of the festival.
Dean Jackson said:
“We’re rounding off the festival season in style… We’ll be broadcasting live from Burton, you can hear it on The Beat and on BBC Introducing. It’s going to be a really good day and night. Pop along to the Brewhouse, we’d love to see you there.”
Artists confirmed for the BBC Introducing stage include Fools & Sages, Emily Alice, French Exit, and Taylor Liam Jackson.
The evening also features a special reunion performance from Riding The Low and The Leisure Society at Burton Town Hall. The only full band UK show for The Leisure Society in 2025 brings together local musicians Paddy Considine and Nick Hemming for the highly anticipated show.
The national new music platform This Feeling will also run a stage, continuing its work supporting emerging bands around the UK. Burton rising stars Eighty Eight Miles will headline alongside Tom A Smith, and local indie band The Ritz.
This year’s festival received over 200 artist applications, with artists booked from across the UK, Europe and beyond. It remains an independent, not-for-profit event, produced by Sonic Boom Music CIC in partnership with East Staffordshire Borough Council to support the grassroots music community of Burton upon Trent and the wider Midlands region.
Chris Baldwin, Sonic Boom Music CIC Co-founder said:
“As a not-for-profit, everything we make gets reinvested into the music ecosystem. The more people that come, the more we can do for music in Burton”
Early bird and presale tickets have now sold out. Tier 2 wristbands are currently on sale for £24 plus booking fees at www.sonicboomfestival.co.uk.
Concessionary and community-sponsored tickets are available for local residents on low incomes.
