Wilderness Festival returned to the rolling grounds of Cornbury Park with its signature blend of music, art, and escapism, once again asserting itself as a standout on the UK’s boutique festival circuit. Across a weekend of curated creativity and connection, it was the female artists who truly left their mark, commanding stages, shifting moods, and shaping the spirit of Wilderness 2025.
Thursday evening unfolded at The Dive stage, a space thoughtfully curated for emerging underground artists, where even a thunderstorm couldn’t dampen the electric energy as the festival got underway. Making her debut in style, Juju opened with a moody blend of raw emotion and dark pop. From the introspective ‘Red Light’ to the bass-heavy ‘Folie À Deux’, she drew the crowd in with a presence that was both fragile and fierce, leaving them with plenty of “good Juju energy”. As darkness fell, Night Tapes brought an airy, whimsical vibe to the tent. Tracks like ‘Projections’ and ‘Inigo’ encouraged the crowd to dance and shake off their worries, setting a hopeful tone as the stage prepared for its final act of the day. Said to be one of the UK’s brightest new creative forces, mary in the junkyard closed with a gritty, emotionally expansive set. Blending leftfield experimentation with melodic storytelling, they captivated the tent with tracks like the haunting ‘Ghost’ and the unreleased, hip-hop-tinged ‘New Muscles’.
Friday brought a shift in pace and weather, trading thunderstorms for sunshine and delivering everything from shimmering pop highs to full-blown theatrical chaos. Georgia lit up the main stage with sleek, high-energy dance-pop, moving the crowd with hits like ‘24 Hours’ and her playful new single ‘Wanna Play’. Over at The Dive, Hot Stamp made a fiery debut, tearing through unreleased tracks with chaotic charm and a FaceTimed dad cheering the sister duo on. Rosie Lowe turned The Atrium into an intimate sanctuary, performing with all the instruments used on her album. Tracks like ‘Mood To Make Love’ simmered with sensuality, while ‘Sundown’ offered an emotional dedication to those who’ve lost someone special. Closing the night, The Pill delivered a punchy, unapologetic set, jumping between tracks like ‘Scaffolding Man’ and ‘Woman Driver’, and filling the space between with tales of wasp-related trauma and a crowd-sourced mullet test.
Saturday saw Wilderness hit its emotional core. Låpsley brought a warm, grounded energy to The Atrium, blending tender vulnerability with soaring vocals as she revisited past heartbreak and the freedom that comes with creative independence. A soft release of her fourth record and her viral early hit ‘Station’ anchored a set that felt quietly powerful and wholly affirming. Later on at The Dive, Baby Said unleashed high-octane catharsis in sparkly outfits, delivering sharp-edged pop-punk anthems like ‘Hate Me’, which had the crowd clapping along, and ‘Burn’, illuminated by a sea of flashlights. As dusk fell, Aurora transformed the Wilderness Stage into a shimmering, sacred space. Moving between joy, grief, and protest, she delivered a spiritually charged and sonically majestic set. From the aching beauty of ‘Through the Eyes of a Child’ to the euphoric jump of ‘Starvation’, her voice echoed far beyond the park.
Sunday began with Olive Jones delivering a candid, jazz-tinged set at The Dive. Her honest lyricism shone through tracks like the Brexit-inspired ‘Kingdom’ and the aptly timed ‘Summer Rain’. Over at The Atrium, Hinds brought their signature blend of cheeky charm and raw indie energy, racing through tracks like ‘Boom Boom Back’, ‘Stranger’, and their cover of Charli xcx’s ‘Girl, so confusing’. Finishing the weekend in style, Wet Leg stormed the Wilderness Stage, balancing deadpan lyricism with festival-sized hooks. Iconic tracks like ‘Wet Dream’ and ‘Chaise Longue’ landed with full force as the crowd clapped, shouted back choruses, and leaned into every twist of the band’s off-kilter indie rock. Drawing fans into the gang-vocal chorus of their newer track ‘u and me at home’, they closed Wilderness 2025 with bold, infectious ease.
All photo credits: Finn Delisle
Leave a Reply