Bearded Theory 2025 – a truly magical experience

When we get asked about our favourite festivals (which happens a LOT), Bearded Theory always ranks towards the top of the list.

And why’s that?

Well, in a nutshell, it’s brave enough to be the first big outdoor festival of the season, and that means it not only kicks off the year’s festival field festivities, but it also gets the cream of the crop in terms of bands and musicians on the circuit, because they have no pressure to be elsewhere.

Don’t just take our word for it…see what others have to say HERE

And it’s that perfect size that makes getting around the stages a breeze. Plus, with an open-door policy on bringing food and drink into the arena it makes it a very affordable event into the bargain.

That said…do spend some time and money at the stalls too… there’s a good choice of keepsakes, as well as excellent food offerings…

Add in clean loos, a good selection of beers…oh, and a brilliant crowd of people… and you have the perfect festival package all sewn neatly up with a bow on top.

We arrived early on the Wednesday and saw things through almost to the bitter end… only leaving during the Manic Street Preachers headline show in order to complete a long overnight drive home.

As ever, we were sad to leave, but we came away with tonnes of musical memories.

For instance… these two little moments from The Bar Steward Sons of Val Doonican and Gurriers:

Just look at our growing list of ‘must see, they are on fire‘ bands on this Spotify playlist and check out how many you would have ticked off your bucket list at Bearded Theory…

Our New Favourite Band(s)… Getdown Services, Yard, and Smag På Dig Selv

There’s one other thing that makes Bearded Theory special for us… it’s almost guaranteed to provide us with a first look at our ‘new favourite band‘.

Over the years we have discovered Samantics, Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies, and many more here.

And for 2025 our ears twitched as we heard the Woodland Stage come to life with something that had hints of Yard Act, The Streets, and Mik Artistik… which promised something a bit special.

With no time to check the line-up we arrived in time to catch most of the set by Minehead’s finest purveyors of observational post-everything – Getdown Services.

Quite simply this is a band you need to check out… and there is plenty of opportunity, because they have that old-school tour ethic…

Seriously…these guys are FUN.

Are they ‘Britain’s Best Band’? Well their website says they are, so it must be true.

Two more to watch…

It was also great to see two other acts who we recently discovered at The Great Escape Festival playing Bearded Theory… these being Ireland’s hard-hitting electro-noisepunks, Yard, and Smag På Dig Selv, a three-piece Danish drum’n’sax combo who fuse jazz with something approaching metal, creating a truly mesmerising live show.

A photographic trip down Bearded Theory 2025’s memory lane

If you are harking back to the fields, jog your memories with these great photo galleries from Sara-Louise Bowrey…you can find even more over here ON FLICKR…

Adwaith ~ Alt Blk Era ~ Anoise ~ Ash ~ Bar Steward Sons of Val Doonican ~ Beans on Toast ~ Bentley Rhythm Ace ~ Billy Nomates ~ Bug Club ~ CLT DRP ~ Deadletter ~ Divorce ~ Dreadzone ~ Dream State ~ Du Blonde ~ Eighty Eight Miles ~ English Teacher ~ Ezra Furman ~ Fat Dog ~ Gaye Bykers on Acid ~ Grade 2 ~ Gurriers ~ Iggy Pop ~ Independent Country ~ Jess Silk Band ~ Lottery Winners ~ man/woman/chainsaw ~ Manequine Pussyy ~ Manic Street Preachers ~ Meffs ~ Menstrual Cramps ~ Midnight Rodeo ~ Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip ~ Molotov Jukebox ~ Muddy Summers and the Dirty Field Whores ~ Nadine Shah ~ Nbruise Control ~ Neds Atomic Dustbin ~ Nick Parker ~ Paul Heaton ~ Popes of Cilitown ~ Porridge Radio ~ Public Service Broadcastings ~ Shonen Knife ~ Sisters of Mercy ~ Smag Pa Dig Selv ~ Split Dogs ~ Terrorvision ~ The Pill ~ The Selector ~ Thee Headshrinkers ~ Trupa Trupa ~ Twat Union ~ W.I.T.C.H. ~ Yard ~ Yard Act

Adwaith

Web: https://adwaithband.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adwaithband/

Alt Blk Era

Web: https://www.altblkera.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltBlkEra/

Anoise

Web: https://anoise.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ANOISEBAND/

Ash

Web: https://ash-official.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ash/

Bar Steward Sons of Val Doonican

Web: https://www.thebarstewardsons.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarStewardSonsOfValDoonican/

Beans on Toast

Web: https://beansontoastmusic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beansontoastmusic/

Bentley Rhythm Ace

Web: https://www.bentleyrhythmace.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bentleyrhythmace/

Billy Nomates

Web: https://www.billynomates.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billynomates/

Bug Club

Web: https://thebugclub.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebugclub/

CLT DRP

Web: https://cltdrp.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cltdrp/

Deadletter

Web: https://deadletterband.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deadletterband/

Divorce

Web: https://www.divorceofficial.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divorceofficial/

Dreadzone

Web: https://www.dreadzone.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreadzone/

Dream State

Web: https://dreamstateofficial.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DreamStateUK/

Du Blonde

Web: https://dublonde.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dublonde/

Eighty Eight Miles

Web: https://eightyeightmiles.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EightyEightMiles/

English Teacher

Web: https://englishteacher.band/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnglishTeacherBand/

Ezra Furman

Web: https://www.ezrafurman.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ezrafurmanmusic/

Fat Dog

Web: https://fatdogband.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fatdogband/

Gaye Bykers on Acid

Web: https://www.gayebykersonacid.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gayebykersonacid/

Getdown Services

Web: https://getdownservices.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Getdown-Services-100092679500241/

Grade 2

Web: https://grade2official.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grade2iow/

Gurriers

Web: https://www.gurriers.ie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gurriersband/

Iggy Pop

Web: https://www.iggypop.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iggypop/

Independent Country

Web: https://independentcountry.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/independentcountry/

Jess Silk Band

Web: https://jesssilk.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessSilkMusic/

Lottery Winners

Web: https://www.thelotterywinners.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLotteryWinners/

man/woman/chainsaw

Web: https://manwomanchainsaw.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manwomanchainsaw/

Mannequin Pussy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mannequinpussy/

Manic Street Preachers

Web: https://www.manicstreetpreachers.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manicstreetpreachers/

Meffs

Web: https://meffs.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meffsband/

Menstrual Cramps

Web: https://themenstrualcramps.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/menstrualcrampsband/

Midnight Rodeo

Web: https://midnightrodeo.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midnightrodeo.band/

Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip

Web: https://www.mikartistik.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikArtistik/

Molotov Jukebox

Web: https://www.molotovjukebox.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MolotovJukebox/

Muddy Summers and the Dirty Field Whores

Web: https://muddysummers.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muddyandthedirtyfieldwhores/

Nadine Shah

Web: https://www.nadineshah.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nadineshah/

Bruise Control

Web: https://nbruisecontrol.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbruisecontrol/

Neds Atomic Dustbin

Web: https://www.nedsatomicdustbin.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NedsAtomicDustbinOfficial/

Nick Parker

Web: https://www.nickparkermusic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickparkermusic/

Paul Heaton

Web: https://www.paulheaton.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulheatonofficial/

Popes of Chilitown

Web: https://popesofchilitown.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepopesofchilitown/

Porridge Radio

Web: https://porridgeradio.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/porridgeradio/

Public Service Broadcasting

Web: https://www.publicservicebroadcasting.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/publicservicebroadcasting/

Shonen Knife

Web: https://www.shonenknife.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShonenKnifeOfficial/

Sisters of Mercy

Web: https://thesistersofmercy.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSistersOfMercyOfficial/

Smag Pa Dig Selv

Web: https://smagpadigselv.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmagpaDigSelv/

Split Dogs

Web: https://splitdogs.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SplitDogsBand/

Terrorvision

Web: https://www.terrorvision.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrorvisionofficial/

The Selector

Web: https://www.theselector.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theselecterofficial/

The Pill

Web: https://www.thepillband.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepillband/

Thee Headshrinkers

Web: https://theeheadshrinkers.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theeheadshrinkers/

Trupa Trupa

Web: https://trupatrupa.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trupatrupa/

Twat Union

Web: https://twatunion.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twatunion/

W.I.T.C.H.

Web: https://wearewitch.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearewitch/

Yard

Web: https://weareyard.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weareyardband/

Yard Act

Web: https://www.yardact.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yardactband/