NEIGHBOURHOOD WEEKENDER 25’ Review
On the 24th and 25th of May Warrington's mighty Neighbourhood Weekender returned to Victoria Park. After taking a break in 2024, the North West's biggest indie party was back and better than ever.
With a line up stacked full of household names, and an entire stage dedicated to the best in emerging talent there’s really no better place to discover new music.
Here’s what we got up to:
Saturday
The Viola Beach Stage was where we spent most of our Saturday afternoon, enjoying the sun for a few hours (once it eventually appeared), and checking out some incredible emerging talent. The stage was opened by The Beaumonts before new-age soon-to-be grunge icons Keo assumed their places under the now iconic rainbow umbrellas. A very exciting band spearheaded by brothers Finn and Conor Keogh, with a sound and aesthetic that makes them the perfect ‘recommend listening’ for fans of Fontaines DC and Wunderhorse.
Next up were Arkayla, an indie outfit from Manchester that really offer something different to an unfortunately saturated scene. Frontman Cal’s heartfelt song writing and The Smiths-esque guitars really set them apart. The Neighbourhood crowd clearly agreed, with the band drawing one of the biggest crowds of the weekend at their stage, with fans taking to their friend’s shoulders for well loved single ‘Ella Malone’.
Of course, we had to make sure to get a good spot for our April Artist Feature, The Guest List. Watching the Manchester based outfit really feels like watching a band on the cusp of something much larger. Front man Cai Alty’s haunting vocals and earnest stage presence are captivating yet subtle, allowing the emotion in his lyrics to shine through. Their rendition of new single ‘Plasticine Heart’ was a perfect example of this, with the band holding back for the complex vocal moments, then going full throttle – a track that is somehow ethereal, dark and moody all at the same time.
Then it was time to head over to the Main Stage, where some of Scotland’s finest in the form of Amy Macdonald and the mighty The Snuts had been warming up the crowd nicely.
Next up were brit pop ‘B listers’ Ocean Colour Scene, who although put on a great performance, felt as though they just didn’t quite have the crowd. Although ‘The Day We Caught The Train’ was of course met with a basically site wide sing along, the rest of the set did feel a bit flat. Sad I suppose as we did hope for a little more, but then again what can you really expect from a band that hasn’t released any new material in well over 10 years.
Now The Wombats on the other hand are a band that have managed to diversify and stay at the forefront of popular culture, despite releasing their debut ‘The Wombats Present ... A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation’ almost 20 years ago. The perfect festival band, with a back catalogue absolutely wedged with bangers and oozing with nostalgia for anyone in the 25-35 age bracket. And the large crowd that had assembled weren’t disappointed, as the band commanded the Main Stage as though they were the headliners. From new single ‘Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come’ to ‘Lemon to a Knife Fight’ and ‘Kill the Director’, the crowd hardly stopped for breath in between belting out the choruses to their irresistibly catchy tunes. The appearance of the now famous Wombat costumed backing dancers during breakthrough ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ brought the perfectly planned set to a perfect end.
90’s Manchester icons James closed out the proceedings for the day, returning to Neighbourhood Weekender for the first time since 2021. The festival is known for bringing some of music’s most esteemed and celebrated artists to Warrington, with Pulp, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, and Noel Gallagher all previous headline alumni.
The unmistakable intro to ‘Johnny Yen’ rang out over Victoria Park as the band appeared on stage, with Tim Booth dressed in an oversized grey slouchy beanie hat and white sheepskin coat, which was met with roars from the crowd. A fitting welcome for one of the industry’s most dynamic frontmen, who proceeded to perform his signature elaborate dance moves throughout the hit filled set. ‘She’s a Star’ was a definite highlight, with Tim heading down to sing among the dedicated throng of fans bellowing words back at him from the barrier, while revellers towards the back were spinning hand in hand dancing in the rain. Although some of the newer tracks didn’t quite hit the mark for any casuals as much as the more popular songs, it’s great to see a band as long established as James still putting the same time and energy into creating new music.
Sunday
On Sunday, the sun didn’t even try to make an appearance as we trudged back to Victoria Park battling torrential rain, wind and even a bit of hail. Despite the at times biblical downpours, our fellow revellers seemed in good spirits with a large crowd already assembled at the main stage patiently waiting for Dublin’s indie poster boys Inhaler. A regular feature at Neighbourhood Festival, the band have worked their way up the line up, from playing the Viola Beach Stage at the festival‘s inaugural event in 2018, to now playing to thousands on the Main Stage. This growth in popularity appeared to come with a growth in confidence, with front man Elijah Hewson strutting around the stage as though it was his birth right – (some might say it is but we won’t get into that).
Despite the relentless downpours, the band’s set was still one of the day’s highlights with a full rainbow appearing above the crowd for latest single ‘A Question of You’.
We made a dash over to The Big Top where one of 2025’s most talked about bands was about to take the stage. Originally envisioned as a solo project for front man Jacob Slater, Wunderhorse was never meant to get as big as it has, which is how all great things start in our opinion. Watching them in 2025, although now much more popular thanks to the virality of singles ‘Purple’ and ‘Teal’, it still feels like watching a band teetering on the edge of superstardom, despite giving the vibe that they never really wanted it in the first place. Thanks to fantastically executed lighting and staging, the set felt intimate and raw despite the large size of the tent, an important factor considering that their songs are so lyrically complex and emotional.
Hearing Slater belting out “Can you feel the rain” while the elements battered the outside of the tent is the stuff that life long festival memories are made of, and is a moment we’re sure not to forget in a hurry.
Next up was CMAT, who should be everyone’s favourite country pop princess, (sorry Swifites). For those that haven’t yet caught the redheaded singer from Dublin live, you really are missing out. From the moment she enters the stage to the moment she leaves, she absolutely gives it her all, and Neighbourhood was no different. From throwing herself on the floor, to doing synchronised dance moves with her “sexy CMAT band”, CMAT is a born entertainer. Although never appearing showy, CMAT really has a knack for making you feel as though you’ve been personally invited to watch a performance in someone’s living room, with her personable on stage demeanour.
An artist that doesn’t take life too seriously, never mind herself, CMAT is single handily putting the fun and frivolity back into pop music. But that doesn’t mean her songs don’t tackle some of life’s most serious subjects. Pausing before performing latest single ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’, she explains the harrowing story behind the song, that was written in response to hateful comments left under videos of her performing. Despite the seriousness of the song, in classic CMAT style she managed to find the light in the situation, and so did her fans, who all joined in with the now viral TikTok dance at the chorus.
The Big Top was closed out by 2000s hip hop icon Dizzee Rascal, who undoubtedly takes the crown for loudest set of the weekend. Any fears of this being more of a ‘novelty’ booking, were quickly diminished, from the moment Dylan Kwabena Mills (or Dizzee as he’s more commonly known) stepped out onto the Big Top stage. He brought the ‘Holiday’ vibes to a rainy little corner of Warrington, with the crowd bouncing from the front to the back for the entirety of his set.
With lasers and highly stylised graphics, the party atmosphere was set, uniting new fans and millennial ravers for one night only. ‘Dance Wiv Me’ of course went down a storm – a personal favourite of ours. But there could only be one song reserved for the big finale, 2011’s era defining single ‘Bonkers’ which had the crowds singing the chorus long into their walk back to Warrington Centre.
For news on Neighbourhood Weekender, head to https://nbhdweekender.com/ .
