Review: Kendal Calling 2022 - Supergrass, Bastille, Stereophonics review

With masks, social distancing and furlough, it’s been a tough few years for British festivals.

Kendal Calling has bounced back from a Covid-enforced hiatus, with a packed lineup and ambitious scale.

The Lake District staple has billed itself as being accessible and family-friendly, while still offering a traditional music festival feel.

With two children, aged nine and 12, we set off up the M6 in the hope of them developing a finer appreciation for ‘mum and dad’s music’.

Our journey to Lowther Deer Park - slightly closer to Penrith than to Kendal - goes smoothly until we enter the site and hit a 90 minute-long queue into our designated campsite car park.

From there we manage to find our pre-pitched tent and off to explore the site itself. Kendal Calling started back in 2006 with just a few hundred people, a field and a PA system.

Over the years it's morphed into one of England’s biggest music events, hosting household name acts and building up a loyal following.

The footprint of the site is massive - boasting an enormous main stage and over a dozen smaller stages and performance areas, as well as cinema tent, kids area and facilities including massage tents, phone charging and storage.

A lot of time and effort has gone into creating the Lost Eden forest zone, with an attractive light up display and more chilled out forest stages for acoustic acts.

The lineup for the four-day event is generally geared towards a more mature crowd, with headliners The Stereophonics, Supergrass and Bastille fondly remembered by festivalgoers in their late thirties and older.

While there’s plenty to entertain younger audiences, support acts including Sophie Ellis Bextor, Craig David, Gabrielle and Hot Chip, consolidate the nostalgic vibe.

Wan