Here are the must watch acts for each day of Radio One’s Big Weekend in Liverpool

Attention, this is not a drill! BBC Radio One’s Big Weekend is coming to Liverpool this year, and we kid you not, it’s about to be right on your doorstep.

Since 2005, the radio station has hosted the three day festival in different cities across the UK, with some huge acts ending up in some pretty weird places. Coldplay performed in Luton in 2024, if you get our gist.

However, this year’s festival is taking place right around the corner from literally every single student in the city. Sefton Park has become the home for Big Weekend 2025, and if you managed to snap up a ticket then you’re in for a proper treat. Since when have you been in walking distance from your student house to a festival site?

The line up for Big Weekend is packed full of well known artists, old and new. With the likes of Sam Fender and Blossoms on the list, as well as a back to back set from Aitch and AJ Tracey, there’s a bit of something for everyone.

If you’ve got your tickets sorted, but don’t know who to make time for to go and see, we’ve got you covered. These are our artist highlights for Big Weekend 2025 this May and trust us, you don’t want to miss any of them.

Friday

Why wait to ease yourself into a heavy weekend of pure bangers when you can throw yourself head first into arguably the best day of the weekend? Check out our picks of the bunch for the first day, and get that list on the notes app open, because it’s about to get serious.

Tom Grennan

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From that one Gillette advert that is stuck in your head 24/7 to charting with Becky Hill, this Tom Grennan has been on the music scene for a long time, and has deservedly earned his way into the big leagues. It’s a performance you’ll remember forever, and you can catch him on the main stage on the Friday night.

Esme Emerson

Could this be the most wholesome musical duo of all time?

Sibling duos in the music industry have a reputation for disaster – take Liam and Noel Gallagher, for example. However, this indie folk band is so peaceful and relaxing that it might be physically possible to argue when they play.

If you’re looking for a chill first day at Sefton Park then head to the Introducing Stage and give them a listen. Just imagine gathering your mates around on a sunny day to bop your head to some whimsy music to kick the weekend off. Sounds blissful.

The Wombats

They may spark a little bit of a university rivalry between your mates thanks to their Liverpool John Moores origins, but nothing screams summer in Sefton Park more than watching The Wombats play.

From the Krazyhouse to the O2 Academy, local indie rock outfit The Wombats will be blessing our ears once again. Tracks like Kill The Director will make you turn your heads (pun intended) from one stage to another – you’ll sprinting to the main stage to catch all the bangers, believe us. The trio have played in Liverpool dozens of times and they know exactly what they’re doing.

The Wombats are one of those bands where you just think, how many bangers can one band produce? It would be a serious mistake to miss these local icons – you’re literally in Liverpool, and everything seems the same. Sorry not sorry.

Saturday

Big Weekend’s line up for Saturday arguably blows every other festival out of the water. Grab your mates and some tinnies and get down to Sefton Park, and make sure you make a note of some of these artists to check out. If you’re into your indie rock, then you’re in for a treat all weekend.

Aitch and AJ Tracey

Put your phone in Aeroplane Mode because coming live and direct to the New Music Stage is Aitch and AJ Tracey, with an iconic back to back set. Yes you heard right, two of the most popular rappers in the UK are performing back to back, in Liverpool, aren’t we lucky?

This weekend is really for everyone with an extremely varied lineup, and if you don’t typically listen to indie, rock or rap, why not try something new? You’re bound to enjoy it either way. Part of the uni experience is exploring new music, places and meeting new people, this weekend ticks all three of those boxes.

Blossoms

Unless you’ve been elsewhere since 2013, you’re bound to have heard a couple of songs from this huge indie rock outfit. Following the release of their new gorilla-stealing themed album Gary, Blossoms have toured across the UK and have sold out five nights in a row across Manchester, with support acts like The K’s and Overpass.

They’re catchy, relatable and just so good. The only reason these guys are second on our list is because the competition is just so fierce for the weekend – nothing screams festival vibes more than watching Tom Ogden bounce around on stage.

Sam Fender

After the recent league cup result, this Geordie icon might get a couple of boos from mourning Liverpool fans, but it’s safe to say Sm Fender is literally taking over the UK. The build up for his brand new album People Watching has soared him straight into the charts again – and it was absolutely worth the wait.

2025 is the year of Sam Fender, and with Big Weekend getting a Little Bit Closer every day, we are getting just that little bit more excited. Even if you’re going on your own because your flatmates aren’t Good Company, Sam Fender really knows how to make things Alright. Excuse the puns.

Sunday

It may seem hard to top the line-up for Friday and Saturday, but there are still some incredible names heading to Sefton Park to close out Big Weekend this year. From some up and coming local artists to a TikTok famous singer, the BBC have really pulled out all the stops to make it a weekend to remember.

Keyside

The four local lads who make up Keyside has really upped its game in the last six months, and the effort they’ve put in on TikTok has started to pay off. Their music covers themes of the proper Liverpool student culture and is bound to go down a treat on the Sunday afternoon.

They’ve supported Blossoms, who funnily enough are also appearing over the weekend, and their growing fanbase on Spotify will be glad to hear they’re also playing at Sound City across Liverpool city centre this year too. If you’re looking for a gateway into this band, we advise giving Angeline or Nikita a quick listen – these tracks are filled with powerful lyrics and catchy choruses, and will definitely hit the spot on the Sunday.

Lola Young

Realistically, she was always going to make the list, let’s be honest.

If you don’t recognise the name Lola Young then fair enough, but you’re bound to know her new hit song Messy. It’s not surprising that this tune is a popular one amongst students, as a song about not cleaning your room and being severely unemployed kind of sums up our university lifestyle.

With over 40 million monthly listeners, this South East London popstar has taken over TikTok, and now she’s taking the stage in Sefton Park. If your For You Page wasn’t already full of this song, now you’ve got the chance to hear it live. Success.

Mumford & Sons

It’s almost impossible to walk down Ranelagh Street and not hear a pub artist covering either Little Lion Man or I Will Wait.

With three songs with over half a billion listens, Mumford & Sons is truly the nucleus of the folk music scene and have been an icon in the genre since 2009. Connecting emphatically with listeners across the world, the band has deservedly been awarded with an array of prestigious accolades from BRITs to Grammy’s awards. The band have got what has to be one of the best catalogs of collaborating with artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and even Pharrell Williams.

Mumford & Sons will be on the Main Stage on the final day of what will be a fantastic weekend of music for all to enjoy. If we stayed to cover all of the must watch acts this weekend, we’d miss the actual gigs!