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Lost Minds 2025 – The complete line-up deep dive
Your comprehensive guide to the bands and DJs set to deliver earth-shaking sets at Lost Minds 2025
One of the UK’s newest festivals, Lost Minds is making a triumphant return to Newcastle for its fourth iteration on Saturday 12 July, 2025. And while it might be a youngster compared to some of its more established peers on the circuit, Lost Minds has already cemented its status as a haven for bass-heads.
With a brand new home in Exhibition Park, this year’s Lost Minds is set to go bigger and harder than ever, showcasing the very best of trance, hardcore and every conceivable strain of techno across four epic stages. Social media chatter has inevitably remained fixated on German rave phenoms Scooter, who will be taking their infectiously fun sound to Lost Mind’s Main Stage for the headline slot, but this year’s line-up also boasts artists from the cutting edge of dance music, with highlights including Ben Nicky, Billy Gillies and Newcastle’s very own Schak.
With all the action packed into a single day, you’ll want to plan carefully to make sure you don’t miss your favourite acts, so treat this guide as your trusty companion…
Main Stage
Scooter
German electronic music has a history of taking itself seriously. Kraftwerk tackled themes of loneliness in an increasingly digitised world, Tangerine Dream released a musical trilogy inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy and Berlin techno temple Berghain is infamous for turning away anyone who looks like they’re psychologically capable of having fun. And then there’s Scooter, who for the last 32 years have been cranking out gloriously cheesy bangers and singing about how much they paid for the fish that inhabits their studio aquarium (‘How Much Is The Fish’). Along the way they’ve become Germany’s most commercially successful single-record act, with tracks like ‘The Logical Song,’ ‘Hyper Hyper’ and ‘Fire!’ topping charts the world over. Earnestly silly and entirely devoid of pretension, you can be sure that Scooter will be delivering a set packed with their most nostalgic hits when they take to Lost Mind’s Main Stage to deliver this year’s headline slot.
Ben Nicky
![Ben Nicky LIVE at Belsonic 2024, Belfast [FULL 4K SET]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/icf_CPskYlk/0.jpg)
Ben Nicky first started turning heads in 2021, when his remix of Faithless’ legendary record ‘We Come 1’ became a fixture at elite clubs throughout Europe. It didn’t take long for the Bristol native to prove he wasn’t a one-hit wonder, with the raucous rumbles of ‘Dirty Rave’ and the breathless acid-riffs of ‘Survive It’ establishing him as one of hardstyle’s brightest rising stars. But as impressive as Nicky is in the studio, it’s when he’s behind the decks that the magic truly happens. A Ben Nicky set is as varied as it is unpredictable, with euphoric synths abruptly giving way to vicious basslines, and he’s known for scattering in wildcard records that dependably make the crowd erupt. And if that isn’t enough to convince you that his Main Stage set at Lost Minds 2025 is not one to be missed, take a moment to consider the ringing endorsements his performances have received from the likes of Pete Tong, Armin Van Buuren and Diplo.
Billy Gillies
![Billy Gillies - DNA (Loving You) [feat. Hannah Boleyn] [Official Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qGDsMXdQoyI/0.jpg)
Trance has always retained a devoted following, but, with a few notable exceptions, it’s been largely absent from the charts in recent years. ‘DNA (Loving You)’ is one of those exceptions. Billy Gillies’ best-known track, the record rocketed to the number nine spot on the UK Singles Chart in July 2023. Hannah Boleyn’s understated, enigmatic vocals certainly helped, but Gillies’ production – which is in turns melancholic and uplifting – clearly struck a chord that resonated with the kinds of listeners who would ordinarily hit the skip button whenever trance comes on. The Northern Irish producer has since perfected his emotionally complex take on the genre with melodically rich belters like ‘Fair’ and ‘Nostalgia,’ and his sets tend to elicit closed-eyed contemplative swaying and frenzied raving in equal measure.
Symmetrik
If you check out the SoundCloud bio of Belgian duo Symmetrik, you’ll find a simple promise: ‘WE PLAY STRICTLY BANGERZ.’ As anyone who’s ever been to one of their shows will readily attest, they’re not lying. The pair – who decided to form a joint project when they kept getting booked for back-to-back DJ sets – burst onto the scene in 2017 with the record ‘Irrelevant,’ a collaboration with Synymata and QAila. Although the track’s shimmering synths and punchy, stilted percussion suggested that Symettrik were destined to follow in the footsteps of future bass trailblazers like Flume, it wasn’t long before they found their footing in the trance scene. Ever since, they’ve been churning out euphoric fist-pumpers like ‘Caroline,’ ‘Listen to Your Heart’ and ‘Dance With Me,’ building a deeply loyal fanbase in the process.
Schak
An offshoot of eurotrance, Mákina exploded in popularity in Spain during the early 90s before, somewhat unexpectedly, becoming a staple of North East England’s rave scene. It’s from that scene that Schak emerged at the tail-end of 2022, fully artistically formed, his debut release ‘Moving All Around (Jumpin’)’ racking up an astonishing 18 million listens on Spotify. In the wake of the track’s success, Schak wasted no time demonstrating his flair for live performance, holding impromptu DJ sets in train stations (and, on one occasion, a B&Q) and quickly amassing a loyal following on social media. It didn’t take long for industry heads to start taking note, with Schak turning in official remixes for James Hype and Dillon Francis and releasing tunes on Patrick Topping’s label Trick. Given the fact that Schak is a Newcastle native, it’s safe to predict that energy levels for his Lost Mind’s debut will be off the charts.
KIMMIC
Growing up in Dundee, Keiran McLean and Christopher McComiskie didn’t have access to a dance music scene that could inspire their early attempts at making records. This is probably why their own music defies categorisation, with the duo blending elements of hardcore, bouncy techno and trance to create a sound uniquely their own. Unsurprisingly, this has proved to be a winning formula, with KIMMIC’s very first single ‘Never Miss a Beat’ dropping on Universal’s iconic Polydor imprint. Follow-up records ‘No Come Down’ and ‘Party Girl (Gonna Do)’ – both released on Armada – showcase different sides to KIMMIC’s repertoire, the former mournfully melodic, the latter a party anthem seemingly constructed with the sole purpose of whipping crowds into a frenzy.
Looking for more EDM A-listers? Check out Johnny Burn, Stephanie B, and CamrinWatsin, also playing on the Main Stage.
Cream
Bryan Kearney
Dublin-born DJ Brian Kearney has been making music since he was 19, with his breakout coming in the form of ‘Exactly,’ a 2006 collaboration with fellow Irish trance icon John O’Callaghan. Over the subsequent decades, Kearney has established himself as one of the leading lights of the trance scene, and he’s been instrumental in turning tech trance into one of the genre’s most successful offshoots. Kearney also releases moodier material under the aliases Karney and Key4050, and you can expect some of his grittier tracks to punctuate the soaring melodies of records like ‘Angel Child,’ ‘Take Me Away’ and ‘Shine A Light’ when he headlines the Cream stage at this year’s Lost Minds.
Will Atkinson
Glaswegian bass connoisseur Will Atkinson is proud of his refusal to restrain himself to one genre, with his music veering between tech, trance, techno, electronica and progressive… often within a single track. ‘Mind Body Soul’ shows off Atkinson’s more aggressive musical impulses, all thunderous bass and jagged synths, while ‘2 Times’ sees him indulging in playful melodic hooks that are kept solidly ravey by a gritty, syncopated bassline that runs throughout most of the record. As you might expect, Atkinson’s aversion to conformity also applies to his live performances, and he delights in catching ravers off-guard with his mixes and mashups.
Aly & Fila
Egyptian trance superstars Aly & Fila have graced the line-ups of the world’s most prestigious dance music festivals, and this year they’re bringing their progressive trance sound to Newcastle. Since breaking onto the scene in 2003, the duo have developed a reputation for crafting hits that take listeners on emotional journeys, with recent record ‘Count On Me’ – which features the haunting vocals of longtime trance icon Jaren Cerf – and fan-favourite ‘The Unknown’ making for obvious examples. When Aly & Fila step up for their headline set on Lost Mind’s brand new Cream stage, expect long, luscious breakdowns, driving basslines and plenty of moments that will have you involuntarily reaching for the sky.
Looking for more euphoria? Don’t miss Sneijder, Ben Gold, Nifra, Marlo, and Chris Metcalfe, also playing on the Cream stage.
Second Speed
Rebekah
If you like your techno fast and furious, you’ll probably find yourself spending much of Lost Minds 2025 camped out in front of the new stage hosted by local promotion Second Speed. And that means you’ll be lucky enough to catch Rebekah’s set. A leading figure in the resurgence of industrial techno, Rebekah started out her showbiz career as a glamour model before realising she was more interested in crafting face-meltingly distorted beats that could pass as the soundtrack to the end of the world (and we mean that in the best way possible). Records like ‘Bodies,’ ‘How Could This Be?’ and ‘Voodoo Drop’ display a musical style that can best be described as “relentless,” and Rebekah’s live performances aren’t for the faint of heart. For those with endurance, however, her set is likely to be one the standout moments of this year’s Lost Minds.
Dyen
Dyen is very much a product of Rotterdam’s rave scene, and his music pays homage to the gabber and hardstyle that soundtracked his formative years. But there’s nothing derivative about Dyen’s sound – which he describes as “neorave” – and it’s clear that he views genre conventions as something to be occasionally acknowledged, but mostly ignored. Take ‘MDMA,’ which ditches the crushingly distorted kicks common to hardstyle and swaps them for a pulsing acid bassline. Or ‘ENERGIEHAL,’ which breaks up frenetic drops with joyful chord sequences. Of course, Dyen still has plenty of brutality to offer those craving the thrills of old school hardstyle, with tracks like ‘Thunder’ and ‘All Eyes On Me’ unleashing the kind of monstrous rumble-kicks and guttural screeches that penetrate deep into your soul.
PARKERSTRANGE
Although Bonnie Strange and Selma Parker have only been releasing music as PARKERSTRANGE since early 2024, the German duo – now based in Ibiza – have been making records separately for years. Their current project grew out of a fashion and art collaboration, and the pair have swiftly established themselves as one of the most innovative acts in techno, with records like ‘BAD BOY BAD GIRL’ and ‘Devil’ catching the attention of fans and industry tastemakers alike. Embracing everything from the moody minimalism of Berlin’s techno underground to the thrashing, head-banging hardstyle popular in Rotterdam, PARKERSTRANGE are set to put on a masterclass when they make their debut at Lost Minds 2025.
Looking for more deep, dark techno bangers? Make sure you catch Alex Farell, Datsko, Jason Cluff, and Circo, also playing on the Second Speed stage.
Hard Minds
Technoboy ‘N’ Tuneboy
If you were to distill Technoboy ‘N’ Tuneboy’s sound into a single formula, it would be something like this: ferocious kicks, grizzly bass and synth-lines dripping with malice. If that sounds like a bit of you, then you’ll want to make sure you get to the Hard Minds stage in plenty of time to catch the Italian duo’s debut set at this year’s Lost Minds. Champions of hardstyle since long before it was cool, Technoboy ‘N’ Tuneboy have developed a reputation for laying down thunderous sets, although they’re not opposed to giving fans a brief melodic reprieve before they get back to unleashing teeth-rattling bass behemoths.
Rebelion
Scottish duo Rebelion don’t discriminate when it comes to distortion, mangling bass, drums, synths and even vocals until they’re barely recognisable. Rising up through the hard techno ranks before fully embracing rawstyle, Rebelion have proved time and time again that few other artists share their appetite for sheer savagery, although tracks like ‘City Lights’ and ‘Rock tha Party’ reveal that they can also conjure up melodies when the fancy takes them. Since joining forces in 2014, Rebelion have traveled the world putting sound systems through their paces, and this is exactly what they’re going to do when they take over the Hard Minds stage for their headline slot.
Bloodlust
Bloodlust’s tracks usually fall into one of two categories: darkly ominous or outright apocalyptic. Fortunately, those happen to be the exact moods that most rawstyle fans live for. Since staging a hostile takeover of the scene in 2019, Bloodlust has earned acclaim with his exquisitely distorted synths and merciless basslines, which he often juxtaposes with unexpectedly delicate vocals. The Dutch producer first made a name for himself with his record ‘Imma Boss,’ which found a home on Warface’s legendary End of Line imprint, before cementing his supremacy with follow-up thrashers ‘Samurave,’ ‘The Assassins’ and the appropriately titled ‘Smash Your Brain.’ Whether you’re a rawstyle fan or just in the mood for a good old-fashioned sonic assault on the senses, Bloodlust’s Lost Minds set isn’t one you’ll want to skip.
In the mood for more uptempo madness? Don’t miss Sickest Squad, Mish, Deadly Guns, Reklus, and Techno T, also playing on the Hard Minds stage.
Lost Minds comes to Newcastle’s Exhibition Park on Saturday 12 July. Find tickets here
