Music
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Forest Live line-up deep dive
Your guide to who's playing Westonbirt Arboretum, Cannock Chase, Delamere and Thetford Forests this summer
England’s forests are coming alive this summer with the sound of Busted, Sting and Snow Patrol. Forest Live returns to Staffordshire, Cheshire, Suffolk and Gloucestershire this June, bringing some of the biggest and best names in music to the country’s loveliest outdoor woodland stages. The line-ups are as packed and varied as ever across all four sites, meaning there’s plenty to pick from if you want to curate your own perfect summer festival. Here’s our handy guide to the highlights to get you started…
The headliners
Blossoms
Delamere Forest on 21 June
The Stockport heroes are the most reliably good-time headliners in indie right now. Since breaking out of their hometown scene, they’ve become one of the biggest bands in the country, regularly selling out whole tours within seconds and appearing on massive festival stages. From the psych-rock inflected bangers of their early days to the slinky ‘70s aesthetics they’ve cultivated in recent years, their infectious hooks and winking lyrics keep them rising above the pack. Tracks like ‘There’s A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)’ and ‘Gary’ are sure to get big reactions, but none as euphoric as their beloved first-album single ‘Charlemagne’.
Busted
Delamere Forest on 19 June
Come on, you know you still remember the words to ‘Year 3000’. The cheeky pop-punkers once graced teenage bedroom walls across the country, and while they’ve grown older, broken up, got back together again, and reinvented themselves multiple times, the magic is very much still there. Mischievous anthems like ‘Crashed The Wedding’, ‘Air Hostess’ and ‘What I Go To School For’ are as unshakeable as ever; and as they close out their set with their time-travel-themed smash hit, you’ll be belting out lines about triple-breasted women like no time has passed at all.
The Script
Thetford Forest on 20 June, and Westonbirt Arboretum on 22 June
These Irish pop-rockers won us over with heart-on-sleeve singles like ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’, ‘Breakeven’ and ‘For The First Time’, and moved further into pop stardom with the Will.i.am-featuring UK and Irish No.1 ‘Hall of Fame’ and the unstoppably anthemic ‘Superheroes’. Each one of those is sure to get the crowd roaring along as they headline Thetford Forest and Westonbirt Arboretum.
Other big hitters playing this year include Twin Atlantic (Delamere Forest on 19 June and Westonbirt Arboretum on 21 June), Rag’n’Bone Man (Delamere Forest on 15 June and Thetford Forest on 18 June) and Tom Walker (Thetford Forest on 20 June and Westonbirt Arboretum on 22 June)
The legends
Sting
Westonbirt Arboretum on 18 June, and Cannock Chase Forest on 27 June
If there was ever a man who needs no introduction… Still, here’s a brief run-down. Born Gordon Sumner in Wallsend, Tyneside, he earned his mononymic nickname from a black-and-yellow jumper he used to wear while playing jazz around Newcastle. In 1977, he formed The Police, the reggae-inflected new wave band that became one of the best-selling bands of all time. His equally successful solo career began in 1985. Now at 73, fifteen albums in and with more Grammys than he’s had school dinners, he’s not slowing down. His long setlists are stuffed full of Police and solo hits, which is sure to make for an unforgettable experience.
Nile Rodgers & CHIC
Cannock Chase Forest on 25 June
Rodgers formed the innovating disco band CHIC in 1972, with which he penned huge hits like ‘Le Freak’, ‘Good Times’, ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ and ‘Everybody Dance’. He also wrote a host of other iconic disco tracks including Sister Sledge’s ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’ and ‘We Are Family’ and Diana Ross’s ‘I’m Coming Out’ and ‘Upside Down’. As a producer, he’s worked with Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, David Bowie, Daft Punk and a whole lot more. His setlist includes all of this and more, and the good vibes are absolutely undeniable.
Billy Bragg
Westonbirt Arboretum on 20 June
The folk-punker has been a feature in both the musical and political landscapes of the country since the 1980s. A staunch left-winger, he’s been outspoken in song and beyond, leading to songs such as ‘There Is Power In A Union’ and ‘Rich Men Earning North of A Million’. His most famous number, ‘A New England’, became a hit when Kirsty MacColl covered it, and Bragg now includes her additional verse as a tribute when he plays it live. He’ll be appearing at Westonbirt Arboretum opening up for Paul Heaton and Rianne Downey – an incredible line-up.
Plus, don’t miss The Brand New Heavies (Cannock Chase Forest on 25 June) and Beverley Knight (Delamere Forest on 14 June and Thetford Forest on 21 June)
The Northern powerhouses
Elbow
Westonbirt Arboretum on 19 June
Forming in Manchester in 1990, Elbow made a splash when they released their debut album ‘Asleep in the Back’ eleven years later, which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won the band their first Brit Award. They later won the Mercury for their fourth album, Seldom Seen Kid; the rapturous single ‘One Day Like This’ featured in the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony, becoming one of the UK’s best-loved songs. It’s a song for getting on your mate’s shoulders or throwing your arms around a loved one.
James
Thetford Forest on 19 June and Cannock Chase Forest on 28 June
One of the cornerstone Madchester bands, James’s feel-good tunes like ‘Sit Down’ and ‘Laid’ are some of the standouts of the era. They’re no nostalgia act either. In recent years vocalist Tim Booth has written about the pandemic, Donald Trump and AI, all with a constant sense of musical innovation. With an expansive nine-piece band, and 18 albums across 40 years to choose from, their live show is something truly special.
Shed Seven
Thetford Forest on 19 June
The Britpoppers from York had ‘90s hits with tracks like ‘Going For Gold’, ‘Getting Better’ and ‘She Left Me On Friday’. After a four-year split, the band reunited in 2007, and have released three albums since – including their first No.1 album with ‘Liquid Gold’. Like many of the bands on this lineup, they walk the line between glorious nostalgia and constant evolution – and they’re sure to bring a setlist that has room for both.
Also representing the North this year: Billie Marten (Westonbirt Arboretum on 19 June) and Jamie Webster (Thetford Forest on 19 June and Cannock Chase Forest on 28 June)
The 00s kids
Razorlight
Cannock Chase Forest on 28 June
Johnny Borrell’s outfit has been going more-or-less continuously since 2002, becoming NME favourites in the mid-2000s with hits like ‘America’ and ‘Golden Touch’. Borrell recently brought the classic lineup back together again for the band’s latest album, ‘Planet Nowhere’, which has tracks with titles like ‘Taylor Swift = US Soft Propaganda’. Expect rock-star antics and a tight, no-frills tour of those Noughties indie-rock classics.
Snow Patrol
Delamere Forest on 13 June, Westonbirt Arboretum on 17 June and Cannock Chase Forest on 26 June
‘Chasing Cars’ became a monumental hit for the Northern Irish band when it was featured on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. The simple, brilliant love song has a hook that’s sure to bring chills when the band headline three of the four Forest Live venues. And they’ll be putting on a show no matter what — as guitarist Johnny McDaid proved when he recently played a gig with two broken hands.
The Coral
Westonbirt Arboretum on 19 June
Merseyside lads The Coral have been bringing excellent ‘60s-style psychedelia since they broke out as fresh-faced teenagers with their 2002 debut The Coral. Maybe you saw the silly music video for ‘Dreaming Of You’, or heard it in Scrubs or any number of adverts. While that tune is immortal, recent work like the double concept album Coral Island is equally great. They’ll be supporting Elbow at Westonbirt Arboretum, which makes for a cracking combo.
The national treasures
Gary Barlow
Delamere Forest on 14 June and Thetford Forest on 21 June
The Take That man may not have had any monkey-business biopics made about him this year, but he’s still the hitmaker behind the likes of ‘Back For Good’, ‘Patience’ and ‘Greatest Day’. He’s had an enviable solo career too, from his 1997 platinum-certified debut Open Road to the 2020 orchestral feat Music Played by Humans. You can expect crowd-pleasers from all across his career when he headlines Delamere and Thetford Forest – perhaps including a duet with opening artist Beverley Knight, with whom he recorded the track ‘Enough Is Enough’.
McFly
Westonbirt Arboretum on 21 June
They were the successors to Busted in the all-popping, all-punking not-quite-boyband era, but McFly had a little extra something – throwing in surf-rock, doo-wop and later orchestral flourishes to their endearingly hormonal pop-rock. They were the youngest band to ever have an album go straight to number one in the UK, taking the crown from none other than the Beatles (and indeed, for a while, McFlymania was the new Beatlemania). These days, they’re still making incredibly fun albums, most recently 2023’s rockout Power to Play, and their gigs are both a trip through memory lane and a feel-good party.
Paul Heaton (with special guest singer Rianne Downey)
Westonbirt Arboretum on 20 June
The prolific songwriter first made his name with the Hull indie-pop band The Housemartins, followed by the break-away group The Beautiful South. Both bands had a slew of top-10 singles and influenced countless artists. Meanwhile, Heaton has been regularly releasing solo records since 2008, culminating in the most recent, The Mighty Several. His dry sense of humour, social incisiveness and ear for melody is the common thread across all of his output, making him one of the UK’s most legendary songwriters.
The next gen
Devon
Westonbirt Arboretum on 21 June
The solo artist from Gloucestershire has been making a splash online with his heartfelt yet danceable alt-pop. His latest single, ‘Bigger Ideas’, sounds like The 1975 crossed with Sam Fender, and we can only assume there’ll be more massive tunes coming from him before this summer. He’ll be appearing at Westonbirt Arboretum in support of McFly and Twin Atlantic, and it’ll be well worth getting down early for him.
Seb Lowe
Delamere Forest on 21 June
The Manchester artist is decidedly the next big thing in indie, bursting through the gates with politically-charged indie-punk that’s impossible to ignore. He’s already played some huge gigs, including Reading & Leeds, Glastonbury, and support slots for the likes of Blossoms and Inhaler. He’s back with Blossoms at Delamere Forest, bringing some incendiary energy to the night.
SOAP
Delamere Forest on 19 June
These fun-loving young rockers are bringing the spirit of Busted and Blink-182 into 2025. Their huge choruses and hilarious lyrics (“Post Sex Ping Pong” anyone?) are matched only by their goofy and super fun music videos. There’s no way this band is anything other than a great time live — as they’ll prove when they open proceedings for Busted and Twin Atlantic at Delamere Forest.
And don’t miss Elles Bailey (Delamere Forest on 15 June and Thetford Forest on 18 June), Gavin James (Thetford Forest on 18 June), Kerr Mercer (Delamere Forest on 15 June) and The Guest List (Delamere Forest on 21 June)
Photo credits: Kieran Frost, Jim Dyson, Karwai Tang / Getty
