Jim King, Kamran Haq, and RCA exhibit excitement ahead of the anticipated performances by Charli XCX and Sleep Token.

Let's Talk Festival Headliners in 2025!

This weekend, the air is buzzing with excitement as we've got a double dose of fresh festival headliners! At Lido, Charli XCX's electric energy will light up the stage for the premier time, while Sleep Token takes the lead at Download.

In our latest Music Week issue, we had a chat with Jim King, CEO of European festivals for AEG Presents, which runs Lido, All Points East, BST Hyde Park, and Forwards Festival. Among the newbies headlining across those events are Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Raye, and Barry Can't Swim.

As Charli XCX prepares to rock Lido, King expressed his excitement, stating, "Her sold-out headline show at Lido shows that everyone is now coming to see her. It only gets bigger for Charli from here." Shortly after, Lido Festival continues in London's Victoria Park, where Turnstile, Charli XCX, and London Grammar await their turn to take the stage.

According to Jim King, Lido is just the start – the live sector is thriving! "There have been many artists in development over the last five years that are worthy of festival headline status. They have great music and a catalogue of songs that can keep a festival audience captivated for the 90 minutes – ultimately that’s the key."

Electronic music has played a significant role in this headliner shake-up, as King points out. "Electronic music still doesn't get the respect about headlining which is madness when you think about the last 30 years with Daft Punk, Kraftwerk, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy, etc. Not only are they as big as headliners from other genres, but their influence also underpins many of the other artists that we are talking about as headliners. Brat, for example, is unashamedly a dance record."

Moving over to Download, booker and promoter Kamran Haq shared his enthusiasm for Sleep Token, who is set to make their debut as headliners this weekend. "Sleep Token are going to throw everything at it, much like Bring Me The Horizon did in 2023 – it'll be special." Haq believes the decision to book Sleep Token was a no-brainer due to their popularity, as demonstrated by nearly 100,000 tickets they sold across UK shows last year.

Download's diverse lineup has been a key factor in attracting younger audiences, with approximately 44% of ticket buyers this year being first-timers. Looking ahead, Damaris Rex-Taylor, RCA UK MD, emphasized that Download remains crucial for Sleep Token, who are set for their debut headline performance. "The fact that they're only doing one live date in the UK over summer at Download, having that alongside the album release is going to just be a huge moment for the band."

The trend of fresh faces taking the lead in festivals doesn't look like it's slowing down anytime soon. According to Jim King, we can expect more newbies headlining next year and beyond. "If the artist is big enough and, more importantly, has the music and the show to carry off a headline show, then we will book them."

Check out the new issue of Music Week for the full scoop, including insights from CAA's Emma Banks, Steve Homer of AEG, Dugi Lipa, Ben Mortimer, and more! And don't forget to grab tickets for Charli XCX at Lido and Sleep Token at Download – it's going to be one unforgettable summer!

Charli XCX's electrifying performance at Lido is a testament to her growing popularity in the music industry, a trend that Jim King anticipates will continue, with more new artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Raye, and Barry Can't Swim headlining AEG Presents festivals in the future. Meanwhile, Sleep Token is set to make a splash as Download's headliner, demonstrating the festival's focus on diverse pop-culture entertainment.