On The Meadow 2025 | Signature Brew, London (19/07/25)

Returning for a second year, grassroots new music festival On The Meadow stormed Signature Brew.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Returning for a second year, grassroots new music festival On The Meadow stormed Walthamstow’s Signature Brew.

The idea came from entrepreneur Emergency Break frontman Leo to create a low-cost festival celebrating new music, and this year’s lineup was even bigger than before. Across two stages, punters had opportunities to see a mixture of indie rock and acoustic music.

Despite heavy rain bringing the acoustic stage into the main room, altering set times on the day, the festival was a triumph. Every artist had their moment to shine, debut new music and reach new audiences.

This year, the festival brought Larkins, The Kairos, Emergency Break, Saint Clair, Laurie Wright, Artaca, Stereo Cupid, Harri Larkin, Archangels, Mega Sun Machine, Chris Daley, Fraser Morgan, LEO and Tom MCQ.

On the main stage, there was an abundance of fiery new bands that demand your attention. Notable highlights from the day included Saint Clair and Stereo Cupid, both delivering blistering rock and roll. The latter was quite literally just that, continuing to play with blood smeared all over their guitars.

Owners and curators of the festival Emergency Break hit the main stage in the early evening and were bursting with energy. Frontman Leo bounced onto stage immediately, throwing water into the crowd and thrashing into their rowdy DIY indie rock. We’ve been covering the London-based band for a while, but this was our first time catching their set, and the hype behind their dynamic shows is warranted. Later on in the set, there were several stage dives and mosh pits, a few of which involved Leo. Overall, the band is incredibly tight and the fact that they didn’t bill themselves as headliners while owning the festival was a testament to their ambitions for the festival and in the grassroots scene.

Over on the acoustic stages, we caught moments from Laurie Wright, LEO and Chris Daley, all of whom delivered stellar performances. Laurie Wright, particularly, who closed the stage, really commanded the crowd effortlessly.

Finishing the main stage off included The Kairos and Larkins. The former is an incredible band hailing from Liverpool, and one to watch for the future. They’ve already been making waves in the scene after supporting The Reytons, and their shows are jam-packed with heart and soul. Heavy hitters Suspend and Keep It On The Low went down a storm, and cemented the band as one which could’ve headlined the day.

Larkins, on the other hand, have been away for some time. Acknowledging this early on, saying ‘we never know when our last show will be, we just do this for fun’, the four-piece power through a string of new tracks before offering the hits. When frontman Josh Noble joked that some of these should’ve been bigger, he was not entirely wrong. Their charming hooks and clever lyricism on the likes of TV Dream deserve far more recognition. The set was brilliant, and a great way to close a day of new music. Larkins are back in full force, and we’re here for it.

On The Meadow 2025, that was one to remember. We’ll see you again next year - who’s coming down?

Now, it’s your turn. Give it a spin, and tell us what you think on Insta or X.