KAISER CHIEFS + RAZORLIGHT + THE CRIBS + THE HOOSIERS + MASTER PEACE + WESTSIDE COWBOY – BRIGHTON BEACH 27.7.25
Arriving for the final day of the 2025 ‘On The Beach’ festival on a warm and overcast afternoon at the Madeira Drive beach site in Brighton, there was a palpable sense of anticipation about this afternoon’s carefully curated line-up of mainly indie bands, many of whom had enjoyed chart and commercial success which mostly came in the first decade of the 00s but still retain large and loyal fanbases.
However, the first two acts on the line-up were relatively new to the music scene in comparison, so as a new music fan, I ensured I arrived early to see them, which turned out to be a very good decision.
First up were Manchester four-piece Westside Cowboy who delivered a raw, jubilant set that cemented their breakout status. Their self-coined ‘Britainicana’ sound—blending punk vigor, country twang, and folk-rock riffs—burst to life with tracks like ‘Alright Alright Alright’ and the weird, wild and wonderful ‘Strange Taxidermy’.
The band, led by Jimmy Bradbury and Aoife Anson-O’Connell, radiated infectious energy, their ragged harmonies and distorted guitars teetering thrillingly on chaos.
Despite an early slot, those who had made the effort to be there were rewarded with a dynamic performance that marked them as indie’s next big thing and proved their ‘Glastonbury Emerging Talent’ win was no fluke. I’m certain we’ll be seeing them much higher up on future festival bills.
As the beach site began to fill further, the energy was dialled right up with a vibrant set from London-based artist Master Peace and his two band-mates.
Fusing indie, pop, and electronic beats, tracks like ‘Get Naughty’ and the absolutely sublime ‘I Might Be Fake’, had much of the pebble-strewn crowd up off their backsides and on to their feet. His raw charisma and playful stage presence were infectious, while sharp lyrics cut through the gentle sea breeze.
For the final track, Master Peace leapt over the barrier and into the crowd to finish his final track ‘Home’, (to which he’d taught the crowd the words), and they joined in enthusiastically to ensure the finish built to a crescendo. Having released a debut album last year, Master Peace’s star is most definitely on the rise. Definitely one to watch!
Next up were glamorously-attired Indie pop four-piece The Hoosiers who launched straight into their catchy 2007 UK No.5 hit ‘Worried About Ray’, immediately getting the crowd singing and setting the tone for the rest of what proved to be a fun set.
Throwing in a trio of covers Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ with an interesting falsetto, a great version of Chappell Roan’s UK No.1 ‘Pink Pony Club’ and their take on Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’ which didn’t quite have the same impact as the other two.
The set closed out with another 2007 hit ‘Goodbye Mr A’ which had the crowd once again singing along, and ended with what looked like a tribute to Hulk Hogan with a wrestling move between singer Irwin Sparkes and keyboardist/trumpeter Alan Sharland. A very entertaining 45 minutes.
Our fourth performers of the day were Wakefield trio The Cribs, a band that I have to confess had hitherto passed me by completely, even though they’ve been around since 2001 (Johnny Marr being a member from 2008-11), so I’m not really sure how. No matter, this was a tight, fierce, nostalgia‑charged 20th anniversary set in celebration of their second album ‘The New Fellas’ which was played in its entirety, in track order.
The set comprised gritty anthems fused with unbridled indie energy that pulsed through the crowd, the acoustics working superbly in the open air space. Stand out tracks for me were ‘Hey Scenesters!’ and ‘Men’s Needs’ and it proved to be a triumphant celebration of their album’s legacy — loud, proud, and very much alive!
I’d been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Razorlight as I’d not caught them live before, a ten year hiatus from 2009-2019 being one of the reasons. Standard lamps being placed around the stage signalled their arrival and right on cue the London four-piece strode onto stage and opened with the anthemic 2006 hit ‘In The Morning’, the modus operandi of the bands this afternoon appearing to be ‘open with a banger’.
Delivering a high-tempo set that blended nostalgic hits like ‘Golden Touch’ and ‘Somewhere Else’ with fresh tracks from ‘Planet Nowhere’, Johnny Borrell’s striking stage presence and the band’s tight musicianship proved to be a winning combination.
Speaking of winning, I had to feel for Razorlight as half-way through their performance, England’s women’s football team were involved in the penalty shootout that won them the European Championship. Unfortunately for the band, a large section of the crowd wanted to witness the drama so had positioned themselves behind the giant relay screen mounted on the back of the sound desk where the match was being shown. Huge scenes of celebrations broke out but thankfully, it didn’t put the band off their stride and as consummate professionals, they kept calm and carried on as dispersing members of the crowd quickly returned forward towards the stage. My favourite Razorlight track, their 2006 UK No1 hit ‘America’ rounded off what had been a triumphant appearance.
It’s 20 years since Leeds Indie-rockers Kaiser Chiefs released their breakthrough debut album ‘Employment’ and their headline show was all about celebrating this seminal album, playing it in full. Walking out on stage to ‘Walk The Dinosaur’ by Was (Not Was), you knew immediately the Kaiser Chiefs were up for fun, charismatic frontman Ricky Wilson whipping up the crowd from the get-go.
As the album was being played in track order, the set opened with three absolute crackers namely ‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’, the anthemic ‘I Predict A Riot’ and personal favourite ‘Modern Way’, the sort of tracks usually reserved for an encore, thus the rest of the set would be a hard act to follow! But the Kaisers more than achieved it, playing out the rest of the album in electrifying style, the crowd joining in particularly vociferously on ‘Oh My God’ whilst the striking background visuals drew the eye.
A feature of many of the Kaiser Chiefs songs are catchy hooks, driving rhythms, and memorable lyrics that demand sing-along enthusiasm, commanding a high level of crowd participation during the songs from young and old alike and so it proved this evening. The second part of the 1 hour 25 minute set was opened with a superb cover of the Ramones ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’, to which the band more than did justice. This part of the set also featured their only UK No.1 ‘Ruby’, which again reverberated via the audience around the beach site. The penultimate track ‘Coming Home‘ was dedicated by the band to the aforementioned victorious England Lionesses.
The final track of the night and indeed the 2025 ‘On The Beach’ festival was their 2007 release ‘The Angry Mob’, a perfect choice blending punk attitude with social commentary and infectious rebellion. The band’s nostalgic yet dynamic set coupled with timeless songs proved why they still remain popular indie rock titans.
Once again, the ‘On The Beach’ festival has proven to be an outstanding success, a very well organised event now in its fifth year and held across two July weekends that has now become an essential part of the Brighton music calendar, attracting visitors from far and wide. After an exhilarating 7 days of stellar performances, the promoters have set an extremely high bar for 2026…Bring it on!
linktr.ee/kaiserchiefsofficial
In the meantime, you can read our reviews of the previous six days of entertainment at this year’s ‘On The Beach’ festival – Enjoy:
Day One: Friday 18th July – Bonobo
Day Two: Saturday 19th July – Eric Prydz
Day Three: Sunday 20th July – Bloc Party
Day Four: Wednesday 23rd July – The Human League
Day Five: Friday 25th July – Drum’N’Bass Allstars
Day Six: Saturday 26th July – Carl Cox
