Rain at a British festival? At this point, it’s almost tradition. By early afternoon, ponchos were out, socks were soaked, and no one batted an eye. Because this is what we do: we don’t cancel plans, we dance harder. And at LIDO Festival, the rain didn’t dampen the mood. It amplified it.
What could’ve been a washout became one of the most joyful, community-led, musically rich days of the summer. At the centre of it all? Jamie xx, curating a lineup that reflected his love for club culture, collaboration, and emotional release. His vision carried the entire day, from sweaty tents to surprise reunions to one of the best closing sets of his career.
Things started with a bit of chaos, fitting, really. Jamie’s much-hyped B2B with Skrillex didn’t go down on the main stage as expected, but inside the sound tent. Tight, chaotic, completely packed. Despite the stripped-back setting, it still landed some high points, like their hyped-up flips of Jump Around and Apache. Not perfect, but it kept people moving.
Alongside over in Stage 2, the open-sided blue tent, the energy snapped into focus with an opening set by Villager sporting a Apple TV severance inspired blue cap and mysterious sounding beats to match. Before long the time came for Tim Reaper to turn up the energy hard with rapid jungle and strobes slicing through the rainlight, pulling in drenched punters like a magnet. Later joined by a hype man and Shy FX for a B2B that tipped the whole thing into full rave mode: people dancing like it was 1994, inflatable giraffes waving overhead, someone in a party hat leading the charge. It was sweaty, chaotic, and totally euphoric, the kind of set that makes the rain feel like part of the design.
Over at The Floor, the vibe steadily built. Stresshead opening 13:30 the first act of the day, followed by tight, bass-driven sets from Shy One, livwutang, and Wookie. By the time DJ Harvey took over for a three-hour trip through house, disco, and curveballs, the tent was fully locked in, sweaty, loose, and euphoric. The low lighting, haze and closed environment make for a unique and alternative party environment.
DJ Harvey turned the tent into a fever dream with a genre-spanning three-hour masterclass that ended with Time of My Life, completely ridiculous, absolutely perfect.
Elsewhere the Main Stage kicked off with music from the talented Jamaican vocalist and DJ John Glacier whose powerful vocals made the crowd not care about some drizzle. Caught in a short tech hiccup she joked “I’m from Jamaica, I know how the sound culture works”.
Following on from John Glacier, Panda Bear delivered one of the most transportive sets of the day. Backed by a full five-piece band,guitar, keys, drums, tambourine, the sound was rhythmic, textured, and just the right side of surreal. There was a looseness to it all: slightly psychedelic, slightly golden, with lighting that shifted from warm amber to trippy visuals without ever feeling forced. Umbrellas popped across the field like mushrooms as the rain kept coming, but no one moved. People stayed put, swaying, listening, feeling it.
Meanwhile, DJ Gigola delivered one of the most energising, connected sets of the day. She danced, blew kisses, made eye contact with fans. “The rain brought the energy in,” she said, and she wasn’t wrong. Her set felt like a celebration.
Heading back to the main stage once again, Sampha brought calm intensity to the Main Stage. Dressed in white alongside his band, the set glowed with soft purples and orange hues, gradually building in colour and emotion. His vocals were powerful but never forced, shifting easily between slower ballads and more driving rhythms. “Today’s a special show, my family are here,” he said, adding extra weight to an already moving performance.
Back at Stage 2, Todd Edwards and Bullet Tooth gave us glitchy, garage-meets-now energy. Todd vibing in a cloud of smoke, Bullet Tooth silent in full black with his bold signature signet ring that could also be seen digitally behind him, the contrast only making it cooler. Nina Archives smashed it with a packed tent, a fierce build-up and a bass-fuelled finale that had people screaming. Genuinely.
Seeing the main stage have added lights flanking a mic stand to the middle front, anticipation was building for the futuristic sci-fi visuals of Arca. She came onto stage in style sporting a glamorous futuristic outfit her striking red skirt being flung around adding contrast to her all black outfit during her sometimes cheeky dance routine. Impressing new fans in the crowd, many expectations exceeded by the set.
Meanwhile closing out now overflowing and rammed Stage 2 was Romy, It was clear that the crowd where out in force for Romy not just to shelter from some rain. Now with the mic and musical gear moved to front of stage the set was for sure a more energetic and intimate one. Romy runs on stage joining her “Musical Director” Luca Perry (they/them). Romy spent most of her time jumping around only breaking to sing a few lyrics into the mic with power.
And then time for a sea of fans to flood back over to Jamie’s headline set.
The way it was built, emotionally, sonically, felt deliberate but not over-designed. He opened with a wild, acid-soaked version of Gosh, then dropped into a slow-bloom rework of Life that melted everyone. His command of tone is unreal, no hype, just control. Then came the gentle nod to the city: It’s a London Thing, subtle but spot-on.
Moments unfolded one after the next.
Oliver Sim appeared from the crowd for GMT, before joining Romy and Jamie for Waited All Night, SeeSaw, and Loud Places. No overproduction, just the three of them doing what they do best. The crowd response? Huge.
Then: the screens lit up with footage of Oona Doherty dancing, to her own song Falling Together. It was low-key, moving, and so very LIDO: art bleeding into music, into the crowd, into everything.
LIDO 2025 wasn’t a party in spite of the rain.
It was a party because of it.
From curated chaos to club-level connection, Jamie xx built a day that felt truly lived-in, full of joy, movement, and moments that’ll stick long after the mud’s washed off.
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