Mercury-nominated corto.alto and NME-tipped JD Cliffe among first wave of acts announced for Brighten The Corners Festival 2025 in Ipswich, which will be headlined by post-punk powerhouse Dry Cleaning.
The big picture: Brighten The Corners Festival will return for its fifth year on 13 and 14 June, featuring performances across five stages throughout Ipswich.
Why it matters: The festival's initial lineup reinforces Ipswich's growing reputation and status as a shining light in the UK's grassroots music scene, bringing together established names and emerging talent across multiple genres.
Dry CleaningMax Miechowski
The details: Twelve diverse acts have been revealed in the first wave of announcements, with more artists, including a second headliner, to be confirmed. The first wave of acts includes:
Post-punk powerhouse Dry Cleaning, known for their critically acclaimed albums New Long Leg and Stumpwork, are the first headliner to be announced
Lime Garden, one of the UK indie scene's most exciting new bands
corto.alto, the Mercury Award-nominated project of multi-instrumentalist Liam Shortall
Gruff Rhys, Welsh indie icon and Super Furry Animals frontman
JD Cliffe, dubbed 'UK rap's newest rockstar' by NME
W. H. Lung, Manchester's forward-thinking synth-pop outfit
Experimental avant-pop duo Mermaid Chunky
Jazz-electronic fusion group oreglo
Folk innovator Rich(ard) Dawson
Noise rock outfit THE NONE
Seven-piece art rock ensemble The Orchestra (For Now)
Ibibio Sound Machine at the Corn Exchange at BTC Festival 2024Kezia Tan
What they're saying: "We are so pleased to announce the initial wave of artists for our 2025 event including Dry Cleaning, our first headliners, who we have been trying to entice to Ipswich since their first single back in 2019," says Marcus Neal, Programmer.
What's next: Further artists, including the second headline act, will be announced in the coming weeks.
The bottom line: Now established as a fixture in the UK's independent festival circuit, Brighten The Corners continues to champion both emerging and established artists while positioning Ipswich as an important cultural destination.
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Electronic music event WREKT has established itself as more than just another night out, offering a platform that honours the rich cultural heritage of jungle and DnB while showcasing both legendary pioneers and emerging talent.
A recontextualisation of electronic music
The resurgence of electronic music in recent years marks a return to the forefront of global music culture. With more and more events popping up around the UK, this doesn't just feel like a nostalgic reminiscence of electronic music (and its sister genres), but rather a recontextualisation of electronic music within a modern framework. It feels inspired.
Mixing and MCing has always been about storytelling. WREKT is an electronic event, having organised three events, prioritising DnB and jungle sets from globally renowned DJs, such as Fabio who played at the most recent event, and emerging underground talent.
WREKT at The Baths in IpswichFaith Hussain
A brief history of DnB and jungle music
In the early 90s, the sound of jungle fused with heavy breakbeat to form DnB. Fabio & Grooverider were some of the first DJs to transform classic jungle beats into jungle drum'n'bass. Their weekly Thursday night sets, 'Rage', at Heaven in London, blended genres like house, acid, and techno into one, inspiring experimentation and the formation of completely new sounds. Fabio & Grooverider are the godfathers of DnB, (Mixmag, 2019). Without their avant-garde approach to music, drum and bass would never have evolved.
As well as a form of musical expression, DnB (and Jungle) was a direct response to social and economic disenfranchisement, offering a space for expression, especially for Black British youth. Both jungle and DnB were formed from the sounds that the Windrush community brought with them in the 1940s onwards.
The Windrush connection
Post WWII, the United Kingdom faced a severe labour shortage, thus inviting citizens of the Commonwealth to Britain to help rebuild. Many Caribbean people answered this call and migrated aboard HMS Windrush; however, they faced a hostile environment upon arrival with long-term racism, colour bars, police brutality and alienation.
Included in this marginalisation was the musical output of the Windrush generation, whose impact on British society and the multiple genres of music we know and love today often goes completely unrecognised.
Jungle was born from despair. It was a form of cultural expression for London's lower-class urban youth. The post-Thatcherite United Kingdom of the early 1990s had left many young people feeling disillusioned and negative about their futures. Jungle acted as an output to reflect these feelings too.
In the 90s, pirate radios such as Kool FM, and raves, were extremely important for the spread of DnB and jungle and allowing DJS and MCS to make themselves known.
WREKT at The Baths in IpswichFaith Hussain
A continuation and development of the roots sound
Speaking to RedEye Records, a co-host of WREKT, they explained that "What we are listening to now is a continuation and development of the roots sound, which in turn borrowed from other adjacent sounds… Wrekt is a mix of DJs, MCs, sound system, venue and ravers. In each of these aspects we aim to always bring the best."
WREKT aims to give equal voice to known DJs and MCs as well as up-and-coming ones. These sounds are, refreshingly, being spread in person, through word of mouth, and through events like WREKT.
WREKT was a brilliant amalgamation of soundsystem culture, the development of roots sounds of jungle and DnB, and people of all ages coming together to appreciate this music as well as the just as important historical context of it. The 90-minute set of soulful jungle flavours from Jet Li and Response was just perfect for those (like myself) who prefer a bit more of a funk/dub-inspired sound to lead into a more Dnb-heavy night.
More than a night out
Fabio was mindblowing to see live. His ability to blend grooves with heavy basslines felt nostalgic but fresh. As one of the originators of the genre, along with Grooverider, he helped shape the entire sonic landscape of drum and bass from its earliest days; it was insane to see such a pioneer in the flesh. His set was ecstatic and had everyone bouncing on the dance floor.
I also really appreciated female DJs being included, like DJ Angelle. Historian Julia Toppin suggests that the history of jungle and DnB was told predominantly from a white-male perspective (Toppin, 2022). It's so refreshing to see equally talented Black female DJs be given the space and limelight to grow their following. I've found that unfortunately a lot of women in music, specifically male-dominated genres like electronic music, are often seen not for who they are or what they bring, but in contrast to men — as the "other" or simply the opposite of a male artist, rather than being recognised on their own terms.
WREKT is not just a night out – it's a reminder of the roots, resilience, and evolution of a rich musical scene.
"Anything with true value sticks around once established for good reasons" – RedEye Records, 2025
