Black Country punk duo BIG SPECIAL will take to the stage at Stockton’s Georgian Theatre on Saturday, April 19th – with FINN FORSTER headlining at KU, THE PADDINGTONS scheduled for The Social Room and MELANIE BAKER taking the top slot at The Green Room.
Chris Cobain, co-programmer for Stockton Calling and venue manager at The Georgian Theatre is excited about the new headline bookings;
“We’ve been keeping an eye on Big Special for some time, so the opportunity to bring them into Stockton and feature them at The Georgian Theatre was too good to turn down – and having the opportunity to feature local boy Finn Forster as a festival headliner is a sign of how healthy the
Teesside music scene is at the moment.
“The Paddingtons are long standing Teesside favourites – but they’ve never actually played Stockton Calling before, and getting Melanie Baker to top off The Green Room stage is a fantastic booking. We can’t wait until they all come to town next Easter.”
Stockton Calling will return for its 14th edition next year. The festival has taken place on Easter Saturday since 2010, also making it the longest running event of its kind in the North East. The festival attracts crowds of music fans into Stockton town centre for the day - boosting trade across
local pubs, restaurants and food outlets – with around 2,000 people making a beeline for the town.
Organisers of the 2025 festival have also recently announced that Maximo Park will headline the ARC Stage.
The upcoming festival will feature an array of local, regional and touring artists, including slots from Marina Josephina, Imogen & the Knife, Casino, Freddie Halkon, Adult DVD, Alien Chicks, Arkayla, Currls, Home Counties,Avalanche Party, Baby Said, Blackout the Arcade, Dressed Like Wolves, Freddie Halkon, George Bailey, Look Terrified, Loren Heat, Marketplace, The Cheap Thrills, The Joshua Hotel, Weathership and Zela.
Fellow co-programmer, Jimmy Beck of KU is looking forward to the event;
"Stockton Calling is a cornerstone of the local cultural calendar. We're once again thrilled to bring people together to celebrate music, community, and creativity in 2025.
“The bookings announced so far, and some we’ve still got up our sleeve are making for a very exciting 2025.”
Stockton Calling is co promoted by Tees Music Alliance, ARC and KU Promotions - and the festival sees stages being presented in a range of venues across the town centre, featuring scores of bands performing from early afternoon onwards.
Tickets for 2024 are now available at www.stocktoncalling.co.uk - selling at the same price as last year, £40 for the full day including all booking fees.
