Sucker for FM: A Festival Too Vital to End

Photo Credit: Celine Antal

Field Maneuvers’ 2024 edition was framed as its last: the end of an era, a funeral for one of the UK’s most singular underground festivals. The festival leaned into that finality with a tombstone at the site, while festival goers flooded Instagram with heartfelt tributes in the days after, celebrating the impact FM had on them over the years. It was a bittersweet close, with the event holding its own wake, RIP to a real one. And yet, behind the scenes in the production portakabin, the conversations had already started: could this really be the end? Perhaps not.

Good sense prevailed. “Now, we find ourselves wanting to do it all over again. But why? Well, mostly because of you lot,” the organisers admitted in a statement earlier this year. “You saved us with the crowdfunder, you supported us when we said it was our last party, and since then, we have been overwhelmed with your messages of support and love. You’ve given us the confidence to go again.”

Above: FM24 leaned into the finality of the festival, with a tombstone at the site. And yet, behind the scenes in the production portakabin, the conversations had already started: could this really be the end? Perhaps not.

After the jubilation of its survival came the more grounded question: what next? Could FM stretch its magic too far? The answer, the weekend proved, was no. They did what they always do. Field Maneuvers has never coasted on nostalgia or repetition; instead, it thrives on staying alert to the most urgent ideas and cultural currents, identifying and challenging them in ways few other festivals do.

There was a cryptic call out, mere days before the festival —“We Need A Hand”— asking festival goers to submit images of their hands for a new piece of FM folklore. The result was The Future is in Your Hands, a poster by Max Marshall and Alfie Allen emblazoned with the knowing slogans “back again by unpopular demand” and “FM forever.” It was a wink, but also a declaration: the festival belongs to its community as much as to its organisers.

The artwork was accompanied by a written piece by Chal Ravens. It was unflinching about the state of the world — genocide, repression, governments protecting arms deals over lives — and blunt in its challenge: what do we do with the freedoms we still have? As Ravens put it, it may be “cringe to suggest that a couple of thousand legends getting spannered in a field makes up the sharp end of the resistance,” but without those moments of release—queer joy, overwhelming euphoria, extremely sick dance music, fruities and darts, cigs and the rest — “how else would anyone summon the energy to do anything at all? To organise, protest, fight, dream, survive? That’s the sharp end of resistance too — just showing up, just moving together, just laughing in the face of it all.” That’s always been FM’s balance: a space for escape, yes, but one that’s never detached from reality.

Field Maneuvers once again shone a light on the UK’s grassroots electronic scene, welcoming some of the North’s finest collectives to the field. Leeds’ audiophile hub and community party haven Cosmic Slop, Sheffield’s queer-led DIY space Gut Level, and Newcastle’s DIY hub Cobalt Studios all brought their inclusive, carefully curated approach to sound and partying for the first time, injecting fresh energy into the festival—all while maintaining its intimate, no-frills ethos, a reminder that authenticity still matters, even on a sprawling Norfolk field.

New for 2025, Field Maneuvers worked away on thoughtful revisions to the site. This took form in the arrival of the ZeoZone: the festival’s ambient space reborn as the Pacifist Techno Sanctuary in collaboration with Zeobat. Designed as the softer landing for harder launches, the ZeoZone offered squishy surfaces, sensory stimulation and digital trinketry courtesy of artist Maria Vorobjova. Pure moods took hold from Friday at 9pm with a hypnotic live set from Vindya, an expert in Sri Lankan ritualistic music, easing dancers into third-eye territory. Beyond the stages, installations across the site further expanded FM’s immersive edge, blurring the lines between rave, art, and playground. Elsewhere, good old Sputnik returned bigger and better – no more queues, in the cavernous geo-dome sweatbox built to keep the energy flowing all night.

Photo Credit: Celine Antal

The debut of House of Garage proved a defining moment of FM 2025. Curated by FM family and UKG specialist DJ Sofa Sofa, it was Big Ang who stole the weekend outright. In the words of Field Maneuvers: bassline’s final boss. Her set was without doubt the performance of the festival – a feral, bass-soaked riot that sent the crowd into a full-blown dervish. Dropping bassline tinged reworks of classics from the likes of Sister Sledge – Lost In Music, Masters at Work – Work and Groove Armada – Superstylin, Ang’s Sheffield-rooted energy commanded one of the biggest, wildest dancefloors FM has ever seen. Big Ang commanded the Sputnik stage with such authority that Jeremy Sylvester literally bowed down to one of UKG’s true architects.

Jeremy Sylvester followed in equally iconic fashion, laying down pure 2-step and garage gold. Together, they transformed House of Garage into a pilgrimage point – a reminder of garage’s past and a blazing statement of its future with tracks from the likes of Bakey and Sami Virji also blared out.

Hyperdub’s stacked takeover kept the fire burning, with Kode9, Ikonika, and debuts from Cooly G and Nazar, capped by a freakcore-tinged set from aya that rolled seamlessly into a huge Sugababes closing.

In typical FM fashion, the festival was never just about the music. Its identity was equally shaped by large-scale art and installations that gave the site its atmosphere. Parker Heyl’s Jacob’s Wall made a triumphant return: a kinetic, mirroring sculpture that seemed to register the collective energy of the crowd, functioning like the pulse of the festival itself. Heyl—also responsible for Floating Points’ Sunflower System that adorned Silver Hayes at Glastonbury — once again delivered a piece that shimmered across the weekend, both reflective and alive.

 Above: Remember I'm Still Here by Emilia Evans-Munton's

Elsewhere, Emilia Evans-Munton’s Remember I’m Still Here became a surreal yet joyful focal point: the world’s largest sock puppet, stretching 18 metres of corduroy and straw into a sprawling “bed of solace,” at once absurd and strangely tender. Complementing these works, the festival also welcomed the return of U-Haul Dyke Rescue, who re-established their DIY sapphic space complete with its signature arm-wrestling arena.

On Saturday morning in Sputnik, Fencing Crew—one of the countless volunteers who have have made the festival happen over the years, supporting on— you guessed it, the fencing. They delivered a feel-good set that perfectly captured Field Maneuvers’ spirit. At one point they leaned over the railing, mic in hand, encouraging the crowd to get involved. Highlights included Underworld’s Two Months Off (2001), with its lyric “You bring light in / You bring light in to a dark place” hitting particularly hard. The steadily growing crowd over the course of their set was a clear nod to the crew who make it happen.

Photo Credit: Khris Cowley

The main stage felt more captivating than ever, particularly with the Dalston Superstore takeover. A standout moment came on Sunday when Someone Sunny went B2B with Smut Press to kick off the takeover. Their set featured multiple outfit changes, with physical signs held aloft, boldly declaring “RAVING HOMOSEXUAL” and “SOME PEOPLE ARE ANNOYING, GET OVER IT”, all performed to a backdrop of hilarious visuals of the Ibiza Final Boss, courtesy of AVVA Studio. Musically, it was a weird and wonderful medley, traversing genres from progressive house courtesy of POB (Boiler Original) and speed garage, through Soul-Mass Transit System’s Murderation, with dashes of hard house thrown in for good measure.

Jane Norman also played a crucial part when it came to the visuals in an outfit entirely made of fluorescent balloons, as they rotated with confetti blowing around and wind in their hair. A truly iconic moment -you can see the iconic entrance HERE. 

Dan Beaumont b2b Hannah Holland followed with peak queer excellence, a seamless blend of energy and precision that set the tone for the rest of the night. Midland then closed the Dalston Superstore takeover with sheer atmospheric mastery, culminating in a euphoric rendition of Donna Summer’s Sunset People. It was a clever, perfectly timed choice: the last night of the festival, a crowd riding the highs and bracing for the end, with lyrics like “Holdin’ on to the last breath of life / On sunset, on sunset” mirroring that bittersweet desire for the magic not to end Also on the main stage,.Paurro aka head honcho of aanjel smashed it on the Main Stage with a heady mix of tracks, including The Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up.

The Packet Inn felt more like a destination than ever, kitted out with a slew of sly details: a singing fish named Big Mouth Billy Bass mounted to the wall, a battered darts board, a fruit machine in the corner and a poster lazily declaring “CALL IN SICK.” Equal parts pub and club, it carried that familiar FM spirit of mischief while levelling up its energy. Across the weekend it hosted roof-raising turns from Wheelman, Lewis Lowe, Em & Stav, Ambient Babestation Meltdown, FAFF and Bethan, plus an unforgettable U-Haul Dyke Rescue takeover with Nadine Noor and Angel Maze. As the pace softened, Dom Kirtley and Barbs held things down on the piano, before Sybil signed it off with Souls Of Mischief’s 93 ’Til Infinity — one of our favourite moments of the weekend, a timeless flex that made leaving feel that bit harder.

Laika is the smallest and moodiest indoor stage, a three-peaked tipi with smoke hanging amid just-visible lights, and it played host to some of our favourite sets over the weekend. The Manchester label Bakk Heia Records takeover was a highlight, featuring Bitzer Maloney, HERC.M, and label partner Schuttle. Their acid-tinged vinyl set had a playful, unpredictable energy, with all three gyrating between decks as the tent gradually filled. A personal favourite came when Schuttle dropped Mr. Free – Time 2 Be Free, sending the crowd into a frantic frenzy. It perfectly captured the spirit of FM: intimate, chaotic, and full of life, as people stumbled in and found Laika eventually packed to the brim.

Elsewhere, The Gun returned for a psychedelic chugathon with Tia Cousins, Lena Willikens, and Vladimir Ivkovic paying homage to the late rave pub. Sputnik, meanwhile, welcomed Benton early with the classic My All by Mariah Carey (remix), before he joined Tasha and Richard Akingbehin to tear through the lasers and smoke. The tent quickly filled, a chaotic, euphoric hub that felt quintessentially FM.

Photo Credit: Celine Antal

Sunday at Field Maneuvers creates a special alchemy. With the weekend winding down and minimal sleep stretching every synapse, the crowd slips into a pretty unique state: where inhibitions dissolve, and total ridiculousness takes hold.We joined the pub quiz in the Packet Inn, which had everyone guessing the subtle crunch of different crisps, before heading outside, where Jacobs Wall felt more prominent than ever, reflecting a sea of people in fancy dress—spoons, aliens, and anything else the imagination could conjure, as is traditional on Sundays. As people danced, sweets were passed around stamped with “Sucker for a good time” and “I’m a sucker for FM.

Standout sets on the outdoor stage included ASHTREY, who solved all anxieties with Pussycat Dolls’ Don’t Cha into something gloriously chaotic, and a remarkable B2B from Shivum Sharma and J.Aria whose set peaked with Dusty Dan’s Watch Me Clang had the crowd spiraling in delight. As we stepped back, the audience erupted in cheer at a swan gliding low overhead, a fleeting, magical moment that perfectly captured the absurd, euphoric energy of a Sunday at Field Maneuvers.

Photo Credit: Celine Antal

Reflecting on the 13th edition event, the FM team share, “We probably should have written this a week ago, when we were still buzzing on-site, brimming with serotonin and reeling from what’s been our favourite FM yet. Hard to believe that this time last year we almost called it quits - there’s a timeline where none of this happened. We’ve made some wild life choices over the years, but ultimately we love putting on this party. It’s our small way of nurturing diversity, culture, creativity and, most importantly, fun.

This was our 13th edition - unlucky for some - but it feels like it’s taken us this long to really perfect the formula. If you were at those early parties, the set up isn’t a million miles off, just honed and refined. What makes it truly special is the people: the crews, the team, and the most loyal crowd we could ask for. The FM (worm) whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.

In a world that often feels fragmented, we feel very lucky to have the FM fam. No, three days in a field won’t solve the world’s problems, but a dose of collective joy goes a long way. Thank you to everyone who made it happen.”

Field Maneuvers has long been one of the UK’s most vital independent raves – run without sponsors, no big brands, and fuelled by community and underground culture. Over more than a decade, FM has built a reputation as a festival where the dancefloor thrives without ego, platforming the artists, labels and crews pushing club culture forward. A staple in the calendar, it continues to celebrate diversity across music, art and community while holding onto its intimate approach. The 13th edition reinforced this legacy, demonstrating how the festival’s ethos endures: three days of world-class sound, carefully curated programming, and a devoted crowd that embodies the spirit of FM. In doing so, it reaffirmed its singular place within the UK scene, not just as a festival, but as a touchstone for community-driven, forward-thinking club culture.

Tickets for Field Maneuvers 2026 [21–23 Aug] sold out in under 2 hours! Early bird tickets were limited.

Next on-sale: 10am, Friday 26 September

Weekend tickets, group-of-5 tickets, and deposit tickets will be available.

New pre sale link:

https://ra.co/pre/2243469