Twisterella Festival Announces First Wave for 2025: Swim School, Adult DVD, Scrounge + More

Middlesbrough’s beloved multi-venue music festival Twisterella is back for its 11th year, and the first wave of its 2025 lineup is already proving it’s not here to mess around.

Taking place on Saturday 11th October, the award-winning festival will see venues across the town — including Teesside University Students’ Union and the crypt beneath Middlesbrough Town Hall — taken over by some of the most exciting names in new music.

Scottish dream-grunge trio Swim School headline this year, bringing their slick, emotionally-charged sound — somewhere between Wolf Alice and Slowdive — to the North East, fresh off the back of supporting Inhaler and gearing up to release their debut album. Joining them at the top of the bill are Adult DVD, the irreverent Leeds dance-rock outfit whose 2024 banger Do Something became a BBC 6 Music favourite and soundtracked a string of sold-out shows.

Also announced: Scrounge, Y, Irked, Roller Disco Death Party, Nature Kids, Smith And Liddle, Champ, Blackout The Arcade, Parissa Zarifi, Dossers, and Middle Management — a genre-blurring mix of rising names and local legends that proves Twisterella is still the place to catch tomorrow’s headliners, today.

Festival co-promoter Henry Carden says:

“Everybody knows about the challenges facing grassroots music… but we’re incredibly proud to once again be bringing some of the brightest and best emerging artists to our town. Whether it’s old friends or brand new discoveries, we’re absolutely buzzing with how this year’s line-up is taking shape.”

As ever, we’ll be tracking our top picks — from essential listens to potential breakthrough sets — on the BabyStep Essentials: Twisterella 2025 playlist. Expect bold hooks, big moments, and the kind of live energy that’s made this festival one of the most vital fixtures on the UK’s new music calendar.

🎟 Tickets are on sale now.