Here’s the line-up of every major festival in 1995… and it actually isn’t very different to how they’ve shaped up 30 years later

Now that we are right in the thick of festival season, there is no better time than give Doctor Who’s Tardis a Portaloo makeover and head back to the summer of 1995, the summer of Britpop, of Oasis and Blur’s battle for chart supremacy when the country had already shown its true colours by sending Robson & Jerome to Number One for weeks on end, of Robbie leaving Take That, of Skunk Anansie and The Verve having a competition to see who can play the most festivals. As Supergrass’ timeless indie classic of the season might say, summer 1995 was alright. It was more than alright. Thanks to a heatwave that went on from June all the way through to August, it was perfect festival weather. 'But what were the line-ups like?!', I can hear you ask, which you are well within your rights to do because you clicked on an article promising to show you all the festival line-ups in 1995. Well, they were absolutely stellar and, umm, a bit like the ones in 2025 really. At least no-one could moan on social media about them back then. Right, get on your bucket hats and pack your wet wipes, we’re going in…

Glastonbury

Beginning with the big one. Glastonbury celebrated its 20^th anniversary in 1995 and put together a suitably champion line-up with Oasis, The Cure and The Stone Roses all headlining on the Pyramid Stage. Well, that was the idea anyway: what actually happened was Stone Roses guitarist John Squire broke his collarbone in a mountain biking accident in California and the band had to pull out. In stepped Pulp as last-minute replacements, Jarvis Cocker & co. rising to the occasion with an era-defining set that helped make Pulp indie superstars. Also on the bill: PJ Harvey, Jeff Buckley, Supergrass, The Prodigy, The Charlatans, Massive Attack, Black Crowes, Soul Asylum, The Verve and more. Were Skunk Anansie on the bill? Yes. What about The Verve? Also yes.

Reading

With the introduction of its sister festival in Leeds still four years away, Reading put on a top-drawer line-up at the end of August. In contrast to today’s expansive, genre-fluid event, this was an era when Reading still paid heed (mostly) to rock heritage. Smashing Pumpkins headlined on the Friday night, unveiling a raft of songs from their forthcoming third album Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness alongside Billy Corgan’s shiny new Zero long-sleeved T-shirt, with Neil Young, backed by members of Pearl Jam, closing the festival on the Sunday night as part of the tour to support their collaborative album Mirror Ball. In between, the festival flexed its alt muscle with a headline slot for experimental synth-pop dynamo Björk. Notable mentions for high-up-the-bill showings from Green Day, Hole and Soundgarden and an iconic set on the Melody Maker stage from Dave Grohl’s new band Foo Fighters. Also on the bill: Paul Weller, Beck, Tricky, Pavement, Mudhoney, Ash, White Zombie and more. Were Skunk Anansie on the bill? Yes. What about The Verve? Also yes.

Phoenix Festival

A short-lived event, Phoenix took place on an airfield on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon. Launching in ’93, it was meant to be a competitor to Reading and Glastonbury but punters never really took to it. They were able to attract decent line-ups, though, and 1995 saw headline slots from Bob Dylan, co-headlining with Britpop progenitors Suede, Faith No More, who had also headlined two years previously, and Paul Weller, at that point in the midst of a creative and commercial resurgence in the wake of his third solo album Stanley Road. Also on the bill: Bob Dylan, Bodycount, Public Enemy, Brand New Heavies, The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Biohazard, The Verve and more. Were Skunk Anansie on the bill? No! What about The Verve? Yes.

Monsters Of Rock

The precursor to Download, Monsters Of Rock was an 80s and 90s rock staple that got a bit of a Metallica makeover in ’95. The festival had struggled for a few years and this was in essence a Metallica show, the event dubbed Escape From The Studio – the band took a break from recording Load to make the trip to Donington. Joining them for the one day event in late August were Therapy?, Skid Row, Slayer, Slash’s Snakepit, White Zombie, Machine Head, Warrior Soul and Corrosion Of Conformity. Were Skunk Anansie on the bill? Unfortunately not. What about The Verve? No, they wouldn’t have made it out of there alive.

T In The Park

The Scottish knees-up had only launched a year prior but was already well into the swing of things, putting on a heady mix of indie titans and poppy chart-toppers in year 2. Paul Weller headlined on the Saturday, joined onstage by Noel Gallagher at one point, with Manchester dance-pop crew M People heading up the bill on the Sunday. But there was still plenty to check out if you didn’t know your Search For The Hero from your elbow, with Therapy?, Black Grape, Terrorvision, The Prodigy, Supergrass, dEUS, Kylie Minogue, Tricky and more also on the bill. Were Skunk Anansie on the bill? Yes. What about The Verve? Also yes.

Féile

This Irish festival moved location from Thurles, County Tipperary to Cork in 1995 and marked the occasion with an absolute corker of a line-up. In the top spots were The Prodigy, coming off the back of their game-changing second album Music For The Jilted Generation, Parklife-into-The Great Escape-era Blur and The Stone Roses (we assume John Squire had recovered by this point). The rest of the bill was a proper buffet of 1995 excellence: Tricky, Black Grape, The Beautiful South, Elastica, Orbital, Paul Weller, Massive Attack, Underworld, The Chemical Brothers and more. Were Skunk Anansie on the bill? No. What about The Verve? Yes.