AN Indie star best-known as the frontman of The Libertines is the first headliner to be announced for the return of Southend's newest festival next summer.

Back for its second year, the Lazydays Festival is set to light up Southend’s Priory Park once again in 2025 with live music and craft drinks.

Pete Doherty, the iconic frontman of The Libertines and Babyshambles, will be bringing his band to the park on the evening of Saturday, July 26 as the festival returns. The event spans the weekend of July 25 to 27, featuring four sessions and four unique line-ups.

Doherty, will deliver a mix of his own material alongside crowd classics, with fans awaiting an upcoming solo album from him. Earlier this year, The Libertines’ latest album, All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, shot to number one on the UK Album Charts—their first release in nearly a decade.

“This is just the start of some big announcements for Lazydays’ second edition,” artistic director Elliott Waters said. 

“After our fantastic launch in 2024, we’re thrilled to return to Priory Park, with a bigger and better line-up with a whole host of special guests, more headliners and local artists to be announced - Peter is just the first of many.

"We’re working hard behind the scenes to make 2025 unforgettable, and we expect ticket demand to surpass last year’s. Supporting independent craft drink producers and local businesses remains at the heart of what we do as a grassroots festival.”

In 2024, more than 5,000 festival-goers enjoyed a line-up comprised of The Hoosiers, Craig Charles, David Rodigan, Sundara Karma, Newton Faulkner, Mystery Jets, The Futureheads and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly.

A limited number of tickets are available now at 2024 prices for those who sign up to the Lazydays mailing list, with tickets starting at £32. The public sale starts tomorrow at 10am. Prices will increase in tiers as each level sells out.

As more lineup announcements are on the way, ticketholders can swap their tickets to a different session if they prefer a specific lineup when it's released, available through to December 31. Visit lazydaysfestival.com for more information.