REVIEW & Gallery: Kilby Block Party 2025
GALLERY
GALLERY
☆ BY MADISON EYRE ☆
Days before KBP 2025, anticipation hums in the air—Salt Lake City’s biggest indie festival is nearly here. Each morning, we rise, drawn from our homes by the festival’s energy, dressing in the colors of self-expression: chains, fabrics, textures, and stomping shoes. The vibration of music calls—and we follow.
As sound spills through our bodies and leaks into the streets of SLC, it tells a story of our existence—of our bond as humans coming together on the same neighborhood block. The heartbeat kicks in with the bass drum. Fingers twiddle melodies that send hips swaying. Through movement, we untangle. Through fashion and voice, we connect with the feelings inside—each unique, yet pulsing to the same rhythm.
In the crowd, a young boy leans toward his sister, sharing the thrill of feeling bass reverberate through his body for the first time. Goosebumps rise. Hearts flutter. Stomachs lift with dance. We exist within sound. We pulse with it. And for a moment, we’re not just individuals—we're a collective vibration, emerging from our separate lives to join in the shared rhythm of Kilby Block Party.
Kilby Block Party 6 in Salt Lake City, UT brings the magic of the indie scene together once again. Over 25,000 people arrive, each heart beating in time with the music, gathering in the spirit of creation. People from around the world carry their distinct senses of self, united under one purpose—connection through music. As the gates open, we merge into the community and let the music pull us in.
Thursday, Day 1
The first day warms the community—opening our hearts and getting us moving. Future Islands delivers dance and soul; frontman Samuel T. Herring pounds his chest and reaches skyward. Devo electrifies the crowd, playfully commanding the stage, sparking joyful, silly movement. Then, New Order closes the night with lasers slicing through the sky. Brandon Flowers (of The Killers and a Salt Lake City native) surprises the crowd with an appearance during “Love Will Tear Us Apart”—a nod to Joy Division. Nostalgia and unity pulse in the air.
Friday, Day 2
The day begins with birdsong and coffee—the kind of spring morning that stretches time as we make our way to Day 2.
From Georgia Medium Build and Hey Hey Nothing kick off the midday sets. Medium Build makes us feel like we’re lounging with old friends—his humor and gratitude spilling warmly from the stage. Hey Hey Nothing brings pure chaos and joy, joined by a T-Rex and bodies jumping in every direction.
Aussie band Vacations lights up the stage next. Fans wait hours in the sun for their set, hearts full and ready. The night closes with one of my festival favorites: Beach House.
As dusk falls, Beach House casts a dreamlike spell. Arms link, tears fall, and we sway in the dark. Victoria Legrand pauses mid-set for crowd care—a quiet reminder of this community’s heart. The band performs in silhouette, bathed in soft light. On the way out, a skater hands me his board to help me get to my car. A small, simple act of kindness. This is why I love this scene.
Saturday, Day 3
Salt Lake locals Over Under—a band of brothers—open the day with raw emotion and finely honed musicianship. Think Radiohead raised under Mountain West skies. They play like one body with five hearts.
Their set is electric—a local highlight that kicks off Saturday with soul.
Later, St. Vincent walks the rain-soaked runway with a regal stance, radiating vibrance through her confidence and power. Over at the Lake Stage, American alt-rock band Wallows opens for the final night’s headliner—Weezer, who brings it all home.
Sunday, Day 4
Rain pours down early in the morning, but the crowd welcomes it. Photographers shield their cameras as puddles bloom around their feet, the damp earth almost humming with anticipation. Then, like a burst of sunlight through gray clouds, Jane Beeson steps on stage and instantly brings the warmth back. Her voice cuts through the drizzle, powerful and radiant, igniting the crowd with a fierce, hopeful energy.
Keeping the empowered vibe alive, Suki Waterhouse arrives next, sashaying on stage with unapologetic sass. Draped in a luxurious fur coat, she dances with a playful freedon that radiates like the warm sun and the comforting hug of a close friend, lifting spirits higher with every move.
Still Woozy takes the stage after, bringing the funk and good vibes. His set pulses with infectious grooves, coaxing the crowd to shake it loose and sway with the neon glow of his beautifully cartoonish floral stage set—complete with an adorable little pup sidekick. It’s impossible not to get caught up in the joyful energy.
One of my favorite moments came during Geese’s set. I’d just recently discovered the band, and watching the passionate mosh pit explode in front of me was electrifying. Their raw energy and gritty sound transformed the crowd into a unified, ecstatic force, reminding me why discovering new music at Kilby Block Party is always a highlight.
The night ended on an unforgettable note with Justice’s epic light show—a cosmic spectacle that launched us into the stars and brought everything home in a euphoric celebration of KBP’s sixth year. As the final beats faded, we were left buzzing, already counting down to next year’s block party!
Weekend Highlight: The Crusher Cup
One of my favorite events of the weekend was the Skullcandy Crusher Cup, hosted by Boardr. Just a short walk from the main stages, the skatepark pulsed with its own rhythm—wheels grinding, boards slapping, and cheers rising like cymbal crashes.
The bowl and park became a stage in their own right, where style was everything. Oskar Rozenberg floated with casual precision, while Jake Yanko brought raw, expressive power to every trick—each run a dance, each line a riff. The energy was electric, sweaty, and joyful. A celebration of movement, community, and sound—in its loudest physical form.
KBP 2025 wasn’t just a festival, it was a gathering, a belonging, a breath between beats, a place to feel at home.
