Six Bands We Aren’t Missing at Borderland Festival 2025
Knox Farm State Park’s annual music festival, Borderland, returns for their seventh consecutive year (COVID doesn’t count) this weekend with their biggest production yet. Since their beginnings as a two day festival in 2018, the crew behind Twenty6 Productions has added an extra day and turned the buzz meter up to eleven with their thorough and thoughtful curation of this annual staple that is driving home the message we’ve always hammered home – Western NY has great potential for a thriving music scene, complete with dive bars to full music festivals… And Oasis should play here.
Tickets are still available with weekend passes going for $240.95 and daily passes for $136.45. Here are six acts we aren’t missing this weekend at Borderland 2025.
Saturday @ 3pm
Sneaky Miles @ Mike’s Amazing Homespun Stage
Newmarket, New Hampshire project Sneaky Miles starts our schedule off Saturday afternoon with their earnest indie folk repertoire. Since forming at the University of New Hampshire in 2019, the band has survived a pandemic and post-college reshuffle to become a regular in the New England emerging band circuit. If you’re into Dawes, The Lumineers, or the sincere side of rustic stomp-clap indie, check this one out.
Saturday @ 3:45pm
The Heavy Heavy @ Main Stage
UK-based The Heavy Heavy travels across the pond to East Aurora to provide WNY with their retro rock and roll sound. The band has a distinct 70s psych appeal that’s prominent in their writing. Fans of Fruit Bats, the California Honeydrops, or locals Handsome Jack would be into this set.
Saturday @ 7pm
Band of Horses @ Main Stage
Mid-2000s college radio breakout act Band of Horses are a must-see for the weekend. The band commanded internet buzz with it’s melding of indie rock and folk, accented by the band’s atmospheric aura and accented by lead singer Ben Bridwell’s distinctly commanding vocals. This one is recommended for anyone into The Shins, Fleet Foxes, or if you love anything off the Garden State soundtrack.
Saturday @ 9pm
Vampire Weekend @ Main Stage
Vampire Weekend are in for the main event on Saturday night with one of the most anticipatory sets for the weekend. Since breaking out of Columbia University nearly twenty years ago, the band has become one of the biggest indie acts of the 2010s with their consistent ability to deliver ear worms while remaining true to their original sound. If you like the soundtrack for The Inbetweeners, this one is for you.
Sunday @ 2:30pm
New Translations @ Mike’s Amazing Homespun Stage
Nashville indie-pop project New Translations have been blessed by the football gods with a set that should be nestled right at halftime during the Bills vs. Jets game on Sunday. The band has an obvious 80s influence with some MGMT abstractness meets Future Islands hookiness… and perhaps most importantly, will get you back in the game for the second half.
Sunday @ 7pm
Khruangbin @ Main Stage
Houston psych rock trio Khruangbin closes out the festival Sunday evening, returning to Western New York after a much-lauded sellout show at the Albright Knox Gallery in 2024. If you’re into Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Leon Bridges, or Father John Misty, this is a can’t miss.
Categorised in: Columns
This post was written by Wyatt Edwards