Pendulum set for National Bowl return this weekend ahead of new album Inertia

The Australian five-piece will be topping the bill at the Milton Keynes venue – having previously played on a number of occasions including supporting The Prodigy in 2010 and Linkin Park in 2008.

On Saturday, August 9, the Tribes Unite show will see Pendulum joined by a host of acts across multiple stages.

Performing on the venue’s main stage with Pendulum will be Andy C, Hedex b2b Bou, Knife Party, Wilkinson, Joey Valence & Brae, Caspa & Rusko, 4am Kru and Flowdan.

The UKF, FabricLive, Breakin Science and Fantazia stage will host dozens of acts during the day including Netsky, K Montionz, DRS Live, Clipz, Basslayerz, Serum, Altern 8 and Grooverider.

Pendulum’s headline set will come two weeks before the band release their new album Inertia – their first new record in 15 years.

The first track from the record, Save The Cat, was released in May and described as a raw, unrelenting and unapologetically heavy, screamo anthem.

It came in the wake of two breakups - one that unravelled slowly over time and another that hit without warning.

Frontman Rob Swire said: “It was written during a period of self-questioning and frustration. Love felt like something I didn’t fully trust myself with anymore.”

Produced by Swire and Owen Charles and recorded at Pendulum’s London Studio, Inertia is described as a rampaging 16-track emotional maelstrom and the band’s most personal work to date.

It features collaborations with Bullet For My Valentine, Wargasm, AWOLNATION, Scarlxrd, Joey Valence & Brae and Hybrid Minds.

Inertia began to take shape in 2020 as Rob searched for what it is to be Pendulum in its current era.

Stemming from 2021’s Elemental and 2023’s Anima EPs, which were the blueprint for the band’s future, the band found their new direction.

“I was basically testing how far we could push Pendulum,” Rob admits.

“Seeing what we could get away with. I always looked at The Prodigy as the benchmark.

“They started out as pure rave - breakbeat, hardcore - but they evolved. They became their own sound. You don’t even really associate them with breakbeat anymore. They just are The Prodigy.”

“It’s the sound of Pendulum finding themselves again, and me figuring myself out to a certain extent,” Rob said of the record.

“Breakups do that - they strip things down and show you who you are. I’m just trying not to become the guy who needs to go through one just to make a record.”

One of the biggest electronic bands of all time, Pendulum have three platinum albums to their name, including renowned debut Hold Your Colour and Immersion – which topped the UK album charts – and In Silico which reached number two.

Pendulum have sold more than a million albums in the UK alone, as well as selling out global arena tours and playing to thousands across main stage performances from Glastonbury and Download to Reading and Leeds on top of a headline slot at Ultra Miami in spring 2025.

General admission tickets for Tribes Unite at The National Bowl are available from £45 with VIP tickets available for £120. Booking fees apply.

For more information, visit https://tribes-unite.com