This year, the turnout for Y Not Festival was unmatched and another big musical step forward for Nottingham artists. Along with huge bands including The Prodigy, Courteeners, Franz Ferdinand, The Last Dinner Party, Sigrid, and Madness, the festival audience from all over the country witnessed many of our own city's top bands in a diverse, friendly and passionately musical environment. LeftLion was there to sample as much of the local action as possible...
Joining numerous bands from Nottingham this year at Y Not (including Kelsey and the Embers, Set in Motion, Dirt Bloom, Drew Thomas, George Gadd, Willow Bay, Marvin's Revenge and Terrianne) were acts from neighbouring areas such as Riley Marsh and Death Of The High Street, both from Derbyshire, and Leicester's The Mercians. The festival hosted these artists on three of many stages: The Quarry, The Allotment and The Hog and Barrel. Each with their own aesthetic, these stages aligned perfectly with the bands’ personalities. More on some of those bands later (and don't forget to scroll to the end for lots more photos)...
Starting the festival with a bang, was, of-course, The Prodigy, headlining the main stage on the Friday night. The electronic music band, originally from Braintree in Essex, had the entire festival in attendance to "breathe with [them]". From the intense stage presence from Maxim, the lead vocalist, to the eclectic laser display that overlooked the crowd, it was certainly hard to miss this act.
During the set Maxim screamed out repeatedly to “the new generation of warriors”; as a band they have been going since 1990, long enough now to witness several new sets of UK youths raving to their tunes. After the band's larger-than-life dancer and vocalist Keith Flint passed away in 2019, The Prodigy have made an incredible comeback which Keith would certainly be proud of. It was incredible to see such a variety of people in the audience, which proved exactly how inclusive The Prodigy are. An incredibly iconic way to start the festival.
At the other end of the weekend, for Y Not's grand finale, everyone’s favourite ska band, Madness, played a wholesome, nostalgic and funky set late on Sunday night, providing a great way to leave the festival. The Camden Town ska band formed in 1976, and boy, do they still have it. Although some songs have been slowed down compared to the original versions, this did not dampen the audience's spirits. Lead vocalist Suggs finished Y Not off with his fantastic stage presence and comedic flare. The band returned to the stage for an encore after round of applause so loud that it would have been rude - and impossible - to ignore.
The next-largest stage at Y Not was The Quarry, which seemed positioned as a venue for newer and upcoming artists. One of the first bands to catch our ears there was Set in Motion. They performed a genuinely heartfelt and very impressive set of uplifting and melodic alt-rock music which seemed to resonate with the large crowd. Adding beach balls into the mix added to the sense of fun for the audience and band members who were clearly blown away by the reception they received.
After that came Dirt Bloom. The band describe themselves as a “raw energy of grunge and alt-rock” blended with “hooks of pop punk”, creating a heartfelt, nostalgic and spiritual theme. The band served notes of 90s/2000s grunge-pop with vocals that could compare to The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan and Paramore’s Hayley Williams. Again, you could tell the band enjoyed performing, and their chemistry did not go unnoticed on that large stage.
Lead vocalist Jessy drew in the crowd with her confident stage presence and powerful vocals and brought the music together with real emotion in her voice. This was especially so when the band introduced us to their slower song Silverfish, adding depth to their set. A truly hooking and emotional experience.
The much smaller and more informal Hog and Barrel stage hosted some fantastic folky indie artists all weekend. Surrounded by hay bales, an old-timey bar and a relaxed audience, this was the stage to go to to enjoy your afternoon at Y Not. George Gadd, the Nottingham local indie star, performed a set here on Saturday. On his lonesome with just an acoustic guitar, Gadd nevertheless gathered a fantastic crowd with his comedic and friendly charm. Halfway through the set, he even surprised the crowd with a cover of your childhood favourite Bob the Builder. Grabbing everyone’s attention, Gadd made sure his set put a smile on people’s faces.
This year was George's fifth time at Y Not, his first time having been in 2013. Influenced by Bruce Springstein, Bright Eyes and Phoebe Bridger, he blends his inspirations with emo indie themes throughout his music. George's debut album Too Many Ghosts (which comes out on 5th October), features a song called Leo, which - George explained to us - tells the story of how he lost his family dog during lockdown. After he was unable to say goodbye properly due to the restrictions, “it felt like a cathartic thing” which became a “tear jerking” song for him to perform. Then, after a gig in Bristol, George adopted a motto from an interaction with a stranger who said, “Write about what you know; dead dogs and imaginary girlfriends".
After George Gadd’s set, our ears were blessed by the melodic folk-indie trio, Willow Bay. The chemistry between the three members was frankly contagious; the band managed to silence every audience member in sight with their angelic harmonies. Lead vocalist and guitarist Aaliyah, guitarist and banjo player Matt, and electric guitarist Ben all successfully produced sounds that would stop most people in their tracks. Thrown in at the deep end with a few technical difficulties during the set, Willow Bay pulled it out the bag, so much so that you would hardly have noticed the amp having its difficult moment.
Despite their mellow tunes, this band know how to speak to a crowd and are obviously three best friends that just know how to have fun. Their song Evangeline, written by Aaliyah, is the story of heartbreak, an outlet and “a way of processing” as she described it to us later. Aaliyah is also part of Kelsey and the Embers, another fantastic Nottingham band, and having played at The Quarry with them the day before, Aaliyah told us that the Hog and Barrel stage differed in its levels of intimacy; arguably, an environment very fitting for Willow Bay's genre. Playing at Y Not was a huge step forward for the band after playing predominantly local gigs, said Aaliyah. Inspired by country music, the entire band listens to musicians such as Noah Khan, while guitarist Ben claimed he is "effectively a 75-year-old guitarist trapped in a slightly younger man’s body!”
Willow Bay are in the process of recording their debut EP and are supporting George Gadd and The Aftermath for his album launch, on 11th of October at The Bodega.
At The Allotment stage (another smaller tent filled with hay bales and great vibes), Drew Thomas delivered one of the weekend's most memorable and passionate sets on Saturday afternoon. He was firmly focused and running at 110% for the entirety of the allotted half-hour and performed a series of upbeat songs with hardly a pause. Drew's vocals sounded incredible - accurate and dead-on pitch despite the intensity of his delivery - particularly in Gemini and Do They Even Know You? The only flaw with his set was that it wasn't programmed on a larger stage as Drew could have handled that with ease. Hopefully next year.
At the same venue on Sunday, Nottingham’s upcoming band Marvin's Revenge completely rocked the audience with their alternative post-punk grunge set. Although this was the last day of the festival, that was evidently not an obstacle for lead vocalist Luke Eaton, guitarist Ollie Sammels-Moore, and drummer / backing vocalist Jobi Gregory. With a chemistry unmatched by many other bands, their stage presence lured a huge crowd of people to the set: by the end of their performance, the tent was overflowing with a couple of hundred head banging fans. Never having played at Y Not before, the band showcased their brand new “feel good rock and roll anthem of the summer”, Scrape.
Diversely influenced by Simon and Garfunkel, Being Dead and Neil Diamond, Marvin's Revenge transform their personal inspirations into the tunes they have so carefully crafted. Y Not is famously a predominantly indie festival, but this band were able to introduce a new post-punk grunge feel, a refreshing and hopeful change for new and upcoming artists from our area.
Meanwhile, the main stage had been supplying a run of amazing performances. Sigrid was fresh, exciting and sounded absolutely pristine. Her band also deserve a big shout-out, with thrummy bass and synths blending seamlessly with full-on rock guitar solos. The Norwegian star played plenty of favourites and added new material also, including her recent single Jellyfish and the even newer Do It Again. And then there was The Last Dinner Party, theatrical, over-the-top, but always focused and notably proficient musicians. And Franz Ferdinand, who were brimming with confidence and ready to simply rock-out. There's is a signature sound, but it was one everyone embraced.
Overall, Y Not Festival truly made us Nottingham folk proud. From the first beat to the final encore, there wasn’t a frown in sight for the entire weekend: a phenomenal festival which left us all with grins from ear to ear. Y Not, this year, landed an incredible line-up, filled with history’s musical legends from a variety of genres. Balancing nostalgia and discovery, it created a soundtrack that felt both timeless and of the moment. Whether you were singing along to chart-toppers, losing yourself in indie anthems, or discovering your new favourite band at one of the hidden stages, the festival really had something for every kind of music lover.
However, what really set this year apart from the others was the sense of community, where strangers became friends and the fields of Pikehall became a haven for unfiltered, musical madness. If Y Not continues in this direction, it goes without saying it has the potential to become one of the UK’s most beloved summer staples.
Hats off to the organisers, artists, volunteers and the fans who make it all happen. We're already counting down the days for next year - see you there?!
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