Day Fever is less than two years old but has already become a cultural sensation. Launched in early 2024 with a debut event in Sheffield’s City Hall Ballroom and growing to a nationwide tour that’s sees thousands around the UK hit the dance floor each month, the message is clear: people everywhere are craving a space to let loose, laugh, and dance, all before 8pm. Ahead of Day Fever's return to Nottingham on 20th September, We sat down with co-founder Jonny Owen to discuss how the event came about, how it has become so popular and why Nottingham is the ideal venue...
The novel idea of a daytime disco was first conceived in 2024 when Nottinghamshire actress Vicky McClure, her husband and filmmaker Jonny Owen, and Reverend and The Makers frontman Jon McClure decided they wanted to bring about an unique clubbing experience. The first event proved to be so popular that it took on a life of its own, with events being heavily attended up and down the country.
For many, Day Fever has redefined what it means to go clubbing. The event provides a safe, inclusive and ego-free space where people can have a great time. Ditching the late nights and dress codes, this event is all about positivity and good vibes. Whether you're wearing glittery heels or comfy trainers, everyone’s welcome to join the party.
The discos are targeted at people over 30, where doors open at 3pm so you can have a dance and still have time to grab a kebab on the way home before being tucked up in bed by 10. If this sounds like bliss to you then you might want to check out the upcoming event at Rock City on 20th September.
Jonny, can you tell us how Day Fever first came to fruition?
Basically I had the idea for ages, of a day time night club. Somewhere where we could start earlier and finish earlier. So I discussed this with Vicky and my mates Jon McClure, Chris McClure and Jim O’Hara, who is a clever business guy who's been involved with Tramlines festival. And we said let's give it a go. We put on the first show in Sheffield and it sold out! We tried again in Sheffield, Nottingham and Merthyr Tydfil, all of our home towns and the same thing happened. So we booked out a place in London and when that was a success too we were confident that this was something that people were interested in and they wanted to go along to time and time again. We ended up in 20 cities!
You've taken a stint behind the decks, and recently Paddy McGuinness was DJ for the Day Fever festival in Nottingham. What sort of tunes do you tend to play, and do you all have different tastes?
I grew up in bands and I loved a lot of stuff like The Smiths, Oasis, The Beatles, all of that. I also love soul music, having said that Day Fever has given me a new appreciation for pop music. We call George Michael the patron saint of Day Fever because we know that his songs always go down well.
Vicky likes her 90s stuff, her rave, hip hop, rap and R&B. She loves garage and reggae so there's lots and lots of different genres that people can expect. I think over the five hours that the day runs, people will find lots of music that they’ll love.
Are there any tracks that you’ve played that have gone down better than you expected?
Oh yeah, we put on Keep On Moving by 5ive and people went mad for it. They sing along and they’re all up dancing so that has been a really fun one to play. I also played Total Eclipse Of The Heart by Bonnie Tyler in Wales and it went down so well that we play it everywhere now. It’s nice when you find those tracks that connect with people.
I might not have played those tracks 20 years ago because people might have found them cheesy but they’re great songs and it creates great moments with the crowd.
Is there any competitiveness on whose tunes go down best?
We normally have three DJ’s on and we all want to be the best. It's important to find the right rhythm for the right time of the day. We like to put on a bit of a rave section about 5pm and really get the energy moving. We all just love playing music that people love and we really want to make sure that everyone goes home with a smile on their face.
I noticed that the daytime disco includes a nostalgia fix on the big screens with clips from old school TV shows and films as well as retro television adverts. What was the reasoning behind this?
I just thought it would be really good to have something playing in the background that people could watch and go "Oh I remember that!" We have clips of TV, sport, and all sorts of British culture moments.
Sometimes people get lost in the clips, remembering their days watching Danger Mouse or John Robinson scoring a goal for Forest. I think people really enjoy seeing those clips they haven't seen for a long time.
Day Fever is coming back to Rock City on 20th September. What can people expect from the show?
They can expect great music, a great time, and a great venue. I think one of our favourite things about Nottingham, apart from it being Vicky’s hometown, is Rock City. All my mates in Wales have heard of Rock City and I think it’s a real jewel in the crown for Nottingham. Rock City feels like it's a living venue that’s respected up and down the country.
We’re so lucky in Nottingham to have such wonderful venues, great sound systems and just a great atmosphere. Sometimes when you’ve lived in Nottingham for a while you almost forget that it’s just a proper city you know. It’s a friendly place with great places to eat and drink.
An investigation by BBC Newsbeat found that more than half of all UK clubs shut down between 2005 and 2015. I'd imagine these events are good for venues, allowing them to run two events on the same day?
Yeah, it's a win-win for everybody really. They’re open in the day and then they can run their usual shows in the night, too. George who runs Rock City has been a great help and has gotten right behind the whole concept, and was really keen to bring it to the city.
I think it has been really useful for venues and it's important for us as fans of music to help support these venues where people can go in the city.
What have the audiences been like at the shows so far? Do the crowds differ in different cities?
Yeah some places are just up for a good time straight away. Glasgow and Newcastle are fantastic and then Nottingham, because it’s Vicky’s home city, has a certain vibe to it. It feels like a “home gig”. Nottingham always brings the biggest crowd, everyone dances and has a good time.
I love that when you get to a certain age you just stop caring about being “cool” and that's exactly what we’re going for, come and have fun. Wear what you like, do what makes you happy, just have the best time you possibly can. This was important to us. We wanted people to just come and have a good time.
Nottingham seems to have really taken to Day Fever. Recently you had the Day Fever Festival here - how did that go?
It was really good, it went really well. I think people know what to expect from Day Fever now. They know we’re all there to have a good time. They know we’re gonna bring in people like Paddy McGuiness (who did a DJ set at the Day Fever Festival) and Jon McClure and Vicky who played their single for the first time live. We always try and make it special.
Nottingham really seems to have taken it to their hearts, in fact I think Nottingham is the place where we have sold the most tickets so far. Sheffield was the birthplace for Day Fever but Nottingham is the heart of it.
As someone born and bred in Wales, how do you find living in Nottingham? Do you have any recommendations of places people should try if they’re coming to town for the weekend?
I would definitely tell them to go to the City centre. They should go down by the Council House because there’s always something going outside. I love the area around the castle; there are some great places to drink around there. Hockley is great, you can get good coffee and tapas... There’s just so much to do. I genuinely love living in Nottingham.
If you’re going to Day Fever, get to Rock City, then walk over to Maid Marian Way and you’ve got some of the best Indian restaurants in the city; you’ve got everything on tap in Nottingham. I really feel that there’s a buzz in the city. Forest are back in the Premier League, County are back in the football league, we’ve got Day Fever, town is always nice and busy on the weekend and there's a real buzz here right now.
How far do you want to take Day Fever? Will it be ongoing?
It’s become something that we’ll put on in the major cities every month because people are enjoying it. We’re actually really excited about next summer because we plan on taking it to a lot more festivals. We did Splendour in Nottingham and it has worked so well. There are conversations about taking it abroad, too. Maybe Spain, maybe Australia, we’ll see!
Honestly though, the most important thing for us is that people can come, have a laugh with their mates, listen to great music and have a good time. The complicity of the concept has to stay the same; we know what works. Ultimately it’s the nightclub that you used to love but in the afternoon.
Day Fever comes Rock City to 20th September, from 3-8pm. Tickets are available at www.day-fever.com
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