There are community festivals and then there is Hockley Hustle. Continuing to be in a league of its own, this time last week venues across Hockley and Sneinton were filled with the sounds of an incredibly diverse and talented array of artists, all raising money for local charities. As ever, our music team went along to soak up the heartwarming atmosphere – here are our highlights in words and pictures...
Revenge of Calculon – Rough Trade, 2pm
Kickstarting Hockley Hustle watching the mighty duo Revenge of Calculon, a fusion of dirty synth-funk including multi-effected deep bass lines. Insanely good act to put on so early in the festival and a packed Rough Trade showed their appreciation. I must have seen these Luchadores perform a dozen times in Nottingham and they never disappoint, plus a couple of mystery guests on guitar and sax helped to make a full-on electronic wash of sound. Folks dancing this early into any festival is always a good sign and Revenge of Calculon's 30 minutes was over far too soon. Muchas gracias, 'til the next time! – Bassey
Dring – Broadway Cinema, 2:30pm
A quick rush over the road to see Dring. Armed with a six stringed acoustic guitar and a capo, it was a performance that captivated the whole room. Dring's high vocal range, almost breathy at times and full of emotion, soared above the audience.
Songs full of melancholy and melody stopped all other noise in the room and a few folks - including myself - were brought to tears. A quick glance around the room, I noticed even fellow LeftLion-er, Nigel King, had put down his camera down to watch and enjoy the set.
The Broadway Cinema events were hosted on the day by the Nottingham legend Motormouth and he set the bar high with the opening performance by Dring. Look out for her new EP, out soon! - Bassey
Harpa – Metronome, 3pm
Metronome was host to the BBC Introducing stage this year and the opening act was local singer-songwriter Harpa and her amazing band. Showcasing her recent singles and tracks from her forthcoming debut album, Harpa’s powerful vocals effortlessly filled the walls of the Metronome auditorium, as her band similarly dazzled with some melancholic basslines, subtle drums, bouncing keys and some seriously jaw-dropping riffs. The End was one of the standouts, with gentle folky guitar plucks eventually erupting into a towering, emotional wall of sound. They even treated those in attendance to a cover of Radiohead’s Creep, with Harpa putting her own spin on the classic song, doing it justice.
A fantastic opener for the BBC Introducing stage and another local artist from which to expect big things. – Karl Blakesley
Speech Therapy – Bunkers Hill, all day
Nottingham's monthly poetry event Speech Therapy put on a fantastic day of spoken word at Bunkers Hill and I managed to catch two of the performers. First was Kirsty Smith, a Lincoln-based poet who provided the room with her deeply personal thoughts on little monsters, the far-right, class wars and inner peace. Her breaking voice, due to an anti-Reform protest the day before, only added to her anger. I need to see this poet again and soon.
Next up was Jack Washingdale from Manchester, who delivered a conversational and rhythmical style of poetry. A kind of "rumbling along" approach to his words that takes you on his unique journey. I found myself mesmerised by the motion of Jack's words, like a song that changes time sequence and tempo. A must see again for me.
As a poet newbie, I loved the performances of these brave wordsmiths, and I could have devoted my entire afternoon to this one event. However, there was still much more to see... - Bassey
Cultural Vibrations – Queen of Hockley, all day
As the founder of Cultural Vibrations, Nottingham's Rastarella is one of the city’s finest grassroots promoters and the perfect match for Hockley Hustle. Every year Rastarella brings an eclectic mix of world music and fills the festival with love and unity. We managed to see a couple of the acts from his Queen of Hockley takeover.
First was Last Sons, a duo consisting of rapper Duke01 and Furious P on the decks, came in peace and left in peace - but what they did with their 30-minute set in-between was heart stopping. The Nottingham based hip-hop act are the real thing, wall-to-wall sounds exploded with their social observations and sonic noises. These guys have been around for six or seven years now, and they've truly perfected their art. Gambino Akuboy also impressed, an ex-British soldier and African party boy who had everyone in the room dancing. His smile is infectious and his music shines just as bright. The party alien gave us a reason to be happy with songs like Red Light, Green Light and Weekend. If that wasn't enough to get you moving, Akuboy's high levels of energy literally forced you to get up and dance. DJ Sugar Lion then played music throughout the day as part of the Cultural Vibrations celebrations' look out for his soundsystem when he next performs in Nottingham. One Rastarella and One Love! - Bassey
D.I.S.C.O – Hockley Emporium, 4:45pm
Anyone who has seen this blues musician at Acoustic Rooms before knows the talent of D.I.S.C.O, but there were a few more converts after his mind-blowing performance at Hockley Emporium. Joined by drummer Twitch, who apparently didn’t know any of the songs in the setlist but successfully managed to wing it, D.I.S.C.O blazed through crowd-pleasing covers of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley, Come Together by The Beatles and an extreme tempo version of I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by Arctic Monkeys.
Ending his short set with all the style of Jimi Hendrix by impressively playing his guitar behind his head, D.I.S.C.O firmly brought the festival vibes before then heading over to play a second set with Davina Songbird at The Bodega. – Karl Blakesley
George Gadd & The Aftermath – Rough Trade, 6pm
With a gig in York the night before and some of the band having had zero sleep as a result, you would’ve forgiven rock outfit George Gadd & The Aftermath for phoning it in and then heading home for some much needed rest. But that’s not how these guys roll, instead shaking off the cobwebs by downing a pint to start their set. Fair play! Treating a packed Rough Trade to songs off their recent debut album, Too Many Ghosts, tracks including Invisible and Sycamore glistened while singles Not Human and Shake A Ghost generated the first big singalongs of the day. A top performance as always and hopefully the band managed to finally get a good night’s sleep! – Karl Blakesley
Eleanor McGregor - The Carousel, 6pm
The rain may have been pouring down outside, but in The Carousel, Eleanor McGregor made everything sunny. Her voice showed some resemblance to Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker, as she played a brilliant cover of Vampire Empire, which got us all singing and swinging along. Feel Less Alone was a personal favourite, an upbeat authentic song with droll lyricism and a catchy chorus, which perfectly captures the bittersweet essence of significant relationships with a melodic acoustic charm. Along with her quirky Dodie vibes, her songs resonate with themes of breakups and self-discovery, all the while maintaining an easy-going yet energising atmosphere. McGregor’s ability to connect through her emotive delivery and down-to-earth storytelling left us leaving with smiles (despite the terrible weather!). We’re excited to see what Eleanor does next! – Kat Monk-Watts
Queer Hustle: Unnamed Drag Productions – The Lord Roberts, all day
If you thought Cultural Vibrations owned the “One Love” title, the Drag Queens of Nottingham were another strong contender. With the stage also hosting Bingo, Cabaret and Karaoke throughout the day, I was fortunate to catch the brilliant Drag Comedy Roast performance featuring the hairiest woman in showbusiness (Liv), the oldest girl (Nana Arthole), the wicked witch of the East Midlands (Marilyn Slane), the dickless twink of Nottingham (Bella Bestia) and the supermodel (Vayne). This should be compulsive viewing for anyone who enjoys fun and laughter. Diversity is what makes Hockley Hustle such a great festival and the Drag Queens were a special part of the day. Thank you for a great show! - Bassey
Saffron Gray - Broadway Cinema, 7:30pm
Our 2025 Future Sound of Nottingham winner, R&B princess and growing Notts star in the making, Saffron Gray was pure perfection as the evening began to unfurl. With her powerful vocals, dreamy wavey synthesisers and lilting beats, she caught everyone’s ears and was the ideal remedy post-heavy rain. Girls Night Out was a particular highlight where Gray’s voice radiated exquisitely through the mic, her standout performance and band highlighted beautifully by Broadway’s Hockley Hustle psychedelic stage decor. Saffron wrapped up her set with some divine covers of Water by Tyla and Man I Need by Olivia Dean, before closing on a reggae mashup dubstep mix that got an initially hesitant audience grooving and swaying along. – Kat Monk-Watts
Box River Junction - Broadway Cinema, 8:30pm
The Box River Junction are true crowd pleasers. Fronted by suave singer songwriter Tom Parkes, these lively Essex lads maintained a strong Western Spaghetti stage presence throughout their engaging set. The band describe their sound as “Americana firmly rooted in East Anglia” and I would personally describe them as a charismatic mix between Wilco and The Strokes, producing music that could easily reside in any Quentin Tarantino soundtrack, whilst also honing some similarities to Far from Any Road (the True Detective theme tune) by The Handsome Family – particularly in their song Waving the Woods Goodbye. Unique yet familiar, very entertaining and with standout band chemistry and grand lyrical narratives, Box River Junction takes you along for the sweet ride. – Kat Monk-Watts
UFO Orchestra with Davina Songbird & Eyre Llew – St Mary’s Church, 8-10pm
While the party continued later into the evening across the Nottingham Creative quarter, we ended our Hockley Hustle adventures for 2025 in the serene beauty of St Mary’s Church. When the line-up first dropped this looked to be a must-attend set and I’m pleased to say it did not disappoint. With the expansive UFO Orchestra set in the middle of the church, festival punters surrounded them from every side, looking on as they delivered string-tinged covers of tracks by Daft Punk and songs from The Blues Brothers movie, as well as some well-known classical covers too. However, the highlight of the set was undoubtedly the guest performances, with Davina Songbird’s soulful voice echoing beautifully around the church before Eyre Llew’s ethereal, resplendent sounds brought about an angelic transcendence. A special performance that created a real moment in time and the perfect way to wrap up Hockley Hustle 2025. – Karl Blakesley
You can see lots more coverage from across the festival in our photo gallery below – take a look…
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