“Turn pain into purpose” are the words of Only Notts director Reece Walker to summarise his mission through the cause. After a close and tragic loss, Reece and his friends found comfort in creativity. This has snowballed into a successful mission to raise awareness for men’s mental health and the power of music, all while encouraging the community to engage in the arts in some form or the other...
On Friday night Nottingham’s legendary The Palais (which in its time has also been known as Pryzm, Oceana and Ritzy) hosted an ultimate showcase of local talent. Upon entry to the venue attendees were given the chance to enter one of two rooms displaying all kinds of acts. The main room offered local rap and hip-hop artists (including headline act Jah Digga) while the other showcased an array of local musicians across a multitude of genres.
It was in the second of the two rooms where there were many familiar faces, including as BBC Introducing legend Suniq and FeelTheNusic alumnus Louie Walsh who, like all the other acts, offered nothing short of a fantastic performance.
But it was also in this room that we were treated to the voice of Davina Songbird who filled the room with a sound that few can match, accompanied by a persona that one can only be born with. The event as a whole made us all feel proud to be local to the Nottingham area, but it was this performance that reminded us all why we should be proud.
Heading over to the main room, the rap stage was full of not only the very best talent the city has to offer but also an energy that could the vast majority of cities would struggle to compete with. One of these acts, Violet Night, stood out. Besides their performative and musical talent, it was clear their love for what they do is as pure as it gets. The main reason this stood out, though, is because their love wasn’t so much for being a creative alone but instead being creative as a group and using their combined talent and energy to impact every audience they are in front of.
This attitude was perfect for the evening as it clearly reflects the whole purpose behind the event as it felt like a reminder to the origins of Notts Only director Reece and his friends coming together to become creatives.
An omnibus review could be written about each and every talent that took to the stage on Friday night, but the highlight of the event was not so much the music but the accomplishment of the evenings mission. Creating a community in the name of music and for the benefit of charity, was successful in more ways than could have been imagined. The power of live music undoubtedly creates a sense of unity despite the subject matter and Friday was no exemption.
Seeing conversations between audience members, friendships form and bonds made over mutual love for the artists and cause, the Only Notts mission to create and celebrate the local community is something each and every member of the team should be proud of.
It was also great to see local musicians attend the event in aid of support, one of such was local legend Emidora - she deserves legend status by not only being a main contributor to the Nottingham music scene but also being a clear supporter of all of those on the rise up.
The Palais has been a landmark building within Nottingham for over a century now. If those walls could talk, they would have so many stories to tell. But last Friday night was perhaps one of which they would be the proudest.
The Only Notts event took place at The Palais on 6th March 2026.
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