Y NOT FESTIVAL ’24 | Mammoth sets with scenic views…

In its eighteenth year as a festival, Y Not returned to the peak district in emphatic fashion.

OVERVIEW

Anthem kings Snow Patrol, indie legend Jamie T and Manchester icon Noel Gallagher were our festival headliners, with Kaiser Chiefs treating those early birds on the Thursday. With the weather perfect and the views picturesque to say the least, we were set to have a magnificent weekend.

Locals and Highlights

With the festival a mere 35 miles from Nottingham, the weekend was rife with local talent as we got to show off the best of the best at one of the biggest advocates for underground acts across their 5 stages – Y Not Festival.

It’s always a sight to see up-and-coming artists so appreciative of support on festival outings when you simply don’t know what to expect from the audience! Let’s dive in…

Sleep in Motion>>>

Sleep in Motion brought their hardened alt-rock to the Derbyshire fields with a tightened grip on a full-up Hog & Barrel stage. Taking influence from seasoned groove-laden Shinedown and Alter Bridge, the rising trio are crafting a force to be reckoned with. Just off the back of their debut EXISTENTIAL in the back end of 2023, they hit festival season this year with a vigour to shock and impress. Evidently overwhelmed at seeing such a turn-out, the trio brought fiery passion and energy to a tightly-wound set as they soaked up another success on the road.

SET IN MOTION>>>

As one of Nottingham’s most promising new bands, Set in Motion threw it all out on stage with their driven alt-indie works as they drove through captivating numbers Find Out Why and Break Free, all the while teasing the crowd with a potential EP release on the horizon. Writing anthems certainly comes as second nature to this local quartet, we can only look forward to what other belters they have in their back pocket.

Do Nothing>>>

Quickly earning themselves as a household name in 0115, Do Nothing‘s kooky post-punk sprinklings are uniquely enjoyable in their own right. So it was only right for the Y Not fanatics to be enjoying themselves in The Quarry – one of the larger concert tents – as the band trifled through a stacked list of new and old; a cumulative celebration of where the band are now…and where they’re going next as the live debut of Summer of Hate was played for the first time. It was good to see just how band were thriving in their own right, as many fans in the crowd muttered and mused along with Bailey’s lyrical tomfoolery as they ended with their most notorious Handshakes.

CUCAMARAS>>>

Another post-punk quartet close to home spewing out their tetchy alternative guitar works, Cucamaras threw down the gauntlet on ones to look out for. With a heavy festival season this year and a support slot with The Amazons, many eyes are on the Notts’ group right now, where better than at Y Not? New stunners Bleachers Yard and Cotton Wool were met with rapturous applause at The Giant Squid stage and an equally distinguished audience size, engrossed in the bands’ alt-funk styles. Emphatically melodic-rich in aptitude, Cucamaras are entering unfamiliar territory right now – and it’s exciting to see what these guys do next.

RAINBOW FROG BISCUITS>>>

Heading up BBC Introducing in the East Midlands, Rainbow Frog Biscuits is certainly another one to watch out for. Equipped with just a laptop, the Kate Bush-inspired soloist performed her quirky, lyrical pop-therapeutics. Overjoyed at the opportunity to perform at such a festival, the interaction was wholesome and a whole load of cathartic as she ran through her slew of feel-good bops including Attention and one of her most recents, Look Around.

ENGLISH TEACHER highlight >>>

Their enigmatic debut of This Could Be Texas has jettisoned the Leeds quartet to top of the class. Now, English Teacher celebrate their winning ways (and a Mercury Prize nomination to boot) with a mighty Y Not appearance. Their brand of indie is more embellished post-punk, dabbled in quirky curiosities of unique sounds. At the heart of it all, there is a severe tenderness best served by vocalist Lily Fontaine. This was on proud display as they slung in their best. The World’s Biggest Paving Slab began proceedings while Nearly Daffodils was met with cheers as Lily climbed the tent pole. A fitting celebration for a band who have had quite a year.

Whether it was witnessing The Snuts during golden hour, vibing with jazz magnitude King Pleasure & the Biscuit Boys or seeing Bob Vylan wielding about a baseball bat threatening the rhetorics of the far-right, Y Not Festival was the perfect intimate all-rounder for both seasoned and new to the festival fields.

What a weekend of music. Same again Derbyshire?