More about: Y Not FestivalYNot

‘A 500-person intimate atmosphere’ is the description given when you google ‘Y Not 2006’, the first year the event made it to festival status. The growth and now prolific position held by the festival makes it a weekend not to be missed, so we journeyed to Pikehall, Derbyshire for the 2023 season. 

Thursday is a day of mud and getting settled – starting off relatively tame with sets from pop up-and-comers like Ellie Dixon, who knows how to keep a crowd engaged and singing without the raucous you expect from a main stage performance. We’re sorted with a pint and exploring the set-up, wandering fields in the mud: basic first day of the festival shenanigans. Ellie passes over to The Blinders, whose guitarist Eoghan Clifford made his fame in Cabbage (a post-punk breakup that broke me, too.) Breaking up the sets with a strong set of post-punk goodness is a shout for jump around before a calmer headliner from Bombay Bicycle Club. They play the classics (Shuffle, Luna … you get the drill) which are great live and complete tunes, if a bit of a quieter one – realistically, just what you need on a Thursday before the festival truly begins on the Friday. 

Friday is where it’s at. All of the stages are officially open for business from 12pm, so this where the decision-making kicks in: to go to the household Indie names at The Big Gin to dance to The Pigeon Detectives, The K’s, Mystery Jets – or move over to the Quarry, to listen to artists with a foot in the door like Phoebe Green and The Royston Club?

If you’re like me, and want a huge variety, chances are you’re spending the day sprinting between the two. Y Not is held on a deceptively large set of fields, leaving you running up and down between the stages to catch all the acts you love. I’ve been told that the festival has somewhat rearranged this year, which means that the Allotment (the stage managed by This Feeling) is preeeettty far out – making it much harder to see the bands whose sets are happening that way. To me, this feels like a disappointing venture for such a large company name, a lack of chance for bands to be discovered by potential new fans. That being said, we manage to make it over there for The Feens, who give a guitar heavy performance with dual vocals, arguably with a bit more of a standard, stiller stage presence than their openers Lock-In, who make it clear that their fanbase is from TikTok, with a young crowd singing a select few singles that asserted a viral status over there (‘Do You Like Good Music?’ might ring a bell for you, like it did for me.) The great thing about smaller stages is watching bands do what they love – they have a passion for the music, and it’s how they’ve made it to the festival at all, let alone to play. To watch musicians making their start is a true pleasure, leaving a set with the knowledge you’ve watched a group of friends perform in pride and happiness. 

For us, Friday was brought home by Royal Blood – giving us an ear-piercing, brilliant setlist of their best tunes, with basslines enough to make you feel the ground shake beneath you. They are, as performers, embodying modern rock (if we ignore the cringe of that Big Weekend Speech) and the crowd loved it. Even if you’re not a fan, it’s easy to recognise how they garnered a headliner spot. 

Friday is also the start of the Giant Squid stage: a place for louder, punkier bands to showcase their talents. It’s a great spot for its sets averaging 30 minutes, meaning you can hear a strong set of an artist’s songs without feeling like they’ve missed your favourites – smaller bands take this stage, performing what is generally their entire catalogue. L’Objectif give a show of their fan favourites, like ‘The Dance You Sell’, an indie banger of a heart-breaking love song that generally sets the tone of what to expect from this stage. 

Unlike Thursday, Friday doesn’t end on the main stage headliner. You can stay at the Giant Squid for the silent disco (we did, but on Saturday. I highly recommend if you’ve never done one) or mosey to Flamingo Jacks for a karaoke-DJ hybrid. There’s lots to do if you feel like the classic festival experience of waking up in a tent the next morning, roasting or soaked from the rain (there’s never an in between) and with a headache the size of an elephant. Y Not cater to audiences of all wants and needs from a weekender, whether that’s bed by 11pm or a mad one until 4am. 

Saturday was probably my personal highlight: I didn’t see a single act who I didn’t know well or wasn’t extremely excited for. There was classic Indie tunes, from Red Rum Club to James, girly-feel-good-pop from Sophie Ellis Bextor, CMAT, Kate Nash, and brilliant up-and-coming tunes from the likes of The Last Dinner Party and Frankie Beetlestone. I managed to meet so many brilliant musicians this day, too, and chatted to some of the acts who put on shows of a lifetime. It was one of those days where the sun was out, I had good beer, and I was just buzzing to do my job. A perfect day, really. 

That being said, the downside of a day where you want to see everyone playing is that you physically cannot. You’re running around, missing some of your favourite songs for the risk of missing another, usually ending up at the other stage on a song you don’t know THAT well, even if it’s an artist you like. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, but festivals are nothing without the risk. 

They’re also most definitely worth it when your final act of the day is Kasabian. We were sat in the media tent musing about the jacket Serge would take the stage in, and then suddenly you’re in a crowd with the smell of flares burning your nose and jumping around like your life depends on it. They’re a band that completely deserve their fame for putting on a great live show, because I feel like I didn’t actually experience their songs until I saw them performed on stage – the Leicestershire quartet make a banging headliner, and I’d see them tenfold if they put on a similar show each time. 

After a busy Saturday and a particularly heavy night/Sunday morning, I was ready to call it a day on the weekend. I am famously weak-of-immune-system, and reaching Sunday left me feeling completely run down. Doubled with the constant rain and a wet tent, it wasn’t ideal – but we trooped on to watch classic acts like The Charlatans, new punk icons Courting, and karaoke queen Heather Small. The day was dotted with acts who are gaining a significant following, too, like DMA’S and Crawlers – it was one of those days with something for everyone, which is always a lovely way to end a busy weekend. It was less running to see everyone and more spacing out time to watch acts catered to your tastes, which made it feel a lot quicker of a day. Or, it would have felt quicker if it didn’t leave me soaking wet and shivering. 

There are some artists who you must sacrifice rain and wind for, and Paul Weller is one of those. He put on a set of his solo hits, those by the Jam, and some Style Council thrown in the mix too: having the time of his life, by the looks, even with a slightly sparse crowd. Sunday headliners can often be a hit or miss, but Paul took it in his stride with classic tunes and a fantastic live band. 

It must be said that Y Not, while hosting a great amount of female artists and providing stages for artists who are trying to make a name for themselves, are not the most diverse in their demographics. Most of the artists playing were from the UK or Ireland, with the exception of DMA’S (that I can think of, as a larger artist) – I wish it was slightly more championed for its accessibility of artists worldwide, but for a festival in the middle of nowhere Derbyshire, especially one which only began in 2005, I have faith that it will get there. 

As always, thanks to the organisers – a festival this size is no small feat, and the team at Outside put on a fantastic time for both general visitors and press! It fulfilled all of my Indie Disco dreams, and made a weekend that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. 

See the view from the pit, captured by Tom Sunderland:

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.

More about: Y Not FestivalYNot