Lys:
When I first met Will, he really didn't like me. In fact, I think the first time he actually smiled at me was when I played the Panic Prevention album by Jamie T.
Will:
Okay maybe a slight exaggeration… But I didn’t really care for her, this is true!
Lys:
A few months (and a LOT of gigs later) I like to consider us chummy. So when we saw Jamie T was headlining Y Not Festival, we just had to be there.
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Here's what we thought…
Tucked away in a very picturesque part of Derbyshire, Y Not promised to deliver a weekend of unforgettable music and vibrant energy. As we stepped onto the grounds on a gorgeous Saturday morning, bright flags flying and a distant hum of The Lancashire Hotpots in the distance, I was struck with how wholesome the whole place felt.
With rolling hills all around and a striking helter-skelter greeting us at the entrance, Y Not felt more like a playground at first - the swarms of small children running around definitely added to that atmosphere. It seemed to have a good balance between size and intimacy (at least initially), which made me pretty excited to explore the stages.
I’ve mentioned that the crowd was rather young when we first arrived at the festival. It’s not what we’re used to, but honestly it was pretty refreshing. We headed straight to the main stage to catch the Lancashire Hotpots, and what we saw took us by surprise. People of all ages were dancing, laughing, and singing along - and then they got the whole crowd to join in on a Conga line! Yes, the ENTIRE crowd! It was a fantastic way to kick off the day.
Will:
I’ve never seen an act inspire so much movement in a crowd, honestly. Though I guess Kendrick never told everyone to Conga so…
Lys:
As the day went on and more folks wandered over from the camping grounds, the vibe started to shift. I'll dive into this more when we get to the headliners, but let’s just say the family-friendly atmosphere began to fade as nightfall approached.
After the Hotpots, we were on our way to assess the portaloo situation when a beautiful saxophone solo drifted over from the Giant Squid Stage. Now, if there’s one thing you need to know about Will and I, it’s that we simply can't resist a good bit of jazz. So, naturally, we ditched the toilet quest and followed the mysterious sax… and let me tell you, the Pied Piper’s got nothing on what we discovered: Hannah Rowe.
A beautifully soulful performance captivated the crowd, who filled up the tent in no time. We knew we had to grab them for an interview. Hannah and the talented musicians which accompanied her - Sam, Luke, Owen, Charlie, and Poppy - were as delightful in person as they were on stage. Please - for the love of God - listen to their stuff.
Watch their interview with us here:
The Giant Squid Stage was probably the highlight of the festival for me. The tent's orange tint made the whole place feel incredibly inviting.
Will:
I thought it looked a bit like Mexico in Breaking Bad. Not a bad thing.
Lys:
Right in the middle of the stage was this massive scaffold that, naturally, every artist felt the need to climb. We watched Gen and the Degenerates (what a name!) pull this off brilliantly during their set - much to the horror of the health and safety crew, who seemed to be on permanent standby.
The final act we caught on this stage was VLURE, who can only be described as Glaswegian party-starters. Huge energy and a shit ton of dancing - at one point three of them were moshing with the crowd. Safe to say this is when the atmosphere of the place was beginning to shift from family-fun to an all out party. We were itching to chat with them after their set - and you best believe that's exactly what we did. They have some really exciting plans in the works and we're definitely going to catch them at their next gig in Manchester.
Will:
One thing I was mildly concerned about was how YNOT was sold as an “indie” festival and of course this filled my head with images of samey sounding light rock bands but I’m happy to report it is true to the indie tag. I saw lots of fresh, new acts across multiple genres in the Giant Squid tent alone and that was easily one of my favourite parts.
Lys:
While we absolutely loved the acts we discovered at the Giant Squid Stage, we have to talk about the headliners. We didn’t catch much of Pale Waves and The Snuts, but it was clear they pulled in massive crowds compared to the wide-open fields we saw when we first arrived. By the time Declan McKenna hit the stage, the place was heaving. We started to see all the classic festival sights - people on each other’s shoulders, folks singing along, and the kids had mostly migrated to the safer, less crowded areas in the back. Although, some brave young souls were right at the front (in true Acid Rain spirit).
Will:
I think this is a good time to discuss the overall sound of the stages at YNOT. I honestly felt the sound was lacking in the smaller stages that I would define as every stage apart from two (The Quarry and Main Stage) and it was especially noticeable in the vocal mix at Giant Squid. I thought it honestly detracted from the vocals of Hannah Rowe and added to the gritty vibe of Gen and the Degenerates and VLURE. So, swings and roundabouts I guess! Still though, this may be due to my background in heavy bass and sub stack stages at my usual festivals but the sonics just didn’t scratch that same itch I’d expect from an event as big as YNOT. I can’t fault the main stage however, the sound was very good especially at the front where we spent most of our time and The Quarry was respectable even though the only act we saw there was Shy FX closing up. I will also mention I’ve heard Shy FX with a much bigger sound before so while not necessarily disappointed I wasn’t impressed.
Lys:
Will and I had a quick break in the media area to take full advantage of their loos. Earlier in the day, the amenities seemed to match the crowd size pretty well, but as the festival filled up, it was a different story entirely. By then, people were waiting twenty minutes just to use some seriously grim portaloos.
Anyway, enough about toilets - let’s talk Jamie T.
The anticipation for Jamie T's set was electric. He played non-stop bangers, and the crowd sang every lyric right back to him. The energy was incredible. The only thing that didn’t quite sit right with me was the vibe we got from some of the crowd. I’m not sure if it was genuinely rough or if the kid-friendly atmosphere from earlier had skewed our perception, but there were a lot of teenagers and rowdy punters at this set. We saw people literally standing on each other’s shoulders and drinks were flying everywhere throughout. Maybe we were just in a particularly wild spot, and to be fair, we were pretty close to the front. But I spent a lot of the set feeling relieved that most of the kids had moved away from the main stage.
Will:
Yeah I honestly don’t remember being in a rowdier crowd, it’s generally not a bad thing but I wasn’t expecting it for Jamie T of all people… I enjoyed the set but just can’t help but hold out hope he tours that magic first album again for its anniversary…
Lys:
A Panic Prevention anniversary tour is something I’d kill to see!
All things considered, we definitely enjoyed ourselves - like I said, the set was fantastic, and it was honestly a dream come true to watch an artist I’ve adored for years. But I think it’d be disingenuous to not acknowledge how the crowd’s vibe shifted as the night went on.
After his set, we had a few minutes to spare before our lift arrived - which meant one thing: Shy FX!!!
Will:
I just can’t get enough of Shy FX. I’m definitely in the double digit gig attendance now. I didn’t know what the set would be like considering it wasn’t really the expected audience for this kind of music but the set was just pedal to the metal old school Jungle with some incredibly fresh mixes in there too. It included the potentially hardest version of Original Nuttah I’ve heard yet and The Quarry was packed out even at 1am for it which I was delighted to see! Despite it not being the best sound system I’ve heard him through, it was as always an absolute pleasure.
Final thoughts…
So that was our experience at Y Not Festival 2024! It offered an incredible mix of vibrant energy and eclectic performances that genuinely left a lasting impression. From the picturesque setting and family-friendly start to the all-out party atmosphere as the night rolled in, the festival showcased a fantastic range of music and fun. Next time, we're definitely planning to camp so we can catch every bit of the action from start to finish.
You can check out our full Y Not video at the top of this page, and look out for our interviews with Hannah Rowe and VLURE.
Tickets for Y NOT FEST are on sale now - click here to learn more
As always, we’ll see you at the front!
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