The very beautiful Matlock in Derbyshire was the setting for this 4 day festival from Thursday 25th July 2019, but my tribe and I were rocking up on the Friday due to work commitments. I have to say now a special thanks to Lee & Angela (best mates a girl could wish for) for inviting me along in the first place.
When I rolled off all my favourite bands a few months ago they invited me along with the rest of their gang and whilst I didn't know that many of the gang beforehand, I left on the Monday having met some very special people.
Friday
We met at Morrisons in Matlock and having convoyed up, got the tent set up and raced to the site the first band I managed to catch was Stockport's own Fuzzy Sun. It was the third time I've seen these guys in 6 weeks and they get better and better every time. Despite technical issues (which hardly anyone noticed) they still sounded ace and Want Love is still by far my favourite. They're going on to support Two Door Cinema Cub later this year and I wish them all the luck in the world. So, so talented.
As a crew we all have different taste in music and so I left our lot and headed to The Quarry as I was dying to catch Cassia for my first time and these lads didn't disappoint! A 30 minute set flew by as per. If you get a chance watch them they're ace.
I then caught Sports Team and by christ these guys were epic! Alex dived into the crowd as seems to be his thing and we lapped it up, they had the place bouncing. Top set lads!
I then raced back up the hill and The Giant Squid to catch Indoor Pets. These guys are amazing live! Beautifully constructed songs and gorgeous voices.
After them I stayed for one of my highlights of the weekend Doncasters mighty The Blinders! Having seen these lads 3 times now this year, I can say unequivocally that they are one of the best live bands around. They played all my favourites in Gotta Get Through, I Can't Breath Blues and L'Etat C'est Moi. They are one of those bands who will be selling out stadiums in the future.. see them whilst you can. My mate Jack unbeknownst to me also knows the lads so he introduced me to Tom afterwards. I have to admit I had a bit of a fan girl moment. He was so lovely though. See this band if you get a chance! These are one of the few bands who's photo's I took over the weekend. That should tell you all you need to know. I'm going to see them later this year at Neighbourhood Festival and I can't wait!
Franz Ferdinand were on the main stage after Blinders so I caught a bit of their set before Black Honey back in The Giant Squid. Black Honey are another of those bands who've I've loved for ages and I couldn't wait to see them, my mates came with me and they were as impressed as I was. They played my favourites in Connie and Hello Today. I got a few pics of these guys also.. a great band live, their songs sound just as good live if not better.
To finish up Friday were the mighty The Subways! They describe themselves as a high spirited, alt-rock outfit and by christ can these guys play! I'm always honest (best way) and hold my hand up saying whilst they'd been on my radar I hadn't listened to them much before this weekend. They definitely have a new fan. I couldn't think of a better band to end a day of top top music... this was only the end of day one for me too!
Saturday
Despite it having pissed down for hours by the time we got onto the festival site this didn't
dampen my enthusiasm for the day as this was the day I was looking forward to the most out of the three I was attending.
Before catching any music I went and got the glitter face paint thing done because YNOT (pun intended) I also couldn't wear my sequinned bikini top due to the shitty weather so the make up made up for it.
First up on the main stage in the pissing down weather were Anteros. I was giddy with excitement for these guys and they didn't disappoint. Laura Hyden their front woman has always reminded me of my idol Debbie Harry and if you see them live you'll see what I mean. She makes a superb front woman and these guys can play! Having played Drive On, Call Your Mother, Honey and more their set did fly by, but left this now sopping wet festival goer a very happy bunny!
I ran up the hill to The Giant Squid for some shelter from the elements before going out again for the mighty band that are Idles. Now having seen these guys live on telly at Glastonbury I knew they would bring a lot of energy, but by Christ despite the rain these guys smashed it out of the park! It was lashing down and the crowd didn't care. The mosh pit was insane, I saw ponchos, coats, trainers, boots, hair extensions, wigs the lot being thrown about. Their energy was so visceral, raw, pure, rock and roll. Amazing live and I would definitely love to see them again.
After these I headed to The Quarry to see some of my favourite bands, but before them Deco were on. Now I had no idea who these guys were, but I was so glad that I caught their set. Uplifting, happy, bouncy indie, pop. Their frontman had the whole place bouncing, me included so what more can you ask for from a band you've discovered by accident?!
Up next were one of my favourite bands Sophie & The Giants. I met these guys in March when they headlined Jimmy's in Manchester and ever since have been a MASSIVE fan of theirs. It's amazing how in such a short space of time, their star is hurtling and rightly so. Sophie despite her slight frame has a vocal range most front people dream of..... it's incredible! Match that with the stunning drumming of Chris Hill, the sublime guitars of Toby and then the amazingly funky bass playing of Antonnia (she reminds me of Flea from RHCP, she's that good) and you have the perfect mix. The band have so much love for their fans and they took the time after the set to say hello to me, as well as pose for pics with other fans. These guys are going to be paying stadiums in years to come and they deserve all the success in the world. Such an amazingly talented group of young people and also so lovely with it. Love you guys! World domination beckons!
I stayed in The Quarry as up next were one of Hollands most exciting exports Pip Blom. Having been these guys earlier this year I was blown away. It's so difficult to sound like something never heard before in music but these guys manage to do just that. On hearing a song of theirs, you instantly know it's them. The way they play live they have so much goofy, nerdy energy and you can't help but smile and pogo to it. Love them!
Still in The Quarry up next were The Snuts. Again I'd not listened to much of these guys before this weekend, but they have a new fan in me. They were trying to get the crowd to react and they responded big time! The one and only time I saw a flare being lit in The Quarry was for these lads and whilst you could see bugger all... even on the front row due to the smoke the band and the crowd were loving it. Their songs are catchy as hell and live there's a real raw, fuck you attitude that comes through. See these guys live if you get a chance. They will blow your socks off!
Still in the Quarry (3.5 hours now) and up next were the one and only Sea Girls. The third time again for seeing a band this year and they get better and better with every time I see them. The sound check for Oli and his drums took a long while but what a treat his drumming is... this boy can sure as hell play drums! They played all my favourites, Call Me Out, Damage Done, Closer and Open Your Head Up... Henry said that this was the festival they were looking forward to playing because YNOT (cheese but I laughed).... the tent was full to capacity and loads were standing at the sides in the rain to catch a glimpse. If you listen to these lads you can see why their rise to stardom has gone at lightning pace. Catchy, beautifully constructed songs and live they're simply amazing. So much energy. These guys deserve all the plaudits they get. They're brilliant!
Having been in The Quarry for well over 4 hours now I left with two lovely ladies I'd just met Kizzy & Molly (hi ladies... please add me if you read this on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) as they recommended I go and see Larkins with them at The Saloon Bar.
We managed to catch the end of The Hubbards set (about 4 songs) and these were the second biggest surprise of the day for me). Another great band live and having listened to them since YNOT I would be happy to see them again.
Larkins were up next and as I was so enthusiastic about Sophie & The Giants as well as Sea Girls, Kizzy & Molly said I would love Larkins. They weren't wrong. These lads from Manchester were simply brilliant. Such a great set that flew far too quickly and having not heard them before (late to the party I know) I was really pleasantly surprised and want to thank, Kizzy & Molly for introducing me to another really great band.
After Larkins, I headed through the mud bath and torrential downpour to catch the legendary The Damned. Now I'm a little too young to have been into them the first time around, but having played Elouise and New Rose as their first two in their set I was loving it. Me and my mates sang, danced and loved every bloody minute of it. Another great ending to an amazing days music.
On the way back to the tent I also managed to grab some Churro's which went down a bloody treat! Despite the absolute shocking mud bath we had to walk through this was a great day and with one day to go could it get any better?..... maybe.
Sunday
Due to the awful weather conditions the main arena opened at 1:30pm but the stage times didn't change so my only moan about this weekend is that they should've been more organised and opened earlier... it gets light at 5 am and they'd had hours and hours to sort this!
The weather was truly awful and I really didn't fancy getting soaked to the skin a second day in a row ( I packed for the summer for this weekend, despite the weather forecast. Always the optimist). So I decided to skip the main stage and miss Wolf Alice (gutted but seen them 2 times), Miles Kane, and Happy Mondays) and to go into The Giant Squid tent for an afternoon of what turned out to be some of the biggest surprises of the weekend. I'd not heard of any of theses bands other than PPC (see below) and so was in for a real treat as they were all great.
First up by the time we got there were Hotel Lux. I loved them. Great catchy tunes, good players and I've added them to my liked music on Spotify. Keep going lads!
Next were Heavy Rapids. These lads are from Glasgow and the lead singer had a Cabbage badge on his guitar strap. Fast, heavy unadulterated punk with bags and bags of attitude. They smashed it and we were lapping it up! Give them a listen!
Allusinlove were next and again this band didn't disappoint. Their energy was amazing and despite the tent not being that full, they filled the place with energy. I loved every minute of it. If you like Talk Show, The Blinders etc then give these guys a listen.
Murder Capital were up next and their singer had so much swag and it wasn't misplaced as again this band were simply brilliant. Their set flew by and I've listened to them a lot too, since this weekend. If you're a fan of darker music and haven't heard them check them out. You will love them.
Up next were Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (PPC) and they were the only band I had heard of who I saw in The Giant Squid on Sunday. These Ozzie lads rock the foundations. The tent was rather full and if you've seen them live you'd understand why. Great energy and rather surprising sounds make for a great live experience.
Pulled Apart By Horses were up next and again the guys blew me away. Their energy was something else. So much love for this lot. Have a listen to Dumb Fun as loud as you can having drunk 3 Red Bulls and you'll get an idea of the energy these guys produce on stage. I loved every second and it felt as though they played about 10 minutes.... over far too quickly for this girls liking.
Now my mate Julia is one of the coolest people you will meet and she said we should all catch Yak. They were up next, and she said their frontman Oli Burslem, is one of the greatest guitarists ever. If you get the chance to see them live you'll see what she's on about. These guys are INSANE live! Despite a power cut of about 5 minutes.... they didn't disappoint and Oli used this as an opportunity to have a fag, hand out beers and we even all sang, "He's got the whole world in his hands"... He's one of the coolest front men I'd seen all weekend and I would thoroughly recommend you listen to these lads. Top drawer!
After Yak we ventured outside and despite the cutting freezing winds Foals were exceptionally brilliant as always. I saw these first in 2008, so was really looking forward to this. I managed to catch my favourite My Number. I stayed for 45 minutes only because I wanted to catch the legendary Echo & The Bunnymen in The Quarry.
Echo was as dry as ever and they played all the favourites including The Killing Moon and The Cutter (which according to Echo frontman Ian McCulloch is the greatest song ever written)! Again I'm a little too young to have been into these the first time around but knowing that I may not get the chance to see them live again was too big a pull. It was a mellow end to the weekend and I'm so glad I caught them.
YNOT despite the weather was a fantastic weekend. New friends made, older friends got to know me a bit better (I promise I'll be more organised next year).
New bands I now love, other bands I've grown to love even more. Some magical memories that will stay with me for all my days.
To each and every band, person I interacted with, new friends and old, thank you for an amazing weekend!
Same again next year! Except the rain. The rain can do one!
I've created a Spotify playlist of all of my favourite songs from the weekend
The
few photo's I took are all my own.