Circumstances prevented me from seeing the first two days of the Y Not Festival, held in Pikehall in the beautiful Peak District, so I was glad when I finally arrived to see the set by Twin Wild on the main stage. The indie boys cracked out a fine set and are definitely ones to watch for the future. Apologies to CC Smugglers as transport problems prevented me from seeing your set.
Blossoms are a band I’m already well acquainted with, having seen them in Liverpool earlier in the year. It’s easy to see why they are garnering a reputation as one of this year’s hottest bands. The new single ‘Blown Rose’ proved a favourite, and the finisher ‘Blow’ always goes down a storm with their fans. King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys were sheer fun. The boogie woogie was played to get people dancing and was perfect for the afternoon sunshine. If you fancied a break from the indie and rock on offer, this was where you wanted to be.
Rhodes brought a touch of sensitivity to the line-up. The vocals were heartfelt and the music, on tracks such as the new single ‘Close Your Eyes’, backed them to perfection. Although not really my sort of music, the set was well received by the crowd, and it was obvious Rhodes had a lot of fans at Y Not.
The Strypes really got the party started. The crowd were wild for this band and it was easy to see why. With a new album out on the 21st of August, the taster track ‘I Need To Be Your Only’ showed just how good this band are. The live set was brilliant and the crowd were wild for their slick, fast rock. The upbeat feel was carried on by the American band Augustines, giving us a quality set and sending the crowd wild. I loved their brand of indie rock and the crowd were with them all the way. The whole performance had the best feel-good factor of the day. They definitely won a fan here.
The crowd had really gathered by the time I got back to the main stage. Johnny Marr, formerly the guitarist with The Smiths, had brought the crowd from the tents. In a set that included several Smiths songs, a New Order track and finished with ‘I Fought the Law’ by The Clash, I felt I would have liked to hear more of his own material, although I seemed to be in the minority, as the crowd went wild every time a Smiths track came up. Of his own songs, I thought ‘Calculate' was the best of the set. Primal Scream are probably my favourite band and the reason I had booked a ticket in the first place, so centre front was the only place I wanted to be. Not a band associated with the mosh pit scene, I figured I could survive being squashed against the barriers. In a set beginning with one of their most recent tracks, ‘2013’, the band took us through a diverse musical journey spanning a quarter of a century. ‘Accelerator’, ‘Loaded’, ‘Higher Than The Sun’, ‘Swastika Eyes’ and ‘Damaged were all there. In a triumphant set that won over the younger members of the crowd and wowed their long-term fan base, the band proved their worth as a headline act. Finishing on ‘Rocks’, the set was the perfect end to a great final day at Y-Not.