Y Not Festival - Sunday

Making sense of what happened at a festival can often be confusing and challenging; so it is with great apologies that we present to you the rather late roundup of the third day of Y Not festival accompanied by its very own SoundInPhotos Gallery.

As the rain subsides once more on Sunday but the clouds overhead remain ominous, our first stop is to the main stage as we feel that we’ve neglected it this weekend. As we arrive to a flock of animated seagulls taking over the screens, Dingus Khan are treating those brave enough to go out so early on a Sunday to a feast of a set. There’s subliminal messages, synchronised dancing and a mighty lead vocal performance all in one short set.

From here we make our last visit to BBC Introducing for Saint Raymond. He’s massively inoffensive but aside from a few whimsical songs its hard to see mass-appeal within the music and the same can be said for the wonderfully named yet tragically boring Pineapple Thief inside the third stage (although if Radiohead’s The Bends is your favourite record, you’ll thoroughly enjoy them).

From here it’s back to back joy though as MaybeSheWill pull off possibly the strongest instrumental set we see all weekend (sorry 65Days, MaybeSheWill edged you on intimacy and crowd-likeability) before Wet Nuns bring a huge crowd in from the rain into their dark and powerful breed of rock’n’roll.  This Autumn may finally be the Nuns’ time to shine.

Inversely in power but not so much in enjoyment, up and coming starlet Lewis Watson treats a rather busy second stage to half an hour of music taken from each of his four EPs. His latest single Calling is a standout for the festival and possibly our summer as his enthusiastic fans sing every word back at him.

Then comes something we were not expecting. If you’re aware of The Computers you’ll know that not only have they produced two rather contrasting yet wonderful records and toured with both The Subways and Pulled Apart By Horses, but also they’ve mastered the art of performing live; mostly from sweaty shows by the South Coast and Kingston. Their time at Y Not however, proves to be the set of the weekend with only one act left to see. Their blend of sharp suits and raucous behaviour turns out to be the perfect formula and there’s not a muddy, tired face that leaves the Giant Squid Tent happier and sweatier for it.

Which leads to the biggest surprise of the festival. Once chart and Reading and Leeds toppers The Darkness, actually still have it! Yes, the glam-rock dream has faded and yes,  the budget’s slipped and yes, it does get annoying not knowing over half the songs of a headline performance, but with showmanship like Justin Hawkins and his band create, who even cares? Chants to their simple logo, crowd surfing and mass sing-alongs bring Y Not to a strange and wonderful ending before we try and fail to watch Jurassic Park in the cinema tent.

Braden Fletcher

Y Not Festival - Saturday

Saturday begins similarly to the way Friday did; the storm from the night before has passed and Y Not is waking up in warm tents in a damp field trying to piece together the night before and THAT storm.

Anyone hoping to have a steady road to recovery bundled into BBC Introducing’s allocation at the Quarry to catch These Mortal Cities. Their twinkling teenage indie came fresh out of the mid-noughties with the kind of enjoyable naivety festivals should be about, especially considering the crowd was barely over age in most parts of the tent.
From one indie band to another, much more professional and enjoyable one; Sky Larkin took to the main stage to play tracks from their forthcoming record as well as a few fan-favourites. Judging by a few of the tracks, Motto could be a strong return to form for the Leeds band.

From here, one of the possible standouts of the festival come in the form of Drenge.  A big crowd has assembled for the duo in anticipation to hear the MP plugged grunge that will surely heat up the charts next week; and the boys don’t disappoint.  It’s loud, energetic and even features a song about a bus.

I Am In Love follow. What everyone was expecting to be a simple 30minute set however, quickly became a party that featured people playing rugby, a marriage proposal (of the lead singer) and drumming from the middle of the crowd. When you bare in mind that this is all in the smallest tent of the festival, its certainly a feat. Whitemore following this do not satisfy to the same extent and its up to 65DaysofStatic to battle a painfully short set and bring the tempo back up. They do not disappoint with a set that features material taken from their upcoming record as well as the singles from their last and of course, the epic Radio Protector. If only they had over half an hour in the sun!

The 1975 then cram a tent full to the brim for their performance. It’s energetic and a hugely uplifting set full of material that’s bound to set the remainder of the summer alight once their debut LP is out next month and it leads us perfectly back across the Y Not site for a set of Ash’s greatest hits. Their time at the top is most definitely behind them, but Ash still know how to put on a great show and the masses assembled at the main stage agree.

After this it’s only the Cribs left and they headline in style. Whilst the setlist doesn’t favour those who prefer their older material, almost every single from their last decade gets an outing as the band’s Payola record is rifled through in what feels like no time at all. The festival’s biggest crowd so far also proves to be the most raucous and as the Y Not party continues through the night, you’re left wanting more Cribs and less of their last two LPs.

Braden Fletcher

Preview: The Rest of the Summer

So the dust has settled on a scorching Glastonbury and JT and Jay Z have put their stamp as Legends of the Summer on the Olympic Park. The city festivals are but a slightly warm memory and we’re all melting in office blocks or summery parks waiting for our next Cornetto.

You could however, go to another festival this year.
“But Sound Influx, festivals are really expensive and the summer’s already half done. Can’t I just sit at home and watch Wiley rant about them on the internet?”
No reader, whilst that could be quite fun, even Wiley’s going to get his wellies melted onto his feet at Reading and Leeds and there’s an assortment of festivals left this summer that won’t break the bank.

Y Not

Occuring on the first weekend of August, this, by means of proximity to now is the most likely one to see radiant sunshine. Having grown over the last 8 years, championing the best in new music and getting bigger headliners by the year; this year sees once Reading and Leeds headliners The Darkness join The Cribs, Ash, The1975, Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, 65DaysOfStatic and The Horrors.
Future big deals Chloe Howl, Lewis Watson and Gnarwolves also fill the £80 weekender that holds the Mystery Jets as its house-band. Our friends at Alcopop! Also host a stage at what promises to be a hugely diverse festival that’s also known for it’s wonderful toilets (and we’re not even taking the p*** there!)

Beacons

The north of England really is a wonderful place; so wonderful infact that the lovely folk at Beacons in Skipton, North Yorkshire have managed to persuade everyone from Danny Brown, Django Django, Fucked Up, Bonobo  and Melody’s Echo Chamber to join in on the fun. Of course, if all of that fun isn’t up your street, you can always go to a Whisky Tasting workshop, watch a film or enjoy a talk on philosophy whilst eating one of the many wonderful food options (the food here is second to none, for a field). Four nights of this Yorkshire bliss costs under £100 and they’ll even throw in David Rodigan MBE!

End of the Road 

Closing August in utter beauty this year, EOTR sees Sigur Ros, Belle & Sebastian and David Byrne & St.Vincent join the likes of Dinosaur Jr, Savages and Daughter at a festival that also holds its own Ale Festival, Comedy stage and Icelandic Grotto. If that’s not enough for you they even have their own bicycle based Postal Service to pass on goodwill, fleeting moments and memories across the site. We’d be amiss if we didn’t mention that all of its cheapest tickets flew out of the door to be replaced by £175 ones, but frankly Sigur Ros are in the best shape of their touring careers whilst sets from Eels and Daughter won’t feel more fitting anywhere else in the world except in this field in Dorset.

ArcTanGent 

Finally but definitely not bringing up the tail quietly is ArcTanGent. It’s the rookie of the batch being in its debutant year, but hosted by the same folk that brought the world 2000Trees and held just outside of Bristol, it stands up amongst the rest straight away. 65DaysOfStatic and Fuck Buttons headline whilst SI favourites Tall Ships and infectious post-rockers And So I Watch You From Afar, hardcore outfit Rolo Tomassi, recent starlets Public Service Broadcasting and our underground favourites Nordic Giants glitter the huge lineup. It’s the cheaper (£60), louder option to EOTR and one way or another, we promise it’ll be a good one, even if it pours down with rain because the main stage is a huge Arc Tent.

We hope that one of these whets your whistle more than it wets your tent, but with weather like we're having now, its worth the risk. See you in the fields.