Words: Richard Cobb
Keeping up their festival frolicking, everyone’s favourite indie club night This Feeling bring their travelling circus to the sold out Y Not festival at sunny (for a day…) Pikehall, Derbyshire for a long weekend this Thursday 27th to Sunday July 30th. Understandably, four days is a long time, particularly when you’re roughing it at a festival.
With that in mind, if you’re feeling peaky at the half way point, go and see Mr Motivator on the main stage on Saturday for some all important mind Lucozade, but you’d be wise to spend a large chunk of the rest of your time around the new band tent to find some of the best emerging new talent.
Even making your mind up about chopsticks or forks can be Sudoku-esque at a festival, and with 44 bands on the This Feeling Allotment stage over the weekend, here’s our pick to help make things that little bit easier for you.
It all starts at 4pm on Thursday, and up early doors are Manchester’s Carnival Club. Side-stepping the advances of more recent acts, the band’s influences lie mostly in the 70s and they do a pretty good job of channelling that with a northern prog rock topping amongst other things.
Stockport was relatively low-key on the music scale in recent years until Blossoms put the town on the map last year. No doubt soon to be joining them on the success wheel and town sign are No Hot Ashes. The band with their own brand of future-psych funk headline the stage on Thursday night.
Friday sees a couple bands fresh from playing the This Feeling Fringe Stage at Tramlines last weekend, picking up where they left off. SAUCE, The Assist and BlackWaters were all on our top bands to see at Tramlines list, and if you didn’t manage to see them then, make a point of seeing them this time.
Deeside’s Gravves are on at 2pm on Friday and are sure to add a few hairs to your chest or at the very least blow away the early afternoon cobwebs with their raw energy. Sounding like the Nick Oliveri Queens of the Stone Age years, though hopefully with a lot less windmilling.
We love a bit of Avalanche Party. They were one of the highlights of Camden Rocks back in May and are a great bunch too, with an enigmatic frontman and a pack of stonking tunes. Join the party on stage at 2pm on Friday.
After a fairly hard-hitting afternoon, Derbyshire’s own Sunflower Thieves are the perfect calm after the storm. Primarily an acoustic duo, their soothing melodies which sound in line with The Staves are the ideal remedy at the midway point of the day.
It unfortunately looks like it’ll be pissing it down with rain on Friday, but if you want to create the illusion of a hot summer night, make a point of going to see The Wholls. Like the sound of an ice cream van in the rain, if anyone can lift your spirits and instantly transport you to your happy place, it’s this lot.
Friday's action closes with the Swansea rockers Trampolene. With their 'Beautiful Pain' EP just out, Mr Jones & Co. will be putting both poetry and kick-ass rock to good measure as the sun goes down from 9pm.
Saturday’s action opens with The Surrenders at 12:30pm. The Dudley/Birmingham and Gornal infused band are quite diverse with their early R&B grooves and capture the endless energy and style of Dave Matthews Band.
Easily the voice of the weekend, Keir is a must see. There’s something really unique about this guy and it’s sure to be a memorable performance before he inevitably and deservedly hits the big time.
SHEAFS are great and another band Little Indie has covered extensively over the past year. Forming part of the exciting wave of upcoming high energy guitar bands alongside The Blinders and aforementioned Avalanche Party. You can check them out at 5:50pm.
Up directly after SHEAFS come another Little Indie favourite, Himalayas. Plenty of edgy indie to be had here, with newest single ‘Thank God I’m Not You’ set to be a highlight. Take note of guitarist Mike Griffiths who impressed our reviewer on a recent Leeds show.
Sundays at a festival are normally reserved for desperately scrambling around for anything that looks remotely electrical that you can charge your phone with, shamelessly trying to scramble enough money together to get the bus home, or aimlessly attempting a post mortem on the tent to figure out where the 3ft hole on the side came from and how long it’s been there for. Well, that’ll have to wait another night I’m afraid, as there’s still a full day ahead.
Brighton’s Of Empires were crowned MTV Brand New Unsigned Winners in 2015, which is no easy feat, particularly given that MTV have only played about 3 tunes since 2015, so these guys are definitely doing something right. They’re up first at 12:30pm on the final day.
No idea how to pronounce their name without sounding like it’s my first day of Spanish all over again, but if you hear anyone suggesting something that even slightly resembles Cabezudos, take them up on the offer and hopefully they’ll lead you to this sharp dressed rock&roll band from the Costa Del Liverpool.
With a good few performances at This Feeling festival shows racked up between them already this summer, and with both bands previously recommended as must see’s at Tramlines and TRNSMT respectively, Scotland’s Shambolics and Vida are back to back from 5:50pm.
Closing the stage in epic style and a band that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Tarantino movie are Bang Bang Romeo.
With yet another fantastic line-up, This Feeling really are the gift that keeps on giving. And in case you’re still pondering, leave your pride at home and go for the fork, not the chopsticks.
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