Festival Review: Y Not 2025 – Sunday

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SUNDAY

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Circa Waves | Y Not Festival | Photo By: Jake Haseldine

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Waking up on the final day of a festival is always a sad one you’re not ready for the real world again, you just want to stay here in the madness. Sunday morning was brutal too, the rain was hammering it down and the wind overnight had tents flying about like a scene from The Wizard of Oz. Thankfully, it stopped just in time for the arena gates to open.

The day kicked off with something a bit special Noasis, the ultimate Oasis tribute. Originally meant for a smaller tent later in the day, organisers made a smart move bumping them up to the main stage to get everyone going in early doors and it worked, by 1pm, the field was filling up like it was a headliner on It was packed with fans who missed out on Oasis Live 25 tickets and others dressed to relive special summer dates the real Oasis put on.

Even getting a drink took longer than it had all weekend, a sure sign everyone was up for it. After the ‘Fuckin’ in the Bushes‘ intro, fake Liam swaggered on stage shouting “Noasis vibes in the area!” before they tore into ‘Rock ’n’ Roll Star‘. What sets a tribute apart is the effort and these lads had nailed it. Fake Liam was channelling 2008 Liam, while fake Noel rocked that iconic Maine Road Penfield jacket.

Between songs, “Liam” was full of the same cheeky banter as the real deal, even claiming he’d found some tablets in The Prodigy’s dressing room and was having a “great weekend.” They somehow even pulled off the Poznan bounce before ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol‘, just like Oasis have been doing on their reunion tour, a class moment. Then came ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger‘ and it hit differently, we’d stood in the exact same spot a year ago watching the real Noel Gallagher play it. They closed with ‘Champagne Supernova‘, the field now absolutely rammed. A masterstroke by the organisers, everyone was now in, buzzing and ready to take on the final day.

The Pigeon Detectives | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Faye Stacey – View From The Pit

We decided to stay mainly at the main stage for Sunday, less running around and more soaking it all in. Next up were the 2pm special guests, The Pigeon Detectives and if anyone could blast the hangovers away, it was Matt Bowman. He sprinted straight out, launching into ‘This Is An Emergency‘, full of scissor kicks and chaos. By the second song, he’d drenched himself in water and spat it skyward like a whale.

During ‘I Found Out‘, we got the classic mic swing and catch, followed by a moment only Bowman could pull off, dropping his trousers slightly to reveal a massive bruise from falling off stage at Belladrum Festival a few days earlier. It looked rough but he didn’t let it slow him down.

‘Romantic Type‘ saw him join the crowd at the barrier before donning a pigeon head mask and striking a pose like a conquering hero. Then came ‘Everybody Wants Me‘, with the biggest mates on shoulders moment of the weekend, a full sea of 10ft fans bouncing. He even claimed he could do cartwheels and before anyone could laugh, off he went doing one across the stage. They wrapped up with ‘I’m Not Sorry‘, the perfect jolt to kick the day into gear.

The K’s | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Ami Ford

Then it was time for a bit of history, The K’s on the main stage, fresh from scoring their first-ever number one album with ‘Pretty on the Internet‘ just two days earlier.

The energy was electric. They came out beaming and ‘Gravestone‘ kicked things off in style, pyro, smoke and the crowd singing every word. ‘Icarus‘ turned the middle of the field into a bouncing mosh pit of pure joy, while ‘Hoping Maybe‘ had arms round shoulders and tears in eyes.

Jamie Boyle held up their number one trophy and gave a heartfelt thank you to their team, fans and This Feeling before ‘The Bends (Here We Go Again)‘ which is a new fan favourite judging by the limbs flying about.

‘Black & Blue‘ kept the tempo up before closing with ‘Sarajevo‘, complete with the “Dirty Earlstown” intro. It wasn’t just a gig, it was a celebration.

Shed Seven | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Jake Haseldine

Next up were Shed Seven, the last main stage band of the weekend for us and one I’d been buzzing for. They opened with ‘Let’s Go‘, instantly lifting the energy.

Rick Witter was in top form, all banter and charisma. “Who remembers the 90s?” he asked, pointing to a kid who cheered. “You’re 10! Were you having it large?” Then, without missing a beat, “I don’t remember the 90s either.”

Before ‘Talk of the Town‘, he congratulated The K’s on their number one, joking that it took Shed Seven until last year to finally get theirs. ‘Going for Gold‘ turned the field into one massive singalong, while ‘Let’s Go Dancing‘ was a proper tearjerker, I couldn’t resist giving my girlfriend a little twirl during it.

They closed with ‘Disco Down‘, ‘Getting Better‘, and ‘Chasing Rainbows‘ a power trio of tunes.

It was perfect, an emotional, funny and feel-good set that easily ranks as one of my highlights of the weekend.

Press Team Photo | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Outside Org

Afterwards, we stopped by the press tent for a team photo, only to get heckled mid-shot by Rick Witter shouting “Journoooos!” from across the field, not something I had on my bingo card.

Seb Lowe | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Ami Ford

Walking over to The Quarry, this was where we’d planned to wrap up our band journey for the weekend. Originally, it was meant to end with Seb Lowe for us but with Annie Mac dropping out and Circa Waves stepping in, we were treated to a surprise double bill to close things out in style.

By day four of tent life, we were fully feral festival dwellers, muddy, tired and blissfully free. Then Seb Lowe brought us crashing back to the real world. Some will call his music political but I’d say it’s more about real life, the stuff everyone feels but few are brave enough to say out loud. Seb just calls it as it is.

From the first notes of ‘Here Come The Aliens!’, he had the crowd locked in. The biting lyrics cut deep, backed by Kate Couriel’s haunting violin which gave the whole set this beautiful tension which made it both dramatic and delicate all at once.

His latest track, ‘Dogs and Cats’, digs into gender politics with wit and bite, the dogs symbolising masculinity, the cats representing femininity, a very clever concept delivered with Seb’s signature honesty and bite.

Then came ‘Ode to Britannia’, a moment of pure, raw fire. His hunger for social change burned through every word, that same passion bouncing off the younger faces in the crowd. When Seb roared “You dirty fucking communist,” the place erupted. It wasn’t shock, it was release. You could feel the frustration and unity collide in one unforgettable moment.

‘We Must Defend Ourselves’ saw the band at their heaviest, calling out the world’s so-called leaders, the violin slicing through the distortion like a warning siren. It was aggressive, intelligent and emotional all at once, the kind of performance that makes you think, not just dance.

He closed with ‘Terms and Conditions’, spitting sharp truths about the North-South divide like a rap-poet hybrid. It was an explosive finale to a set that was equal parts rally cry and reality check, the most eye-opening moment of the entire weekend.

After that intensity, we wandered off for a breather at Hanging in the Balance, our little sanctuary for the weekend. The rain had eased, and the air felt heavy with that end-of-festival calm. There was Malcolm, the legend himself  perched exactly where he’d been every night before. Relaxed, and wearing the warmest of smiles, welcoming everyone like an old mate. We chatted nonsense, swapped stories and laughed about the weekend’s madness. That statue, that spot and Malcolm himself had somehow become the heart of Y Not. A place to pause, reset and a remember why we love it here so much. We stayed longer than planned, which meant missing the start of Circa Waves.

Circa Waves | Y Not Festival | Photo By: Jake Haseldine

We slipped into The Quarry from the side entrance and were instantly hit by the energy. Despite clashing with musical royalty in the form of Madness, Circa Waves had packed out the tent, shoulder-to-shoulder and wall-to-wall. From chats over the weekend, I knew some bands had struggled when up against headliners but not these lads, they had the crowd in the palm of their hand.

We found a spot mid-set, just as ‘Fire That Burns’ kicked in, a proper jolt of adrenaline and we couldn’t have timed it better, arriving just in time to catch the live debut of ‘Cherry Bomb.’ Seven albums deep, Circa Waves have built a catalogue that stretches from sunny festival anthems to darker, more introspective cuts and tonight’s set showcased that perfectly.

When ‘Fossils’ from their debut album dropped, it felt like pure nostalgia, a throwback to summer days and first festivals and it sat beautifully against moodier moments like ‘Sad Happy,’ which gave the set an emotional ebb and flow. You could feel the years of experience in their setlist, seasoned, confident but still full of heart.

Visually, the setup was minimal but inspired. No pyro, no screens, just two massive disco balls placed on the stage floor. As the lights hit them, they scattered colour across the tent ceiling like ripples on water. It felt immersive, almost like we were all floating inside some glittering fishbowl of sound and light. Simple but brilliant.

Then came ‘We Made It’ and it hit differently after the weekend we had been part of, it wasn’t just another track, it was the unexpected emotional peak of the night. The lyrics,

“I said it took a long, long time to get here but yeah we made it, yeah we made it / Every silver line was a gold mine as the sun was fading…”landed hard.

After four days of freedom, chaos, laughter and connection, it felt like the perfect reflection of the weekend we’d just lived through. A shared sigh of happiness between strangers who’d all been part of something special.

They closed, of course, with ‘T-Shirt Weather’, the tent exploded beer flew, arms wrapped around shoulders and for three glorious minutes, The Quarry turned into a feral indie disco. You could feel it, that collective understanding that this was the final song of Y Not 2025 and everyone was determined to squeeze every last drop of joy out of it.

But the night wasn’t done with us yet, as soon as the guitars faded, The Quarry flipped once again into a Drum & Bass rave. Somehow, we ended up right back in our usual spot, bodies moving, lights flashing, refusing to let go of the weekend. We turned around mid-set and there was Dexter from The K’s, tucked in the corner behind his shades. We shouted a quick hello and he grinned, shouting back, “I love this shit!”, another unplanned moment for the memory bank.

Later, we wandered over to The Allotment for one last indie fix, only to find the rest of The K’s DJing the afterparty. The energy was electric, at one point Kieran Poynter spotted us from behind the decks, pointed, and sprinted down to say hello. “You want owt on?” he asked, already knowing our obsession with The Reytons, he said, “We haven’t got any Reytons though“, I threw out a quick “Kasabian then!” and off he went, laughing. Ten minutes later, the intro to ‘Club Foot’ dropped and Kieran was up there, grinning like a legend as the crowd went wild.

We danced on haybales, kicked crushed cans and sang until our voices broke. Then the lights came up, the music faded and the realisation hit, it was now over.

Walking back to the tent, the cold crept in but the buzz still burned. That familiar post-festival silence hung in the air, a mix of exhaustion, contentment and the kind of sadness that only comes from knowing you’ve just lived something unforgettable.

Last year’s Y Not had been incredible to cover but this year felt even more special. It was magical, almost spiritual. The press team who’d been friendly faces in 2024 now felt like family in 2025. It didn’t just feel like attending a festival, it felt like coming home.

We’re already counting down the days until Y Not 2026.