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FRIDAY

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Reytons | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Dan Crosfield

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Friday started with one of our favourite moments of the whole festival, heading into the arena early, when hardly anybody is about.

There is a calmness around a festival at this time of day that is actually quite difficult to describe, once the arena fills up and you’re surrounded by thousands of people constantly, you really appreciate those quiet moments when you can wander around without fighting through crowds every five seconds.

As we headed through though, something immediately caught our attention, Reytons‘ stage was already up and even seeing it in daylight it still took our breath away. It was an entire street! Shops, flats, a postbox and a bench, Rotherham was brought to a field in Derbyshire. One thing these lads certainly know how to do is make a headline set look spectacular and judging by what we’d already seen, this was going to be something special.

Us and Reytons | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Nikki Wilson

As we got closer, frontman Jonny Yerrell spotted us and came down from the stage for a little chat, it wasn’t long before the rest of the band came down too and we managed to get a group photo. The whole band are always incredibly welcoming and genuinely seem happy to see us, which only adds to that ‘band of the people’ persona they’ve built. That’s the thing with Reytons, it doesn’t feel like an act, They genuinely do seem to love being around their fans and the people who have supported them.

After our little catch-up, we headed off for breakfast and not long after sitting down we were approached for an interview with BBC Derby… Yep, somehow we had ended up on the BBC. We were interviewed live for the Becky Measures Breakfast Show and when asked who we were most looking forward to seeing, there was obviously only one answer… Reytons. We also mentioned Good Health Good Wealth, another band we were particularly looking forward to catching.

We were then asked what keeps bringing us back to Y Not every year? Our answer was pretty simple, it’s just such a beautiful setting and the music is absolutely spot on for our tastes.

Fergie’s Adventure | Y Not Festival | Photos by: Marc Whiffen

By this point it was only around 10am and we’d already had quite an eventful morning, then it took a slightly weird turn. Our friend Holly has a Jellycat which is a Scouse frog called Fergie, I asked if I could take him on an adventure, she said yes, she probably should have asked some follow-up questions but my plan was simply to take Fergie around the arena and get some photographs, once I’d spotted a sign called The Jazzy Frog, obviously Fergie had to make an appearance. Then we stopped outside the Hog & Barrel, which we promptly renamed the Frog & Barrel.

As we carried on mooching around, Reytons were still soundchecking and Jonny came down from the stage again, this time we managed to get a photograph of Fergie and Jonny together knowing full well Holly was going to absolutely love it. The funniest thing was that when we asked Jonny, he simply put the frog on his shoulder, no questions, no confusion, no “what the fuck are you doing with a frog?” Just straight onto the shoulder, pure professional behaviour.

We even managed to get Fergie interviewed in the press area by the legend that is Lily Dimelow from Slice of Indie! Honestly, if Fergie gets a better media schedule than us next year, we’re going to be absolutely livid.

Jonny also made a cheeky bet with us, he asked how many songs it would take before bassist Lee Holland would sit down on the bench that was part of the stage set, positioned on his side, I went for the third song, Jonny went for the fourth and Nikki went for the seventh.

Remember those predictions, we’ll come back to that.

After what could have been a morning wasted festering inside the tent, it turned into one of our most fun parts of the weekend away from the music.

We went back into the arena as it opened and began filling up with life again, most people seemed to be getting themselves ready for The Lancashire Hotpots but we had other plans.

Taylor Liam Jackson | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Faye Stacey – View From The Pit

Taylor Liam Jackson was first on our agenda, last year we’d walked past the Hog & Barrel at around 1pm and noticed the tent was absolutely heaving. Being nosey, we went for a little peek and discovered Taylor playing an acoustic set, we couldn’t even get inside, we had to watch from outside the tent.

Fast-forward a year and Taylor had made a huge leap, this time he was playing The Quarry, the second biggest stage at the festival and this wasn’t going to be an acoustic performance either, this was the full band.

Any nerves Taylor and the band might have had that morning must have turned into a massive sense of relief when they saw just how full the tent already was, especially Dean Clarke, When I bumped into him earlier that morning, he looked like a nervous wreck. Once the band got going, those nerves fuelled by adrenaline, turned into an electric set.

They’d actually had a slightly frustrating start, with Pale Waves overrunning their soundcheck, meaning Taylor and the band had a late start but they didn’t seem fazed, instead they grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

With the full band behind him and inside that much bigger tent, the sound was unreal. Personal favourite ‘Broke Inside‘ sounded absolutely massive, Connall Stacey was drumming like he wanted to bring the entire bloody tent down around him. It sounded like a band ready for much bigger stages.

Taylor also has this really likability, there’s a cheeky aura about him which combined with his talent, could take him a long way. His songwriting feels made for these big festivals, these are songs people can sing along to, bounce around to and most importantly they stick in your head long after the set.

New tune ‘Set In Stone‘, written alongside manager Darren Coe sounds like another step towards where Taylor Liam Jackson clearly sees his future and the reaction suggested the crowd are fully behind this tune, even well before it is released.

Despite Taylor‘s set overrunning into The Lilacs‘ slot, the tent remained largely full which was an incredible sight for the lads. Every time we bumped into them for the rest of the weekend, they were still absolutely buzzing. Monday morning must have felt like a serious crash back down to earth.

Surely next year they deserve a shot on the main stage?

The Lilacs | Y Not Festival | Photo by: ChappersPhotography

We managed to get to The Lilacs just as they were encouraging the crowd to chant “Up The Lilacs” before launching into ‘Calling It A Night‘.

The Lilacs are another brilliant Y Not success story, two years ago they were the first band on in The Giant Squid and despite that early slot the tent was the fullest we saw it all weekend. Last year they got a higher slot in the same tent and we’d already learnt our lesson, if you wanted to get inside, you needed to get there early.

This year they were originally supposed to be in The Quarry but demand meant they were moved to the main stage and looking at the crowd they’d pulled, it was clearly the right decision.

They bravely threw a new tune ‘What’s The Worst That Can Happen?‘ at a crowd of potentially 30,000 people and rather than leaving everyone scratching their heads not knowing the tune, frontman Ollie Anglesea got them involved, he had the crowd joining in and somehow made a brand-new song feel like a tune thad has always been in the set. That’s a bloody good trick.

The Lilacs also carried on their trademark tradition of asking if there was anybody called Grace in the crowd, of course there were. Well, there were definitely people claiming to be called Grace, whether every single one of them was is anybody’s guess but Ollie doesn’t seem too bothered and dedicates the song ‘Grace‘ to them anyway. By this point, people were perched on shoulders, singing every word back.

Ollie introduced the final song by saying it was the first song they’d ever written, he then announced it was called ‘Chippy Tea‘, a nice little nod to The Lancashire Hotpots, then came the inevitable… “Nah” and was straight into ‘Vicarage Road‘ for the finale.

It was one of those rare festival days where we spent a huge amount of time around the main stage, usually we’re bouncing between every bloody corner of the site but this year’s Friday line-up was so strong that our itinerary naturally kept bringing us back there. It was also bloody hot, so there was no way we were hiding inside tents all day when there was sunshine outside, I guess you could call that a rare festival moment too.

Reverend and The Makers | Y Not Festival | Photo by: JimmyMcDonaldPhoto

Next up were Reverend and The Makers, 14:30 felt like a bizarrely early time for them but they were given a ‘Special Guest’ slot, meaning they got a full hour rather than the half-hour sets surrounding them. It’s actually a genius move from the festival, put a recognisable band on early in the afternoon and suddenly you’ve got thousands of people dragging themselves out of their tents and into the arena.

When Rocky’s iconic ‘Gonna Fly Now‘, composed by Bill Conti started playing, you knew exactly what the next hour was going to involve, bouncing, lots of bouncing. Two flag bearers came onto the stage and on closer inspection I realised one was Matt Wynn and the other was his other half Lindzi. If you’ve been following the Steve Bracknall escapades, you’ll know exactly who Wynney is. Bracknall is the character created by The Rev’s brother Chris McClure who has become a social media phenomenon over the last couple of years. Wynney has played the panto villain after signing for Royal Oak’s rivals Nags Head following a bust-up, so seeing the pair come out waving the flags was a brilliant little touch.

Then came Jon, he walked onto the stage wearing a suit and in that heat, I immediately wondered whether the jacket was going to make it to the end, Spoiler alert: somehow it did. The band launched straight into ‘Bassline‘ and the entire place started bouncing, The Rev knows how to get a crowd going.

Before ‘Open Your Window‘, McClure told the crowd about his accident falling off his scooter and explained that if he could bounce around with two broken ribs, so could everybody else and if somebody next to you wasn’t bouncing, then give them a jab. Fair enough.

The newer, Northern Soul-infused ‘Haircut‘ went down really well in the afternoon sunshine, even without actress Vicky McClure who duets on the track, the crowd happily took over her part.

For anyone who might have wandered off mentally during the newer material, they were soon dragged straight back in when the band announced what they described as their old biggest tune, ‘Heavyweight Champion of the World‘ and the whole field was bouncing again.

Jon absolutely loves seeing a crowd going for it and this was when he delivered his trademark promise of “banger after banger after banger” and to be fair, he wasn’t lying. ‘Out of the Shadows‘, ‘He Said He Loved Me‘ and then their biggest tune ‘Silence Is Talking‘.

That final one always produces one of those brilliant festival moments where people start spinning tops, hats or basically anything they can get their hands on above their heads, Jon’s weapon of choice being his towel. It’s ridiculous, It’s brilliant and it works. Think ‘Lip Up Fatty‘ by Bad Manners but with 30,000 people. What a way to finish the set.

One thing we noticed particularly after Reverend and The Makers was just how much dust was hanging in the air, people had been dancing and bouncing heavily all afternoon, it had been hot and the ground had been bone dry for weeks so it was hardly surprising but it was getting a bit much. I eventually had to head back to the tent to grab my inhaler as it was starting to feel pretty heavy on my chest, unfortunately, that meant we missed wonderkid and Reytons‘ protégé Freddie Halkon playing a huge main stage set.

Freddie Halkon | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Dan Crosfield

Looking back at the photographs and videos afterwards, it looked like a magical moment for the lad. Sometimes festivals just don’t go to plan and that’s exactly why you can’t see everything.

The Royston Club | Y Not Festival | Photo by: ChappersPhotography

The Royston Club were next on the main stage and were a band that most of the attendees were most excited to see. Since the release of their second album ‘Songs for the Spine‘, this band have absolutely exploded. They’ve gone from being a band people were telling you to check out to becoming one of the must-see acts for a huge number of festival-goers, you could see that in the crowd at 16:45.

The band opened with ‘Shivers‘, the opening track from the album too and instantly people were on shoulders with pyro going off around them. ‘I’m A Liar‘ followed and you could feel the crowd getting fuller and more compact by the second.

The Royston Club were clearly a must-see for a lot of people that weekend and the energy coming from the crowd made that very obvious. The set was beautifully balanced between the two albums, moving between them without ever losing its flow.

‘Blisters‘ into ‘Spinning‘ felt like a little teaser for what was still to come, combining the band’s indie goodness with that raw emotional edge that has become such a big part of their appeal.

The band didn’t interact too much between songs but looking out at a crowd filled with teary eyes and huge smiles, what more do you really need to say?

The combination of indie goodness and raw emotion returned for the big finale. ‘52‘ followed by ‘Cariad‘.

‘Cariad‘ has become an emotional anthem for the TikTok generation, exploding across social media and turning into one of those songs that people now absolutely have to experience live. From the opening notes, it was almost impossible to see the stage, people were on shoulders, smoke bombs were going off and through the gaps, you could see the faces of the people up there, tears in their eyes screaming every single word back at the band as though the world was going to end when the song finished.

You can’t help but wonder what goes through a band’s head when they’re looking out to something like that. They’ve written a song, a song that started as an idea in a room somewhere and now thousands of people are standing in a field, crying and screaming the words back at them, that’s pretty fucking special.

The ending is difficult to put into words, there was this strange, deep emotion hanging in the air, shared between thousands of people in one field at exactly the same moment. When the song ended, you could see people genuinely needed a minute to recover and there were a fair few jaws that needed picking up off the floor too.

After spending so much of the day baking in the sunshine, it was time to find a bit of cover. The next two acts were both in This Feeling’s tent The Pit, PG Ciarletta and Cusp.

PG Ciarletta | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Marc Whiffen

I’d only seen PG Ciarletta once before and that was just him with his acoustic guitar in Mexborough, this time he had a full band behind him.

PG is great fun, he’s a cheeky Scottish lad but there’s more to his songwriting than just having a laugh, he also tackles real issues in his songs, making him one of those acts who can entertain you while still giving you something to think about.

He kicked off with ‘The Sesh‘ and immediately the room started moving, people were singing every word back to him and it’s impossible not to sing along in Scottish when somebody is singing in that accent, this is even more surreal when you’re standing in the middle of a field in Derbyshire.

It was also clear just how strong his following has become when the chants of “No PG, no party” started ringing around The Pit.

‘Play It On Repeat‘ got the whole crowd dancing and smiling but nobody was smiling more than PG himself, you could see how much he loved being on that stage, especially when he spotted a camera on him and immediately struck a pose with a cheeky grin.

‘Start A Revolution‘ was another big crowd pleaser, it’s a huge, infectious tune that would win over even the most casual listener.

At one point I also spotted PG standing on one leg with his other foot resting against his knee, i’m assuming this was a nod to fellow Scotsman Kyle Falconer from The View, who is often seen performing in what has become his trademark flamingo pose.

Cusp | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Marc Whiffen

It was now time for Cusp to take over the pit. I’d only seen them once before too but that first experience had left me completely transfixed, They’d melted me so I was more than happy to see them again.

Starting with ‘Bright Ideas‘, it didn’t take long before they had me hooked for a second time, frontman Dan Stock is one of those genuinely likeable people who makes it incredibly easy to feel connected to the band.

Cusp have also recorded a track with Tom A Smith called ‘Human Nature‘ and Dan explained that they’d played it at every festival this summer with Tom joining them on stage. Unfortunately, this was the one festival where he wasn’t able to join them, they played it without him though and it still went down really well.

Their latest tune ‘English Country‘ has quickly become my favourite of theirs, so I was particularly looking forward to hearing it live, it didn’t disappoint. After witnessing it live it is now up there as one of my favourite tunes of the year.

Ending with ‘Coming Up Roses‘, it was another brilliant set. It was beautiful to see them again and perhaps even more special this time because I actually knew the songs.

Dizzee Rascal | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Faye Stacey – View From The Pit

After our little break from the sun, it was time to head back outside Dizzee Rascal was next, this was always going to be one of the wildest sets of the weekend and who honestly would have predicted seeing Dizzee Rascal immediately before Reytons?Aren’t festivals brilliant!

By the time Dizzee came on, the crowd was absolutely packed and bouncing from the first second, once again dust clouds were forming above everybody’s heads. Great sight, not quite as good for your lungs though.

The tracks appeared to be shortened versions but they were punchier to give the crowd everything they needed. ‘Dirtee Cash‘ and ‘Jus’ A Rascal‘ had the required clout to get things moving, while Dizzee also gave people little breaks between songs to catch their breath, although, judging by what came next, those breaks weren’t all to chill though.

He split the crowd in half and instructed one side to raise their middle finger and shout “Fuck that side!” at the other, then they swapped, he had now created a rivalry between the left and right side, all of that led into ‘Fix Up, Look Sharp‘.

Dizzee also gave us a taste of his upcoming album, ‘We Want Bass‘, playing new tunes ‘All Night‘ and ‘So Hot‘, despite being brand new, they didn’t sound out of place at all. The crowd barely slowed down, which is a very good sign for what could be coming from that album.

Then came the big hitters, ‘Bassline Junkie‘ was absolutely carnage and by now the sun was setting, the combination of dust, pyro and thousands of people bouncing made the whole thing look almost apocalyptic.

And then came ‘Bonkers‘, really, there are no words needed, the entire set had been building towards this and absolutely everybody got involved, It was mayhem… Some may say “It was bonkers“… Sorry for that one.

Reytons | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Dan Crosfield

The excitement for Reytons‘ headline set was now officially off the scale, seeing an unsigned band headline a major festival is history in itself, yes, they’d headlined Tramlines but technically that’s a hometown gig. This was different, this was arguably their biggest gig and biggest headline slot to date.

Most of our group were primarily here for Reytons and you could tell, Reytons football shirts had been absolutely everywhere throughout the day.

For this one, we decided to start near the sound desk, we wanted to actually witness the show rather than spending the entire thing getting scraped off the floor of the mosh pit.

You’d be crazy to miss the opening of a big Reytons gig, even if you’re not a fan, they always go above and beyond with their introductions, from the Disney theme surrounding Clifton Park to the Trojan horse at Tramlines, these lads understand that a headline set should feel like an event.

After seeing the stage in the morning, we were more than intrigued to see it in full glory. Then the intro began and it was bold, the voices of people who had slagged Reytons off on social media, questioning why they were headlining played out across the stage, it was a statement, they knew the doubters were watching and they were about to prove them wrong.

The countdown finished and Reytons sprinted out and were stright into ‘Red Smoke‘, the place literally exploded. A sea of red pyro started to plume across the air. If you’ve ever seen Reytons live, you’ll know exactly what comes with that, absolute carnage, It looked like a scene from Mad Max, especially with the dust already rising from the ground.

‘Jukebox‘ followed and it was our first time hearing the track live, It absolutely slapped. One of the funniest parts was trying to spot the puppet from the video running around the windows of the flats above the shops on the stage, it was chaotic, it was theatrical and it was exactly what we’d come to expect from a Reytons headline show.

Then came tracks three and four, the moment we’d been waiting for… The bench bet!

My prediction was that Lee Holland would sit down during the third song, Jonny had gone for the fourth and Nikki had gone for the seventh. The third song turned out to be ‘Antibiotics‘ and the fourth was ‘Harrison Lesser‘, both lively tunes, both absolutely terrible choices for a bassist to have a little sit down. Every time Lee went anywhere near the bench, I’d shout “Sit down, you little bastard!“, this got some very strange looks from people around us and understandably so.

As the tracks passed that was me and Jonny out of the bet and Lee was still bouncing about full of energy, looking like he couldn’t be further away from wanting a sit down and absolutely oblivious to that his actions had been used in a side quest.

Reytons | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Dan Crosfield

By the halfway point of the set, it was completely dark and the full theatrical production was now in its element. During ‘On The Back Burner‘, the windows behind the band actually looked like they were on fire, as flames appeared to engulf the buildings. Infinity Production Group were behind the production and once again they absolutely nailed it, this wasn’t simply a band playing a gig, this was a show.

‘On The Back Burner‘ was also track seven and Lee still hadn’t sat down, the bet was officially dead.

After the boisterous pairing of ‘Guilt Trip‘ and ‘Adrenaline‘, the band moved towards their more radio-friendly side with ‘Cash In Hand & Fake IDs‘ and ‘Market Street‘. These feel like the great middle-ground Reytons songs, tracks that can unite the different sides of their fanbase.

Then came one of the most beautiful moments in any Reytons set, ‘Shoebox‘. Jonny still gets visibly struck by the moment during this song, the frontman persona seems to disappear for a few minutes as he asks people to shine their phone torches towards the stage, thousands of little lights shining back at the band. It’s always a special moment but seeing Jonny genuinely affected by it makes it even more powerful, at the end he looked close to tears.

“Did we do that?“

Yes, Jonny… You fucking did!

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

Recently released ‘Best Night Of His Life‘ followed and Jonny was quickly back bouncing around the stage, back in his natural habitat.

Then came the biggest surprise of not only the Reytons set but arguably the entire day, Lucy Spraggan joined the band for ‘Buskers Paradise‘ and the way they pulled this off was brilliant, Lucy appeared from the top of the flats on the stage before making her way down to join the band.

During the song, everyday people appeared around the stage too, a postman, an older guy and a woman with a pram, the ordinary people Reytons have always represented were suddenly part of this huge festival production, turning the song into something that felt almost like a musical. It was a brilliant touch, this was also the  momemt Lee sat down! Track sixteen, we definitely underestimated him.

Before ‘Kids Off The Estate‘, Jonny gave us another teaser about a big gig coming to Rotherham next year.

“Shall we all do this again and get pissed in a big field in Rotherham next year?“

Clifton Park MKII? We’ll have to wait and see.

‘Kids Off The Estate‘ is the golden moment of the set, rows and rows of people on shoulders, singing every word back with tears in their eyes Jonny spotted them and headed down towards the barrier to join the people before eventually making his way back to the stage for ‘Low Life‘.

And just like that, history had been made, Reytons had become the first unsigned band to headline a major festival! Whatever anyone thinks of them, that’s an achievement and they didn’t simply turn up and play a set, they put on a show.

Afterwards, people were picking up anything they could find off the floor as a memento, it turned out the confetti that had been flying around during the show wasn’t just confetti either, they were tiny envelopes promoting the release of the band’s upcoming album, ‘A Love Letter To A Broken Town‘, which was due out the following week.

Even the bloody confetti had a purpose, that’s Reytons.

After that mind-blowing day, we weren’t quite ready for bed, the crowd had now started to break up and there was a chill creeping into the air, so we made a quick detour back to the tent for jackets.

The night wasn’t over, it was time to head to The Giant Squid for the completely bonkers but brilliant Window Kid.

This was our first experience of the Giant Squid this year and honestly, it looked incredible. The Squid seems to improve every year, last year we’d seen the giant tentacles, this year they were still there but now there were hanging jellyfish too.

Seeing a dance-based act late at night in a venue like that is a great way to properly immerse yourself in the aesthetics of a festival and by this point, I won’t lie, we were definitely a little wobbly.

Window Kid came out to ‘Rambling Bars‘ and the party was underway. One of the best things about seeing a dance act late at night is the complete mix of people you get in the crowd, different genres, different groups but everyone is there for the same thing, a bloody good time.

Nikki with Geneveve | Y Not Festival | Photo by: Nikki Wilson

We met a girl carrying a giant unicorn teddy, who she had named Genevieve, we couldn’t help but wonder if Fergie would have enjoyed the late night tent too. The girl eventually decided to throw Genevieve into the crowd, she was absolutely delighted to watch it bouncing over everyone’s heads.

“Look! She’s crowd surfing!“

And that right there is what festivals are all about, the completely ridiculous becomes completely normal.

Talking of ridiculous, Window Kid then brought out special guest Mashtag Brady, that definitely wasn’t on our bingo card.

After that, it was definitely time we headed back, with everything closing again, we had made it from the start to the end of the festival day.

Friday was always going to be our biggest day of the festival and bloody hell, did it deliver, from a quiet morning with Fergie the Frog and an unexpected BBC appearance to watching Taylor Liam Jackson take a huge step forward, The Royston Club delivering one of the most emotional performances of the weekend, Dizzee Rascal turning the field into an apocalyptic dust bowl and then witnessing Reytons make festival history, it was one hell of a day.

And somehow… We still had Saturday and Sunday to come.

 

Read Thursday Review Here: https://theindiemasterplan.co.uk/festival-review-y-not-2026-thursday

Read Saturday Review Here: Coming Soon

Y Not ’27 tickets are on sale now! Get them here: https://tickets.ynotfestival.com/event/y-not-festival-2027/pikehall/3667686?lid=j6i0h4nejzor#op1

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