Y Not? Festival - Award Winning Style
Pictures by Tarquin Clark
Our Y Not? Festival 2016 Preview may have seemed excited, to say the least, by this year's spirited event, but even we couldn't have predicted that it was going to be SUCH a success by it's 11th Year. Y Not? Festival has a following of return attendees, because it has a USP edge on providing all entertainments, for all genres and generations, of all kinds.
Cabbage, hanging out at This Feeling Stage, Y Not? Festival
In the true "goes up to 11" spirit, Y Not? 2016 hit the JACK pot with the nation's No1 rock'n'roll EVENT, This Feeling at the Jack Rocks Tent. Feedback and festival reviews indicate that this was where new futures were being made, just as the nation is waking up to the world class calibre of "Britain's Got Guitar Band Talent" that has been growing underground, nationwide, in the small to medium venues (TF regulars know this as "The Zone"). A warm welcome and a cold drink await. As do some of the hottest bands and coolest moments.
The Zone was very much in effect this weekend, and "Mr Y Not?" himself, Tarquin Clark spent some very good times capturing the atmosphere and future stars at close range, over the weekend. This Feeling is very much part of the story that our own collective are telling, because that's where so many of our favourites hang out, on and off stage. Those shapes the artists throw on stage, the engagement with the crowd, their individual StageStyle? Hell YEAH to all that!
Incidentally, this is not general gushing about This Feeling, there is an important side. Any escapism from Brexit's Summer Of Hate is essential. It doesn't matter how you voted, we have to make Great Little Britain together. The DIY cottage industries that grow from fans of bands with great potential, create employment and economical gain from creativity with social inclusion. In a parallel dimension to the world on the news, Y Not? Festival happened during a DIY Summer Of Love.
A shimmering summer of love, at that! (The Shimmer Band at Y Not? Festival, This Feeling Stage)
This Feeling has been a Do It Yourself labour of love for some time now, growing it's own fan base, like a real club, while supporting fresh talent. In recent years, Mikey and his TF crew have proved the perfect match with Jack Daniels in the mix(er)! So many of their artists and audiences actually look like stars, or already are. It's an organic thing. You can't force it. You've gotta roll with it.
Black Honey are proving a festival favourite...
Baby Strange
Noel Gallagher is a This Feeling fan. He publicly endorsed this from The Main Stage during his own set. The likes of Kasabian and The Enemy are among well known names who are no strangers to this expanding movement. Up and comers like A for Asylums, B for Bang Bang Romeo and C for Cabbage all make their presence very much felt at Y Not? The Festival should win another award this year just for the Jack Rocks tent, alone, as they have gathered the seeds of greatness that globally and locally adored artists alike, truly need.
The awesome Bang Bang Romeo are in a class all of their own.
Y Not? retains an independent spirit, and in a year when DIY is showing Mainstream Music Industry some tricks that only necessity can create, This Feeling (now an international club) is the perfect fit.
(and, yes, that is a chandelier of Jack Daniels bottles...)
Unlike televised karaoke marathon talent shows, the TF way is down to earth organic. It takes more time but builds firmer foundations. It is bitter sweet that Viola Beach were the Number 1 album in the UK last week, but it was well deserved. They started 2016 as part of This Feeling's Big In 2016 events. Now more essential on the tipster calendar than various award shindigs and definitely of more interest to sussed promoters and bookers. This week, Blossoms, another band that Mikey Jonn of This Feeling has bigged up tirelessly, are the Number 1 album at time of writing. Again, well deserved. This summer is starting to feel like we have something to celebrate at grass roots level. Get involved.
This is how the future should go. Step away from the TV show format and get back in the venues. £10 entry for most of the new stars. TF is actually £5 to see three or four hand picked quality sets in one night, then dance until early hours. Jack Daniels UK kindly have a free drink for the first 50 in. You have no idea what you're missing until you are happy to pay ten times as much to catch them in an aircraft hanger, impersonally, a few years later. You can not be serious. If Y Not Festival has a This Feeling stage next year, then it's worth the cost of the ticket alone! (if you can get one, this has rapidly become one of the UK's most beloved festivals).
In the Music Venue Trust supported spaces are the new musicians, photographers, writers, film makers, fashion designers, visual artists, poets of the DIY movement and you can help to create the next music industry. This Feeling even has it's own print media; 'Listen Up' at their shows.
Don't take my word for it. On Friday 29th July 2016 Asylums released 'Killer Brain Waves' via their own Cool Thing DIY collective/creative community imprint, as they took to This Feeling's stage. We stand by that being one of 2016's albums of the year. It could be you, finding your local music fanatics and forging new destinies. While the pound is becoming worthless, that makes our talents, festivals, gigs and new industries more attractive to entertainment tourism, right?
Asylums. Live up to their name. Tunes so good you'll go crazy.
So many up and coming bands getting to live their touring dreams via This Feeling and they all played to a packed tent at Y Not? this weekend, for their festival dreams.
There is definitely something analogue about this movement. You can feel it here at Y Not? or in a club night around the land. It doesn't feel like we are in digital Distopia while we are there, but hanging with the spirit of Hendrix, The Stones etc.
Sure, this is all a bit simplistic, but that's how excited you can get by some pictures/vibe from a festival happening, a rock n roll club exploding, a load of new stars twinkling and a packed tent of cool feeling inspired. Don't knock simple - it's complicated!
Excellent photography by Y Not?'s local star photographer, Tarquin Clark. See the full This Feeling / YNot? Festival images by clicking here. Eternal thanks to Mikey at This Feeling for making these shots happen! Summer 2017; Y Not? (early bird tickets are already sold out, grab yours at Tier 1 a.s.a.p. via http://www.ynotfestivals.co.uk/
