ROCK, RAPPING AND RUBBER DUCKS: A PICK-AND-MIX FROM YNOT? FESTIVAL 2025

This weekend, slap bang in the middle of an already thrilling UK festival season, the Peak District was gifted with its 18th highly anticipated YNOT? Festival: 4 sold-out days of indie sensations, star-studded headliners, old favourites and sparkling new stars. We covered two choc-a-block afternoons – just a snippet of the action, but more than enough to know that YNOT? is the place to be, old or young, newbie or fanatic.

FRIDAY

HARD LIFE

The sky may have been overcast, but indie/R&B favourites Hard Life well and truly brought the sunshine back to the main stage – Big Gin – with their chilled out, sun-soaked sound. Frontman Murray Matravers appeared in a casual hoodie and jorts look, emanating his relatable, intimate, and above all, fun energy throughout the set. 

From the band’s very first single Pockets to fresher tracks like Othello and Yellow Bike from hot new album Onion, Matravers owned the stage with ease, rapping smoothly from bar to bar and dancing into every groove and dip in the beat. He mentioned that YNOT? was the first festival he ever came to, not to mention the first gig he ever played, which took place at the acoustic open mic set. 

The other band members onstage were by no means sidelined by this rising star; in between his rhythmic, rippling sets, drummer Oliver Cassidy was up and dancing with the crowd, even going in at one point to create a small mosh pit. Matravers also got a mate in the mosh; it was the birthday of a friend who’d always wanted to crowd surf – and he got his wish at YNOT?

With stunning synth keys and an effortlessly beachy guitar, this set was festival-perfect, putting modern indie on the main stage to get everyone in the right mood for the evening.

PRIMAL SCREAM 

The screams that met this retro rock band as they took to the stage were definitely primal. The energy in the crowd was nothing short of electric, with people on shoulders and whoops in the air, amping up the evening as the whole field was flooded with heavy drums and warping whines of electric guitar.

Percussion founded Primal Scream’s set, whistles and tambourines accompanied by some stunning female vocal harmonists and a killer bass too. And of course, famous frontman Bobby Gillespie: blazer-clad, he danced around the stage to classic hits like Rocks, warbling through the melodies with an ecstatic crowd. 

While the energy at the Big Gin was by no means low, Gillespie’s felt a little muted, a little vacant. His band were astonishing though, the stage teeming full of talents from then and now, all sax and smooth groove. 

It was impossible to stand still, and impossible to ignore the pure ecstasy in the air.

SATURDAY

SIGRID

Saturday brought the sunshine and a huge weekend crowd for Norwegian popstar Sigrid, who had Ynotters dancing from the car park to the barricade.

Although she was simply clad in a white tee and jeans (ironic as it was Dress-Up Day at YNOT?), Sigrid had a stage presence that truly made her sparkle, with a huge smile and huge voice as she danced passionately with her band. Her radio pop sound appealed to everyone, with bass synths and groovy guitar lines that got everyone clapping and waving along to the big hits like Don’t Kill My Vibe and Don’t Feel Like Crying.

This was a killer set, for the crowd at the Big Gin and for Sigrid herself. 

THE LILACS

Under the cover of The Giant Squid tent, Northern faves The Lilacs attracted a crowd that streamed far beyond the venue itself, all singing along to modern Britpop bangers. The tent was pretty much full even 20 minutes before there was any glimpse of the band, and when they did arrive, the crowd nearly took the roof off, drenched in (you guessed it) lilac lights as drummer Dave Gommersall reeled in the music. 

It was a humorous start to the set when Sam Birchall came onstage just to dash off again as he’d picked up the wrong guitar. He was greeted with even bigger cheers and jeers when he returned, his white electric strapped and ready to go. 

It has to be said that this band’s music isn’t anything special; their sound seems lifted from the many other male-fronted Britpop bands in its sound, themes and trajectories. However, their live stage presence was magnetic, with smiling frontman Ollie Anglesea giving everything he had to his vocals, rhythm guitar and of course, the adoring crowd. 

Said audience were clearly thrilled to be seeing The Lilacs live; bucket hats were bobbing, lyrics were screamed, and chants of ‘Up The Lilacs’ and ‘Here we, here we, here we f*cking go’ travelled through the throng. Despite the fact it was a pretty short set, there was a thrilled feel coming from all corners of the packed tent and from every guitar strum too.

THE LAST DINNER PARTY

As the sun began to set over the Big Gin stage, The Last Dinner Party brought the light and laughter back to the festival with a set that might as well have headlined for the huge, enthusiastic crowd it amassed. 

The sides of the stage were framed with ancient Greek-style pillars to establish the band’s penchant for the historical and the grand, which became even clearer as one by one, they trailed onstage in dramatic velvets, trailing head pieces and – in frontwoman Abigaille Morris’s case – a long black trench coat. Of course, this leant itself to a grand reveal when, during the lively, dramatic number Caesar On A TV Screen, she peeled it off to reveal a romantic, old-timey, cream dress. If nothing else, a Last Dinner Party set is promised to be a spectacle. 

But of course, they really are something else. From rock anthems like Sinner to emotional ballads like On Your Side, even to the newer, tongue-in-cheek country slant of their latest single, This Is The Killer Speaking, this band never does the expected – and it always works. There’s drama, fun, and always a teasing bite to their performances. 

But there were a few moments that made this YNOT? appearance particularly special for the crowd and band alike, the first being when a member of the crowd threw rubber ducks onto the stage. Five minutes later Abigaille Morris and rhythm guitarist Lizzy Mayland were making everyone laugh by getting them to squeak. As for the songs they chose to play (ducks still spotlighted onstage, of course) The Last Dinner Party really treated this festival crowd by playing a brand new song from their upcoming album The Pyre; this had never been played live before or even teased, which just lifted the energy even further as its oozing ¾ beat entranced the crowd.

Between songs, the band also put up a huge QR code on the big screens encouraging people to donate to the charity Medical Aid For Palestinians. They didn’t elaborate for too long, but they didn’t need to – the screens were powerful enough to turn the attention to the importance of helping this non-profit in doing their life-saving work. 

All in all, The Last Dinner Party’s set was impactful, not just for the ribbon-clad fans in the field, but for every single person in attendance – and wider still.

THE COURTEENERS

And of course, the headliners: Britpop staples and timeless faves The Courteeners. The night had fully set in when the stage flashed with blue lights, illuminating a massive, manic crowd of kids, teens and adults, all on tenter hooks (and on shoulders too).

Oasis’s Morning Glory thundered through the crowd; even before there was any sign of the imminent headliners, chanting erupted, frat-flicking began, and the energy that had built up over the course of the day fizzed through everyone’s veins.

Then, The Courteeners graced the stage, met with wild screams from Ynotters eager for a head-banging night… and they were by no means let down. 

They opened with a classic throwback What Took You So Long?, immediately letting everyone know that Britpop was well and truly back, at least for the night. Their upbeat sound, faultless drum foundations and masterful lyrics had the crowd in thrall, without needing any bells and whistles in their set.

Frontman Liam Fray was nothing short of captivating. Even when he was hardly moving, his vocals were characteristic and raw, his tone full of grit and feeling. From the fun body-rockers to the angry, political chants, the crowd didn’t miss a beat, loud enough for the whole of Derbyshire to hear their euphoria.

It’s safe to say that this was a heaven-sent summer set, giving everybody exactly what they came for – a blooming great night.