Review: Y Not Festival 2016

The amount of people at Y Not Festival this year was a clear indication of just how popular the Pikehall event is becoming.
Noel GallagherNoel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher

The bustling music festival kicked off on Thursday and saw big names perform on the main stage throughout the weekend including the Editors, Madness, Catfish and the Bottlemen and, one of the main attractions, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. To say the former Oasis star was a hit with the crowd would be an understatement. We were four rows from the front in a audience of thousands when he arrived on stage. The crowd could not contain their excitement as he performed some of his own songs such as Everybody’s on the Run, along with Oasis classics such as Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back in Anger.

I’m won’t claim to be the biggest fan of Noel or Oasis - though I did have most of their albums - but it was obvious that his fans had stayed loyal since the Oasis days, with many wearing band t-shirts - a regular sight in the 90s britpop era.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Of course, Y Not isn’t just about the big names, there is also a lot of bands that have dreams of making it to the main stage one day. These can be seen performing in the smaller marquee stages throughout the day, meaning that you can wander round, go on the big wheel then enjoy a beer while listening to new music.

Last year Y Not - now in its eight year - won Best Medium Festival at The Festival Awards. It can be easy to get lost in the crowd at some of the bigger, well known festivals and can seem to take forever to get from one end of the site to another. Y Not Festival is compact and well organised. Everything is easy to find and you don’t have to queue too long for a beer at the bar.

Related topics: