Splendour Festival, Nottinghamshire
As the clouds gathered and sales of waterproof ponchos went through the roof, hundred of music lovers flocked to the Wollaton Park to witness Nottingham’s annual celebration of music and comedy. Yep, Splendour Festival retuned this summer on July 19th and definitely packed a punch with its incredible line-up.
As a one-day event, the festival has offered people a day of basking in the sun since 2008. Unfortunately this year, the rain washed away any hopes of getting San Tropez kissed skin. But that didn’t dampen spirits. If anything, the weather whipped the crowd into a frenzy and made this years festival one for the memory books.
What happened?
Yet again, Splendour was able to attract some of the biggest names in music. With the likes of Calvin Harris, Kate Nash, Jake Bugg and Pet Shop Boys having performed in the past, music fans had been badgering the box office even before this year’s line-up was realised.
Five stages of music and comedy spoilt the Nottinghamshire crowd. On the main stage, Happy Mondays and Tom Odell kept the party going long into the night, playing some of their most popular songs alongside a bit of new material. To complete the awesome musical display, Foxes and Scouting for Girls put on incredible shows during the day, maintaining a buzz of excitement that is usually only achieved by the Two-for-Tuesday deal.
On the Confetti stage, Reverend and the Makers brought a Sheffield feel to the festival while The Boomtown Rats brought the crowd a little slice of the seventies and eighties, keeping the festival swinging and swaying along to the sounds of ‘I don’t like Mondays’.
To complete the awesome show of art, the comedy stage split sides throughout the day. Brendan Riley, Nick Page and Gerry K all performed, leaving everyone with a smile on their face as the staggered through the rain from bar to bar.
Perhaps most pleasing was Joy Mumford, who opened proceedings at the Main Stage. The Nottingham born acoustic singer had to chance to perform in front of her home crowd after winning the recent Future Sound of Nottingham Festival. Joy Mumford proved just how promising her young career is, getting the party started with some fantastic songs.
The VIP area was a massive hit at the festival. For an extra £35, music fans had access to the beautiful garden area that included a luxury bar, private (and most importantly clean) toilets and a pretty awesome seating area of deck chairs and bean-bags; a pretty good way to chill out and escape the hectic buzz of the festival grounds.
Splendour Festival was, once again, a huge success. With plenty of drink and some incredible music, the rain failed to dampen spirits. Even a random visit from Carl Froch failed to kill the mood! With a line-up so diverse and brilliant, it was always going to be a success. Here at Licklist, can’t wait until next year!
By Gurjot Thind