Vicky McClure’s Our Dementia Choir and the UFO Orchestra are just two of the 350 stellar acts lined up to deliver a fantastic showcase of Nottingham’s thriving music scene at the biggest ever Hockley Hustle on Sunday 22 October...
The wonderful UFO Orchestra are back at the festival for the first time since the pandemic and will be joined by vocalists including 16-year-old rising star Veeuda, Alfie Sharp, ROB.GREEN and Ffion Rebecca with a couple of surprises yet to be announced. Playing two sets, they will be joined at the Pitcher and Piano by Vicky McClure’s Our Dementia Choir for what is sure to be a heartwarming and joyful performance.
The epic all dayer has a packed programme of 350 acts showcasing the huge amount of talent and diversity of Nottingham’s live music scene including hotly tipped artists from BBC Introducing, a special Hustle line up at Broadway and loads of genre spanning stages put together by 35 local promoters across forty venues. Jazz, drum & bass, poetry, soul, house, folk, hip hop, reggae and funk all find a place in this inclusive annual event that raises tens of thousands for local charities.
Along with street entertainment, the famous silent disco, samba parades, magic acts, circus performers, graffiti artists and a collaboration with Nottingham Street Food, this homegrown, independent festival run with the help of a whole army of volunteers has come to represent the very best of Nottingham.
Festival producer, Tommy Rosley, said: “We love this festival and it is undoubtedly a celebration of Nottingham. Since 2006, Hockley Hustle has brought together communities across the city and showcased the quality and diversity of our music whilst raising over £200,000 for local charities. The festival ticket costs £15 and goes to a range of wonderful charities working across Nottingham, for Nottingham. We are very proud to support them.”
The festival is also creating a lasting legacy of a thriving ecosystem of artists, promoters and venues that lives on beyond the day itself. With grassroots music venues facing an uphill struggle to survive (nationally 125 venues have shut in the last 12 months, according to Music Venue Trust), the festival also plays an important role in their future, making valuable connections and bringing in new audiences. The promoter mentorship scheme is also already paying dividends with two of the mentees who joined last year now hosting their own stages at this year’s festival.
Nottingham institution Phlexx Records celebrate their 10th birthday putting on stages with a host of acts released on the label through the years, as well as curating the Silent Disco. Another late night dance can be found at Hockley Arts Club where LGBTQ+ arts collective and house music deviants, Queerphoria, will be playing until at least 2am.
New York hip hop producer Large Professor and legendary reggae sound system V Rocket International bring some international glamour to the Sneinton Market takeover by Can’t Stop Won’t Stop while Cultural Vibrations will be performing at Revolution before passing over the tunes to Hustle newcomers, Heat Fest, from 8pm onwards.
Confetti Presents stage at Bunkers Hill will showcase some of their top picks while the UK’s leading student music magazine The Mic is bringing some of University of Nottingham’s finest singer songwriters to Hockley Arts Club.
During the daytime, Das Kino hosts a showcase of young artists curated by Inspire Youth Arts. Next gen talent is also on show at the Young Creative Awards stage at Carousel with a selection of performers chosen from 2023 award entrants.
Spoken word will be the flavour of the day at Emmanuel House and the Curious Tavern featuring Nottingham and Leicester collectives.
Festival producer Ben Welch added: “We’re proud of this festival. We’re proud of the creatives we can support, some of who now help run the festival, through projects such as the ACE funded mentorship scheme and community led workshops that support young people through Young Hustlers. Our gang of dedicated volunteers help every step of the way and everyone who buys a ticket gets to enjoy the festival and contribute towards an independent and creative Nottingham. Thanks everyone, Hockley Hustle is a good thing.”
There’s also still time to sign up for the free industry day taking place on the eve of the festival on Saturday 21 October at Antenna and Rough Trade. Partnering with DIY collective Ladies Music Pub, a selection of the UK’s best and brightest industry professionals including A&Rs, artist managers, publishers, record labels and promoters have been invited to Nottingham for the weekend to take part in the day, to share their expertise in workshops, artists surgeries and panel talks and check out the city’s talent.
The festival donates all the ticket income, with other funds coming from sale of merchandise and T-shirts. This year, the festival will be supporting local charities: Imara, Base 51, Emmanuel House, B’Me Cancer Communities, SFiCE Foundation and Our Dementia Choir.
2023 Wristbands are just £15 for access to more than 40 venues and 350 acts. The Wristband Exchange at Broadway will be open from 11.30am to 9pm. Broadway is also hosting a Neuro Diverse Breakout Room, with a second space at Young Hustlers location.
The festival is supported by Arts Council England, It’s in Nottingham, Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies and Hollowstone Brewery, who are launching their Hockley Helles lager in a can at the festival.
Alex Flint, CEO of It’s in Nottingham, said: “Nottingham’s music and cultural scene is known and loved, and rightly so, as we’re home to diverse new talent and household names in the world of music and the arts. As the organisation which promotes Nottingham city centre to residents and visitors, sponsoring Hockley Hustle again this year made absolute sense – it’s a unique celebration of all things creative, vibrant, and fun in the city and recognises and gives back to local communities too – both great reasons to get excited, and to feel proud of Nottingham.”
All the line up announcements can be found here.
Details of the Young Hustlers programme coming soon.
Tickets on sale here.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
