Review: The sun shines on Radfest Community Festival 2024

After signing in at Radfest, I meet up with fellow LeftLioneers Gemma Cockrell, Nigel King, Natalie Owen and Faye Stacey, and we discuss the various events and activities. Perhaps the collective noun for a group of LeftLion writers and photographers should be a pride or a swarm (discuss) and I realise that with two stages, I'm gonna get my step count high today. 

Main Stage (MS) hosts the main artists and Introducing Stage (IS) will feature young talents that will surely shine in the Nottingham music scene soon. The timings of the acts between the two stages means that no one will clash; however, a very brisk walk will be required to see them all! In addition to the music stages we had a silent disco, skatepark in full use, basketball court, food and drink counters, sweets and gift stalls, inflatable play area, sofas, space hoppers and easy seating areas. We even had sunshine! Sorry, I've already mentioned that...

A great introduction to the day's activities was carried out by DJ LC and the party spirit was immediately full on.

Three songs, two very young performers on guitar, vocals and drums and too young to be this talented. They played Yellow, Ain't No Sunshine and Seven Nation Army on scaled-down instruments for small hands, but their big bravery pulled them through.

A much more casual looking KAP (aka Katie Anderson Price), compared to the stunning pink dress she wore at Dot To Dot Festival, opened up the live acts on the main stage. KAP is a party fusion of Pop, Soul and UK Garage sounds, with an easy listening and engaging style and she was accompanied by her guitarist who played along with recorded backing music. Keep both eyes open for this rising Nottingham home-grown talent and check out her new EP.

Solo singer guitarist Ewan gave us four songs by Green Day, Nirvana and Radiohead. Surprisingly, the silent disco next door had dancers synchronising with Ewan's music and I'm still confused. A lot of confidence from the young performer and I loved his Nirvana t-shirt.

Four-piece alternative rock band Blu Syrup gave a wall of sound with two guitars, bass, drums and vocals and a very young crowd saluted them with a gentle mosh pit. They have featured recently on BBC Introducing and it's easy to see why, the crowd appreciated the full on attitude and in return they played their recent released single Scissors & Cigarettes. My personal favourite and probably heaviest sounding track was Ghost and I'm sure we'll hear a lot more from these folks.

Another very young band of 5 musicians on keys, drums and vocals including one member of the Awkward Smiles duo. Lovely harmonies from the two singers, an appreciative audience of mums and dads and a magical moment when the bubbles weaved through the tent.  There was also an impromptu performance from Emily and Silvie who sang two songs at the end.

Formally known as Emily Baldwin or EM, EMiDORA is a slight figure but she dominated the big stage with her performance. Bravely armed with just her vocals and a laptop of backing tracks, this bedroom singer songwriter gave an engaging delivery of her music. Even with sound difficulties which prevented the powerful bass lines from being heard until the second song, she managed to professionally carry on, nothing could stop her music and she's now ready to perform in a bigger room.

The silent disco next door now had a sitting dancing crowd-if that makes sense. Meanwhile The Four Chords, made up by Eve, Nancy, Lily and Ellie, are giving a great all girl band performance. A large crowd are loudly applauding as the girls perform the songs Shotgun and Summer of 69 with vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and drums. Another young group of performers who are ridiculously talented for their years.

Nottingham based Cali Green came onto the main stage with his blend of rap/hip hop and fused with a subtle jazz feel. A mix of spoken word and rap fitted in perfectly with his skilled musicians, tight drum beats and driving bass lines contrasted with the sultry sax sounds and jazz themed keys. Playing material from his new EP Made On Player St his sounds were perfect for the hot afternoon. Gotta admit that I'd not heard his music before but now I'm a fan and it was great to see his merchandise selling fast on the day.

A three- and sometimes four-piece band consisting of guitars, drums and vocals, Otto, Freya, Tom and Ewan (yes Ewan from earlier on) played songs by Nirvana, Green Day, Oasis and White Stripes. Another strong turnout from fiends and family and everyone participated when they played Wonderwall – great performance.  6pm: Set In Motion (MS)

Alternative rock band Set In Motion managed to demonstrate why they been featured on BBC Introducing and appeared at the recent Dot To Dot Festival, bouncing bass lines and rock solid drumming provided the perfect foundation for the wash of guitar sounds and soaring vocals. I had to check several times that this was only a four-piece band and the army of fans at the front of the stage loved every minute of the show. Another outstanding performance and I particularly liked the last song Brave New Fields.

Four teenagers playing original material and fronted by singer songwriter Romy gave a great performance. Brothers Ali on drums and Dom on bass provided a faultless rhythm section to the band's music and allowed lead guitarist Hayden to have the freedom to give us riffs galore. They may have had sound issues with either a faulty lead or amp but they managed to professionally carry on regardless. An eclectic mix of pop rock, punk pop and alt pop, I'm sure we will hear much more from them over the coming years. Read our recent interview with the band here.

Dorothy Ella and her band of bass, drums, guitar, keys and support vocals hit the main stage with some super funky and soulful sounds. Strong danceable bass rhythms worked closely with the tight drum beats, allowing keys and guitar to float over the top. The army of fans at the front made it difficult to move and I spotted my colleague Nigel King fighting to find a good spot for his photos! I loved their sounds and please check out the latest single and supporting video Under The Weather.

The sound crew worked hard to keep the acts going at the Introducing stage and 16-year-old Jude Forsey, armed with just his vocals, guitar and backing tracks was able to provide his performance to an eager crowd. A recent appearance on BBC Introducing has helped to promote Jude Forsey's original music and I'm sure we will hear much more from him and his soulful pop sounds. Oh and the silent disco next door was no longer silent – parents got involved!!

I missed these guys at the Dot To Dot Festival a couple of weeks ago and so I was really pleased to catch up them on the main stage. A wonderful fusion and blend, I could hear 60's surf rock sounds, funk bass lines and even a hint of post rock thrown in. It's the kinda sounds Mark E Smith and The Fall would have made if they had decided to go funky-imo! The soulful vibes and strong vocals were perfect and as the sun started to go lower at Radfest, the Wizards went even lower. Fantastic to see this performance and thank you Radfest for booking them.

As the Introducing Stage closed down after a hugely exciting and successful day, DJ LC and his sounds rounded things up. Thank you!

Just before Radfest called it a day, the main act ACHB aka Alex and The Christopher Hale Band came onto the Main Stage and gave a superb performance. A mix of ballads and high energy indie pop vocals from Alex, constantly moving bass lines knitting in with syncopated drumming and lovely jangly guitaring. They also had random and hilarious chatting in between the songs and a constant battle from the bass player to try and keep Alex on track. Fiercely anti cool and brilliant because of that.

The most serious support and dancing was put out for these guys. I think the day's merriment was taking its toll on some of the parents and now they wanted to party big time! I loved their songs Double Agents, Last Man Standing and the superb The Worst Way To Die (Is it a love song or a sad song? Who knows!) Finally the sun was starting to go down and it was getting cool, but not as cool as the anti-cool ACHB. Thank you guys for a great performance.

So that's it folks for Radfest 2024; just a final thank you to Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies and their students for all their hard work with the stage, sound and lighting throughout the day, thank you to all the artists who made it another great festival and thank you to all the volunteers and helpers who made it possible. Anyone for Radfest 2025?!?