The Forest Live concert series at Sherwood Pines – our area's largest public woodland, and part of Nottingham's back garden – has become a firm favourite on the local music festival scene. LeftLion went down to the woods and witnessed two legendary names, Nile Rodgers & CHIC and Sting, in action...
Everyone knows Nile Rodgers & CHIC, right? On many levels, yes. We all know the ‘big hitters’ – Le Freak, Everybody Dance, I Want Your Love... But, not everyone knows Rodgers as the unsung hero he is – the plethora of songs he’s written, produced and co-produced for many different artists across the world is amazing. Madonna’s Like a Virgin and Material Girl; Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Lose Yourself to Dance… the list goes on.
Perhaps more than anyone, Nile Rodgers has shaped popular music into what it is today, and – love it or hate it, it all started with disco – once an underground scene shunned by popular culture, then brought into the foreground by him and Bernard Edwards.
At age of 71, Nile is still wowing audiences with truly professional performances featuring some of the best session musicians in history. It was a real treat to see him and legendary disco act CHIC perform in the beautiful setting of Sherwood Pines, as part of a three-day event organised by Forest Live.
Deco and icon-in-her-own-right Sophie Ellis-Bextor supported, getting the crowd in the mood for a fantastic evening with upbeat classics including Murder on the Dancefloor, recently catapulted back into the mainstream following the release of the film Saltburn. The line-up was perfect for the occasion – disco heads know how to spot the samples – and will probably already recognise CHIC’s Soup For One, from the film also produced by them, in Why Does It Feel So Good?
The main act was as fabulous as ever, the audience captivated by Rodgers as he emerged from backstage with his guitar, playfully teasing the audience and introducing medleys of some of his greatest hits. The energy was high, the quality of sound, camera work and visuals remained supreme throughout. It’s not every day that an act with such stellar status performs in your local city – especially in such a sublime setting, with perfect sunny weather.
Security and organisation seemed top-notch; just make sure you leave yourself enough time to get to and out of the car park when arriving and leaving. All in all, Forest Live concerts come highly recommended!
Written by Natasha Phillips. Photos by Rachel Imms.
Nile Rodgers & CHIC performed at Forest Live on 21st June 2024.
Sting also performed one of the recent Forest Live concerts at the beautiful Sherwood Pines on a perfect summer evening. He thrilled the (mainly) mature crowd with a mix of material from both his early The Police days and later solo career. The line-up was a threesome of long-time guitarist Dominic Miller, drummer Chris Maas and the man himself. Not unlike The Police, in fact.
Dominic and Chris were top drawer, as was the musicianship throughout. The tangible sense of anticipation in the audience was released in a blistering opening half-hour, where the connection between performer and audience was immediate and visceral.
Highlights included Message in a Bottle, where the audience was invited to join in a collective acknowledgement of universal loneliness. In If I Ever Lose My Faith in You, Sting sang “You could say I’d lost my belief in our politicians – they all seem like gameshow hosts to me”, which drew an appreciative and knowing response from the audience.
Every Breath You Take, with its driving bassline was another one to find favour with the crowd. The fact that this song is the most played track ever on radio indicates just where Sting stands in the musical pantheon as both performer and Ivor Novello award winner.
A music legend at a legendary local venue, combined with enthusiastic support from an all-female line-up of soloist Storry and Australian girl band Germein, on a perfect English summer evening. What’s not to like?
Written by Steve Imms. Photos by Sharon Latham.
Sting performed at Forest Live on 23rd June 2024.
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