Gig review: The Grove turns two!

It was a drizzly Saturday evening in Notts, and town was fairly busy as I made my way back from Meadow Lane via The Lace Market Fish Bar to Freckingham Street, Sneinton Market, home of The Grove. The street is named after Alderman Freckingham, Chairman of the Markets and Fairs Committee in the 1930s, who supported traders' rights and the area's regeneration. This is where a close-knit community of traders formed friendships with family businesses, Notts County players are said to have unloaded vans for a few extra shillings in their weekly pay packet, and pubs and cafes would open at times that suited stall workers. The Grove, and all the businesses on Sneinton Market, are part of this history and integral to Nottingham's history.

The birthday celebrations kicked off in earnest around 2 o'clock. I was scanned in at the door by the owner, Cam Worne, who opened the venue in August 2024 with Logan Thomson, Dan Cunningham, and Izzy Davis. Dan and Izzy are part of the band Vona Vella and have since stepped away from co-running The Grove to focus on writing, recording, and touring, but there will always be a spot on the stage for the band that helped get this warm, intimate, independent venue up and running.

The Grove is tucked away in Unit 48 of Sneinton Market, just around the corner from Southwell Road. The 60-ish capacity venue has a mezzanine floor, small bar and - of course - a stage, with images projected on the wall overhead. On this occasion, there was bunting zig-zagging across the room in an array of "Earthy" colours. 

First up was Rainbow Frog Biscuits, a solo performer - real name Amber who self-describes as making "quite sad, gay bedroom indie-pop," and their latest sad, gay song, Two Stones, is available to stream on Spotify. Jacquline was the second act of the day; the lead singer of Nottingham indie-pop band Kelsey and the Embers has branched out on her own with a dreamy acoustic sound that complements her laid-back on-stage presence. Her recent EP, Still Running, is out now.

Veduna are a four-piece folk band and brought their infectious harmonies back to The Grove after playing in November 2025, as did ok, lady, whose brand of shoe-gazey, indie-folk returned after a successful set during Dot To Dot festival.

This exemplifies the community spirit The Grove has fostered in two short years; it's a venue conjured by musicians for musicians, with crisp acoustics, responsive tech, and eye-catching visuals. The bands sign their names on the stairs in Sharpie, but only if they've graced the stage, of course.

At the halfway point, there was another band returning to The Grove, this time indie-rock, bossa-nova and soul-influenced Amantes. Their new album, Amantes I, was released in August this year, with a follow-up already in the works; they'll be at Dot To Dot in May and performing around Notts in the meantime. 

Derbyshire singer-songwriter Riley Marsh followed with a gravelly, raw vocal performance; his new song Maybe It's The Rain showcases his talents, along with bass player Alfie Reeves and drummer Art Marshall. 

The final leg of The Groves' 2nd birthday began with George Gadd + The Aftermath who performed a fun, quirky set with lots of call and response from the crowd, some of whom have played with George, or at least know him from Nottingham's music scene, which he's described as "more of a community" in a LeftLion interview from October last year. 

One of the bands George has championed, Cheap Dirty Horse, a "queer, trashy, folk-punk" band, reworked one of their songs Your Dad to serenade George, and after "George Gadd is trans now…" rang around the room, there was a rendition of Happy Birthday - which seemed somewhat overdue.

Everyone pitches in at The Grove, helps out, and wants to put on the best events possible; as a result, bands return and get to know each other. So when the final act of the evening, Hystamine, had a guitar malfunction, it was no surprise that Cheap Dirty Horse stepped up and offered a replacement so the alt-metal four-piece could sing, scream and smash their way through their closing set.

And with that, another successful event at The Grove came to an end. The venue is going from strength to strength, carving out a name for itself as a must-play stage for bands and a must-see venue for gig-goers in Nottingham and further afield.

The Grove celebrated its second birthday on 29 August 2026. For listings, check thegrovenotts.co.uk