Splendour 2025 is showcasing Nottingham talent and bringing in big acts
The two-day festival is back this year from July 19-20...
One of the highlights of the Nottingham calendar, Splendour Festival is back for 2025 after a year’s hiatus and will be hitting Wollaton Park from July 19-20.
I spoke with promoter Joe Patten as well as local artists EMiDORA and Bloodworm about what to expect, why it’s so beneficial for Nottingham musicians, and who you should have on your radar this year if you’re going.
If you’re looking for July events, big 2025 events and summer events, or just fun things to do in Nottingham, Splendour is a brilliant festival to head to this month. splendourfestival.com
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“Nottingham is such a great place for music — it’s a melting pot of talent”: Splendour is back for 2025 and showcasing local artists
By Eve Smallman
When it comes to producing world-class talent and supporting up-and-coming artists, Nottingham’s music scene is truly excellent. It’s no wonder that artists nationally and internationally come and play in the city.
During the summer, Splendour brings this all together, with a mixture of big headliners and local acts heading onto its stages. It began in 2008 as a two-day event, ran as a one-day event after that, then became a two-day festival again in 2022.
It’s known for bringing in a range of storming headliners, with past acts including Richard Ashcroft, Madness, The Darkness, Pet Shop Boys, Calvin Harris, Dizzee Rascal and many more. As well as this, it has a host of entertainment suitable for all ages. “I went for the first time when I was a kid — I think Madness were on! — and it was just always a special event that I did with my family,” says Splendour promoter Joe Patten.
Now Joe is behind booking acts himself. “I love the freedom of it — we bring quite a wide range of stuff and get more license than just within specific venues. We get bigger acts, as well as second guessing what the audience wants to see and predicting if an act will be big by the time the festival comes around.”
Joe says that they try to make sure there’s something for all the members of the family, putting it all together into a package that’s attractive for everyone. “For example, for 2025 having both Travis and Echo and the Bunnymen is quite varied — you could see them in Rock City, but you get to see them on the same weekend date.”
In 2025, you can also catch Bloc Party, Jake Bugg, and Natasha Bedingfield on Saturday and the Kaiser Chiefs, The Fratellis, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the Sunday. He continues, “We program it so that nothing really crosses over too much and that you won't have two artists that are of the same kind of ilk crossing playing at the same time.” It also has the dance stage, the new for 2025 Day Fever stage by Vicky McClure, silent disco, and comedy, which all add different dimensions to the festival.
As well as having bigger acts, Splendour also brings plenty of local Nottingham acts to the forefront. For example, it gives the winners of the Future Sound of Nottingham competition, organised by Nusic, the opportunity to play on the main stage. Previous FSN finalists include ALT BLK ERA (who have gone on to win a MOBO and become arguably the most talked about new band of 2024) Emily Makis (who co-wrote Chase & Status’ Disconnect and won DJ Mag’s Best Vocalist), and Bru-C’s previous band (who has had a UK Top 20 single and international acclaim).
“Nottingham is such a great place for music — it’s a melting pot of talent," says Emily Baldwin, whose artist name is EMiDORA. “When I entered the Future Sound of Nottingham competition, it was during a weird time in my own music career. It was really amazing to be included and to play at Rock City, which was an opportunity in itself,” Emily explains. “Everyone was so supportive of each other, which I think is quite a unique quality of the Nottingham music scene.”
She went on to jointly win the competition with Katie Anderson Price, also known as KAP. “As the first person to play on their new main stage, I was literally walking around thinking it was twice the size of my house. I was really nervous beforehand,” Emily says. “Thankfully as soon as I got out there the nerves went away, and it was both a fun and a super validating experience. Everyone was very encouraging and a lot of people afterwards were interested to find out more about me and my music.”
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This year’s Future Sound of Nottingham winners are R&B singer-songwriter Saffron Gray and energetic trio Archy & The Astronauts, who will be performing on the main stage on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Other Nottingham artists in 2025 include Daydreamers, Keo, and Cardinals.
“Splendour shows a range of bands to different people who maybe wouldn’t have seen them otherwise, because a lot of people don't go to gigs all the time. It’s a showcase of all the things that Nottingham's got to offer up,” explains George Curtis, singer and guitarist of goth post-punk band Bloodworm, who are playing at Splendour in 2025.
The DHP Family organises Splendour, as well as owning venues Rock City, Rescue Rooms, The Bodega, and The Palais. “Having DHP in the area gives a lot of opportunities to bands to get more gigs — not every city has a big company like that that loves independent bands and wants to push them forward,” adds Euan Stevens, drummer for Bloodworm.
Having a supportive promoter like DHP in the city helps bands like Bloodworm to get to play festivals like Splendour. “We’re looking forward to playing alongside legends, as well as Nottingham talent such as Davoli, Swallowtail, and Bored Marsh,” says Euan.
In terms of nationally-known acts, Joe recommends checking out Brooke Combe (“She's just come off Glastonbury and is definitely one to watch”), Echo and the Bunnymen (“I don't think I've ever seen them at an outdoor festival!”), and Nottingham’s own Jake Bugg (“I’m really glad we managed to get him again”).
Splendour is a wonderful example of just how vibrant and diverse the city is and the promise that it can create for the people who work within it. “Nottingham punches above its weight as a city,” says Joe Patten. “The creative scene — not just music but filmmaking and other things too — added all together is strong. There’s always somewhere to go and something to do.”
If some of those things you like to do are meeting like-minded people, supporting local creatives, and simply dancing and having fun, Splendour is the place to be this summer.
Find out more about Splendour 2025 and book tickets at splendourfestival.com
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