Vicky McClure returns to Splendour Festival main stage alongside emerging artists
Splendour acts are preparing to have their moment in the spotlight as the festival takes place this weekend.
Splendour Festival is running from 22 - 23 July with acts including Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Madness headlining the main stage.
Amongst the acts is Vicky McClure and Our Dementia Choir, who performed in front of 20,000 people last year.
Vicky said: “Last year when we performed we couldn’t have had more support from Nottingham. It means everything to me. I grew up in Wollaton, so this feels like my back garden.”
After helping to care for her grandma, who died in 2015, Vicky went on to form a choir of people living with dementia in Nottingham, as part of a BBC 1 documentary, to see whether music would make a measurable difference in their lives.
As a Nottingham local, Vicky McClure has been attending Splendour Festival since it began. “I think I’ve missed two over the entire run,” she said.
“I just love the fact that it brings lots of different people together, it brings together a whole community, and it’s a very family-oriented festival. Whether it rains or shines, everyone will have a good time.”
Vicky said that she was most looking forward to seeing Noel Gallagher and the Sugababes perform, but was also excited to be able to see new and upcoming artists.
The winners of the Future Sound of Nottingham competition will be opening the main stage with Em performing at 12:30pm on Saturday and K.Ji performing at the same time on Sunday.
Future Sound of Nottingham is an annual competition organised by Nusic, which has been running for over 10 years, and lets local artists compete for the chance to perform at Splendour Festival. The final was held in Rock City on 2 July and saw Em, from Calverton, and K.Ji, from West Bridgford, come out on top.
K.Ji, the first rapper to win the competition since it began, said: “I’ve gone through this competition every year, I’ve been entering since I was 16 and I got rejected every year. Thousands of artists across Nottingham every year submit and they try to make it as diverse as possible.
“The owner tapped me on the shoulder and told me ‘you’re the first rapper to win the competition and also the first British South-Asian artist ever up to open the main stage.’ It’s quite cool.”
K.Ji has done headline shows for up to 200 people at venues like Hare and Hound in Birmingham, but has not performed for a crowd of this size before. After attending Splendour with his friends for years, he is excited to be able to open for acts like Vicky McClure and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
He said: “It’s not really hit me until last night that I’m going to Splendour with some big Nottingham names. I’m buzzing.”
The other winner, Em, was equally excited about being given the opportunity to sing on the main stage. Having never attended Splendour before, she is excited to be able to experience it for the first time while performing.
She sang on a smaller stage at Y Not festival in 2022, but has never performed for as big of a crowd as Splendour is expecting over the weekend.
She said: “I’m a little bit scared, excited, nervous, crazy, but thankful for the opportunity. It doesn’t quite feel real yet. This is the biggest thing I’ve done so far.
“When I got through to the Future Sound of Nottingham final, I was like that’s crazy, I’m going to be playing Rock City. I was so emotional about that. On the day to be announced as playing here at Splendour I was just blown away. I did not expect it at all.”
When asked about what she is most looking forward to about the festival, she said: “To be honest, seeing people I know in the crowd is the thing I always look forward to. Singing to them and having a good time with them.”
While she does not have any shows lined up at the moment, Em said that she is hoping performing on the main stage will open up some possibilities for her in the future.
This year’s Splendour Festival is expected to be the biggest yet with DHP managing director, George Akins, stating that over 30,000 people are expected to show up across the weekend.
Tickets can be purchased on the Splendour website.