Lymelight Festival 2023 review: a lifeblood event providing essential platform for local music

With more than 30 local bands and musicians performing across two outdoor stages and a number of town centre indoor venues, this Bank Holiday weekend saw Newcastle town centre the busiest it’s been since pre-pandemic as the annual Lymelight Festival with a bang returned for 2023. 

Arriving in town on Saturday morning, there was an electricity in the air as those first on finalised their setlists and soundcheck their gear. This festival has become synonymous with Newcastle’s Spring Bank Holiday since its inception in 2013, and the celebrations were well and truly ready to commence.

Kicking off the weekend was Morning’s Thief, who recently released his sophomore single Bug Song, on the Ironmarket Stage. George eased everyone into the weekend with his folksy songs based ostensibly around things such as town planners, the castration of domestic animals, wedding rituals, the golden age of railway and neighbourhood watch schemes while mesmerising audiences with his fantastic locks of hair.

The stage times had been staggered all weekend so that, if carefully planned, you could just about get round to catching every single artist on the outdoor stages, so just as Morning’s Thief played his final tune, Behind The Moon were stepping onto the Guildhall Stage just around the corner.

The dark-pop duo bewitched the growing crowds with a series of original trip-hop tracks, with Scott Evans – also of Yoodoo Voodoo – providing the keys, guitar and programming to act as the backdrop for Hannah Sophie’s deep and hypnotic spiritual lyrics. Some cosmic covers also found their way woven into the set, including Sam Smith’s Unholy and Halsey’s I Am Not A Woman, I’m A God, which were repeated in a later set on the Ironmarket Stage for the late risers.

Mara Liddle stunned in a crocheted co-ord she’d made herself as she bounced along to her lo-fi bedroom electropop beats inspired by the likes of Charli XCX and Pinkpantheress, while Matty Awbery of The Wolf Howls When I Scream Your Name slowed things down on the main stage with a short and sweet acoustic set.

This year, the outdoor stages have been kitted out with benches, deck chairs and tables, too, which really got people into the holiday spirit as they supped pale ales from the Bottlecraft/Crossways bar, and enjoyed loaded fries from Newcastle’s own Sando.

Three-piece Koala brought 30 minutes of their latest material, including their most recent single Under Your Skin. Chris Hillman, Cy Walker and Jack Hilditch have all been part of previous Stoke bands, most notably Alfa 9, Wildfires and The Get Alongs – so the boys are no stranger to this annual extravaganza. Cultivating an alternative-rock sound with an air of nostalgia, it was like they’d never been away, stepping right back into the swing of it.

Sixties-inspired The Crossroad Deltas brought a Daisy Jones and The Six vibe to the Guildhall Stage, even covering a song by the fictional band while Freya Astbury banged her tambourine to the beat of her cowboy boots.

For a double-dose of Liddle, Mara’s older sister, Kez, shared her softly-sung stories, and as the drizzle began, she performed an aptly-timed rendition of Rain Song while I ran off to buy an umbrella from the charity shop.

Despite both sisters being in the same band – Borogoves – they couldn’t be more different in their solo projects. Think of Kez as Wednesday Addams, while Mara is much more Enid. I adore the contrast.

One thing I’m gutted about is that I didn’t manage to find very much time to pop into The Carlton, on Merrial Street, for the acoustic stage, where six artists were playing across the weekend. I did, however, manage to catch Sam Poole performing, having loved his set when he supported Yoodoo Voodoo last month. The 14-year-old is an incredibly talented performer, having only picked up a guitar for the first time during the pandemic, and draws on his family relationships and experiences of growing up to pen heartfelt and emotive lyrics.

Secret City Souls saw the sun return for their set of upbeat, nostalgic noughties pop-punk prowess, including a very fun cover of Bowling For Soup’s Girl All The Bad Guys Want, which would later be covered for a second time that day by Fat Lip. 

The lads looked like they were having a lot of fun on stage, sharing in jokes between their newly-released singles Love Blind and Safe and Sound, Ryan Dawkins embracing something of an inner Billie Joe Armstrong as the band’s loveable frontman.

Cheeky and charming Walter Kocays – the alias of former Release frontman Caleb Allport – brought his raspy acoustic sound in a solo performance, dropping an exclusive first peek at his upcoming single Explicitly, I’m Told, and boy are you in for a treat when it lands.

Souza’s relaxed indie guitar drew in more and more listeners as we approached the evening, showcasing their string of popular singles like Backroads and Devil in a Dress, while Mercury came armed to the teeth with an arsenal of lethal tracks. Made up of 50 per cent hair and 50 per cent noise, if anyone who had been there all day was beginning to feel tired, Mercury soon roused them from their Bank Holiday slumber in preparation for a jam-packed programme of late entertainment.

Completing the first day on the Ironmarket Stage were two brilliant covers bands, including Red Hot Chilli Potters, emulating Keidis, Flea, Smith and Frusciante through a series of mostly Californication covers including the title track and I Like Dirt. 

But it was Fat Lip who really came to party as floods of fans old and new jumped around to a 90s/00s playlist of best-loved pop-punk hits from Blink-182 and Neck Deep to Good Charlotte and Sum 41. Frontman Rob Hoofe played his part brilliantly, getting off the stage to join in with the crowd-pleasing choruses that were bellowed back tenfold.

Over on the mainstage, John Dhali made his long-awaited homecoming, radiating love, light and positivity with his life-affirming soulful sound. I’m convinced that man could emit actual sunbeams – the ‘soulo heartist’ sharing a slice of his optimism through joyful and expressive songs from his latest album, In Time – plus an old-time bluesy favourite Cigarette.

Bringing day one of the two-day event to a close was Captain Stingray’s Groove Machine, who are so brilliantly bonkers you can’t help but fully immerse yourself in their world of weird and wonderful. Compete with djembe and ukulele, synth, bass, guitar and drums, it feels like a real blend of cultures and sounds, celebrating inclusivity, diversity and talent – and that’s what Lymelight is all about, right?

Rain threatened to put a dampener on day two of the festival on Sunday, but £1 ponchos, charity shop brollies and sheer grit and determination to have a good time prevailed, and people still turned out in their droves to catch Attack of the Vapours’ John MacLeod open the second day with a back catalogue spanning some six years. If his attendance at The Honey Box is anything to go by, I think I’d be safe to say he hasn’t missed a single Lymelight Festival – and could probably be considered a Staffordshire music stalwart at this point.

Battling a cold, Greenhouse’s Zakk performed a selection of minimalistic acoustic tracks from his debut album Geeks With Sharp Elbows (Will Take Over The World And Give It Back When Asked Nicely) before later performing again on the acoustic stage, with And What! introducing Newcastle to the world of jazz and math rock with their unique sound and time signatures. 

Fenton three-piece Smithpools serenaded with summer-ready hits on the mainstage to an appreciative lunchtime crowd, including newest release In My Head. With such a killer line-up, everyone got their steps in (all 14,378 of them) flitting between the two outdoor stages, heading from High Street to Ironmarket to catch The Crowns, leaving audiences Hopelessly Obsessed with their recent single and reviving a cleverly composed cover of Dua Lipa’s Break Your Heart which we first saw at The Underground last month.

Hot off a headline at The Backyard the previous night, FINNEY impressed with their fresh sound that blends indie, electronic and pop sensibilities, while Borogoves saw the Liddle siblings unite to recruit unsuspecting members to The Collective, enrolling new followers with an unconventional auditory initiation. The haunting experience saw existing members of their cult-like following watch from the audience wearing white sheets, viewing the ritualistic ceremony through cut-out eye holes.

Guildhall Stage host Emily Galvin warned listeners to ‘strap yourselves in’ for Christian Music, who were a complete fever dream of an act, their half-hour set just long enough to leave you wondering if you had witnessed the chaos that ensued both on and off the stage, or imagined it entirely. 

Charlie Ball stood barefoot in white skinny jeans and a blonde wig while tearing up his guitar with such aggression it ended up covered in blood, with the band’s mildly unhinged frontman tearing off his shirt and biting his guitar. For many it would be a cause for concern – but it was fully embraced with little more than a few raised eyebrows. Seatbelts are advised, though.

To keep that festival feeling flowing throughout the town, there were also fun fair rides, face painting, more street food from Hanley’s Hamilton Bay, as well as the fantastic Castle Artisan Market, bringing the best makers, bakers and creators from across the county. I lost count of how many sprinkle-patterned boxes of Scrumbles I saw over the weekend, with Stormtroopers keeping a watchful eye on the crowds while raising money for local charities.

The Dandelion Pickers made their live debut on the Ironmarket Stage, and there’s some very familiar faces in the band including Chris and Joe Hough, formerly from Bonsai, and extremely gifted violinist Jack Mitchell, from Release. This is a project that’s been over two years in the making, and is completely different from what we’ve seen previously from the lads and their set certainly generated some excitement for upcoming releases.

Royal Blood-esque noisemongers Bathtub brought a wall of sound through distorted bass and thunderous drums with tracks like Gameplay and Fallin’ Thru. Olly and Brandon are utterly captivating to watch – a combination of energy and power as the frontman throws himself around the stage to the drummers thrashing blows.

Having recently released his long-anticipated debut album, Oli Ng is back on the road, too, stopping off at Lymelight Festival for the 5.30pm slot on the Ironmarket Stage. The festival is the perfect platform for emerging artists to showcase their latest works and get the word out about albums, EPs and singles. Oli was effervescent on stage with the support of his band as he rattled through some of the hits from the new album, including Haunted House and The Rot.

Clay Lake offered an alternative emo sound, further exhibiting the wealth of talent we behold in a comparatively small city, mixing guttural vocals with shimmering melancholic melodies to explosive effect.

Two singles deep into 2023 is Silver State, who were the penultimate band on the Guildhall Stage, demonstrating their trademark sound of catchy melodies, intricate guitar riffs and existential lyrics. Georgia-Mai’s vocals are absolutely gorgeous, and with a skillful collection of musicians behind her, each drawing from their own personal musical tastes, they’re definitely ones to watch for 2023. 

Concluding the Guildhall Stage for Lymelight 2023, BBC Radio Stoke’s Lucas Yeomans introduced his former head of year, Greg Murray, of Greg Murray and the Seven Wonders. His name on the bill had attracted a number of the band’s dedicated fans who we previously saw at Artisan Tap, as well as several of Greg’s students, whom he quizzed on the formula for the area of a circle from the stage. Full of optimism, hope and heaps of tambourines, their set saw everyone on their feet – and some even on the stage – to jig to the Irish/Americana indie rock supergroup. Something tells me Mr Murray is going to be the talk of the canteen tomorrow.

At the Guildhall Stage, guitar-driven indie-rock band The Underclass formed the main support as the end of the Bank Holiday bonanza drew to a close. This swaggering outfit have been storming their way to the top of the scene since 2018 with a rock ‘n’ roll attitude and anthemic choruses. They effortlessly filled their 50-minute set with their no-holds-barred indie belters like Time and Fate and The One.

Finally, the last band of the festival saw a triumphant return for All The Young, who are something of local legends having dipped in and out of the music scene for more than a decade. The four-piece settles straight back into old routines to pull out a blinder of a set that saw crowds stretching right down the road singing and swaying with plastic pint cups in their hands. 

There seemed to be a real sense of sentimentality and community as All The Young’s hits reverberated between the brick buildings of the built-up town. Since its inception in 2013, over 600 local acts have performed at Lymelight. Events like this are the lifeblood of local music, and crucial for preserving the performing space for artists and for fostering the growth of the already vibrant scene.

This Bank Holiday weekend not only offered free, live entertainment for people of all ages, bringing additional footfall into the town centre, but provided a much-needed platform for up and coming artists to be discovered by new fans, presenters, industry professionals and music moguls. 

Organised by Newcastle-under-Lyme BID with support from PH Productions and The Underground, this essential event has long been, and continues to be a staple of the Staffordshire and Cheshire music scene, planting a wealth of homegrown music firmly on the map. Roll on Lymelight Festival 2024.