Y Not prepare for Sheffield invasion at music festival?

Picturesque Peak District village Pikehall is preparing for a Steel City invasion.
Lucy Spraggan plays Y Not Festival this year.Lucy Spraggan plays Y Not Festival this year.
Lucy Spraggan plays Y Not Festival this year.

For a number of Sheffield acts are on the line-up for the forthcoming Y Not Festival, which the village plays host to each year.

Joining headline acts The Libertines, Catfish and the Bottleean and Jamiroquai on the main stage bill are Sheffield acts Red Faces and The Sherlocks, while Reverend and the Makers are one of the headline acts on the opening Thursday night, July 26.

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Everly Pregnant Brothers play The Quarry Stage on the Friday, with Sheafs on the bill the following day.

And singer-songwriter Lucy Spraggan is looking forward to performing on the stage on the Sunday.

The 26-year-old grew up in nearby Buxton, before moving to Sheffield in a bid to further her music career.

She shot to fame in 2012 when she performed Last Night, one of her own songs, on hit ITV talent show The X Factor.

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And she admits her personal life has transformed as much as her professional one since then.

She married Georgina Gordon in June 2016 and the couple, who now live in Greater Manchester, have gone on to foster a number of children.

“We became foster carers just more than a year ago,” she says.

“We do it when I’m home. We’ve had 11 or 12 children so far.

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“We do respite care – there are about 250 children at any given time needing somewhere.”

And, unsurprisingly for a singer renowned for her personal, life-inspired lyrics, her experiences have led to one or two songs.

“I’ve written a song called Dinner’s Ready about being called by your mum, but you’re never there,” she says.

And songwriting is the constant in her life. When not performing, or fostering, Lucy is busy writing songs.

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“I am writing my fifth album – that should be out in 2019,” she says. “I am about eight songs in.”

She released her first album, Top Room at the Zoo, independently in 2011, reaching number 22 on the back of her X Factor success.

A record deal with Columbia followed, with 2013’s Join the Club reaching number seven.

We Are, in 2015, and 2017’s I Hope You Don’t Me Writing both reached the top 20 after being released independently on CTRL Records – and album number five will be out on another different label.

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And the latest tie-up looks like a match made in heaven after the fiercely independent Lucy signed to independent record company Cooking Vinyl.

Indeed, Rob Collins, Cooking Vinyl managing director, says: “Lucy has already proved herself as a great artist, writer and business woman.

“We are looking forward to taking Lucy to the next stage of her career in the UK and on the International stage.”

Lucy herself says: “I’m excited to join Cooking Vinyl and start a new chapter of my career.

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“The timing feels perfect and the team are all brilliant people.

“After working so hard independently for the last couple of records, I really feel that this awesome opportunity is going to help me grow to the next level and beyond.

“What they want is what the first four albums have been, a natural progression.

For now, though, all thoughts are on festival season as Lucy, who has previously appeared at Tramlines in Sheffield and headlined Worksop’s Pride event, gears up for Y Not.

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“I am touring, I am out there,” she says. This is what I have been working hard for over the last 10 years – I am now seeing that step up.

“I play a lot of festivals – I sell a lot of tour tickets on the back of it.”

And it is a trick she is hoping to replicate when she takes to the stage in the Peak District later this month.

Y Not Festival runs from Thursday to Sunday, July 26-29. Tickets are now on sale – see ynotfestival.com

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