Following the relaxing of Covid restrictions, this winter season has seen a renaissance in live performances and a much-needed boost for the whole music industry.
Here in Nottingham, the gigs have been coming in high numbers and as we enter the spring this is only set to continue.
Here’s a look at some of the standout events coming soon to the city’s main venues.
Motorpoint Arena
In size terms, the 10,000 fans that can fill the Motorpoint Arena make it comfortably Nottingham’s biggest concert venue and it often plays host to some star-studded line-ups.
Dave performed there as part of his UK tour only a couple of weeks ago, and over the next few months the performances keep on coming as more of British music’s biggest names will take to the stage with their variety of styles.
Some names to look out for include Royal Blood (March 29), Craig David (April 7), Years and Years (May 23) and The Script (May 24).
However, perhaps the biggest two are those of Stormzy and Little Mix.
For Stormzy (March 21), his appearance in Nottingham will come a week into his twice-postponed ‘Heavy is The Head’ tour.
The tour of course shares its title with his acclaimed 2019 album that also brought us hits such as ‘Crown’, ‘Audacity’, ‘Own it’ and ‘Vossi Bop’.
It was this collection of work that won him British Male Solo Artist at the 2020 BRIT Awards, consolidating his position amongst British music’s most famous present artists.
Meanwhile, Little Mix had hoped to tour in April last year but were also forced to reschedule due to the pandemic.
A lot has changed in the lives of the group’s members since then, and their double-header (May 9 and 10) at the Motorpoint will be two of the final gigs from their ‘Confetti’ tour before they embark on a planned hiatus, 10 years on from announcing themselves on The X Factor.
All of these performances still have tickets remaining, but potential gig-goers may want to be quick to avoid disappointment; Sam Fender has a sold-out show in March, as does perhaps the biggest name in pop music today, Dua Lipa, on April 26.
Rock City
While maybe not the size of the Motorpoint, Rock City has developed a reputation for being one of the best live music venues in the country and in recent times has played host to Kasabian, Tom Grennan and Glass Animals, as well as recent BRIT Award winners Little Simz and Becky Hill.
It continues to have a packed schedule right through the spring and has some interesting performances lined up.
The standout name in this time is maybe The Fratellis; the Scottish band best known for their song ‘Chelsea Dagger’ that continues to be played regularly at events today.
They perform at the venue on April 4.
However, the next couple of months also includes gigs from White Lies (March 10), Palaye Royale (March 13), Slowthai (March 24), Everything Everything (March 31), Declan McKenna (May 9) and the significant coup of Charli XCX (May 23).
The events at Rock City are certainly more conducive to the potentially stretched bank account when compared to performances at the Motorpoint, however, these are not the only two places to go in search of big names or great value.
One of these is Rescue Rooms, which is only a stone’s throw away from Rock City, and one highlight from its schedule is JP Cooper’s performance there on May 9.
Meanwhile, if you prefer the smaller venues and upcoming bands, the near-daily performances could make The Bodega over on Pelham Street the place for you.
As is shown here, there’s plenty of music on offer in Nottingham catering for all different genres and taking place on different scales.
Whatever your musical preferences, this spring is a perfect time to get down to a gig or two.
Enjoy the show!
Feature Image Credit: Warner Music (Stormzy, Dua Lipa, Royal Blood), Sony Music (Little Mix), Polydor (Sam Fender)