The first 30+ acts for Nottingham’s Beat The Streets festival have been announced for the charity fundraiser taking place on Sunday 26 January 2025. The multi-venue event annually raises significant funds for Nottinghamshire homelessness charity Framework, with huge outpourings of support from the local music scene and community.
It’s set to be a landmark year for the DHP Family festival with the total raised across all seven editions expected to top the £500,000 milestone.
Returning to Beat The Streets are Evil Scarecrow, one of the UK’s foremost heavy metal bands. More than just a metal gig, an Evil Scarecrow show is a piece of rock theatre unlike anything seen before. From the local pub to holding their own on the main stage at Bloodstock Festival, it has grown bigger, louder and sillier each year.
Nottingham-based rapper Jayahadadream is also confirmed following a stellar year which saw the artist play Glastonbury after winning the festival’s 2024 Emerging Talent Competition. Beat The Streets is delighted to welcome her high energy thought provoking storytelling and hip hop beats to the festival.
Riding The Low – the musical side project of actor Paddy Considine – will also kick off 2025 at Beat The Streets. Originally hailing from Burton in Derbyshire, Paddy is one of the UK’s best actors who recently starred in Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon, but his first acting break came in Nottingham director Shane Meadows’ film A Room for Romeo Brass. His musical venture comes to life with a visceral and immersive live set, which will also take to Download Festival stages next year.
The other confirmed artists are Adam Zareba, Airport Dad, commons, Davoli, Dring, Familyfriend., Headsticks, Highspeed Peach, Isaac Bloomfield, James Gooch, Jude Kirk, Kaliko, ktlyle, King Blonde, Leah Wilcox, Lydia Brooks, Molly Ralph, Purple Hat Mob, Raining Blue, Revenge of Calculon, Sleep in Motion, Stained Glass, Swallowtail, The Harbours, The Hoplites, The Publics, Ujahm, Wedding Band and Zach Thrasher.
Festival booker Joseph Patten said: “We’re really excited to announce our first wave of artists for Beat The Streets 2025. As usual we’ve got an amazing range of incredible local talent on board to support the event and Framework who are doing vital work with the money we raise. We’re so grateful to them for giving us their time and talent to perform, and we hope the people of Nottingham will show up like they usually do to help raise even more money for Framework.”
The festival will take place across major venues in the city centre including Rock City, Rescue Rooms, The Bodega and Rough Trade with all proceeds from tickets, bar, and merch going directly to Framework.
Each year the money raised at Beat The Streets plays a vital part in maintaining support for rough sleepers in Nottingham. In October, the Street Outreach Team found 49 people sleeping rough in just one night—a staggering 188 percent increase from last year. With the need growing, Framework is running a Winter Appeal to save their Street Outreach teams to urgently plug a funding shortfall of £189,122.
DHP Family MD George Akins said: “Since starting Beat The Streets in 2018, the money we’ve raised to support Framework has gone towards some great projects that everyone at DHP has been incredibly proud to help fund. This year’s event is more than likely going to bring our grand total past the £500,000 milestone and we look forward to celebrating that, alongside the Nottingham music community, in January.”
All the monies raised at Beat The Streets 2025 will go towards securing the future of these vital frontline workers who go out 365 days a year to provide lifesaving support to rough sleepers across the city.
Framework Chief Executive Andrew Redfern said:
“The homelessness crisis is worsening, and the number of people sleeping rough in Nottingham and elsewhere continues to rise. So the importance of funds raised at Beat the Streets to maintain our work with rough sleepers becomes ever greater.
“The City Council is doing its best in very difficult circumstances – working with Framework and other partners to provide more emergency accommodation. However, a gap of £99,000 remains to be filled just to retain the street outreach, housing support and other specialist workers who are needed to target those in the greatest need and get them housed.
“The unexpected rise in Employers’ National Insurance is an enormous blow. We are pressing government for new resources both to cover this additional cost, and to pay for enhanced services across the County and beyond. Alongside those found by street outreach, the number of people coming to us for help continues to rise; however difficult or complex the circumstances we aim to respond and not turn them away.
“Once again, we say our sincere thanks for the generous participation of a host of talented performers, and the ever-enthusiastic support of everyone at DHP, to make the festival happen. I have no doubt that the public will respond in large numbers to make 26th January 2025 another hugely enjoyable and memorable occasion.”
The 2023 festival helped fund the build of a block of eight purpose-built flats in Forest Fields, now named Akins House after DHP directors George and Sean Akins, in recognition of the ongoing support provided by the annual festival.
Now housing a number of long-term rough sleepers, the Framework service manager for the flats, Brian Mutton, explains the life changing impact of the accommodation on its residents.
Brian said: “Good quality, secure, self-contained accommodation with appropriate support is needed to help someone who has endured the dangers and challenges of rough sleeping to start putting their lives back together.
“That is what we are able to provide at Akins House and it is life-changing. Speaking on behalf of our service users, may I say a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in Beat the Streets – from artists to audiences.”
The charity works to turn around the lives of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness across the East Midlands, providing housing, health, employment support, and care services to people with a diverse range of needs. To find out more about the brilliant work Framework do head to www.frameworkha.org
Beat The Streets tickets giving access to all participating venues throughout the whole day are available now for the minimum donation of £15. Additional donations can be made at the time of purchase.
https://www.alttickets.com/beat-the-streets-tickets
