Chapter

About the Event

Celebrate the creativity and diversity of the UK's emerging music scene right here in Derby.

Derby LIVE and RatCat are bringing together considered and curated line-ups, distinctive new voices and champion discovery, collaboration and cultural exchange.

Artist Bios:

Leah Wilcox

Music for the dreamers - Leah's hazy and earthy sound is rooted in a British-sounding Countrygaze landscape, drawing on Indie Rock and Ambient Folk and 70s sounds to share her journey, as a musician and through life. The airy, dreamy but raw and atypical feel of her music lends itself to her heartfelt lyricism. A gritty, misty romantic who aims to create a sense of nostalgia for the near past. For people to either relate to or escape to, she shapes her songs with love and delivers them with devotion.

Recently featuring on BBC Introducing East Midlands as well as BBC Radio Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Lincolnshire respectively, and performing at TRUCK Festival, Y?NOT Festival and DOT2DOT Nottingham, as well as opening mainstage of Moseley Folk & Arts Festival, and being shortlisted for Amplead's Apply to Play Isle of Wight, all whilst being on a 8-date in store HMV tour for her live CD release in 2024, the self-funded Derbyshire singer-songwriter has grown into a captivating young artist fulfilling her visions of indie-rockstar, singer-songwriter folklore.

Starting at open mics in the East Midlands at 15, Leah began borrowing equipment from school to do pub gigs until she could afford her first guitar. After immersing herself in the cover music scene, she used her gigs to save for recording and launching her original project at 19 in 2023. With a rocketing start, she played both TRUCK and YNOT Festival and received support from BBC Introducing EM, BBC Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Brum Radio, within her first 4 months. Her music sounds uniquely dreamlike but grounded; like a lovechild of 70s Americana/ Folk and current alt-rock.

Leah's dreamy and whimsical sound is rooted in indie, drawing on soulful vocals to share her journey, as a musician and through life. In hope to encourage more people to find beauty in the mundane, the earthy and raw feel of her music lends itself to her heartfelt lyricism. Reminiscent of Slow Pulp, Bôa, Girl Scout, CMAT and Julia Jacklin, Leah’s rich, her angelic but gritty vocals offer romantic retellings of personal development, nature, and love, alongside off-centre and challenging tellings of the female experience.

Recently Leah has developed a reputation as a rising talent through her live performances encapsulating the authenticity and vulnerability she brings to her music, making her a must-see for those looking for an enthralling performance by an up-and-coming name in indie and Americana.

Daisy Peacock

Daisy Peacock and band are a slick five piece uniquely combining Daisy’s brutally honest lyricism, with hooky guitar riffs and bouncy rhythms to create a heartfelt yet danceable live performance. With 2025 festival slots booked at Tramlines and YNOT and previous support slots including Daydreamers, Alfie Jukes and Danny Mellin.

Bo Bardot

Bo Bardot is an emerging British alternative pop and indie singer-songwriter known for her soulful vocal style and emotional lyricism. Often dubbed "The Female Jeff Buckley," she has quickly built a following in the UK independent music scene.

Molly Ralph

Mollie Ralph's 2026 sound blends atmospheric alt pop with soulful vocals, drawing from the cinematic melancholy of Lana Del Rey and the raw energy of Alanis Morissette. A respected voice in the East Midlands for nearly a decade, she's played Rock City, Isle of Wight, Splendour, Y Not and Bearded Theory, earning BBC and national press support.

Emma Buckley

A Derby born singer/songwriter raised on a staple diet of songwriters such as James Taylor, Bob Dylan, and Bonnie Raitt. Influenced by the work of iconic female rock/pop/country stars such Linda Perry, Alanis Morisette, Pink and The Indigo Girls, Emma has honed and mastered a writing style that carries the depth and experience of a soul much older and wiser than her own, with finely crafted lyrics and catchy hooks. 

Following her success in Nashville's ‘Bluebird to Bluecoat’ songwriting competition whilst studying at LIPA in Liverpool, she continued to stun audiences on her UK headline tour with Charlotte Eriksson (The Glass Child) and went on to support the likes of Lucy Spraggan & Another Sky, Adam Slack (The Struts) & Kelsy Karter. 

While others spend hours on production to come up with their respective masterpieces, Emma just has to pick up her guitar and sing with her haunting, soulful voice and we are directly transported to her world. Her debut acoustic EP 'Don't Tell Me' was released in September 2017 and folk/rock anthem 'For The Night' graced our ears in November 2018.

With over 80,000 streams on Spotify and a growing worldwide fanbase, Emma has not neglected to nurture her grassroots fanbase and has become the centre of the developing midlands music scene. She has gained extensive media coverage and online recognition for her movements in her local scene featuring heavily on BBC Radio Derby and BBC Introducing in the East midlands for both her own music and the events she is running locally. She organises monthly “Buckley & Friends” & "Out Of Town" nights where she hosts big name aritsts such as Kelsy Karter , Adam Slack from the Struts & other emerging talent across the UK and beyond.

Dates & Tickets

Prices & Offers

• Standard £11