Splendour, Bearded Theory, Dot To Dot, Rock City and The Bodega have all made the cut as finalists in hard fought national music industry awards – along with two nods for DHP Family as promoter of the year.
It caps off a strong year for the Nottingham based company headed up by George Akins now marking three decades at the helm of the live music promotion, venues and festivals business.
The Lace Market headquartered company with 450 employees is in the running for nine awards to be announced in December. One of the largest independent live music companies in the UK, DHP operates eight venues across three cities; delivers indoor and outdoor festivals, stages 1600 gigs a year and has seen turnover increase by 135 percent in the last decade.
DHP Family MD George Akins said: “We’re honoured to be in the shortlists for these multiple awards. As one of the leading live music independents, these nominations are a real testament to the hard work and successes of our tight-knit team, and all that we’ve achieved amid the various struggles faced by our industry.”
The LIVE Awards recognise the leading companies and individuals across the £5.2bn UK live music business.
DHP Family is up for National Promoter of the Year while its Derbyshire based Bearded Theory is up for Festival of the Year and The Bodega – celebrating its 25th anniversary this month – is named as a Grassroots Champion finalist.
The Pelham Street venue has been celebrating the milestone with fast-rising Nottingham band Divorce playing four consecutive sold out shows in September, while Sleaford Mods are set to take the stage on 30 November as they return to the intimate venues where it all began to mark 10 years since the release of their debut album Divide and Exit.
The winners will be announced at The LIVE Awards on 11 December, at Troxy in London.
The Access All Areas Awards covers all sectors of the live events industry and celebrates excellence with winners announced on 5 December, at The O2 in London.
It’s a second nod for DHP in the Event Promoter of the Year category while Splendour is up for the Legacy Award and Rock City for Venue of the Year.
The return of Splendour for 2025 has already been warmly received with tens of thousands set to attend the biggest outdoor event in the East Midlands on 19-20 July. Over the last 16 years, 140,000 discounted tickets and 30,000 free child tickets have been provided to the people of Nottingham, underlining Splendour as a flagship cultural event for the region that delivers affordable access to live music.
Rock City hardly needs an introduction. This world class venue established in 1980 is still firmly at the forefront of the live music scene with this year alone seeing the Talbot Street venue put on 110 gigs from household names to fresh new talent. DHP has also invested in a state-of-the-art sound system utilising new technology which is energy efficient and cuts out sound bleed outside of the venue.
Capping off a strong awards season for DHP is the UK Festival Awards with Dot To Dot up for Best Metropolitan Festival and Bearded Theory named in two categories – Line-up of the Year and Best Medium Sized Festival.
The 2024 edition of the 15,000 capacity Catton Park festival – taken on by DHP two years ago – featured the original line up of Jane’s Addiction in a UK exclusive, a first headlining slot by Aussie punks Amyl and the Sniffers, plus Future Islands and Soft Play. The diverse bill also featured Mercury-winning English Teacher, Bob Vylan, Dry Cleaning, Panic Shack, Sprints and Prima Queen.
Tickets for the 21-25 May 2025 camping festival are selling strongly for the already announced line up of Iggy Pop, Manic Street Preachers, Sisters of Mercy, Yard Act, Leftfield, The Mary Wallopers, Nova Twins and Ash plus two acts just announced as BBC 6 Music Artists of the Year 2024; CMAT and Fat Dog.
The nomination for Dot To Dot as one of the UK’s best metropolitan festivals continues to cement its reputation for new music discovery across its two city editions. D2D 2024 was headlined by Mercury Award nominated Jockstrap and Wunderhorse along with The Magic Gang and Antony Szmierek, who has been tipped as one to watch by multiple influential sources. Early bird tickets are available for the 2025 editions on 24 May in Bristol and 25 May in Nottingham.
UK Festival Awards winners will be announced on 3 December.
