Derby Summer Sessions 2025 mastermind reveals big plans for city's music scene

Derby’s flourishing music scene means there are more gigs and concerts than ever before.

One of 2024’s biggest events on the music calendar was Derby Summer Sessions.

Over one exciting weekend in July, the city welcomed music superstars such as Tom Jones, Becky Hill, The Lightning Seeds, Gabrielle, Madness and more.

DerbyWorld caught up with Peter Taylor, co-founder of Cuffe & Taylor, a music promoter responsible for bringing Summer Sessions to Derby.

Born in Lytham St Anne’s, Peter has worked in the industry for over 25 years.

We got to know more about this music fan, what he thinks about Derby and his plans to boost Derby’s live music scene with Summer Sessions music concerts.

Cuffe & Taylor is an award winning outfit.

It was a recipient of an Olivier Award for Best Family Show, for original production of ‘Hey Duggee’ - meaning a very special brand of music event was a hit in Derby.

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Peter is humble when acknowledging the win. He said: “Winning the Olivier Award was a very big moment for us, it’s a celebration of all those years of hard work and risk.

“When you do outdoor events, you never really know if it’s going to work.

“To win the Olivier was absolutely fantastic.”

There are a number of Summer Sessions across the country. Peter shared why Derby was on the original list which includes behemoth Glasgow and Edinburgh.

He said: “We have two colleagues who live in Derby, they did music promotion for Y Not Festival, Victorious Festival, Truck Festival, Tramlines and more.

“They often said to me ‘Why don’t we do a show in Derby?’

“There was no real big outdoor event in Derby that happens annually.

“We all thought there was an opportunity for Derby, hopefully the series that will run many years to come.”

Location, Location, Location

The Summer Sessions 2024 read like a who’s who of world-class talent including Tom Jones and Becky Hill.

Top music artists aside, the location is a key part of making a concert work.

Peter is a big fan of the ‘beautiful’ Markeaton Park which he says provides a ‘great backdrop.’

He said: “The park is a really nice location, aesthetically it’s a really pretty park.

“Accessibility wise, it’s in the centre of Derby.

“Out of town locations can sometimes be complicated, where people have to drive in, but with Markeaton Park, there’s great public transport, people can walk there.

“It’s a beautiful park and it has a great backdrop.

“For some venues we have to do a lot to make it look pretty.

“But when you’re at Markeaton Park it’s a lot easier, there’s lots of big trees, in fact you want to put less in there and try to use the natural surroundings rather than lots of fencing and bollards.”

Although the headliner for Summer Sessions 2025 was announced today (Monday, September 30, 2024), more information about confirmed acts is yet to be released.

Speaking about the 2024 line-up, Peter named two Caity Baser and Deco as ‘future headliners’ so confident was he of their artistic prowess.

He said: “Caity Baser is a really up-and-coming pop solo artist.

“I went to see a show in London and I couldn’t believe over 2,000 people knew every single song she sang.

“It was all her original music too, she is definitely one to watch and is a definite headliner for the future.

“Deco’s a great band, they take really well known songs and create 80s pop synth style tracks. It is really, really clever what they do.”

Reflecting on the future of live music in the city, and Derby’s music venues, Peter said: “I really like Derby, I used to go on holiday to Belper.

“I think the people of Derby have a real love for live music, I think sometimes they feel a bit hard done by, some think ‘Why is live music not coming here?’

“All grassroots music venues, as is widely documented, need support, that is something we are fully behind.

“Having a vibrant festival in the city that comes every year, helps the live music ecosystem.

“The fact that Becky Hill performed in Derby is big.

Read more: What's On in Derby?

“The city was mentioned on her artwork and posters across the country, so people, including other artists looked at this and wondered ‘Oh Derby, that’s interesting.’

“I believe big events like Summer Sessions can certainly help Derby and encourage its vibrancy, to get acts of all sizes performing live music.

“I’m really excited for Derby, it has a good music scene. It could be bigger, hopefully Summer Sessions will help with that.”

The location for Summer Sessions Derby is Markeaton Park, Derby DE22 4AA.

For more information visit Summer Sessions website by clicking here.