Vicky McClure and her actor-director husband Jonny Owen talk about revolutionising the clubbing scene, why she’s so proud of Trigger Point and travels with her Line of Duty pals
Trigger Point star Vicky McClure and her husband Jonny Owens have quite the side hustle. It involves getting those who don’t fancy rolling home at 3am on a Saturday night out, clubbing by day, having the time of their lives and getting home ‘in time for a nice curry.’ Day Fever started out as an idea on WhatsApp with their friend, Jon McClure of the band Reverend & The Makers, at the tail end of 2023.
Fast forward to the present day, and it’s a nationwide phenomenon, with day raves regularly selling out in cities across the UK “It’s like… a massive kitchen party at your nan’s”, laughs Vicky warmly, as the Mirror catches up exclusively with the actress and her Welsh film director husband on Zoom, from their home in Nottingham. “Just with an awful lot more people and… an unlimited bar.”
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Vicky, 42, has been front and centre of the biggest TV dramas of recent years (Line of Duty, anyone?) but is as proud of this initiative as anything else.
“It goes beyond the music. We hear powerful stories”, she explains. “We’ve met people at our events in the middle of cancer treatment, in remission, people grieving, caring for loved ones. They can let their hair down and find moments of joy.”
“I know from personal experience that, when you or your mates are going through hard times, the best thing you can do is get them out. Day Fever is somewhere you’ll get lost in music. It’s a beautiful atmosphere and people look out for each other. The music will help you – save you, even.”
Vicky speaks from experience, having set up The Dementia Choir in memory of her nan, who died from the cruel condition in 2015, something which led to the deeply personal, acclaimed two-part BBC 1 documentary, Our Dementia Choir, in 2018.
“I don’t say this flippantly – I really do believe music is medicine. In that series, we went into hospitals and scanned people’s brains. We saw the neurons firing, how music does work.
“You can’t stop people from feeling, you see – that’s a really important thing to know. I’ve always been a massive music lover, but from that moment forth, the penny dropped for me. Everybody, especially those facing dementia, should have music in their lives.”
Some fans turning up to one of their Day Fever events – with Sleigh Fever Christmas Clubs coming up for the festive season, are of an age where responsibilities and worries are sky-high, adds Vicky. “But the uplifting effect of music is magical. We never expected it, but at every show, there’s a story – everyone’s going through something.”
Huge music fans themselves, Vicky and Jonny, who married in 2023, have specific tunes that are guaranteed to get them on the dancefloor instantly. Vicky’s is the Whitney Houston classic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody. “It’s just a literal anthem, I feel like I’m in church. Whitney’s the number one for me. Then Young Hearts, such a cool song – it will never die.
She adds, “I was born in 83, so I’m a proper 90s girl – when we get into the 90s dance hits that’s my escapism. But my taste is varied, I’m also a massive reggae fan. But Day Fever’s for everyone – you could be singing Raining Men, then Pulp comes on!”
For Jonny, 54, it’s A Town Called Malice, by The Jam. “When I saw Paul Weller on Top of the Pops it was like, ‘He’ll do it for me.’ Music was everything to me, still is. I went to see Oasis this summer and it was almost spiritual.”
Both were also big clubbers, ‘back in the day’. “I used to be amazed that people could actually stay in on the weekend” says Jonny. “I was out every weekend for the best part of 15 years.”
“Yeah, I loved going out too”, adds Vicky. “I was a trained dancer for many years, it’s just in me to want to express myself through music and dance.” Day Fever is affordable, too. As Vicky puts it, “It’s a tenner a ticket, you can’t get much for a tenner these days!”
And there’s a real mix of people that come to the daytime gigs – including one couple who met there, fell in love and are now set to be married. Did Vicky and Jonny get an invite, then? “We did, actually. It’s in Wales, so I may try and get down”, says Johnny. “We’d definitely like to send one of our DJs for the reception!”
Someone else that springs to mind for Jonny is comedian Paddy McGuinness, who popped in for a boogy with them all one afternoon after wrapping on his Radio 2 show. “Oh, they loved Paddy! He was dancing on stage, then he went ‘Right, time for selfies’, jumped down into the crowd and spent a good half hour just taking selfies with the crowd. Beautiful thing to do.”
Unsurprisingly, both Vicky and Jonny are big fans of the concept ‘age is just a number’ – and adore that young and old, mothers and daughters, pitch up to their events together.
Jonny’s mum even came along once, he recalls, laughing. “She came to the one in Cardiff. I got this slightly embarrassed call from security, got down there and discovered she was trying to smuggle a bottle of vodka in… I said, ‘Ma, I’ve got bloody vodka for you backstage, it’s OK!’ She was like, ‘No Jonny, I like this one…!”
As for Vicky, she has moments when she forgets she’s in her 40s. “I have days where I’m like blimey, how have I gotten to 42? I still feel young in my heart and my head. I dont wanna party till 2 in the morning, but I do honestly think age is just a number.”
Of course, acclaimed ITV series Trigger Point has just returned to the small screen for a third series, Vicky reprising her lead role as bomb disposal expert, Lana Washington. Fans are already gripped, and Vicky couldn’t be happier.
“I’m so excited it’s back”, she tells us. “I love the people I work with – they’re the kindest, funniest, most talented cast and crew, they’re a dream. It’s been an amazing year because we did series three and four back to back.”
This sounds gruelling, but Vicky smiles shyly at the idea. “ I don’t like to play the violin on this – because I’m not working in a hospital. A pinch of perspective is always healthy. It’s long hours and it’s tiring but it’s great fun.
“When you enjoy it and everyone’s looking after each other, that translates onto the screen. You can dance with the camera in a way that makes the show better and bigger and stronger.”
The star is also proud that the cast and crew of Trigger Point are from diverse backgrounds. “My biggest passion is trying to create opportunities”, she explains. “Currently, just 9% of people in our industry are from working class backgrounds. We have to do better. But on Trigger Point, we were passionate that there were trainees on set all day – people learning skills on the job.”
We won’t ask about Line of Duty, which she’s already said time and again she’d love to reprise with old cast members Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston. But what of the travel series we’ve heard rumours the trio could do together?
Says Vicky, “I’m sure we’ll get it off the ground at some point. To be fair, it’s just something us three know that we’d love to do – travel somewhere together, cameras following us or not. I’m putting it out there to the universe. We’ll see what happens.”
Credit: Tickets are available at day-fever.com . Follow DAY FEVER on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@DAYFEVERUK).
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