Wide Awake Festival delivers again
Despite pressures from different corners, the independent day festival went off with a bang for its 5th year.
Photo: Garry Jones
Wide Awake is my go-to festival for discovering new indie acts and cementing my love for others. And this year it nearly didn’t happen – being almost cancelled due to a dispute between Lambeth Council and a group of local residents over permits. Plus, you know, a member of the headline act being charged with an alleged terror offence by the Met Police. But more on that later.
It did go ahead… and I was stoked. My day started by meeting friends in the sun to watch the weird and wonderful Mermaid Chunky have fun on stage with squelchy sounds, various instruments and a troupe of colourful dancers with feathery costumes. Their antics set the mood for the eclectic, genre-less programme of music and talks for the day.
We switched up the vibe to Warmduscher for a vibrant bit of post-punk and a bit of a dance. Frontman Clams Baker Jr kept the crowd energised – his cool swagger soaked up the off-kilter, lo-fi guitar sounds behind him. I also checked out Marie Davidson shortly after, to feel some more intensity. The dark setting of the DAZED tent matched her powerful, industrial sound perfectly. The Canadian musician’s abrasive techno sound gave a new edge to the day.
This newfound vibrancy led me perfectly to Snõõper, irreverent rockers from Nashville. Tough call, but this was probably my favourite set of the day, made better by the receptive and welcoming crowd. It was moshy, super sweaty, and hilarious. Their trademark green bug mascot made a protracted crowd appearance during the fantastic rendition of their song Bed Bugs, which got everyone in the zone before a rousing finish. I’m already excited to see them live again soon!
The wheels of the day were now spinning in full motion. I caught partial sets from a diverse range of artists, who all felt synced up in a way: rockers Mannequin Pussy were very cool and grungy, with an edge of despair, which made me want to check out their whole back catalogue. Fcukers were lively and thumping, the New York duo oscillated between playful trip-hop and odes to Y2K electronica – I especially enjoyed hearing Homie Don’t Shake live. deBasement are definitely an act to see live at least once in your life – made up of Alli Logout, vocalist of punk band Special Interest, and Margo XS, the DJ/producer, the group’s DIY mix of dance, punk and queer rave was explosive, raunchy and raw.
Swedish underground sensation Cobrah, who self-describes her sound as ‘BDSM pop’, had the crowd going absolutely crazy with every hair flip and hip thrust over the pulsating beat, and doing so in front of a giant cross. She was as alluring as her songs suggest. Unfortunately, a late start and a slightly quiet mic took a bit away from the otherwise stellar performance.
Photo: Garry Jones
And just like that, it was already time for the closer. At the Wide Awake stage, the anticipation for Kneecap was evident, especially given that they had been making headlines for their political statements and actions in favour of Palestine. When the hip-hop trio came out, there was a surge of cheers, as well as many Palestinian and Irish flags. The humour and absurdity of their situation wasn’t lost on them, with member Mo Chara joking, “Has anyone seen the news lately?”.
They explained that the charges brought against them were an attempt by the British state to silence dissent, and challenge artistic expression. And they weren’t going to put up with it.
Musically and politically, the Irish rappers did not disappoint: their performance was simply incredible, bringing a message of joy and community above all. The set was dazzling and entertaining, with a large screen of cheeky visuals always complementing their lyricism and genre-bending beats. Straight classics like Fenian Cunts and Get Your Brits Out went down particularly well to this London crowd. Their craic shone through, the crowd (and the mosh) were fully immersed. H.O.O.D ended the show on a banger.
The whole performance felt cathartic and a powerful act of defiance to those who want to silence critical voices of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. We left feeling heartened that Kneecap and others shouldn’t give up the good fight for justice. It should be noted that the group also donated their headline fee from Wide Awake to Médecins Sans Frontières.
Wide Awake pulled it off again and, though its future and location are not secure, its spirit remains defiant.
