Amanda Gegg reports from the front lines.
It's the beginning of what is set to be a jam-packed day at South West Four it's time for M.A.N.D.Y I haven't seen them before but they definitely don’t disappoint with their Booka Shade-esque minimal beats. I can’t help but feel this set should have been placed way later than 12.40 but then this is the predicament with any London festival; there's no margin for error with the time restrictions. The DJs have to go with whichever slot regardless of how suitable it is.
We all know that this day is going fly by so next stop is the Kiss Main Stage where a rather worse-for-wear Uffie is attempting to pull off her half-hour set. I must say props to the girl, who has blatantly not stopped partying since Creamfields last night. She has an undeniably great voice to go over the top of dance records and even though she can barely stand up it’s great to hear her perform live with favourites such as the new Armand Van Helden remix of ‘Add Suv’.
I feel slightly sorry for a disheartened Uffie as the crowd quadruples for Kissy Sell Out. This is probably, once again, due to the strict timings of the line-up which you have to just roll with. But there is no denying that Kissy’s retro remixes (which even feature ‘Round the Twist’… you remember that Australian kids TV show?) pick the crowd out of any tired lull they’re feeling and move them into a summery foray of moving arms and bopping heads.
Unfortunately, the minute Kissy Sell Out’s last song plays out the heavens decide to open. In what seems like the worst rain/hail-stones I can remember I find myself sprinting into the Together tent where Jack Beats have hit the decks. At this point, being crushed up against hundreds of people, I'm slightly apprehensive but it’s impossible to lose your spirits entirely when you’ve got Jack Beats classics playing in the background.
Twenty minutes later, when the rain stops and people have attempted to dry off/sweat it out, Skream and Benga take to the stage accompanied by none other than Katy B. This, of course, sends the crowd wild, what with ‘On a Mission’ being the tune of the moment. Although dubstep fans may not be as happy about its journey over to the commercial side, we all certainly are and this goes down an absolute treat.
With just about enough time to run over to the Boys Noize Records tent, we manage to catch a bit of A Trak blasting out ‘Barbara Streisand’; a proper favourite for this summer’s clubbing scene. Watching this guy is a treat at any festival but now with the other half of his Duck Sauce project Armand Van Helden on the line-up, things are getting exciting.
Back at the Kiss Main Stage we take our places for the long haul and stand back for an hour of Herve. This guy definitely knows the right tunes to play, including his own track produced with Fatboy Slim ‘Machines Can Do The Work’. He even comes out of his usual ‘heavily-concentrating’ stage persona to get more involved with the crowd.
Last but by no means least, it's the reason we are all here; Mr. Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, who in the midst of being unable to do his annual Brighton show has vowed to make this a show to remember. I think the majority of the crowd would agree that he has kept his promise: there's an array of high-tech visuals, mind-blowing lasers and a well chosen bunch of lively electro tunes. The Fatboy even includes a dedication to Charles Haddon of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, who's obviously sadly missed. But, of course Ou Est’s most famous tune ‘Dance the Way I Feel’ is rocked out in legendary style in the midst of one of the best London festival sets all year.
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