The rain. Oh, the rain. Weather forecasts were checked all week, waterproofs that weren’t actually waterproof at all purchased in haste, and entirely the wrong footwear choice was made in the morning, but that didn’t stop the second day at LIDO Festival from being an absolute blast.
The overall feeling amongst the crowd is of making the most of things, not moaning about something you can’t control, and just being part of a community. That last part isn’t hyperbole – there’s a genuine feeling of positive camaraderie between those in attendance that weaves its way and sustains beautifully through the day. The congregation is entirely unified – we’re here to dance, to celebrate, and to moan about the lack of any decent wi-fi on site. Live, laugh, loathe.
Shy FX – as is only right – draws a huge crowd to his afternoon slot on the second stage with a set that never lets up its frenetic pace. Where some DJs would ebb and flow their set to pace the crowd, Andre Wiliams has no time for such niceties and it’s simple, unadulterated breakneck speed from the outset. “Original Nuttah” gets played at the end and you just know that many in the crowd will be talking afterwards about how a song more than 30 years old still manages to sound so fresh. And they’re absolutely not wrong.
The headliners at each LIDO Festival date have been asked to curate the bill, and this is most evident today with a dedicated tent which brings Jamie xx’s club night THE FLOOR to Victoria Park. A 3 hour DJ Harvey set, UK garage legend Wookie, and the always eclectic and smart Shy One are highlights of the day here, but the huge queue to get in (increasingly drenched to the bone with every passing minute) tests the hardiest of souls. We’re at the classic one in, one out stage and nobody’s leaving in a hurry.
Elsewhere, Nia Archives and Jamie xx are back to back on the second stage, before DJ Gigola plays the kind of heavy Euro house that you’d expect to hear in a hazy, labyrinthine Berlin club at 4 in the morning when you’ve somehow managed to lose all of your mates, money, and sense of direction. It’s gloriously unrelenting and fun. Just as you think she’s left herself nowhere to go in the set she manages to notch it up a level.
Romy, perhaps unsurprisingly, draws one of the biggest crowds to the covered second stage – a combination of her music, the obvious links with Jamie, and the fact it’s absolutely hammering it down with rain. The crowd lap up every moment, from opener “Lifetime” to a cover of “Loud Places” but it feels like standard fare all round that’s more surface than substance. Fluffy as opposed to fulfilling. It’s the sound of a parallel universe’s Latvian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest that’ll not get past the semi-finals stage. You know what I mean even if you pretend not to agree. But it is, truth be told, fun while it lasts.
Over on the main stage, there’s a sense that the rain may start to ease as Sampha starts his set, but it maybe makes most sense of all the acts playing today for it to at least drizzle a little during his plaintive, beautifully melancholic and tender songs. Dressed all in immaculate white, the singer and band totally command the stage and crowd. “Can’t Go Back” is simply gorgeous, while a rousing “Blood On Me” closes the set in triumphant style – it’s absolutely glorious and there’s even a hint that the sun might rear its head through the clouds at points. We can drink to that. Sampha is so good that you need a little breather afterwards to get your bearings again.
As the evening skies turn to darkness, the rain that’s tried but failed to blight the day subsides as Jamie xx takes to the stage in unceremonious fashion. “Wanna” kicks things off, before “Treat Each Other Right” really gets the party started. This crowd feels like they’ve endured a lot together through the day, and the sense of relief of getting to this point is palpable.
After a reimagined version of “Gosh” it’s not long before the camera picks out a face in the crowd – it’s Oliver Sim from The xx who’s doing some strange cavorting that makes it look like his feet might have got stuck firm in some mud. The pair launch into “GMT” and then, as perhaps the least surprising twist of the day, Romy’s next on stage to sing “SeeSaw” – I mean, we ALL saw that coming, right? All three of The xx are now together on stage going through the major earworm from In Waves “Waited All Night” Even the most cynical would feel it hard not to grin from ear to ear as the trio hug and kiss, genuine affection between the three of them all too evident. It’s a nice touch, and a sign of the triumph of the night in general.
The visuals give an intimate feel to the show as cameras are pointed at the crowd and smiling faces are in return projected onto the screens behind Jamie. The fleeting glances work well, but there’s extended focus on one poor woman who is at first elated to be on the screen in full body shot, but then clearly indicates she’s had enough and wants the camera to move on. The crowd roar. She gives in and dances some more. Then she’s had enough again and waves her hands to move on to the person behind the camera. The crowd roars some more. She again relents. Firstly, absolute fair play to you whoever you are, but also it just seems a shame that whoever is in charge of the video stream doesn’t have the decency to move away when she asks for that to happen. Being coerced by a crowd of thousands – albeit with no malice intended on their behalf – is just not on, is it? It feels more than a tad lazy and overly intrusive by the video production team. Rant over.
The set elevates ever upwards towards the end with “All You Children,” “Life” and “Baddy on the Floor” pushing the crowd to dizzy new heights, before things come to a more serene close with “Dafodil.” And, like that, he’s gone. He ends as he started – modest and making sure that the music rather than the man is the focus.
