On Saturday 24 August, tens of thousands of people gathered at Clapham Common in south London for this year’s South West Four (SW4) festival, which showcases various artists from EDM, house, hip hop and grime. We at CelebMix were in attendance, and are giving a lowdown on what went down, and the acts that we were lucky to see perform:
First up is British rapper Tinie Tempah, who played the main outdoor stage during the afternoon. Plenty of people showed up to see him perform his tunes. And despite London’s blistering 30 degree heat, he put on an epic show.
Kicking things off with “Miami 2 Ibiza”, his 2010 collaboration with Swedish House Mafia, it wasn’t long until he sent the crowd wild, with his collection of hits spanning from EDM, to drum n bass, to grime.
Also performed from the rapper’s back catalogue were tracks including “Drinking From the Bottle” (a 2012 collaboration with Calvin Harris), “Girls Like” and “Turn the Music Louder” (a collaboration with KDA and Katy B), as well as some new material, with Tinie teasing the release of new music in the near future. But the highlight of his set has to be his signature hit, “Pass Out”, with the crowd singing and dancing along to, and even forming a mosh pit towards the end of the performance! It may have only been the afternoon, but Tinie knew how to kick things off properly for the rest of the day.
Next up, we headed to the indoor main stage to see four other amazingly talented acts perform throughout the day, and into the night.
We first saw Mabel here, who has fast become one of the UK’s most exciting new female musicians. The singer’s set was chock full of hits, as she performed her latest single, “Mad Love”, as well as “Fine Line”, “Finders Keepers”, and collaborations such as “My Lover” (with Not3s) and “Ring Ring” (with Jax Jones and Rich the Kid). She finished off her set with her top five hit “Don’t Call Me Up”, which peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The crowds were so strong for an artist that is so new, current and young, with many people turning out to see her do thing on stage – and of course, sing along to her hits! Almost everyone there knew the words to “Finders Keepers”.
Following on from Mabel’s performance, was DJs Jax Jones & Martin Solveig, who have teamed up together to form the duo Europa. By this point, the crowds became bigger, and with that, the show became bigger. The duo performed hits from both DJ’s, such as “You Don’t Know Me”, “Breathe” and “Intoxicated”, before spinning out EDM and house hits old and new. The duo also performed their latest hit, “All Day and Night”, which features singer Madison Beer. It is fair to say – Jax and Martin put on a phenomenal performance, which the crowd went absolutely wild for. Everyone was on their feet, jumping up and down and banging their head to the sounds of pure EDM and house music, while lasers could be seen coming from the stage.
Next up, was the one and only Craig David – and his TS5 DJ set. The crowds got even bigger by the time the R&B star came on, that people were spilling out of the indoor stage’s tent, as people were so determined to hear him perform his latest bangers.
And it wouldn’t be a festival without Craig David would it? The guy sure knew how to put on a show. Not only did he perform some of his own hits, but he also DJ’d plenty of throwback R&B, hip hop and dance hits too, which sent the crowd into a frenzy, with everyone dancing and singing along. Think Eve’s “Who’s That Girl”, Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne’s “Rather Be” and Steve Angello & Laidback Luke’s 2009 remake of the Robin S classic “Show Me Love”. Craig made sure to sing some of his own songs, including new single “No Drama” and signature hit “7 Days”. And before he left the stage, he performed his massive 2018 top ten single, “I Know You”, featuring Bastille.
The final act we got to see (before the crowd became even more crazy!) was Sigma. The crowd was in full force by this point, but Sigma closed off the indoor main stage in epic fashion, as they DJ’d classic drum n bass hits, such as Rudimental’s “Feel the Love”, all before playing their own hits, such as the classic “Nobody To Love”, and their latest single, “Dilemma”– a remake of the Nelly and Kelly Rowland hit. As smoke and lasers filled the tent, we truly felt a sense of euphoria with everyone there. An amazing way to end the night.
All in all, South West Four Festival was well worth the experience. To be in the moment and witness so many talented acts showcase their music in front of large crowds of people was surreal and unforgettable. If you’re a fan of EDM, house, electronic, hip hop or grime music, this festival is one to look out for.
Unfortunately, we did not get to see every artist that we had hoped to, but regardless, we thoroughly enjoyed the festival experience, and had a great time. Here’s to South West Four festival 2020!
To find out more about South West Four (SW4) festival and to register for tickets for 2020, click here.
Did you attend South West Four (SW4) festival? Which acts did you see perform live? Let us know over on Twitter @CelebMix!