The events rising up to the August Bank Holiday has been hectic and has reamained that way, especially in London. Since the recent riots, security has increased. Luckily that did not put a dampener on last weekend’s festivities. On the same weekend, The Notting Hill Carnival, Reading and Leeds Festival, along with some major sporting events, took place ALL in one weekend.
South West Four dance music festival took place over the 27th and the 28th August, where somewhere between 20,000 and 100,000 dance music lovers took to Clapham Common for one or both days of sexy disco time. South West Four has experienced its strongest line up in three years. On Saturday Under World and Above & Beyond rocked the arenas with a lovely mixture of trance and electro. Maxumi wishes that the team could have been there on a Saturday to witness the beauty, but was thankfully there to large it up in time for the Sunday.
Apon arriving at the Festival Gates, we walk in to the madness of excited clubbers, market and beer stalls. It’s been raining for short periods of time and the amount of white trainers I’ve seen caked in mud are priceless. Every clubber has a smile on their face and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We head towards the main stage where Annie Mac has the crowd cheering and jumping along with the music. Remixes of Florence and the Machine’s You Got The Love and a mixture of Dubstep travel the airwaves. Halfway through the eclectic mix we head towards the Last FM arena to catch Richie Hawtin in time.
In the Last FM tent, it’s dark with abstract trippy visuals flashing on the screen. Co2 jets cool down the sweaty clubbers that have been packed in like Sardines. As Richie Hawtin takes to the stage, people push to the front in time for a crazy electro mash up. There’s a loud applause and the music is pumping. The energy is amazing.
Back at the Main Stage, Magnetic Man are giving a great performance applause rips through fields as I Breathe air comes on. After that we take a breather by riding the Waltzers, oh the cheap thrills. Pendulum is the Main act for the evening that are playing an extensive range from their current and new albums.
The Sun is setting and the sky looks as beautiful as an Italian Renaissance art piece, before I look down to the flashing strobes where it’s buzzing. And although the sun is setting on another day, the fun doesn’t stop. It’s been a long day and now the after party awaits, more carnage it is.
