Lido Festival day two with Jamie xx, Romy and Sampha
In an already saturated London music festival market, even in Victoria Park itself, you could argue that adding yet another weekend of pop-meets-electronic in the form of Massive Attack, Jamie xx, Charli XCX and London Grammar would struggle to find its audience. But, lo and behold, the number of capital city dwellers with a penchant for electronic beats and 90 quid in their wallet seems, in fact, endless.
And so the inaugural Lido kicked off this weekend, with Massive Attack opening on Friday and Jamie xx headlining on Saturday. The obvious comparator for the festival is, of course, All Points East – or, more specifically, its Field Day component, it also being of an electronic bent and set in the exact same location. But this is a far more contained affair, taking place across just three stages, only one of which is open-air.
This would have been a welcome move, no doubt, to create something of a more intimate atmosphere, rather than the overwhelm of thousands and thousands that All Points East sees by the time the final act arrives. However, the concept’s potential was somewhat thwarted by the good ol’ British weather: incessant downpours left many a soggy-footed, drenched-headed raver cowering under the rims of the canopy of stage two’s tent, whose signage outside pretty much from minute one had “FULL” emblazoned across it. No sh*t. If that seemed a little tragic, the third stage had a one-and-a-half-hour queue outside. So many attendees were left to brave the elements at the main stage, huddling under the trees in short stints for a moment’s respite. You’d think by now festival organisers might have considered the eventuality of wet weather, its oversight a bit of a dampener for both festivalgoers and the artists when the main acts have barely an audience to play to and the tents are so bursting it’s impossible to dance, so pressed up one is against throngs of other fans, no longer sure if the moisture dripping is rain or sweat.
But as the day wore on, there were enough dry spells to appreciate some music. Carefully curated by Jamie xx himself to reflect his influences, there was a solid, handpicked lineup – though perhaps more thought could have been put into the scheduling. With Jamie going back-to-back with Skrillex and Nia Archives first thing, such heavy beats would have surely played much better once people were warmed up. Still, the energy was high for the excellent Nia Archives’ particular brand of drum and bass. Then it was onto the main stage for American singer and multi-instrumentalist Panda Bear, sounding quite quaint after a bassy stint in the dance tent, channelling something of a Tame Impala sensibility through psychedelic guitars and visuals.
Next up was the stunning Sampha, whose positive energy is always utterly contagious. He delivered his trademark soulful vocals, accompanied by the textures of incredible backing singers and transporting atmospheric sounds. Playing a hometown show clearly meant a lot, “as I have family here” gesturing to the audience. While this writer’s favourite track, Indecision, only received a brief rendition, Lido was treated to highlights of his Mercury Prize-winning 2017 debut Process, which ruminates on loss and grief in the wake of his mother, such as Plastic 100°C, (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano and Blood On Me, plus Spirit 2.0 and Satellite Buiness of 2023’s Lahai, and SBTRKT collaboration Hold On.
Venezuelan artist Arca then took vibes up a notch with her avant-garde blend of reggaeton beats and bristlingly dark electronica on tracks like Puta and Rakata, performed with gusto via raunchy dance moves. And as if accidentally jinxing herself, just momenta after welcoming a break in the rain, the heavens opened once again mid-set.
By this point in the day, some attendees were on the verge of being defeated by the weather. Thank god, then, for Romy, vocalist and guitarist of Jamie’s xx’s other project, The xx, whose set in the second stage was the ultimate revival, the enclosed space of the big blue top becoming like a giant house party of friends as she performed songs from her 2023 solo album Mid Air, including Lifetime and her recent reinterpretation of 90s pop classic I Love You Always Forever by Donna Lewis – Always Forever. Inhibitions dropped and euphoria set in as all and sundry sang along at the top of their lungs to Enjoy Your Life and the beloved Loud Places – “Didn’t I take you to higher places / You can’t reach without me?”– before retro club-vibed Strong closed out her set.
After taking us on a thrilling musical journey throughout the day via his favourite artists, it was time for Jamie xx to bring it home on the main stage. And that he did. All memory of trench foot was erased as a mindblowing run of tracks, accompanied by mesmerising visuals, played out under moody skies, bringing the whole of the park to ecstatic climax: a collective outdoor rave impressively realised. Highlights included the meaty Gosh from his 2015 debut solo album, In Colour, plus tracks from latest record, In Waves, such as Waited All Night – which reunited the entire The xx crew, with Oliver Sims and Romy reappearing for vocals, elation visible in their shared embrace and All You Children, which quite literally had the crowd gathered round, enraptured by Jamie’s electronic soundscape, ready to follow the instructions of its mantra: “We will dance and we will whirl.” Finally, his banging Honey Dijon collaboration Baddy on the Floor allowed any remnant of steam to be well and truly let off via the open-air dancefloor. What a way to kick off the summer festival season – even if it did involve dancing in the rain.
Sarah Bradbury
Photos: Mike Garnell
For further information and future events, visit Jamie xx’s website here.
Watch the video for the single Waited All Night here:
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