Alanis Morisette at Crystal Palace Park

In case there was any doubt summer had arrived in the capital, a weekend jam-packed with day festivals of epic headliners in all corners of the city was a surefire way to christen it into tangible, fiery being. While Mumford & Sons lit up Hyde Park, and Kasabian tore it up in Finsbury, it was all unadulterated female rage in Crystal Palace Park from dawn till dusk.

Admittedly, the South London setting is not quite as leafy and open as its counterparts, and in the brutal sunshine, one did feel a little like meat on a grill on the black expanse of the matting in lieu of lawn. The situation was not helped by the single stage, as between sets, fans were quite literally stewing in the sun waiting for the next artist, the only respite joining a queue for drinks or food. That said, it also made for a far more intimate atmosphere, a lot less overwhelming than the usual throngs of people found at the likes of All Points East.

The sweltering day was also aptly matched by a gradually ramping up line-up, with the relaxed vibes of The Big Moon followed by the pop-punk of Mancunian Pale Waves before the sensational Britrock outfit Skunk Anansie. While there were the usual peaks and troughs of engagement from the audience for those killer tracks synonymous with an era such as Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good), versus lesser-known material, this was a full-throttle set driven by the inimitable energy, presence, and soaring voice of the lead singer. If Alanis Morissette fans were gearing up to let loose a bit of feminist rage, then Skin was the ideal performer to limber up the vocal cords, every attendee belting out “Weak as I am / No tears for you” alongside her.

As the sun started to sink over one of those glorious pink London skies, the woman of the hour arrived. Not looking a day older than her chart-topping heyday across the world, her gorgeous brunette wavy locks framing her face, and donning a characteristically hippie outfit that prioritised colour, comfort and joy, the icon that is Morissette took the stage.

Opening with Hand in My Pocket, from minute one, the Canadian queen of alt-rock angst had the entire park in the palm of her hand, channelling their life’s frustrations into every word of her blisteringly original tracks, which sounded as good as they did three decades ago. Owing to a glance around the crowd, it was heavily lent toward a certain demographic: millennial women, no doubt for whom Morissette’s brilliantly written lyrics have taken on even deeper meaning than when we sang Jagged Little Pill on repeat at the top of our lungs on car journeys in our teens. It was also a test, though, of exactly how many of those lyrics we actually knew and didn’t just fudge…

The clear favourites didn’t miss, a personal one for this writer being Head over Feet, quieter moments of poignancy emerging in the likes of Perfect, while the trifecta of Ironic, All I Really Want and You Oughta Know in quick succession riled the crowd into a frenzy, every line seemingly more relevant than ever: “And all I really want is some patience / A way to calm the angry voice / And all I really want is deliverance / A place to find a common ground.” To bring the park back down to earth, the encore delivered Uninvited and Thank U, landing on a moment of peace and self-acceptance.

A potent mix of nostalgia, group therapy by way of vocal catharsis, screaming en masse into the night air, and a coming-of-age journey, learning on another level the wisdom and witticism in Morissette’s surgically precise lyricism, this was just the liberating moment of release this crowd needed to kick-start what seems set to be an absolute belter of a summer.

Sarah Bradbury
Photos: Isha Shah

For further information and future events, visit Alanis Morisette’s website here.

Watch the video for Ironic here: