Wildlife Festival: Disclosure and Rudimental kickstart festival season in Brighton

Festival season has finally begun (yippe!), and what better way to warm up the summer's festivities than spending the day at a party in sunny Brighton? I attended the Saturday of Wildlife Festival which was filled with an array of artists including Nas, Joy Orbison and Gorgon City. For those that aren't camping fans, there are plenty of non-camping city festivals on offer this summer with Field Day, Parklife and Wildlife all happening at the same time that weekend.

Brighton Pier

The first ever Wildlife fest (curated by Rudimental and Disclosure) is truly a bonanza with a unique atmosphere thanks to its pleasant vibes. I love Brighton, it's just got such a great buzz, so when my friend told me he wanted to celebrate his birthday there, I jumped at the chance to come along!

As me and my friends got to Brighton city, the place was heaving with anticipated festival-goers scurrying around the beach drinking the last of their pre-drinks. Located in Brighton City Airport (about 15 minutes from Brighton town), the festival had organised bus rides to the site. Unfortunately, when we got to the queues they were way too long, so we decided to grab a cab ourselves even though we had paid extra for the bus journey. This was an annoyance, but like any other festival there are going to be issues (especially as this was the first ever Wildlife). 

 When we arrived however, the queue into the festival ran smoothly and we were able to get in quickly – a rarity for festivals nowadays. As we scurried in, I was excited to see what Wildlife had on offer. With a name like 'Wildlife', I was expecting to see fun decorations. However all that I saw were some inflatable insects floating above the crowds in one of the tents (which we found quite comical).

Although I mainly attend festivals for the music, I also love to take a little break and explore the surrounding spaces. One thing I love about festivals, are their creative installations. This festival’s downside was its site - simply a handful of marques, bars and fairground rides with no unique personality to it.

But let's focus on the music highlights! The first stage we got to was the WHP stage where Bicep played B2B with Midland. The pair kept things hyped enough to keep the attention of the crowd bouncing throughout their whole set. There were a few low sound issues which stopped me losing myself in the music.

Next up, Skream took to the stage with a set that made the crowd erupt with familiar tracks such as God Made Me Phunky whilst constantly interacting with the audience creating a fun, buzzy atmosphere (as he always does).  

 

After swimming around the WHP stage for a while, we decided to catch Oneman play B2B with My Nu Leng in one of the tents. I always love to go and see Oneman as he plays a wide variety of songs and this set was no exception. Their set filled the tent with a wave of House, Garage and Grime renaissance, playing classics such as The Street's Blinded By The Lights, cheered and sung on by the crowds. 

As the sun started to set, we decided to go and see some live acts from the day and the first on our agenda was Gorgon City. They began their live show with Coming Home with the very talented Josh Barry on vocals - keeping the tent healthily packed. As they played their popular songs such as Unmissable and Real (with Lulu James also on vocals) the audience sang along to every word. They also changed it up a bit by making their own rendition of Roy Davis Junior's Gabrielle - which I thoroughly enjoyed. Saving the best till last, Gorgon City played Ready For Your Love with MNEK coming out onto stage to surprise fans.

Gorgon City ft. Josh Barry

When the evening drew to a close, we all had to catch the last bit of the headline act: Rudimental. It's always a pleasure to watch Rudimental live. I saw them for the first time at Hideout Festival 2012 and they impressed me from the get-go with their extremely gifted saxophone player (I'm a sucker for a sax). As we ran to catch the last of their set - it was the perfect moment as they played Spoons featuring MNEK & Syron. This is an oldie of theirs, but definitely a goldie - a beautiful timeless track that had the crowd in a melodic trance for the last part of the festival.

Wildlife 2015 was a great warm up for the start of summer. Despite some setbacks (which is inevitable at any festival, especially one making its debut) the day was a lot of fun. Roll on summer 2015!!

Tania x