Mount Kimbie were truly a showstopper on the first night. The crowd were already hanging on their every word but after they announced King Krule as a surprise guest, they went wild. I feel bad for everyone who decided to come down on Friday because despite the quick downpour, it was an amazing way to start the long weekend.
As the music began again midday Friday, we came to a halt after hearing the power coming from the main stage as Cassie Kinoshi’s Seed played their set. They were incredibly loud but remained smooth and we sat captivated as Kinoshi explained the meaning behind certain songs from mental health to British colonialism. Everything felt so intimate despite the very large crowd they managed to attract.
Bel Cobain was on a few hours later and she was clearly popular; I even got stopped on the way there by a group of young girls who were double-checking they were going the right way. During her set she radiated warm positivity, smiling in between songs as her adoring audience.
All weekend there was a really great array of female and non-binary talent given full focus on the main stage from spoken word artists Kae Tempest to R&B sweetheart Corinne Bailey Rae to the aforementioned Cassie Kinoshi. It’s great seeing so much natural diversity at a festival that can attract such big names as Andre 3000 (PS – guys give the flute a chance, it’s really great).
Ego Ella May had two slots and we managed to catch her later one at the Brawnswood stage which throughout the day doubled as a restaurant. I’m sure the intention was for the artists performing to entertain the dinner crowd, but May attracted such a large standing audience there’s no way that those sitting would have been able to catch a glimpse. Her performance was gorgeous and she had her audience spellbound.
Amaliah played a set on the incredibly large Rhythm Corner Stage while it was still daylight, a difficult feat for any high energy, dance-focused DJ when most attendees were more in the mood for live music. She had a super London sound with good beats and great mixing. Honestly, she deserved a later slot or to be put on a more intimate stage as her audience remained incredibly engaged despite its small size. I’m keen to catch her next London set and have been listening to her Boiler Rooms since I’ve been back.
My favourite stage by far was the Grove, a giant forest bowl where the crowd stood gazing down on whichever artist was performing. It felt so immersive and community focused, especially if you were there at the end of the night, smiling at strangers and making friends. I also loved the Tomorrow’s Warriors Big Tent, an entire decently sized covered stage with a carefully chosen selection of up and coming artists. Too often are smaller artists shoved in a corner and easy to miss, but this was the closest stage to general camping and had its own bar. It was the perfect place to hang out in between the larger artists and discover some genuine talent – a couple highlights were Victoria Jane and Maddy Coombs.
My one main criticism was wifi and phone signal. As much as I think for some this would be the perfect excuse to log off, turn off, and focus on community, music, and nature for a few days, as someone who was trying to show off the best parts on our TNAM instagram stories, having to run back to the press area (or trying the cheeky ‘throw your phone so high in the air it maybe gets signal’ tactic) every time just to post one story was exhausting. It also made meeting up with friends horrendously difficult but that did lend to the creation of many “artistic” totems that are present in most of the photos you’ll see of the crowds. If you’re going next year, make sure you have some gaffa tape, a big stick, and an easily noticeable item (we used Dublin socks and a can of WD40 – see final note).
Overall, WOH 2024 was one of the best, most community focused and impressive festivals I’ve ever had the pleasure to attend. Giles Peterson deserves a hand for being the most personable festival founder I’ve ever seen. You could catch him walking around, chatting to people and joining in on other artists’ sets. He also actively invests in new talent with his Future Bubblers program for exciting musical projects, something we’re all for here at TNAM. We can’t wait to see what next year brings and no doubt we’ll be there.
Final Note – special shout out to Coex who drove us down and somehow managed to play a great set despite having to fix a synth live on stage with just a screwdriver and a bottle of WD40.