Jay-Z owns Sunday at Wireless with a polished rockin' performance
Wireless Festival 2010 review
Wednesday 7th July 2010
Just like Glasto before it, this year's Wireless festival is a face-melting scorcher, and even the occasional cloudy spell can't help avoid a general reddening of Hyde Park's attendees as the festival's biggest headliner prepares to slay London once again. The main stage has a fairly eclectic bill to show off today, and Bluey Robinson proves a worthy opener as he reels out a few well-received covers to pad out his own (unsurprisingly) blues-tinged rock 'n' roll numbers.
Soon after, Mr Hudson arrives to provide yet another reminder that for all his musical genius, Kanye West really should be banned from attempting to have any kind of influence on popular music other than his own. Admittedly, West's protégé is suffering from a broken leg and is, by his own admission, "doped up on painkillers", but his voice really struggles to hit the high notes today, and a particularly dodgy rendition of hit single 'Supernova' provides nothing more than a cringeworthy distraction from the otherwise forgettable stream of electro-pop nonsense that takes up the rest of his set. Sorry Kanye.
A bizarre cameo by new found heroes of dance-hop (possibly not a genre) Roll Deep follows, as the lengthy warm-up and introduction provided by Wiley turns out to be almost as long as the set itself. Needless to say, the vast majority of the crowd are here for number one choon 'Good Times', and although its delivery only brings up the issue of how those chaps can possibly spit out those ridiculous lyrics without breaking into hysterics, a good time is definitely still had by many of those watching, even if most of it goes well over eFestival's head. Meanwhile, rapper J. Cole (not freshly back from the World Cup, incidentally) draws a surprisingly big crowd over on the second stage given his relatively low status, which can't exactly be said for Laura Steel, whose pleasant and expansive pop numbers provide a nice backdrop to a largely oblivious pub crowd on the bandstand.
eFests forgoes the cute hip-pop (possibly not a genre) of that lovely young man Chipmunk to grab a filthy burger, and so it's eventually back to the main stage for the self-confessed 'token rock band on the bill'. Luckily, this token rock band is the solo project of one of rock and heavy metal's most iconic guitarists, and Slash and co. bring a much-needed lick of riff to the day's proceedings. Perhaps inevitably, a quartet of Guns N' Roses numbers (not to mention Velvet Revolver favourite 'Slither') all make their way into the set, but what proves most memorable about the performance is just how awesome a vocalist Miles Kennedy is. Plucked from so-so US alt-rockers Alter Bridge to front the touring form of this project, Kennedy's rock 'n' roll pedigree is displayed by his ability to effortlessly belt out classics like 'Rocket Queen' and 'Paradise City' with the kind of aplomb that Axl Rose wishes he still had. Oh, and Slash solos over his head as one point too. Awesome.
After the irresistibly danceable indie-pop charm of Friendly Fires sees some of the most chronically dodgy boogying of the day, Miss Lily Allen takes to the main stage for a successful run through her alternative, reggae-friendly pop hits. Although her requests for less bottle-throwing are largely ignored, the appearance of UK rapper Professor Green for a take on their awesome 'Just Be Good To Green' single is one of the day's highlights, and paves the way nicely for the Don that is Jay-Z.
Initially plagued by the dodgy sound mix that has affected many of the main stage artists today, the man born Shawn Carter soon shrugs off such issues to produce a belting set that sees the likes of '99 Problems' and 'Empire State Of Mind' lead to some ridiculously huge and possibly drunken sing/rapalongs. Jay Z is a genuine superstar of today's music industry, and his polished but very fucking rock 'n' roll show should leave the day's punters with no doubt as to who has owned Wireless this year.
review by Merlin Alderslade photos by Fiona Madden
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