shifting into a different gear on Lovebox day two

Lovebox Weekender 2013

Friday 19th to Sunday 21st July 2013
Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, Greater London, E9 5DU, England MAP
£99 for the weekend

Daily capacity: 50,000

Returning to the Victoria Park for day two of the Lovebox Festival, this promised to build on the successes of the first day. Despite the cloudy outlook, the weather remained warm and dry for the punters, who were looking forward to another packed day of music. With so much else going on during the day, there was plenty on offer to suit your mood and with quite so many different acts you were spoiled for choice.

In a return from previous years, the big top stage played host to Hospitality and the cavalcade of bass heavy DJs. Bigger acts such as Nu:Logic, S.P.Y, and London Elektricity each put their own spin on drum and bass sets and while it was disappointing that David Rodigan was not able to give a break in the line up with his reggae set, newcomer B.Traits was able to fill the gap nicely with her carnival inspired dance DJ set. Still retaining plenty of catchy baselines, hers was an enjoyable set and nice to see some new (and female) talent on the hospitality stage. However, the biggest crowds were reserved for Camo & Krooked, and Netsky towards the end of the night, with the former in particular putting on an absolutely poundingly good selection of remixes and mash-ups.

Out on the main stage, there was plenty to watch, with the short set times of about 45 minutes each a blessing and a curse depending on how you viewed the line up. Kicking off my Saturday was singer John Newman, who understandably was a great draw for the younger crowd who had come to see him play. Despite being a relatively new artist, he sang through his set confidently and really seemed to enjoy himself on stage. I could appreciate the unique sounds of his vocal performance and tight playing from his backing band, though in truth it’s not really the kind of music I listen to.

Next up on stage was Netsky, who was able to bring his live show to a bigger audience after graduating from the hospitality tent and out on to the main stage for the first time. In retrospect, Netsky Live reminds me a great deal of Pendulum in terms of studio drum and bass productions taken to a live setting and the ability for individual players to show off their skills. In the case of drummer and keyboardist here, both are more than capable of improvising at 170+ BPM speeds to great effect. With a full set covering hits from albums, with support from guest vocalists, and ending on a live version of a remix of Rusko's Everyday, theirs was a high octane shot in the arm and perfect for the mid-afternoon.

Following onwards, soul legend D'Angelo was able to put the Love quite firmly into Lovebox with an arsenal of smooth grooves and catchy funk, all played live by a large live band and backing vocalists. One thing I had noticed here was that the crowd was quite spread out, content to listen from afar or for couples to break out in impromptu dance. You can say what you like about the band, but on a hot summer evening as this, hearing D'Angelo live as the sun sets is the perfect mood music and would have been perfect to hear at the end of a day listening to the jazz artists that were playing in one of the other themed stages.

I would have quite enjoyed an act with a similar tempo and energy as Netsky to keep the mood going, but looking at the lineup and seeing drum and bass sandwiched between blue eyed soul and funk grooves, it was actually Netsky that was out of place. However, with Plan B's headline performance on the way and playing to his home crowd of East London, this was the follow up I was waiting for and was not disappointed. Drawing easily the largest crowd of the day, Plan B went from strength to strength through his back catalogue of edgy rap and hip hop, with the crowd seeming to be able to sing along at every turn. Ending strong on one of his oldest hits, his was a long and well crafted show: well worth checking out and definitely a worthy headline act to finish up the Saturday night.

review by: Chris Smout

photos by: Lawrence Wheeler