Clapham Common goes delirious on first day of SW4

South West Four Weekender 2011 review

By Merlin Alderslade | Published: Thu 1st Sep 2011

South West Four 2011 - around the festival site (2)
Photo credit: Chris Smout

South West Four 2011

Saturday 27th to Sunday 28th August 2011
Clapham Common, London, SW4 9DE, England MAP
£85 for both days, £45 for Sunday (Saturday - sold out)
Daily capacity: 20,000

The weather's so typically British today that as SW4's rag-tag crowd struggles its way through the mud and on-off-on-off-on-off-make-your-fucking-mind-up-already rain (with some even having to do so in flip-flops, the silly buggers), you could be mistaken for thinking you'd walked into an episode of Inbetweeners as opposed to one of London's most rapidly-rising music festivals. Today, with a bill made up of some of the finest DJs to ever hit the decks and some of the most influential electronica acts in history, it's all about the choons, baby!

around the festival site
Legendary DJ Pete Tong seems to have been around as long as dance music itself, and his afternoon set on the main stage is the perfect way for some already suspiciously hazy-looking revellers to get their grooves on. And speaking of DJ icons, Judge Jules is no small-fry himself. The trance veteran smashes the Group Therapy Arena with a set that kicks the afternoon into fifth gear so quickly that if it weren't Above & Beyond and Underworld following suite you'd bank on him to steal the day for himself.

Underworld
Above and Beyond absolutely smash the Group Therapy tent to bits, bringing with them their unique brand of untouchable, euphoric trance anthems and even a cheeky bit of pyro on the side. It all leaves Underworld with a hell of a lot to live up to, but first, there's time for techno veteran John Digweed to warm us all up. He's solid enough, but, quite frankly, Underworld are different-level. It speaks volumes that newer cuts like 'Scribble' stand up to all-time dance classics such as 'Born Slippy' and 'King Of Snake', leaving Clapham in delirium by the time that offensively early curfew of 9pm kicks in.
review by: Merlin Alderslade

photos by: Chris Smout


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