Not even a typical Birmingham downpour could dampen spirits at Wireless Festival’s opening night in Perry Park, Birmingham.
The walk through the city on Friday afternoon was pleasantly surreal – people from all ages and backgrounds wore their optimism for sunny weather proudly on their heads in the form of sunglasses while keeping their Hunter-clad feet firmly on the ground in wellies and shorts.
The queuing system for the portaloos on site was fantastic – long gone are the days when aggressive men and vomiting women can push in front of you! With a steward on one end and security guard on the other and a strict metal fence policy, breaking that seal has never been easier!
The VIP section at Wireless Festival far surpassed any other VIP area that this TNG reporter has ever witnessed. Beanbags for all, Prosecco by the flute and toilets to rival that of all but Buckingham Palace.
The absence of Drake on Friday went unnoticed as Rudimental took to the main stage to perform a star-studded extended set – the boys put on an amazing full band performance; something drum and bass has long since missed since the early days of the intimate Chase & Status live sets.
Outkast blew everybody away on Saturday evening – it was a pleasant surprise to see so many families bringing their children along (this TNG reporter wishes her parents listened to Outkast) and it was even more pleasant to hear Andre 3000 curb his language when addressing the crowd (even if only for one moment) to acknowledge the amount of children there. Watching a group of girls take to the stage to shake it like a Polaroid picture reminded you of just how grounded Outkast are, taking the time to give a quick cuddle to each and every one of them as they exited.
Robin Thicke’s Boublé impersonation on Saturday somewhat disconcerting. My tolerance for his new found style waned a lot quicker than expected, and after a quick chat with a few members of the crowd and a security guard, it appeared that blurred lines had been written off the agenda.
The support for Sean Paul was surprising and the energy from the crowd was highly contagious. It’s fair to assume that Sean Paul was (at least partly) responsible for the sunny atmosphere that spread across Perry Park on Saturday afternoon. It’s a shame that Mr Paul wasn’t scheduled for Friday, as he definitely provided the Brum Brum stage with the right temperature to protect you from the storm (we couldn’t help ourselves).
Sunday night was all about two acts, and two acts only: Pharrell Williams and Basement Jaxx. Let’s not make this the Kanye show.
It should be noted that Iggy Azalea has an amazing bottom. Her performance was almost sport-like, and she was easily the most entertaining female on the main stage all weekend. She certainly had the crowd, what do you call it again, Iggy? Head Over Heels?
Pharrell practically spat sophistication and charm all over the audience, and we lapped it up like puppies on a hot day. Even his speech to the girl who knew every word to every song was alluring – not one soul stood there whining about how it “should have been me”. Pharrell has this signature stance that seems to make women go crazy – all he does is stand in silence and grin, but it was literally like someone had sprayed hormones across the entire field. Pharrell oozes a sense of humbleness – he doesn’t look down at the crowd: he looks up and around at each and every person right at the back row. Nobody expected him to perform not one, but two songs from the NERD days, or a Snoop Song, or even a Gwen Stefani track. Pharrell is a producer as much as he is a singer in his own right, and he seems to show as much pride in his background work as he does in being the main man. His s**t certainly made us go bananas.
I spent my entire weekend channelling my inner hip hop child and as soon as I walked into the Basement Jaxx tent I knew: I am a dance fan, through and through. Outkast was fun, Pharrell was charming, but that bass unleashed more energy in half an hour than displayed throughout the entire weekend.
