Friday the 29th of July kicked off the South Facing Festival at Crystal Palace Bowl. The launch was expertly done by indie pop trio, London Grammar – with support from Tora-i and George FitzGerald.
Music across a variety of genres was heard during the evening, kicking off with a DJ set as the audience filled the space and enjoyed food and drinks on picnic blankets. I think we were all lucky that the weather in London did not disappoint, making Crystal Palace Bowl the perfect outdoor venue for an evening of live music.
The first support act, Tora-i, kicked off with more of an R&B/Soul vibe, making us all pinky swear to have fun. And so we did! One of the reasons I love seeing support acts is that I always end up discovering someone new. Tora-i is yet another addition to that ever-growing list. I had never heard of her but quite enjoyed her set. Her live band were on great form and a real sing-along moment was reached when they played a cover of “Thinking of You” by Sister Sledge.
Treating us to a DJ set of constant bangers was George FitzGerald. I’ve always thought of his music to suit all kinds of atmospheres. You want a dance party? He’s got you covered. You want a chill night with quiet background music? The man’s got you. Tunes like “Burns”, “Roll Back” and “Full Circle” were especially greatly received by the crowd. And this wasn’t all from him.
Fast-forward to the main reason we were all there and we heard Hannah reciting a passage from “Help Me Make It Through the Night” by Gladys & the Pips, before the orchestral sounds of “Intro” filled the park and London Grammar came on stage. With massive cheers from the crowd, “Intro” played straight into “Californian Soil” and it was only a blast from there on! Their set was wonderfully filled with tracks from all three of their albums as well as something new. From real crowd pleasers like “Hey Now”, “Lord It’s a Feeling” and “Strong”, to songs that some might cry at – there was a moment for everything, from dancing to singing. If I get a goosebump moment when hearing a song, that is more than a good thing. One of those moments occurred during “Lord It’s a Feeling” when coming into the second chorus Hannah pointed the microphone at us and we all proudly sang, But on that morning when you’re proud, you said, “I fucked somebody, of course”” and carried into the chorus. This truly put a smile on my face.
London Grammar fans are a special kind of fans. I love gigs that allow for community sing-along moments and sharing a space with people who have the same love for the band. But sometimes Hannah’s voice should just be left to run free. Their fans seem to know which are the perfect songs to sing along to, and which are the ones we should all shut up for. From moments of Hannah pointing the microphone at the crowd, to moments of feeling taken aback by the stunning voice that belongs to her. And let’s not forget the shining moments of Dan and Dot where they could go absolutely mad during songs like “I Need the Night”, “Metal and Dust”, and “Hell to the Liars”. The band dynamics are incredible, you can really tell they love what they do and can also crack jokes about it.
The evening was drawn to a close by an encore of two songs. One of which, is a new song with George FitzGerald who joined them on stage for those last songs. It was an electronic, dreamy song with quite simple yet intricate lyrical patterns. One of my favourite collaborations and the crowd received it well. I personally cannot wait to hear this again and again. It is by now an iconic moment for London Grammar to close their sets with “Lose Your Head” with a remix at the end, allowing the crowd to go wild and end such a great time on a high. I think an opportunity definitely was missed to recreate a tiny version of the song’s music video with the pond in front of the stage. Overall, it was such an unforgettable, incredible night seeing the best there is.
London Grammar are currently working on some amazing things, like their next album. And if the first three are anything to go by, the fourth one is definitely to be full of crowd pleasing tunes. They are also supporting Coldplay on tour, with three dates left at Wembley this month.
Photo credits: Dalia Dawood