On The Festival Trail... in the City.

Lovebox Weekender, Alex Sudea/Rex Features

Festivals are not just filthy toilets, mud, wellies and trekking out to the sticks. There are many delights and experiences to be had at London’s festivals. And the wonderful world of live music is about much more than emulating Kate Moss’s style at Glastonbury.

Back in April, the Love Music Hate Racism festival commemorated the legendary Rock Against Racism concert  twenty years ago. Back then, RAR was a rally from bands including The Clash, The Specials, and The Buzzcocks, a cry against the growing tide of racist sentiment sweeping Thatcher’s Britain in the 80s.
This year,  Love Music Hate Racism  was in Victoria Park, featuring ex-Specials Jerry Dammer as compere, and popular acts such as the Noisettes, Get Cape Wear Cape, Wiley, Jocelyn Brown, Don Letts, and an apoplectic headline set from The Good The Bad and The Queen, who closed with a rendition of the Specials’ Ghost Town. The park was filled with music fans and anti-Boris campaigners alike, for this was the weekend before the mayoral election.

Another free festival, Rise, took place in Finsbury Park in July, with CSS, the legendary Jimmy Cliff, Amy Winehouse’s  backing band The Dap Kings, Terry Hall and Rodney P all taking to the stage. Originally called Respect, the festival began in 1996, backed by the trade unions and with a strong anti-racist message. There was no event from 1998, but in 2000 it was revived by the then recently elected mayor Ken Livingstone, a move reflecting the many staged events -including black gospel concerts- the GLC helped organise in the mid 80s.
This year new mayor Boris Johnson decided to remove the anti-racist message which inspired Respect in the first place to replace it with a more general equality and diversity one,  a controversial move which his office claimed aided the promotion of ‘inclusiveness’. As a result the trade unions withdrew their support.

Groove Armada’s Lovebox sold out and featured both established and new acts from the wildly different yet hugely intertwined worlds of dance, rock, hip hop, and dub. Secretsundaze, Mulletover and Horsemeat Disco were present, with the funkhouse that is Horsemeat Disco being housed in a construction masquerading as a nightclub on a seedy New York street in 1979.
An Amnesty stage featured African drumming from The Venus Bushfires Hangdrum Experience, and dub from The Dynamics; Ebony Bones performed in the Gaymers Great Escape tent; and over on the main stage Goldfrapp, Dandy Warhols, Human League and Groove Armada all performed over the two days.
Manu Chao closed Saturday’s event to much singing along and clapping while the Flaming Lips’ headline act on Sunday featured balloons, confetti and dancers dressed as superheroes.  At £65 for a weekend ticket (or £70 once you’ve paid the booking fee) Lovebox is  way cheaper than bigger festivals such as Creamfields and Glastonbury. But, it can seem a little disjointed if you’re running between dance tents and bands all weekend. It’s hard to get the feel of an artist if you can only spend half an hour listening to them.

2008 has been extremely productive so far, but there is more to come for music lovers. For talent spotting, Time Out’s On The Up festival, features up and coming artists from the worlds of funk and jazz including Zombie Disco Squad, electro from Filthy Dukes, and house, techno and breaks from Hannah Holland & Bastard Batty Bass. 
It’s free, and takes place at the Vortex in Dalston, a renowned venue for jazz music more serious than its better known rival the Jazz Café.

London’s Latin American Carnival or Carnaval del Pueblo (literally The People’s Carnival)  offers food and music from 11 Latin countries, perfect for fans of Salsa, Tango and Mambo. Another freebie, the procession, starts at Elephant and Castle and proceeds to Burgess Park, where the party is scheduled to continue, with many popular Latin artists performing throughout. The Carnival organisers are also on the hunt for camera operators and editors to help out.

And who can forget the most diverse of all London festivals, Notting Hill Carnival. Set up in 1964 as an offshoot of the Trinidad Carnival, it’s been a melting pot of different cultures and classes for over 40 years. Today it’s the largest free street festival in Europe with people from all over the world coming to W11  to enjoy its vibrant and joyous atmosphere.

A welcome respite from a sometimes harsh city, these events provide an opportunity to engage in a different culture, a cause, or simply in your favourite music surrounded by people enjoying the same tunes.
And best of all, they are for everybody, all appearances, all fashions  and all backgrounds.

Leila Hawkins

On the Up Festival, Sat 2nd August (£5), Sunday 3rd  (free) The Vortex, 11 Gillett St, London N16 8JN, Tel 0207 254 4097 www.vortexjazz.co.uk

Carnaval del Pueblo, Sun 3rd August, starts in Pottersfield Park, SE1, ends in Burgess Park, Camberwell SE5
www.potters-fields-park.com

Notting Hill Carnival, W11, 23rd -25th August  www.nottinghillcarnival.biz

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