LIVE REVIEW: Born and Bred Festival

On Saturday 6 June, Haggerston Park in East London hosted Born and Bred. As the title may suggest, this event kept its focus narrow and showcased London talent. The line-up included headline acts such as Wiley, Goldie, Loefah, Zed Bias, P Money, Sticky and Scot Garcia, to name but a few.

We were on the ground representing The Playground and getting into the heart and soul of the party. While the line-ups showcased the capital’s talent, the crowd was one of the most diverse and multicultural I have seen in a long time.

While all acts were pretty epic, there were certainly a few that stood out and deserve to be credited. The Swamp 81 stage had a special quality and included Paleman, Loefah, Zed Bias and, as always, was hosted by Chunky and Johnny Banger. Paleman’s set was a highlight as well as Zed Bias playing alongside Claus Fuss who played an epic remix of the classic ‘Neighbourhood’; a track which sent the crowds into a frenzy. The fact that most of those watching were young enough to be Zed Bias’ grandchildren is a testament to the legendary and iconic producer. Coupling his set with the likes of Loefah and Youngsta is a stroke of genius by the label manager Katie Thieband.

The Just Jam stage was exactly that (jammed) and MCs D Double E and Footsie could not have put on a better performance if they tried. They’re true professionals and have a solid following in London; old and young chant their lyrics. This just goes to show grime is alive and kicking in the capital.

Next up was Wiley on the main stage. It was a pleasure listening to DJ Zinc hype the crowds in anticipation. As usual, he was running late.  Ever the gentlemen, Zinc was happy to extend his set by a whole 50 minutes to accommodate for the ‘traffic.’ However, word on Twitter is that Wiley was late because he was watching Barcelona v Juventus. Wiley graced us with his presence around 10 minutes before the end of the event. He played three tunes ‘Chasing the Art‘ (which was his best performance), ‘On a Level‘ and ‘Heatwave‘. He was in such a hurry he had to cut On a Level short and just jump onto Heatwave, as he said “Quick the Council is gonna switch!” In other words, we had better get a move on as Hackney Council will not let us play past 9pm – which is exactly when the sound system was locked off.

After a chat with two girls who told me they had made a day-trip all the way up from the South of France especially, I could hear booing from the crowds. It was a shame it ended on such a bad note. People I spoke to were clearly angry and felt they had been short-changed. Still, Born and Bred could not have been what it was without the Eskiboy. It’s his ‘London Longness’ that we love about him. The King of Grime and founder of Eski beats will inevitably be forgiven. FOUND series should definitely give themselves a pat on the back.

Words by Nadina Mustafa