Last year’s Field Day was dominated by indie and electronic music, with acts like FKA Twigs and Chet Faker only interrupted by grime through DJs Elijah and Skilliam. This year, following suit with fashion and the UK Charts, Field Day introduced grime to it’s roster like it had always been there.
Appearing on The Fader stage was Novelist, Frisco, Sir Spyro and Little Simz, while Skepta of course stole the main stage before Slimzee and Plastician had their sets on the Bandstand between the trees.
The afternoon was when the day took off, with Skepta’s energy making the rain non-existent on the Eat Your Own Ears main stage. Allowing the crowd to sing most of “That’s Not Me”, he brought grime to Victoria Park in full force with the rest of the BBK crew joining him on the scene. Whether long term fans or just there to skank, Skeppy had everyone busting out some form of gun finger and was the only appropriate way to continue Grime’s country-wide reign at Field Day.
Little Simz took to the stage just after Skepta, and was the only act who managed to perfectly co-ordinate her outfit with the spotlights. Although her set was short, Simz showed that her talent is raw and brave. She demanded the audience’s attention with the force of her flow alone, and her hype was infectious. Also notable was the crowd, which, although Simz’ music is full of empowering lyrics for women, had handfuls of guys getting turnt. Simz really is King, and her performance surpassed any hip-hop preconceptions.
Next up from the scene was one of the early pioneers of grime, who of course played constant classics including his own dubplate of “Side By Side” with Big H. Although performing on such a small, exposed stage, Slimzee filled the space well and had a crowd of all ages skanking it out. His set was followed by one from Plastician, who intertwined US tracks from the like of Migos with some of our home grown finest.
Frisco’s set was made all the more mad by Sir Spyro on the decks, and BBK watching from the sidelines. Harshly spitting brand new tracks from his new album ‘System Killer’ between iconic verses from the classic “Too Many Man” and JME’s “Don’t @ Me”, Frisco extended Skepta’s heavy introduction in a closer setting.
Novelist was, in a word, exceptional. Sure, Skepta can work a crowd, but Novelist can work a stage. His presence alone was electric, and there were moments when the young MC simply stood on stage, looking out at the crowd with dead serious eyes, and still the energy never dampened. There was actual steam coming from his head while he chanted “Fuck David Cameron” Sporting clothes from his brand new line with Joyrich, Novelist was the stand-out act of the day and his performance was rivaled, but unmatched.
Where Skepta was a perfect introduction to grime for Field Day, Novelist was the perfect close. All of the acts made their mark on the festival and definitely secured the genre’s spot at next year’s event.