It was only a short walk from Hackney Wick, but there were palm trees, a sandy beach and sunshine. For their 7th incarnation Streetfest had built an oasis in the midst of the city. OK the palm trees were inflated and the beach backed on to a canal rather than the Med, but the sun was actual sun, the sort that burns because who thinks of putting on sun cream in May?
Streetfest might have had a beach with free VICE magazines to read as you lounged on the stripey deck chairs, but at heart it is the UK’s No.1 urban culture festival. Which means that under your feet you have Tarmac rather than grass – perfect for those who find the twenty-thousand-people-standing-in-a-field type of festival just too muddy.
Music was the main reason the crowds came out to Formans Fish Island, with three stages and one mobile turntable at the top of an old jeep. Breakthrough acts and big names entertained all day from 1pm, outdoors in the sun and on the larger indoor Adidas stage. But there were plenty of other attractions, including unicyclists, a half-pipe and professional BMX riders doing extremely don’t-try-this-at-home aerial acrobatics.
Skateboarders watch the madness that is pro-BMX
Shut up and dance…
But of course the music was the big draw. Goldie and Ms Dynamite were headlining, but there were plenty of other acts to keep the crowds dancing all afternoon. Amplify Dot, Caxton Press and Shannon Saunders were all performing, as was Rhymeskeemz , introduced as ‘He’s from Oxford – he’s got a big vocabulary!’ He started his set with a warning that the first few bars were quite passionate, forcing emcee Stigofthedump to apologise afterwards for the use of ‘foul words. Like UKIP.’
The multi-talented Beatbox Collective also perfomed, led by Bass6. He announced that beatbox developed from the human heart beat and that ‘any sound is a good sound’ before giving a short class in using the teeth, tongue, nose and throat to make music. ‘It just depends how much free time you have on your hands,’ he added modestly. Even after his lesson I’m not really sure how beat boxing is possible. The five members of The Beat Collective have all won awards for their vocal dexterity and with no instruments but the human voice they made music to dance to. The floor began to feel a bit bouncycastle as the crowd got into the groove.
Later DJ Woody performed an audio-visual journey through 40 years of hip hop. ‘We’re about to open your mind! This is a journey into sound!’ Vintage 4:3 videos accompanied old favourites of the genre to the pleasure of the dancing fans. Outside Paul Cree performed long-form poetry, noting the erroneous advice he’d been given – white boys don’t make emcees, state school kids don’t make prime minister.
The urban backdrop was transformed over the day as a selection of street artists demonstrated their skills with spray paint, stencils and markers. Artists present included Clog2, 2RISE, Rmer, Dank, Zina, Artista and many more. There was also a Secret Walls art battle with teams battling against the clock to create their masterpieces.
Street Artists from across the UK and the world demonstrating their skills
It might have been the Fish Island Riviera rather than St Tropez, but even the South of France would have been pleased with the weather. With an electronic graffiti wall for all to use, the Urban Art Experience running workshops, kids rapping nursery rhymes, live tattoing and lots more Streetfest 14 was an exciting urban day out. Roll on Streetfest #15.
More details from the official website
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