Eastern Electrics returns after a year hiatus with an action packed day to remember!
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There is something about a London festival done right that hits different. The city is not naturally given to open-air events because the parks are too regulated, the weather too unreliable (usually) and the logistics too complicated. Which is why Eastern Electrics, when in full flow like it was on this return, feels like a bit of magic. On Sunday 9th August, under a sun that turned Burgess Park into a baked, golden desert of happy people, it worked.
The festival's return after a year away brought a new home in Burgess Park, the 56-hectare green space straddling Camberwell, Walworth and Bermondsey that gave the four-stage layout room without ever feeling too disconnected. You could move between stages in minutes, catch the end of something brilliant, and stumble into something you hadn't planned to see. That is the musical adventure that Eastern Electrics has always done well.
The Four Corners stage delivered some of the best moments of the day. La La opened with a UK garage set that got gun-fingers wagging and bass faces turning in mock disgust, and that full on dancing persisted across the whole festival. Dutch artist Marsolo’s set was full of house music, summer beats, and dancefloor classics that proved why he is so recognised across festival stages right now across europe. Skream brought a weight and authority to his set that few others could match at that time of day, and East End Dubs closed the stage with his sleek blend of dub, tech and garage.
Modern Funktion's Dome was a consistently good time throughout with a blend of sleazy tech, spangle core and filthy bass lead house and minimal from Jamback, Locklead, Truly Madly and Mella Dee b2b Reeshy, who kept things moving with groove-forward tunes that suited the scaffolding podiums and the more intense energy of that stage. The Plant Room offered Groove Armada's DJ set as a more melodic, nostalgic counterpoint and it was well received and beautifully programmed for the late afternoon.
But the Main Stage closing sequence was what many will remember. Joseph Capriati and SOSA handed over to The Martinez Brothers for a finale that came with their usual bold beats and bombastic brotherly vibes. A proper headlining hour from two of the best. 18 years in, Eastern Electrics still knows exactly what it's doing.
