We, The People is the first ever Bristol based instalment of a various mix of drum-step, dub-step, ska, DnB, urban dance, reggae and rap at the Lloyd’s Amphitheatre in the floating harbour. We The People had culminated a various range of popular acts for the two day weekend event ranging from Chase and Status to The Streets, and Sub Focus to Annie Mac.
People in Bristol don’t often get huge scale events like We The People close to home so for that the festival had already got off to a flying start, even if there were some hitches with a tent being dropped and acts having to be cancelled. It is one of the first Bristol-based festivals in years to have such a massive line-up with a popular following.
The first notable act for us is The Other Tribe as they clearly enjoy what they get up to on stage. They have a love for a peculiar off-the-wall style, drumming and Jagermeister which for a couple of guys brought up in the local area is different. The group have a quirky appearance ranging from trendy to tribal, which of course doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out. They have a light and enjoyably mechanical tone, with a dance-track style voice backed with heavy based beats and percussion.
Example by Danni Davies
Singer Yasmin is a popular RnB/hip hop artist who’s talents as a DJ and singer songwriter lead her to support British rapper Example on tour in late 2010. Now her works see her collaborating with some of the biggest artists in her area as well as putting out her own tunes to fans. Example himself followed his colleague at We The People Festival on the weekend taking one of the later headlining slots of the day. Example has built upon his act over the past few years, morphing into a popular chart topping icon.
Friday Night Radio One presenter mashed up the crowd on Saturday night putting on a great set prior to Chase and Status’s appearance. Annie Mac is famous of course for her prime time Friday night DJ sessions for the BBC, but she’s not only confined to the studio. Her contemporary and well trimmed style still packs a punch, delivering both the new and the old tracks into the mix.
Chase and Status is the perfect finishing act for any rave night. The well produced and euphorically high quality sound can be reproduced over and over again from one gig to the next but at the same time their gigs are never the same. Their gigs are built up and dramatised by over enthused crowds with respect for one of the biggest DJ acts around.
You thought you’d seen it all before seeing Lee Scratch Perry. This man is dressed up like a bling-king. He’s like the icon of reggae and ska and all of those messed up nights you’ve ever had zoned out in clubs. Away from his pushed image, this man is one of the biggest names in reggae and ska with countless albums and tracks put together over the years. The gig was laid back and chilled with garish tones of lights , heavy bass and a strong smell of ‘tobacco’ filling the tent.
‘Doom‘ provided a RnB based set to lead on to the bigger acts of the night. Doom is a man with about seven record labels to his name, numerous albums and collaborations and a metal mask. He is basically like the textbook image of a rapper. They provide a lot of banter, laughs and attitude which is easily likeable.
Perhaps one of the best moments of the weekend was watching Beardyman’s set. This man created the whole of the material he played on his set from scratch, right before everyone’s eyes. His insane ability to create sound from using only the sound that he can produce from his vocal chords was amazing to witness. The man has won various awards for his music and you can see why this is the case, if you ever get the chance to see this other then on YouTube then you’ll be in for a great night.
The Streets by Danni Davies
The final two acts were Sub Focus and The Streets. Sub Focus are a gigantic dance floor filler, with full blown rhythms and beats over the top of a powerful intermittent bass line. Sub Focus is a top-class DJ with hundreds of tricks up his sleeve. He can produce and reproduce the same eclectic feeling for his fans. All you really have to do is station this man behind a sound board and watch the floor cave in.
The Streets is probably one of the most recognised group names in the line up as their music has hit just about every music channel over and over again. The project has had years of experience in what they’ve put together and the fans eat that over-confidence up. Mike Skinner says that The Streets rap project will probably be scrapped in the near distant future so it’s definitely a good time to catch them at their prime before they head off into other work.
Overall the We The People Festival had a great kick start this year, after all it’s one of the only events of it’s kind within the district of Bristol in 2011. It’s good to see the larger scale events reoccurring in Bristol and for this reason, events like We The People should be encouraged and supported.
