South Facing Festival X Craig David
Let’s rewind to the weekend and fill you in on the incredible show put together by South Facing Festival on Sunday! Crystal Palace Bowl, previously played by icons such as Bob Marley and the Wailors; Pink Floyd and Elton John, was booming with live music once again with Craig David as the headlining act. What is usually a quiet span of open field, became a vibrant sea of supportive fans, incredible acts and world-wide food stalls.
The crowd began pouring in at around 2pm during the opening act, DJ, Zoe London’s set. Some real summer anthems were carrying across the venue, from current chart toppers to ABBA, she knew exactly how to set the tone and get the festival started! As the Bowl started to fill up, the second artist, Patrick Nazemi took the stage and got everybody on their feet and forgetting that they were still in London, it was the full Ibiza experience, with the weather was matching the mood perfectly. Nazemi’s set featured an eclectic mix of genres from R&B, House and Garage to Funk and did not fail to have the audience partying along. As the day went on, the third act, Bellah Mae, was welcomed to the stage where she performed her original music and had the crowd captivated with her live version of ‘Drama King’. The penultimate act, Nathan Dawe then entered the stage and blasted out some pure bangers, he even treated the crowd to a sneak-peek at a new song that he has been working on. Dawe made sure that he had everyone up and passing the vibe check before the headlining act made his way to the stage.
The audience were full of energy and bustling, drinks in hand, eager to get front and centre for David’s set. The anticipation for the headliner’s act was set up perfectly by the amazing acts who performed during the day. As the band got ready on stage, more old school summer tracks played through the speakers and as soon as the music faded out, David’s band began playing the intro to My Heart’s Been Waiting For You and the crowd went wild, while on-stage, David was nowhere yet to be seen. As UK R&B legend, Craig David made his entrance and immediately began the show, no introduction needed. The set list was full of nostalgic classics including What’s Your Flava?, Fill Me In and Rewind, amongst more recent releases such as DNA, Heartline and I Know You. The whole crowd were dancing, jumping and singing at the top of their lungs, somewhat reminiscent of a 2000’s nightclub. Good vibes all round, strangers from all over came together to enjoy a day of music appreciation. The set ended after David got an encore and came back out to perform his most popular song, 7 Days, which saw no-one present chilling this Sunday and made everybody’s experience complete.
It was truly an event where core memories were made for fans of all ages. A day to remember and hopefully a festival to keep looking forward to over the coming years.
View the South Facing Festival website HERE
Article by Freja Bell
Photo by Freja Bell