South West Four 2018 Review

Image: SW4 (source)

Celebrating 15 years of the festival, South West Four packs in a heavy lineup with the likes of Chase & Status, Marshmello and Stefflon Don.

South West Four may have started off as a small festival created for Clapham 15 years ago, but today it’s one of the heavyweights in the UK’s festivals scene. With a stacked lineup of artists sharing their presence between five mighty stages, SW4 didn’t disappoint for its attendees.

Day one of the festival brought sunshine and plenty of energy. The line up very rooted in SW4’s core values, giving us some of the best acts in the electronic and dance music scene. But there were a number of artists from different genres to provide an eclectic mix. Nadia Rose donning all white was one of the earlier artists on the outdoor main stage who helped to build the momentum throughout the day. With her dancers, she performed tracks such as 'Skwod'. Just before her on stage was Dizzee Rascal’s set, who gave the audience nothing but bangers and energy.

Jax Jones who’s been the man behind a number of chart topping hits in the last few years drew in a crowd providing a positive vibe full of fun with tracks such as 'You Don’t Know Me' featuring Raye and his recent hit 'Ring Ring' with Mabel and Rich the Kid. One of the most anticipated artists to take to the stage was the man who can do no wrong, Idris Elba at the Heldeep Arena who showed off his skills in front of an audience that was overflowing out of the tent.

Meanwhile, with great EDM also comes great visuals - on the main stage Dillon Francis provided a feast for the eyes allowing the crowd to really let loose. A long day with an abundance of music came to an end with headline act Marshmello. True to himself, he came on stage dressed in his usual gear, as a marshmallow and provided a set that put together some of the work of today’s greatest artists which was a fitting conclusion to the first day of SW4.

Although rain kicked off the second day of South West Four and was a constant for much of the day, this didn’t stop festival goers in the slightest. Along with plenty of mayhem in the mud, there was really something for everyone. Grime very much had a presence with the likes of Toddla T on the main stage, whilst old school garage fans were taken back with Craig David’s TS5 set. Including everyone’s favourites, '7 Days' and 'Rewind'. His set also included a throwback to some of the biggest rnb and hip-hop anthems. 

Over at the Bassline Carnival stage, the carnival riddims were there to get those present in the mood with The Heatwave on the lineup. The Capital Xtra tent also didn’t disappoint one bit with a back-to-back lineup of impressive artists. The set of Steel Banglez and DJ P Montana showed off all of the producer’s bangers such as 'Bad', 'Your Lovin' and 'Money'. Kojo Funds followed the producer, a man of few words who rarely disappoints with his endless list of hits such as 'Dun Talkin'.

Electronic music fans were in for a treat with Basement Jaxx. But the highlight of the night, not surprisingly came from Chase & Status who brought an end to the festival in true SW4 style. Performing hits such as 'Take Me Away' and 'No Problem'. Rarely do the duo disappoint and there couldn’t have been a better ending to the two days which celebrated 15 years of existence in a way truly authentic to the festival.