What to expect at WAH In The City
Here's everything you need to know about WAH In The City this weekend.
Date published: 7th Jul 2023
On Sunday 9th July, Worried About Henry will be putting on their first festival in London 'WAH In The City'. Taking over Silverworks Island, one of the UK's most renowned Drum and Bass brands will be bringing a handpicked selection of some of their favourite names to the capital.
Making their debut in the city last November, things have moved quickly as now they can bring names such as Andy C, Chase and Status and Hybrid Minds to London. It is a Drum and Bass lover's dream that not only highlights those respected legends of the genre but has an unenviable amount of fresh talent on the lineup too.
We caught u with WAH ahead of their new festival to discuss the history of the brand and to see exactly what ravers can expect to find at the event when it takes place this weekend. It is a seriously impressive undertaking.
How did WAH start?
"Like all good things, WAH started life as a discussion between mates in a kitchen at Liverpool University in 2014. The idea for a new night was born, and the first show followed shortly after. Shout out to 24 Kitchen Street, Dillinja, Chimpo and everyone else who’s been with us from the beginning."
You’ve been going for close to a decade now, what have been some of your most significant achievements?
"Coming from small beginnings in the north, it was a real watershed moment for us to be able to put on shows in huge venues like Bramley Moore Dock and Warehouse Project - arguably the best rave spaces in Liverpool and Manchester. Just seeing us go from couple-hundred capacity raves to hosting these huge stages really makes you thankful for the support we’ve had from fans in the region over the years."
"In a similar way, it’s been amazing to be able to host stages at Parklife these past few editions. That festival has had a huge presence in Manchester since before WAH was even created, so to have grown alongside it to the scale where we can host a stage is amazing."
"It's frankly still pretty shocking that we’ve managed to make a home in over 25 cities across the UK! The fact that we’re able to get real positive reactions from fans in spaces like Printworks, Motion in Bristol and On The Beach in Brighton is a testament to how enduring DnB has become. And now to think we have 20,000 fans at our WAH in the City festival in London is pretty unbelievable!"
For people who haven’t been to a WAH event before, what should they expect to experience?
"Our aim with WAH is to level the playing field across the UK and create a consistent platform of high-end drum & bass that reaches fans up and down the UK. Whether you’re joining us in Edinburgh, Torquay, or anywhere in between, you can expect premium productions, DJs and MCs in the best venues in your area."
WAH is bringing Hybrid Minds to Torquay in October you can book tickets here:
Who are the new names in Drum and Bass who are getting you excited?
"Two easy champions of the new generation would be Bou and Hedex. These two have absolutely smashed these past couple of years and it’s been an honour to have been alongside them for (some) of their journeys so far."
"Beyond them though, we’re really excited generally by the new wave of talent, DJ’s like K Motionz, Anaïs, A Little Sound, Sota, Charlie Tee, Pola & Bryson, Ama, Lens, Nathan X, Gray, Vibe Chemistry (to name a few) are making significant strides in the scene."
You have WAH In The City coming up, what makes it different to your other events?
"We’ve been lucky enough to be a part of loads of great festivals up until now, but WAH in the City marks the first time we’ve made it into the title! We’ve worked really hard making this one the ultimate ‘WAH’ event, and we’re really excited to show you all what we’ve been working on alongside our festival co-hosts Breakin Science and CruCast."
"The location is one of the main things that’s got us excited about the day - we think ravers are going to love how esoteric the site is. Having planes fly over the main stage is crazy enough as is, but there’s an amazing view of the city and some unique abandoned factories just across the river that are utilised in a really cool way once the sun goes down."
"The sound and production are top notch too - the main stage has screens across the entire front which will give fans pretty much 180 degrees of visuals - stage two has got a great multi-layered vibe in the crowd that makes the atmosphere really nice from front to back - and stage three gives you really great intimate vibes without feeling like you’ve gone inside. The shipping containers give it an industrial feel and the soundsystem feels really nice."
Who are you looking forward to seeing the most on the lineup?
"It’s hard to pinpoint one act! It’s always amazing seeing the DJs we mentioned above at WAH shows, and are thrilled to have a few of them (and more) at WAH in the City. The truth is we truly think everyone brings something extraordinary to the table throughout the day."
"If we were going to recommend one thing though, Gardna’s new live show is a great shout for anyone wanting to catch something a little different. He always has a load of special guests with him on the mic and decks, and his set is a great fusion of genres, cutting between reggae, dub, grime, garage and DnB."
What can people expect to see at each different stage?
"From a sonic perspective, fans of all three stage hosts will be really pleased with the variety on show between the arenas - and how CruCast, Breakin Science and WAH have their own unique vibes going on."
"CruCast regulars like Darkzy and Skepsis are always a multi-genre highlight at our events, and having a master like Flava D join them on Stage Two is going to be a great change of pace for proper bass fans attending on Sunday."
"Breakin Science are bringing the dirtier DnB vibes in force and will bring some serious vibes to Stage Three at ‘in the City’. It’s a perfect space for getting intimate with the DJs and MCs and is going to absolutely pop off!"
"Then there’s the main stage - we’re seriously proud to have a pretty comprehensive line-up of DnB legends representing WAH on the main stage and we’re really happy that the production matches the heights of the talent!"
You can find the final few tickets for WAH In The City at the bottom of the page, to keep up to date with everything else that the brand has going on in 2023 take a look at their upcoming events here.
Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.
