My day began with a BEAST of a hangover, one which left me flattened with the force of a Friday shaped steam roller. Tesco value vodka – don’t do it. Harbouring much inner dust, and strong feelings of “I’m way too old for this shit“, myself and hangover hopped on t’ bus to Brixton, off to Saturday’s destination – The Midsummer Terrace Party hosted by Turf, Ethnobling and Submit.
I needn’t have worried, for as if fate was paving my way in gold, setting foot in the Prince Of Wales Pub and the Sun made a glorious guest appearance. (The POW – if you’ve never visited – is an epic venue. Fact. Gargantuan in size it features a downstairs bar, 3 venue rooms and a double tiered terrace; perfect for those one off and PRECIOUS Summery moments.)
With the first shudder of bass the crowds began to flock, and before long the rooftop was a’ buzz with human connections and summer party vibes. Topping up my booze levels with intravenous rum and ginger beer it’s safe to say the next 12 hours…YES 12 HOURS…were a happy blur of rambling, stomping, bumping, grinding and flexing like a badman. With bone rattling bass lines, tropical sensations, AMAZING humans and an ear quenching selection of soul, jazz, techno, house, hip hop, reggae and afro-Beat – the energy felt more festival than plain old ‘party’. Artists throughout the day/night included: The Busy Twist,The Mendez Brothers, KARTEL (Bagheera + Moyo), Batu_music, Henry Wu, The Energy, Remi b2b Napper, Zyklon Sound, Sharky & George, Red-I, Zeitlin & Notez, Skins – DJ, and Joah…I won’t lie and pretend I knew who was playing, where and when, but what I do know is that it sounded bloody GREAT from every angle, at any given moment. *Rum can cause mild confusion when it comes to such details.
Like all good soirees people adorned every doorway and draped every available seat, table and precipice; and as the sun went down on Brixton and fairy lights twinkled to life, the party pumped harder than a pair of classic Reebok pumps. I’m talking gleaming, glittering and glistening pump action pumping! Every square inch of dance floor was filled with fast moving feet, and upon entering ANY room the heat literally punched you in the face…aromatic heat at that. And let me tell you, the sweet smell of good times can be pretty damn pungent!
Major highlights included the INCREDIBLE, the bodacious and unfathomably talented Fatima & The Eglo Band. Possessing a serious set of pipes, her vocals left the hairs quivering on my neck and my mouth agape. Live sounds provided a soulful and welcome break for my bleeding feet. Full crowd appreciation for this group, the room was packed to bursting with positive energy and enraptured faces. (Later on in the night various band members were sighted power thrusting to my next highlight…The Busy Twist.)
Having never before encountered this powerful twosome, my ears and body twitched with anticipation – I’d heard many excited whispers on the terrace, talk of their sheer badassery was rife. Collating inspiration and influence all the way from Ghana, then smashing a shit load of UK bass music into the mix results in a heady amalgamation of tribaltastic, tropicalishous, hands in the air, eyes closed, body winding GOODNESS. Looking around the room and I could literally SEE happiness emanating from every single soul in attendance. It turns out the whispers were accurate.
SO, proudly, and with the stamina of a Tour De France rider I completed this epic 12 hour marathon – hangover and all. I put this down to my good friend Rum and a consistent flow of brilliant music.
Final thoughts for the Midsummer Terrace Party: this festival disguised as an ordinary party took the absolute biscuit – it blew my mind into tiny pieces and then reformed it as a rainbow encrusted unicorn. I kid you not. Awesome crowd, friendly security, boomtastic venue, perfect weather and all the rum I could muster: massive good vibes curated by a massively awesome team of good vibers. I’m still smiling now.
