Wireless Festival 2016 Sunday Review/Diary/Thoughts
Although I’ve been heavily invested in music for almost my entire life, it has taken me 19 years and two months to go to a festival, and I chose Wireless. For those who don’t know, it is a three-day festival in early July every year in Finsbury Park, and plays host to mostly urban and pop artists. I always saw it as the ‘teenage decadence festival’, full of 16-20 year olds listening to overall pretty bad music in a very basic and inoffensive setting, and in a sense this is true - the demographic is overwhelmingly young, and a lot of the people there just seemed to be disinterested a lot of the time, with a lot of people not really watching any of the acts. Looking at previous years, there was very rarely a lineup I could say I’d dig, until I missed out on an amazing day last year (the extra day for the 10th anniversary of the festival), which then got me excited to go this year. The lineup took ages to be released, and initially I was very underwhelmed. But the more I looked into it, the more appealing the Sunday got, so I took the plunge and it was totally worth it. Of course, comparing it to Reading/Leeds, Bestival or Parklife is futile - no camping, no real ‘edginess’ and a very one-dimensional crowd make it a very different sort of event, but nevertheless I enjoyed myself thoroughly.
The day began when I met my friend I attended with, arriving at the festival at around 12. It was surprising how many people were hanging out outside the entrance rather than going in, so getting in was a walk in the park (literally). Once we were in, I found it a little disorientating, as there wasn’t much signage and I just wanted to know where all the stages were, as I attended pretty much exclusively for the music. After having some overpriced lunch (although of course this is to be expected from any festival) we headed to the Main Stage - a massive piece in the middle of the park. Onto the music that we saw:
1:15 - 1:45 / Anderson .Paak and The Free Nationals / Main Stage
The first artist we saw was one of the three I was most looking forward to seeing throughout the day, and my word was I not disappointed. The energy this guy put into his performance alongside his band was astounding - constant movement, flawless singing/rapping, and the best of all was his live drumming whilst singing, which is a sight that needs to be seen by any music fan. For the first guy on, he set the bar high for the day.
2:00 - 2:30 / Fekky / Stage 2
So going into the second stage (also known as the Pepsi Max Arena despite it being a tent), where I intended to be for a good 2 hours to watch a few artists, it became apparent that the views in the tent were pretty poor. We were initially about two thirds back, and the DJ was hyping everyone up so much that people were just getting out of hand even before Fekky came on, jumping around and just pushing to the max. When he came on, the crowd got even rowdier, meaning that we ended up standing at the side as it just got a little too much (especially since we didn’t really know much about his music). He seemed to have a lot of energy, but in half an hour he only really did like 5 songs, and kept saying ‘Big Fekky’ over and over. Also, as a grime artist, and therefore accompanied by a grime DJ, what I like to call the Grime DJ Effect came into play, and is the worst thing ever. Basically, whenever a song has a drop, everyone obviously goes nuts, the moshing happens (even though I really don’t feel it fits the hip-hop vibe), but at grime concerts, the DJ always rips the beat mid-drop, even when everyone is already going mad, just so the artist can say ‘no no no we need to get hyper ye’ - it is the single most annoying thing about grime concerts and I will never understand it.
2:45 - 3:15 / Ty Dolla $ign / Stage 2
We got closer to the stage for Ty but still on the side, and he put a good performance in - plenty of energy and really got the crowd moving. I don’t really know much about him and his songs aside from his features will some of my favourite artists but yeah, good show. However, personally I was at the second stage for the next act:
3:35 - 4:05 / Vince Staples / Stage 2
Right near the front for the second of my most anticipated artists, and oh my did he deliver. I’ve really admired Vince for a while now, and he played all the songs I could ask for, including Smoke and Retribution which I wasn’t sure if he would. The crowd was smaller for him than the other two, the whole tent wasn’t full but people were really getting into him, although much less pushy than the last two so more comfortable viewing. He ended it by diving into the crowd and standing on what I could presume was someones shoulders to finish up the last song - what a guy.
4:15 - 4:55 / Big Sean / Main Stage
After Vince, it was a brisk walk back to the Main Stage for Big Sean. We were quite far back there were massive screens and I could still see the stage clearly from a distance, and yeah he was pretty good. He covered pretty much everything I expected and wanted - rapping along to Mercy, I Don’t Fuck With You, Blessings and Clique was such a good feeling, although it seemed he was having microphone issues as he just wasn’t loud enough. He also got a bit Kanye-esque preachy at one point, but it segued nicely into Blessings so I forgive him.
After that we had a break for about an hour, grabbed some food and a sit down whilst sort of watching Jess Glyne on the Main Stage - I did miss Thugger but to be honest I don’t know much of his music and what I do know I’m not the biggest fan of so whatever.
6:10 - 6:40 / Jeremih / Stage 2
Although he was a big late meaning I missed some of the next act, he had a fantastic set. He performed all the songs I knew, and the ones I didn’t I could still vibe to as he really got the crowd going. He brought out J. Cole and some other guy I didn’t catch which was neat, but the best bit of it was probably one of the best moments of the day. He finished off with Freak of the Week, which got me excited as it’s a great song to sing along with, but one he did his verse at the beginning of the song, all the lights on the stage went out, and the entire crowd rapped a cappella the first rap verse of the song - it was unbelievable hearing it.
6:55 - 7:25 / Newham Generals / Stage 3
As mentioned I missed half of the legends of grime’s set, but what I did see was really good. As we were so late we couldn’t really get that close to the action but their energy was all there, although of course the Grime DJ Effect was in play yet again.
7:30 - 8:30 / Kygo / Main Stage
I’m not a massive fan of this sort of music - it’s ok and pretty chill but I can’t really get into it, but he put a good show on. Plenty of pretty graphics on the mastic displays behind him, lots of smoke and fire from the stage, and at one point loads of large balloons were released - all very fun and colourful. Fergie came out to sing Sexual Healing which was cool, but overall I was kinda just there to get a better view for BBK. It ended with a bang, with streamers, confetti and all, so props to Kygo for a putting on a decent show.
8:55 - 9:55 / Boy Better Know / Main Stage
However, this was what I was most excited about. DJ Charlesy was playing some tunes hyping people up, and then everything went quiet, and who steps out? Tim bloody Westwood! I was so shocked and baffled but who cares, he quickly introduced BBK and got out of there, and one of the most amazing things I’ve seen unfolded. Jme came out first (with Lethal Bizzle of all people?!), then Frisco with Shakka, then Skepta, Shorty, Jammer and finally Solo 45 (who had a backpack on which may have meant he was late or something). I had no idea how they were going to do it, but they gave each member their own, completely solo time on stage which was a really nice touch, especially for the lesser known or under-appreciated members. Every song had it’s own graphics to accompany it, linking to what the song was about, and flashing the name of the member intermittently - so for example the song Detox had multi-coloured smoke on the screen moving around with the name of whoever was rapping their verse flashing. It seriously added to the show in a big way, and really showed the effort they’d put in to make it a spectacular event. Probably the best bit was when Numbers came on - I turned to my friend and said ‘imagine if they bring out Pharrell Williams’ and then bam, he comes out for his verse and the hook! Then the finale happened, with Skepta doing Man and the whole stage filled with friends and affiliates of BBK, including others who performed earlier in the day like Newham Generals (with D Double E getting on the mic at one point). Fireworks were being shot constantly into the sky, flames and smoke going off, it was wonderful. The only things that I felt were missing were Drake, who I really thought would come out as they were really hyping up the show, and the fact that a couple of my personal favourites like Ladies Hit Squad and Grime Lord weren’t played (although I guess I only really wanted them because I have a certain love for D Double E). Overall, a performance I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. Oh, and the best bit of the whole thing? No Grime DJ Effect!!!! They just let the tracks play out, beautiful.
By the end, I was knackered, my legs ached, but it didn’t matter - I’d seen some of my favourite artists in one day. However, I just want to address a couple of problems I have with the festival. The main thing that annoyed me was Stage 2. Firstly, seeing the stage was really difficult unless you were near the front, dead centre or on the sidelines - the way that the ground is shaped under the tent was curved, so if you were slightly on the sides you were lower down, and less likely to be able to see the stage. Why is it a tent also? I know it serves as the place where the noise gets trapped, as it sounds way louder than the other two stages, but I feel as though you’d be able to fit a lot more people outside, and it wouldn’t get so cramped and hot in there. The main improvement that needs to be made to it is SCREENS. Not just because of the view thing, but also just because there’s so many people in the tent that if you’re further than half-way back it’s real hard to see anything, and it would just make the experience a lot better. Obviously the food was expensive, but I can’t really criticise as that’s festivals or music events in general, and the crowds weren’t the best - lots of very young people and people not really interested in the music but again, to be expected.
Overall, I can’t deny I had a fantastic day. No matter how much this festival gets bashed for being really commercial, basic and mainstream, it is still a thoroughly enjoyable day and, as a hip-hop head from the UK, one of, if not the best festival for hip-hop year on year. This year, obviously grime took centre stage, but lots of US artists were covered too, even ones not particularly popular over here. So props to Wireless, thank you for a very enjoyable day!
It has been almost two months since the confused, jarred mess of an release for The Life of Pablo (will be referred to as TLOP from now on) came into our lives, and we have all had time to reflect on what Kanye has dubbed ‘the album of the life’ before it’s release. The release left many, including myself as you can see from the image below, a shattered individual, anxiously and obsessively waiting for it’s apparent 11/02 release. When it finally dropped on Valentine’s Day, waking up to see it fresh for stream was probably one of the happiest moments in my life. I sat and listened to it all the way through, and I was captured by this album that could not be described. It had so much going on that it was hard to process, but I feel that now I can give a final verdict. It also helps that the album is now available outside of Tidal so we have what is near enough the final edition of the album.
The Positives
Production - no matter what Kanye album you look at, the production is always a class act that never disappoints. From the soul samples of his early albums to the harsh blaring sounds of Yeezus, he always sees to keep a succinct and consistent product. Although TLOP is different in the sense that the production of the tracks varies a lot, the overall production value is very high. Trap beats, deep bassy rhythms and plenty of catchy sounds are the backbone of the album. Beats on tracks such as Fade and Real Friends are just generally great beds to spit over. Other more unconventional beats such as Waves and No More Parties in L.A. show Kanye's alternative side, and tracks such as Feedback resonate his more recent brutal and overpowering sound. Whilst the release fiasco was going on, a number of people who heard the album said that it was the best of all of his previous albums put together - in a sense I agree. It is a homage to pretty much all his previous albums in terms of it's sound, although I'm not sure it is necessarily the best of all the albums, rather just influenced by the previous albums. Yeezus is definitely over-represented if we go by this (Feedback and Freestyle 4 both sound like left-overs to me), but all the albums do have value in this release, whilst also having it's own very unique sound. Help with production from others such as Chance the Rapper, Charlie Heat (who fixed Facts), Swizz Beatz, Rick Rubin, Metro Boomin, Cashmere Cat and more allowed the albums production to be more well rounded and I think better - two heads (or more) are better than one (especially when that one is the current, erratic Kanye West).
Ultralight Beam - my favourite (and probably the best) track on the album. The first time I listened to the album this track passed me - mainly because it was first on the album so I was trying hard to get through the album as quickly as possible. I thought it was a great start though, and like most others, I feel that it brought the album so high right at the start that the rest of the album felt poor in comparison. The more I listened to the album, the more and more I fell in love with this track. From the beautifully crafted harmony of the choir to the glorious vocals of Kelly Price, it delivers such an explosive start to the album. However, in one of, if not the best verse on the album, Chance the Rapper completely rips through the track. His glorious, soft-voice fills you up before an explosive break into his signature rap style - it is near perfection in a verse. By the end of the track you not only want to listen to it immediately again, but you are filled with an emotional energy the like I haven't experienced in hip-hop since Hey Mama - by Kanye West again. He has a knack at this it seems!
Features - As a part extension of the previous point, the features on this album are overall very strong. Chance is stand-out, as is Kendrick's fantastic free-flow on No More Parties in L.A., but the other features are also very effective at keeping the album balanced and sounding fresh. Outside of those two tracks Vic Mensa and especially Sia on Wolves are phenomenal, with so much energy behind their performances. The guest hooks are pretty great also - Rihanna on Famous, Kid Cudi on Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1, Chris Brown on Waves and The Weeknd on FML being the best four. I'm indifferent to Ty Dolla $ign's offerings on Fade and Real Friends but they still mix it up a little. The smaller contributions are also good, such as Young Thug on Highlights and Frank Ocean on 30 Hours (I will not mention Andre 3000 for now). There are numerous others that aren't as memorable but still round up the album nicely. (As a note, I haven't mentioned Desiigner's verses on Pt. 2 as they are sampled, and his bit on Freestyle 4 is meh)
The Negatives
Lyrics - my oh my how Kanye has fallen in terms of lyricism. Sure, he was never the best lyrically, but previous albums have always had a consistent few verses that let you see his lyrical ability - his verse on Monster, the entirety of Roses, Jesus Walks, Clique - to name but a few. TLOP, on the other hand, is pretty much trash in comparison. Putting Chance's verse aside, the majority of verses are just utter drivel, let alone some of the lines - 'Now if I fuck this model, and she just bleached her asshole, and I get bleach on my t-shirt, I'ma feel like an asshole' - I'm not even going to try and justify it, you can look on Genius for an explanation of the lines if you really must. A lot of the lines in the album just seem like Kanye screaming about 'bitches' a lot (the bit in Feedback where he gives us all a 'big booty bitch' is the worst offender - I don't care that it's an Oprah reference), and alongside mediocre verses from the new kid Desiigner it's mostly a bit of a mess. 30 Hours, Ultralight Beam, Real Friends and No More Parties in L.A. redeem the album, but a lot of the time I just see myself cringing at what Kanye has to say. Even Yeezus, which did not have the best lyrics either, made sense - the lyrics were raw and uncut just like the album's sound, where as TLOP is a jumbled mess of sounds.
Release and Concept - When the album tracklist was first unveiled, titled Swish, it was only a 10 track album. Then, the title was changed to Waves, and was split into 3 parts. Later on, the 'Life of Pablo' title was put in place and the three parts were scrambled into one, and the tracklist wasn't even final. All of this already showed that Kanye was very indecisive and lost with his creation. Since the albums initial release, it has been tinkered with numerous times on Tidal and allegedly for the next few months there will be even more changes. Now, this splits me. On the one hand, what Kanye is doing could be a revolution in music distribution and album releases, but on the other, I hate the fact that we may still not have a final product. This is not just because I'm longing for a CD/vinyl release, but also because it means that older versions will get lost on streaming services, and it will not feel like we are listening to what we are intended to. Not to mention, although most of the changes are good, Fade has been butchered - it’s a lot slower than it was before and the end is just a blaring of sound now and I really don’t like it. I feel as though this is a more minor fault with the album as it isn't entirely about the music, rather about Kanye, but at the same time it does damage the enjoyment of the album somewhat.
Coherence - a hard one to explain but I will try my best. The album, as a whole, is a bit of an odd one. It doesn't seem to always flow very well, and this may be to do with it's change from three parts to one part. When progressing through it's tracks, you get a sense that a lot of the tracks are placed almost at random. That's not to say that the album must have a continual, explored theme but it must at least flow correctly, and it doesn't seem to have any overarching messages, aside from a lot of gospel influence and 'bitches'. Some of Kanye's changes to the album have helped it feel less jarring going from track to track however it still feels very stop start, mainly due to it's rapidly changing sounds. It doesn't help that the two skits, I Love Kanye and Silver Surfer Intermission, are in very odd places and don't add much to the album at all (aside from the fact I Love Kanye is pretty funny). This is again something that's a minor fault with the album, and only really impacts when listening through the album start to finish. (I haven't yet listened to the album in the three parts intended so this view does not take that into account)
No Andre 3000 verse - '3 Stacks can you help me out?' was the line when all hip-hop fans jaws dropped. Holy shit, he's gonna spit a verse, it's been too long since we've heard one from a legend in hip-hop - my mind went wild with the thoughts of what musical chocolate my ears would delve into. And then, nothing. Just '30 hours' over and over - all hip-hop fans cry simultaneously. It was the biggest tease I've probably ever heard on a record and it pierced through my heart.
Summary
Lets be honest - TLOP is a mess. I would consider it a mess that is both good and bad - bad in that it really struggles to have any coherence in it's sound, themes and lyrics, but good in the sense that it feels as though that's how it is intended. A lot of people, including myself, would interpret the album as a mess that Kanye wanted to create, something that breaks barriers and changes the interpretation of hip-hop. Of course, Kanye is famed as one of the pioneers of hip-hop to the mainstream with Graduation being a major success that changed the face of hip-hop permanently, so this would not be unfathomable. The notion of ever changing albums could become the future of music, but for now I don't like it. I feel as though it's would be very easy to hate this album - it's incredibly varied, harsh and unconventional, and it's wildly different to anything Kanye has produced before, aside from maybe Yeezus, which got a similarly split reception. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. It is a good album - a sizeable proportion of tracks have entered my regular rotation, No More Parties in L.A., 30 Hours and Wolves are fantastic songs when compared to Kanye's backlog, and I feel that Ultralight Beam is one of the best tracks Kanye has ever made - with honourable mentions to Famous, Fade, FML, Real Friends and Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1. It's just that when listening to it as intended, from front to back, it's not the greatest experience you've had from Kanye, and in places it's borderline embarrassing lyrically. Put it next to an album as fluid as Late Registration, which has a coherent theme, overarching lyrical motifs (and good lyrics full stop), relevant and well used skits - it feels sloppy in comparison. Maybe this is the new Kanye we are seeing, the contemporary artist and self-titled revolutionary, or maybe it's just a slight misfire on his part. In any case, it is a good album and a lot of the tracks hold up very well in Kanye's discography, but ultimately it is let down by being incoherent, lyrically sub-par and a jagged listening experience going from beginning to end.
Strongest tracks - Ultralight Beam, Famous, FML, No More Parties in L.A., Wolves, 30 Hours, Real Friends
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