Bestival - 10 Must see's

Art & Culture

Look no further, for we have the top 10 unmissable acts for you to go see at Bestival next weekend…

Snoop Dogg
After the monumental flop of last year’s Bloc, we’re extra hyped to finally see the most inimitable man in hip hop in the flesh. The Doggfather has thankfully managed to get back in the good books of UK Border Control in the last 12 months or so and this year will headline a massive Saturday night lineup of some of the biggest luminaries in hip hop. Let’s just hope he sticks to what he’s good at and leaves his Snoop Lion persona well alone.

Wu Tang Clan
Cash rules everything around me, CREAM, get the money. Dolla dolla bill y’all. Joining Snoop on the Saturday night will be this hugely eccentric but ultimately unrivalled group of legends that broke through during what was arguably hip hop’s golden era. Now performing minus the late, great (and a little bit nutty) Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the Clan are in the midst of a 20th anniversary tour that’s taken them all over the world and seen them air new material from their forthcoming album A Better Tomorrow. Another landmark performance for the hip hop heads.

Chic
Given the extent of touring that Chic have done this Summer, it wouldn’t be totally surprising if The Hitmaker aka Nile Rodgers relapsed to the days of his heady heroin hedonism for a little while – just to chill out for a bit. Jokes aside, Rodgers has even been battling a particularly nasty bout of prostate cancer over the last year (he’s been given the all clear now), so it’s quite amazing what the band have managed to achieve in the last few months, playing at just about every UK festival on the circuit. And that’s not even mentioning his involvement in a certain hit record alongside a couple of French robots. But seriously, if you haven’t managed to catch them this Summer already, do yourselves a favour and do not miss this.

The Roots
Once described as “Hip hop’s first legitimate band“, this effortlessly soulful collective have been making hip hop sexy ever since Black Thought and ?uestlove first got together back in 1987. Their jazzy, melodic productions and seamless performances should make for a warm, rousing show. Recently, they’ve even incorporated elements of Fela-inspired afrobeat into their track lists, so bring your dancing shoes.

Courtney Pine
Courtney Pine is one of British jazz’s finest contemporaries. A multi-instrumentalist best known for his skills as a masterful tenor saxophonist, Pine has been making accessible funky jazz for the best part of 30 years, and only last year won Jazzwise album of the year for House of Legends, a relevant and informed record that combines elements of the tropical sounds of calypso and reggae.

London Afrobeat Collective
This year, with the reissuing of numerous classic Fela Kuti releases on Knitting Factory, the more in-depth exploration of the Nigerian music scene in the 1970s and ’80s on crate-digging labels like Soundway and Voodoo Funk, as well as word emerging of a Fela-inspired compilation from artists like The Roots, Spoek Mathambo and TV On The Radio, it’s fair to say Afrobeat is enjoying a huge resurgence. This ebullient collective have been touring the London scene and boutique UK festival circuit for years now, but it’s great to see they’ve now been embraced by one of the foremost events in the country.

Ram Jam
Fresh from his rambunctious RBMA performance at Carnival, the globally admired, ultimate reggae selector and king of the dad dance, Rodigan returns with his Ram Jam party vibes to Bestival once again this year. Enlisting an assortment of the UK’s finest bass culture proponents in the form of Dub Phizix, Mele, Venum Sound, Artwork and the legendary Prince Fatty, Rodigan has got all basses covered for this inevitably high octane show.

Kerri Chandler
So widely renowned is Kerri, one of the original pioneers of New York house music and a legend amongst legends, that he’s even got a particular kick drum sound attributed to his name. The ‘Kerri kick’ has become synonymous for the uniquely powerful yet warm and simultaneously gritty style of kick that it seems only he can produce. Grounded in the soul, disco and funk sounds that soundtracked his youth, there’s always a level of devotion and affection placed in his DJ sets that consistently sorts the wheat from the chaff.

Greg Wilson
The granddaddy of disco DJs, Greg Wilson has played an important role in the current revival of dance music from the ’70s and ’80s. Unlike most of those jumping on the bandwagon now though, Wilson can actually say he was there the first time around – lending that ultimate sense of credence and authenticity to his sets. Blindingly technical and with a selection that would impress both you and your mum, Greg Wilson always brings the party.

DJ EZ
The absolutely undisputed finest disc jockey of UKG to ever exist. Need I say more?