We Out Here

Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here returns for its fourth iteration, with an expanded capacity of 18,000, and a line-up bustling with variety. Expectant festivalgoers, who braved the arduous journey to the tucked away site in Wimborne St Giles, Dorset, had their efforts very quickly rewarded: with the sun beaming down and all fifteen stages gearing up to go, the weekend was making out to be a special one.

The inimitable black midi kicked off the afternoon with their dexterous avant-prog sound, and their chaotic bursts of energy reminded the audience that this band was designed to be seen live. With slow, melodic, canonical builds into utter intensity and raw power, the performance exhilarated fans and incited an energy across the crowd which only swelled as the festival progressed. However, the band wasn’t done justice by technical difficulties in which the loudspeakers all but cut out halfway through the performance. This theme was unfortunately to continue, as on Thursday evening Junglist pioneer LTJ Bukem and new-wave jungle DJ Tim Reaper were done a disservice by the acoustically poorly designed ‘The Grove’ stage, where the sound was far too quiet and sporadic, depending on where you were stood within the looming hay bales. Nia Archives had no issues on the main stage however, rattling off a set of her melodic jungle, singing and dancing along with the crowd. Despite initial audio problems, an atmosphere of genuine respect and appreciation for music began to spread through the festival, where smaller dance tents like the ‘Lemon Lounge’ were intimately full with dancing. Walking around the festival you could mix and match what sound you wanted your evening to be coloured with: there was a wide variety of DJs playing jungle, dub, techno, house (you name it) which led to a desire for exploration and discovery among the public.

This feeling spilled into Friday, as the lineup brought an eclectic mix of music to dabble with. Dave Okumu & The Seven Generations started the day with a wholesome, soulful set with the roundhouse choir, singing mantra-like songs dispelling messages of joy. Kassa Overall continued the uplifting feeling with an incredibly energetic set at the ‘Lush Life’ stage, bringing a cross genre fusion of hip-hop, jazz and soul. Despite starting off the set with a tiny audience, mostly enjoying a picnic in the afternoon sun, it soon exploded in size, with raucous saxophonist Tomoki Sanders manically sprinting through the crowd with a cow bell. It was certainly an unconventional performance, but one which represented the heady adulation for quality music which this festival brought, inflected with impassioned improvisation and a decisive groove led by Kassa Overall’s tight percussion work. Manchester’s duo, Children of Zeus, brought back a soulful feeling with Tyler Daley’s smooth vocals, while subtly blending in the lyrical ideas of Konny Kon. Knucks continued this lyrical tangent on the main stage, giving an energetic set of his most popular hits with hype remixes and a slick feeling. This was certainly a welcome energy for some of his set, but it would have been nice to see some variety in the tempo of his delivery. This is especially the case with his more heavy-hitting narrative songs like ‘Home’ or ‘Leon the Professional’ where seeing some composure and openness would have given his performance more character and depth. Goldie opened a night of dance, with live performances of his classic jungle tunes like ‘Inner City Life’, and continued to perform late into the night in the ‘Rhythm Corner’ stage, joined by other Metalheadz such as Dillinja, DJ Storm, Grooverider and Doc Scott.

Saturday saw some of the hottest names in the burgeoning UK jazz scene take to the main stage. Armed with three keyboards, the ubiquitous Joe Armon-Jones fired off various improvised solos as dubstep veteran Mala manned the decks. Also on stage was saxophonist Nubya Garcia, who transitioned from band member in Joe Armon-Jones & Mala’s set to frontwoman of her own set, as she performed well-known tunes from her latest album SOURCE as well as a brand-new number called ‘Solstice’, which featured quick but tasteful drumming from Sam Jones. However, of all the supporting musicians across the two sets, it was the tuba player, Theon Cross, who stole the show, his meaty chops a welcome replacement of the bass guitar. Bonobo filled the shoes of Roisin Murphy, who had dropped out due to illness, bringing a punchy world music rhythm to a forthcoming crowd.

Saturday night brought more exciting DJ sets from the likes of the legendary Roni Size and DJ Koze, and in a similar fashion to Friday night, the wide-ranging rhythms were met with an equally enthusiastic crowd.

East London’s Yazmin Lacey kept the jazz flowing into Sunday, soothing the crowd with her smooth vocals before the polyphonic wake-up call of Sun Ra Arkestra transported the main stage into the galactic realm. Fellow old-timers Cymande were next, their basslines no less funky and their horn section no less tight than in their founding days, some fifty years ago. Topping off this trinity of legendary acts was Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli as Black Star, delivering a whirlwind of emotional lyricism to a soulful Madlib backing. Nonetheless, it was the current generation who boasted the final headline slot. Having laid down some heavy dub in the Lemon Lounge, Joe Armon-Jones returned to the main stage with the highly energetic Ezra Collective to shut down the festival. The quintet’s fusion of jazz, reggae, afrobeat, soul and latin music ensured that not a single audience member stood still, as drummer and band-leader Femi Koleoso encouraged the crowd to “dance like no one’s watching”. They needed no encouragement however, as the communal energy and passion which could be felt throughout the weekend reached a climax. Their lively set provided a truly joyful send-off to a festival which, as founder Gilles Peterson acknowledged upon its conclusion, is all about “the crowd, the crowd, the crowd!!!”