Festival preview: Wireless 2021
Just as we start prepping for autumn (... buying woolly jumpers, getting the Halloween decorations out a month in advance, putting on 5lbs of winter weight…), the sun comes out! Yes, Britain is experiencing something of a mini heatwave right now. So, it makes sense that you’d want to be going to one of the biggest festivals in the UK right now.
Wireless 2021 is one of the most anticipated events of the season. After being cancelled last year and pushed back this year, we’re so excited that it is actually going ahead – this time in, the jewel of south London, Crystal Palace Park. Over the years, Wireless has gained a reputation for being *the* grime festival. No ifs, no buts… it’s absolutely legendary, and it has given coverage to some of the biggest grime stars before they were even famous… Stormzy ring any bells?! He played there in 2015, just before he blew up.
This year, the line up is looking pretty insane. On Friday, Future will be headlining, and artists including D Block Europe, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Mostack, Digga D, Young T & Bugsey, M1llionz, Unknown T, SL, Ivorian Doll, Tiffany Calver & Friends, DJ Semtex and Yinka, will be joining him. We’re so hyped that Future will be coming over from the States for the Friday night. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he was first part of the Dungeon Family collective, where he was nicknamed "the Future". Future signed a major record label deal with Epic Records and Rocko's A1 Recordings, which helped launch Future's own label imprint, Freebandz. His two most recent albums have peaked at number 1 & 2 respectively on the US Billboard charts. We can’t wait to see him live.
On Saturday, London’s own Skepta will be leading a stellar line up including the likes of AJ Tracey, Meek Mill, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Swae Lee, Polo G, NINES, Tion Wayne, Steel Banglez, Central Cee, Hardy Caprio, JAY1, Swarmz, S1MBA, Blanco, Darkoo, Zie Zie, DJ Semtex and Manny Norte. Skepta is widely known as the Godfather of grime, and is widely accredited for popularizing the genre. Although he hasn’t released an album recently, Skepta has achieved mainstream success with ASAP Rocky's "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)", which was released in May 2018. The single charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Also in May, Skepta released his single "Pure Water", which peaked at number 78 in the UK. He followed this in June with "Energy (Stay Far Away)" with Wizkid, which reached number 59.
On Sunday, American hip-hop royalty Migos will be rounding off what promises to be an incredible weekend. Megan Thee Stallion, Young Thug, Headie One, Rick Ross, M Huncho, MIST, Nafe, Smallz, Digdat, Chip, Potter Payper, K Trap, M24, Abra Cadabra, Poundz, Charlie Sloth & Friends, Yinka and Manny Norte, will be joining them. Migos first formed as a rap group in 2009, calling themselves Polo Club. Since then, they have achieved widespread fame and notoriety. Following the release of their mixtape, Rich N*gga Timeline, which was released in 2014, Rolling Stone voted it the 7th-best rap album of 2014. Migos managed the impressive feat of landing 14 songs on the Hot 100 in the week following the release of their 2018 Culture II album.
From German Doner Kebab making an appearance with a food stall that we just know is gonna be rammed all night, to Wireless’s partnership with Zapp – who will be bringing you an actual convenience store where you can buy everything you would do at your local Co-Op – Wireless is all set to be the definitive end-of-summer event south of the Thames. Getting there is easy too – Crystal Palace station is serviced by Southern rail and the London Overground. Alternatively, Gipsy Hill and Penge West Overground stations are super close to the park too.
Amazingly, VIP tickets are still available, so get yours before they disappear! Check them out here.
Words by Rebecca Clayton