We Love Homelands 2003 Review

We Love Homelands 2003 image

24^th May 2003 @ Matterly Bowl, Winchester

We arrive a tad disillusioned at the news that Mint Royale finished at 3.30 and the Audio Bully’s were grinding to a halt in the live arena - What The F*ck? ... Well there’s plenty more live acts to go around I guess.

We catch a snippet of Judge Jules’ storming set on the Radio 1 outdoor stage before heading off for the most historical hip-hop outfit ever De La Soul performing live.

They spread love with massive hits like "Me, Myself & I" and "The Magic Number", before going a bit further back to "Ring Ring Ring, Ha Ha Ha" (which I still have on 7"), and the huge "Say No Go"! Fantastic to get to see an act like this at a dance festival!

Arena 2 was next stop for the fanatically funky French duo, Cassius. To make a pleasant change there was wooden floor boards in place, which, apart from the fact was at a 45% angle was fairly impressive! Highly amusing watching people trying to dance whilst leaning left, right, and toppling over themselves…

Just to enhance the energy and dizziness they drop Benny Benassi "Satisfaction" mixed in with a revisited Out Here Brothers "Ooops There It Is" to everyone’s sheer delight. A Mary J Blige rehash of "Family Affair" is played before even more smiles reflect across the room as their own masterpiece "Sound Of Violence" remix gets rinsed as we all shout out and dance like mad! What a feeling!

No time to lose, we jet off to the Live Arena for The Streets, Mike Skinner equip with a Stella in one hand and Mic in the other. Backed up by a five-piece band with keyboards, electronic drum kit, fellow MCs, the lot.

Mike starts hyping the crowd by shouting out: "Don’t worry about me, cause I’m gonna get fucked" in a repeat after me stylee! After a few trial runs we all got it in unison! "I hope you’re all sorted if you know what I mean!" he added.

He swigs his beer and out come the moving words of "Turn The Page", "Has It Come To This" and "Let’s Push Things Forward". All have amazing drums and unprecedented beats wrapped in cunning lyrics, somehow it feels like this is how it should be done; his songs should be heard by ten thousand swaying fans mashed-up on a hot summers day… The crowd were a little slow on the feedback, "Not bad, you’re getting there" he’d say. We got louder and louder.

Homelands 2003 continues