Celebrating their second iteration, the forward-thinking and community-minded Rally Festival boasts some of the best talent in dance, electronic, and jazz for another romp in Southwark Park.
One of the newer London day festivals to pop up on the map, Rally comes with a refreshing and noble ethos: supporting and celebrating London’s music communities, creating opportunities for grassroots culture, promoting the discovery of new sounds and boundary pushing artists, and fundraising for local causes. A festival for the people and for the scene, Rally is heeded by lovers of London’s underground music scenes, and for those who seek out the newest in new.
Being a GALA and Bird on the Wire collaboration, there was no doubt that Rally would bring in some of the best acts in current music. We have DJ sets from Danielle, DJ Fart in the Club, DJ Marcelle, Move D, Pearson Sound, and Two Shell, among numerous others. We have live sets from Mount Kimbie, Alabaster DePlume, bar italia, Crystal Murray, James Holden, Debby Friday, and HiTech, with many more. For a newer, smaller London day festival, this is remarkably impressive.
If you’re lost looking at this list, we’d make strong recommendations to go see Alabaster DePlume, whose unique, wobbly saxophone style and unique approach to collaboration puts him at the top of our list of ‘ones to watch’. Additionally, Mount Kimbie, who have surged in popularity the last 6 years, who are playing a somewhat rare live set, will no doubt be the centre piece of the days events. Their transition from post-dubstep to indie rock throughout their career have made them enduringly popular with young listeners, and their ongoing collaborations with King Krule saw them ascend the ranks abnormally fast. Be sure not to miss Two Shell, DJ Marcelle, Crystal Murray, and Pearson Sound if you love your dance.
With the ongoing struggles in the festival business and with the growing monopoly of certain festival conglomerates, it is more than worthwhile to support a festival whose central tenets include supporting grassroots talent and the music community, rather than a strictly for-profit venture. Not just that, the vibes will be on point, as they were last year.