Armed with no sunscreen or water and wearing black, I entered the Riverstage grounds feeling like I was being actively roasted over flames in the mid-day sun. But I was optimistic that I wouldn’t pass out from heatstroke and would get to see the amazing line-up FOMO had to offer.

To open, UV Boi brought out his classics, rendered with amazing background visuals thanks to the giant media screen attached to the stage, making for a sight to behold. Overall his performance was a great introduction to the festival and helped to set up the general vibe for the event.

Next to take to the stage was Benson, who’s clear love of KFC (as denoted by the visual media he used) was only rivalled by his love of bouncy bass house and trap tracks, which everyone went absolutely crazy for. Kids these days are in it for the bangers.

Then Anne Lunoe, who I had never heard of before and was kind of disappointed that I hadn’t. She was absolutely full of life while behind the decks and the crowd clearly loved that and could feel it. Playing some serious heavy hitters she kept everyone entranced for the entirety of her set.

Keys N Krates had one of the best set-ups I have seen, with a live drum kit used in their performance making it all the more engaging. Really adding to the the super heavy bass beats. For the entire set, all three performers were incredibly well synced with each other, and worked well together to create an amazing live performance. I could feel my soul leaving my body multiple times during their set.

To follow was Tkay Maidza, who’s confidence and sassy nature really added to her performance and the entirety of the crowd was vibing off of it. Paired with some amazing dance moves, the entire performance was fantastic. The music was well put together and the raps coupled with the beat were hard and fast.

Mr Carmack produced another amazing performance with some classic tunes, clearly pleasing a legion of fans, of which included a gentleman who had shaved ‘Mr Carmack’ into the side of his hair. A true master of the art, he had everyone moving from start to finish.

By the time Skepta took to the stage the anticipation had almost everyone in tears. As soon as he started, the whole crowd proceeded to lose their minds and sing along to ‘Shutdown’ in a chorus of screaming. I cannot stress how energetic everyone became as soon as he started performing, as he constantly asked everyone ‘Where the energy at?’

Boyz Noize launched straight into a set full of intense drops and CO2 canons blasting off. The punchy break beats were an instant hit but his cover of The Prodigy’s Breathe was an even bigger success. Overall a solid performance from a veteran of the music.

The switch up going into Jamie XX’s performance was a little jarring but was still highly enjoyable after the last set. Full of pop covers and really soothing, atmospheric music made for a stand-out performance by the man of many genres. The use of vinyl in his performance was also very interesting and made for a nice throwback to traditional performances.

Flight Facilities had one of the most amazing stage sets I had ever seen, with an amazing use of lights and visual effects, and having donned pilot outfits for the entire performance, was a sight to behold. The music came across as exceedingly soothing and moving, soulful even.

To peak at the end of the night was RL Grime, who controlled one of the largest crowds I had ever seen, at every turn they were in the palm of his hand. Everyone was frothing at the mouth for this performance, you could tell it was what the majority had been waiting for all day. With the use of fire and CO2 canons the performance was a stand-out and only added to the amazing stage presence he had. Throughout the set everyone was on their feet and going berserk for the heavy hitting bass that was churned out, by far a stand-out for the night and an amazing way to start the year.

- Hamish Deeth