‘VARIOUS ARTISTS’ – ‘LOVE SUPREME’, GLYNDE PLACE, GLYNDE 7.7.24
Europe’s biggest outdoor jazz festival ‘Love Supreme’ returned to the beautiful countryside setting of Glynde Place in the South Downs from 5th to 7th July. The annual three-day Love Supreme Jazz Festival highlights the best of Jazz, Funk, Soul and Blues.
This year’s event included headline shows from Olivia Dean, the legendary Dionne Warwick, and the equally legendary Chaka Khan. Also on the line-up for the acclaimed three-day festival were UK artists, Funk Soul Brothers, Mahalia, Joel Culpepper, Joss Stone, Galliano and Alice Russell.
Other artists such Kool and the Gang, Black Pumas, Noname, Hiromi, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Balimaya Project and Cecile McLorin Salvant to name a few, arrived from different parts of the world adding a global perspective to the festival.
There were too many acts to cover in just one article, so we have split them up in date order. This article refers to artists who were covered only on Sunday 7th July. Part 1 on the acts that performed on Friday 5th July can be found HERE and Part 2 on the acts that performed on Saturday 6th July can be found HERE.
Sunday 7th July:
For Sunday we all planned an earlier start only to be scuppered by travel problems. Trains were running late due to a variety of reasons and those driving in experienced 2-mile tailbacks trying to get onto the site. The ground was muddy in places due to the high winds and rain from the previous night; many had abandoned the campsites if they were nearby for warmer homes and showers before venturing in. Due to those and many myriad problems, we arrived on site far later than we would have liked and were a little disgruntled.
This was quickly resolved as the weather cleared and we were greeted by glorious sunlight when we did finally meet for what would be the first act of the day for us, the legendary ‘Funk Soul Brothers’.
FUNK SOUL BROTHERS
NORTH DOWNS STAGE 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Errol Kennedy (formerly of ‘Imagination’), David Grant (formerly of ‘Linx’) and Junior Giscombe have come together for a new project, making its debut at ‘Love Supreme’ 2024, ‘The Funk Soul Brothers’. The three trailblazers broke barriers for up-and-coming Black artists at a crucial time in the early 1980s marking a change in the music landscape of the UK with hits such as ‘Mama Used To Say’, ‘Just An Illusion’ and ‘Intuition’ all of which featured heavily in the UK charts, as anyone who grew up in the late ’70s and early ’80s in the UK will no doubt recall, ‘Just An illusion’ has taken up residence on repeat in my head as I sit and type this, it is a memorable track which has stood the test of time.
Their set at ‘Love Supreme’ united the three in shared experience as they paid homage to their root’s, influences and collective expertise of pioneers in the UK music scene and set the groundwork for future Black British performing artists.
We arrived with just enough time to catch the last few tracks from the trio who I was informed had been given a warm welcome from the audience looking for a warm hug of nostalgia to start the day with, and they didn’t disappoint.
The publicity photos suggested that the trio had mellowed somewhat in old age and would arrive looking more like a barbershop quartet than their formerly flamboyant 80’s stage personas. However, this was not the case in the slightest. Errol Kennedy and David Grant wore jackets that any fashion maven would be proud of, made covered in vibrant green and black sequins, which gave the feel of lizard or snakeskin. While Junior went for an entirely different aesthetic. Sporting a silver Mohawk, green and metallic shrug jacket and what appeared to be skiing sunglasses, he strutted and preened as he had done in the ’80s, you could be mistaken for thinking he had somehow turned the clock back if it hadn’t been for the colour of the Mohawk. Their set rollercoastered through their classics including all of those mentioned above previously. It was the kind of nostalgia that the crowd wanted and needed. It also proved what string songs they were sounding just as good in 2024 as they always had.
www.instagram.com/funksoulbrothers.band
ALICE RUSSELL
SOUTH DOWNS STAGE 2:45pm – 3:45pm
Russell has seemingly been around on the jazz, blues and music scene forever, this is not to do her a disservice at all, she is just one of those artists who you are aware of on the peripheries and occasionally indulge in perhaps being familiar with her, but may not make a concerted effort to see as you know she’ll appear on the next festival line-up somewhere. This is a mistake or was my mistake until her Sunday set at ‘Love Supreme’.
We arrived at the South Downs Stage having enjoyed a good old-fashioned retro nostalgia kick from the Funk Soul Brothers on the North Downs Stage to find Russell’s band soundchecking, making sure everything was in shape for Alice to take the stage without hindrance. The band and backing vocalists are as talented as the lead and were a joy to watch without the lead, I could only imagine the heights they would reach when she took the stage. Alice arrived at a relatively empty tent, only two minutes late to take the stage, which could be forgiven. The singer told the slim gathering “It’s lovely to see you all thanks for coming!” Unfazed by the scarcity of the crowd Russell launched into her first song of the set with as much enthusiasm and power as if the tent were fit to bursting.
The first song was ‘Agreement’, the first track from her 2024 album ‘I Am’. As soon as the first notes of the song filtered out from the stage, the crowd began to filter in and fill out the space inside the tent. A crystal clear vocal and flawless band and backing vocalists behind her, Russell is another experienced performer who delivers. The newly fleshed-out crowd cranked their necks to get a good view of Russell over the heads of those already in a prime position in front of them, It pays to get to a live gig early to get the best position, especially for someone as popular as Alice Russell has become over the twenty-three years the British Soul singer has been performing.
Russell was a shrinking sight in head-to-toe white. The first track from the new album made an impact on the audience and was greeted by exuberant applause.
At the end of the first song, Russell addressed the audience outlining how the set would proceed. “We are throwing a lot of the new album at you today, so I hope your ears and heart are open, I see some of you were already going for it during the first song!”. The second song ‘Gravity’ was the second track from the new album. Most of the audience seemed bemused by the new material staying long enough to realise they didn’t recognize the new songs and turning tail in search of something more familiar elsewhere, only to return at the sound of a new track bringing them back into the tent.
‘Citizens’ from back in 2014 lured deserters back in, this is an artist who knows her audience and knows when to push or pull back to hold their attention. This is the Alice Russell I recalled, powerful, crystal-clear vocals and beautifully composed soul. Much as the older material is compelling and pleasing to the ear, it was the newer music that had my attention.
Returning to the new album ‘I See You’ ends with the refrain “My Love, My Love…” and punches hard emotionally from start to finish. “The next track is called ‘Rain’, but it has nothing to do with the weather outside., let’s call it metaphorical rain, let’s separate the two!”. All of the interactions that Russell indulged in with the audience were characteristically wry and amusing. Also, on the new album ‘Rain’ started at a much slower pace. More of an old-school torch song with an incredibly catchy chorus it was by this track that the audience allowed themselves to start to be won over by the new material.
“Um so, this album is now changing its meaning in what it means to me now compared to when I was writing it. It was mainly about family, and relationships, yeah, as you can hear when you listen to the lyrics. So, as we go on, yeah, please excuse the tears when they come. This one’s called ‘I Am'”. The fourth song on the album, it starts with a military-style drum beat before Russell’s vocal comes in and then becomes increasingly strong as the song continues. Annoyingly the audience was still thinning, the new material deserved a far larger audience. But, with so much music on offer to choose from, I cannot blame the audience for being fickle. Slightly hypocritically I also have to take my leave discretely to head to the North Downs stage for another walk down memory lane with the next act.
GALLIANO (Find photos on our sister website HERE)
NORTH DOWNS STAGE 3:45pm – 4:45pm
Now, back in the ’90, there was a huge move toward Acid Jazz and Galliano was part of this. Active between ’88 and ’97 Galliano was on most people’s stereo at some point and was a bit of a gateway drug for the genre, even if you didn’t stick with the band themselves. Many people were lying in the sun when the band took the stage, as they did so it was as if some odd timeslip happened, and we were collectively returned to the ’90s and that nagging feeling that you had to get a university or college assignment in before the deadline.
Galliano still can get the audience on their feet from the second they take the stage. I won’t lie though there is still something irritating about the lead, (Rob Gallagher) vocal, that’s only gotten worse with time. His grating tones just seem to land between Mr.C and a poor Galliano imitation act, I don’t know but I couldn’t shake the irritation his voice caused. I wasn’t alone in this when I discussed this with other former fans in the audience. In contrast, fellow vocalist Valerie Etienne’s dulcet tones were and still are a soothing balm to Gallagher’s abrasion and saved many an early exit from the main stage.
Etienne’s arm was in a sling, she was sporting a rather fetching sling when she arrived on stage. ‘Long Time Gone’ floated across the field as everyone revelled in the sunshine and the flashback to their youth. The bassist, (Ernie McKone, apart from Etienne) is my favourite member of the band, mainly down to his extremely laid-back attitude). When the chorus kicks in, anyone who didn’t remember the band in the ’80/90’s suddenly recalls long summers in fields, in a haze of smoke dancing with cans or bottles of dubious cider in their hands and maybe something a little heavier coursing through their veins and succumbs to the acid jazz beat.
One of their more ridiculous songs, ‘Earth Boots’ sounds uncannily like Gallagher and the rest of the band are singing Ugg Boots, especially as the song continues. Now if I remember rightly everyone was wearing the desired desert boots at the time so this is just confusing. As ‘Earth Boots’ finishes Gallagher asks the audience “Who Remembers this one?!” ‘Jus’ Reach’. “Na, na, na, na, na…” vocal and infectious beat get anyone on their feet and dancing. ‘Little Ghetto Boy’ felt a little dated but was still as danceable as ever.
Towards the middle of the set, Gallagher explained what Etienne had done to her arm to end up in a sling. “So, there she was on Monday night doing a soundcheck. Anyway, she walks across the stage, and it collapses underneath her. Down she goes and breaks her wrist in two places. Did that stop her? NO! Of course not, what did she do?” Etienne took over responding nonchalantly, “Went on stage in my hospital gown”. Gallagher took over again, “Went on stage in her hospital gown! Then we did a mad plane dash across the globe and finally, we are here!”. Etienne closed the story “here, on painkillers”. Now that is what you call a consummate professional, the show after all MUST go on!
In a set of absolutely gorgeous, infectious songs a standout was definitely ‘Prince Of Peace’, the band persuading the audience to sing along to the chorus as well as dance as if they were still in their teens/ twenties.
HIROMI’S SONICWONDER
SOUTH DOWNS STAGE 4:30pm – 5:30pm
How to describe Hiromi? Something entirely unexpected that you didn’t know you needed in your life until you happen across them and wonder why you haven’t had them in your life before now.
‘Hiromi’s SonicWonder is Hiromi on piano, Hadrian Feraud on bass, Gene Coye on drums and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet, and by God are they talented! Coming together organically when working together in 2016, Hiromi decided that she wanted to write. Feraud eventually decided that she wanted to form the work into a band with the other musicians she met and worked with along the way. Hiromi made her choices of the rhyme section “I feel that it’s always very important to have great chemistry between bassist and drummer.” In my opinion, she couldn’t have hit the nail more squarely on the head. Adding the final element of O’Farrill on trumpet, and again, like the rest of the band he is truly a phenomenal player.
Having left Galliano on the North Downs stage we arrived to hear ‘Sonicwonderland’, the second track from the new album is a real shock to the system after the more traditional jazz that opens the album and had been playing on the stage just before the retro 70’s disco synth cranked in from Hiromi herself. I couldn’t quite see her from the position I found at the front of the stage, but eventually, I did manage to change my view enough to see that she was playing a two-level keyboard set-up, which she incredibly managed to play at a tempo I don’t think many could keep up with, her finger work on the keyboard was breathtaking.
Jazz fusion, like a lot of the genre, can sometimes, shall we say be hard on the ear. But the group on stage’s chemistry and talent was a revelation for the ears and the eyes. Described as a ‘feast of Jazz Fusion.’ Previously to now I would have wondered what the hell that meant, but yes, this was indeed a musical feast melding traditional jazz and modern/neo experimentation together in a way that welcomes all ears to the stage, jazz pianist Hiromi has hand-picked the best musicians on offer to offer something wholly unexpected and extremely enjoyable. They really must be seen live as, though the listening experience at home is sublime to lose yourself in the music you have to immerse yourself in it live. And immersed you will be, the music carries the listener away to a place of magic and mystery they won’t have experienced before and maybe not again afterwards, a MUST see!.
JOSS STONE (Find photos on our sister website HERE)
NORTH DOWNS STAGE 5:30pm – 6:30pm
For me Joss Stone tends to divide the crowd, everyone knows the lyrics to ‘Super Duper Love’ whether they want to or not. A Grammy and Brit award-winning artist released a debut album ‘The Soul Sessions’ in 2003 at the age of sixteen, something which even now sounds unbelievable. She went on to release nine studio albums which collectively have sold over 15 million copies worldwide, you might want to sit with those figures for a while and let them soak in.
She has performed and or collaborated with a plethora of enviable artists including, James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Sting, Van Morrison, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, and Damien Marley and has garnered over one billion streams in the US alone, again incredible figures, that she probably doesn’t get enough credit for in the UK.
The more recent collaboration includes 2022 (and eighth studio album), ‘Never Forget My Love’, written with and produced by the ubiquitous Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, with whom she co-wrote music and lyrics for the West End musical ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’, which opened in October 2023. She is currently touring celebrating ’20 years of Soul’.
Credit where credit is due, Stone has achieved a lot in her thirty-seven years also working with multiple artists and charities throughout her career, and now she’s taking the North Downs stage at ‘Love Supreme’ to a packed audience. Continuing the theme of the backing band being dressed entirely in white along with the backing vocalists, Stone herself didn’t seem to have aged a day from the last time she was seemingly ever-present in the UK charts and on our screens.
Twirling around the stage in a flowing floral Boho frock with her blonde locks below waist length, Stone’s voice had lost nothing of the original power that has brought her international acclaim and success and a worldwide following (Apparently Kent is the county that buys the most of Stones albums in the UK, which might go to explain the size of the audience). There is no doubt that Stone has incredible vocal prowess, certain legends of the industry agree on this. The set itself features all the hits you’d expect including ‘Super Duper Love’, ‘You Had Me’ and ‘Fell In Love With A Boy’, Stone is nothing if not a crowd pleaser. Racing through multiple medflies of her greatest hits and covers of other Soul, Jazz and Pop standards, the set did not allow the audience any time to catch a breath as Stone relentlessly danced, twirled and sang her way across the stage. On the whole, the set was what anyone could want from Stone and won her still more fans on the day.
TOWN OF CATS
NEW GENERATION JAZZ 6:30pm – 7:15pm
The first time I saw the plethora of musicians that make up ‘Town of Cats’ was roughly eleven years ago at what was the first year of the sadly defunct ‘The Warren’, the Brighton Fringe venue. They were the first band I shot as a photographer, be it on an ad hoc or amateur basis, they were great shots, but then it was practically impossible to take a bad photo of the band, so charismatic and photogenic as they are collectively and individually.
The lineup has changed ever so slightly since then. I suspect that today they feature three of the original members that I met back then, but I’m not 100% sure. The unstoppable vocal lead Joe Travis-Dean is a man simply born to be a lead singer. Their number has swelled and shrunk and swollen again, it’s often tricky finding enough room for all the members at one stage, but they somehow find a way. Resplendent in wild cat prints all the same apart from Travis-Dean’s, the band needed no introduction for the audience made up of fans who have followed them loyally from concert to concert for over a decade now.
The (mostly) Brighton natives are familiar faces to most in the area, having lived and worked in the town on and off for most of that decade plus time. You may have worked with or been served by one of their numbers, which is why you have that nagging feeling that you recognize half if not all of the band.
Over those eleven years, the band have gigged relentlessly. Fairly regular appearances at South London venues and festivals, you may have seen the band if you are a ‘Shambala’, or ‘Boomtown’ regular. Joe told the still-growing audience that having played those two festivals, ‘Love Supreme’ was last on the watch list, and now that they had finally managed that, well it might well be time to call it a day, (we hope he was joking). I heavily doubt he meant it; he’s never been one to sit on his laurels for long.
The compare/stage manager introduced the band as the last act of the festival on the New Generation Jazz stage. The stage had featured the best of the up-and-coming talent in the jazz/ blues/ funk community and ‘Town of Cats’, (though they have been around for a while now) was the best way to round off the weekend showcase of the best that the genres have to look forward to.
Without further ado, everyone in the audience was on their feet as soon as the band started the first track, and I mean EVERYONE. Not one person, young or old stayed seated while the band were on the stage. They’re the kind of band you simply have to dance to, they look like they’re having so much fun on stage you just want to join in with them. Their performance was probably one of the few sets where not only did I dance (try doing that while writing) but was also in the middle of the audience instead of my preferred stage right position scribbling away quietly relying on my ever-present helper to catch the small gems of interaction or serendipitous action that I might miss while my head is down concentrating on the music.
By the second song as is predictable (I really should start putting my best on it) Travis-Dean’s shirt was off. Now this could be incredibly irritating if Joe didn’t look after himself, but he does and photographers and the front row of adoring fans love him for it. If he didn’t do this with such regularity during a performance, I’d be worried. Rather than sheer vanity, this is an action of practicality as the band put in such riotous and energetic performances, that they are all usually drenched in sweat by the end of the set.
Musically the set was a cavalcade of their best-known hits, and the audience loved it from start to finish. Songs included, ‘Lemons’ and ‘Prince Of Limbo’ were particular standouts loved by audiences and bands alike. Their music is in turn described as Hip-Hop/Rap, which would be accurate perhaps when broaching Travis-Dean vocals style and delivery. His style vacillates between wordplay, raised eye-brow tongue firmly in cheek charm and an underlying lyrical observation of the state of the nation that filters through and affects the listener without them even knowing it. The band’s music that supports this wordsmith and raconteur specialises in infectious Funk rhythms with entice the dancer in everyone, the blast of brass, and guitar which move from between multiple genres before you can truly peg or assign any of them. The band moves music journalists, promoters and audience members alike to almost hackneyed superlatives, such as the exuberance and electricity of their live performances. It would seem that I am too not immune to this.
To underline the dedication to music and glamour of life on the road, Travis-Dean told the audience the tale of their journey to ‘Love Supreme’. Ever the raconteur, he may have added a few flourishes, but on the whole, I am pretty sure it was an honest account of sleeping in a Vauxhall Zafira almost freezing to death as the temperature plummeted and gale for winds and rain battered the car as they drove to the festival and the sun came out to greet their arrival and he thought to himself.
Back on stage and by now the crowd had grown considerably, passers-by were halting abruptly and joining the audience who seemed unable to stop dancing even when the band weren’t playing.
Sadly, it was at this point we had to tear ourselves away from the endless party and carnival that is a ‘Town of Cats’ gig. We will ensure that it is not another decade before we see them live again. Make sure you take the first opportunity to see them live, provided of course Joe Travis-Dean doesn’t goof on his threat to disband now that they have played all the stages on their checklist.
KOOL & THE GANG
NORTH DOWNS STAGE 7:15pm – 8:30pm
Officially launched in 1969, you will know at least one of Kool & The Gang songs, even if you didn’t think you did. Iconic songs like ‘Celebration’, ‘Cherish’, ‘Jungle Boogie’ (a firm favourite on every dance floor worldwide), and ‘Summer Madness’. Like many of the acts at ‘Love Supreme’, the band earned two Grammy Awards. Where they differ is in winning seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, 9 Top Ten Pop hits and 31 gold and platinum albums.
Worldwide the band has the reputation of continuously longer than any R&B group in history, longevity is the name of the game, and they also have the accolade of being the most sampled R&B band of all time. So, as I said even if you didn’t think you did it is impossible not to have heard at least one Kool & The Gang track at some point in your life. Believe it or not, there are two of the 1969 line-up still performing with the band, Robert ‘Kool’ Bell, now 73 still sings and tours with the band, as does drummer George ‘Funky’ Brown.
Predictably, and not unlike Joss Stone’s set, the band decided to go for a series of their greatest hits. Songs like ‘Fresh’, ‘Get Down On It’, ‘Celebration’, ‘Jungle Boogie’ (still a firm favourite and floor filler on dance floors across the nation), ‘Joanna’, ‘Summer Madness’ and of course ‘Ladies Night’. All of the songs in the set seem to bring out the inner John Travolta out in everyone, ’70s-style formation dancing seemed to break out like a fever among the crowd. 70’s night became a fixture at clubs across the country probably as early as the 80’s there’s nothing like a little nostalgia to get everyone on the dance floor as Sunday was quickly proving.
There was no escaping Kool & The Gang at any corner of the ‘Love Supreme’ site no matter which stage you went to they were so loud, so exuberant all other artists were battling the sound bleed on every stage. There was nothing much I could say about the band which hadn’t already been said and as they arrived early on stage I decided to go and find myself something new, something to surprise myself. And find it I did with the next act in the Supreme Standards Stage as the dulcet tones of yet another Kool & The Gang classic tried to lure us back to the North Downs stage.
ROSIE FRATER-TAYLOR
SUPREME STANDARDS 7:15pm – 8:15pm
Since discovering Rosie Frater-Taylor thanks to this detour away from the main stage and previously scheduled review I have not stopped playing her new album every day, sometimes several times.
We arrived to find her making a joke about the things she could do with her little finger, a joke that fell flat on the audience, but had me giggling like a child, even though I knew she was alluding to her obvious skill as a guitarist, and an incredibly talented guitarist she is too, what can I say, I was overtired and slightly hysterical after three days of romping from stage to stage to catch as many artists as possible.
It was thanks in no small way to Frater-Taylor guitar playing that I came back to life and rediscovered my energy, (also possibly some Redbull and sugary sweets).
Widely regarded as a ‘virtuoso-guitarist’ and a vocalist with a powerful emotional range and depth, Frater-Taylor’s self-deprecating stage persona (which I think may well just be how she is without pretension) and sheer talent won me over immediately. Lauded by the music industry as a whole, her first album ‘Bloom’ gained over 3 million streams and saw her nominated for awards across the board. Playing over sixty shows across Europe in 2022 before heading into the studio to write her new album, ‘Featherweight’, which captures the band’s energy and chemistry, and as I say hasn’t left my player since I saw the set.
Drawing influences from PJ Harvey and Kate Bush whose tracks she has also covered, ‘Man Size’ and ‘Running Up That Hill’ respectively, which are both well worth looking up, in fact, she played the latter during her set at ‘Love Supreme’ somehow making it both sound entirely different and new, even though I know the song like the back of my hand, in addition to TLC’s ‘Scrubs’ which makes an appearance on ‘Featherweight’. The record it’s said marks a stylistic shift, deftly blurring the boundaries between rock, alt-pop, neo-soul, new-school jazz and folk whilst tackling an array of themes including self-reflection, vulnerability and anger.
Lead single ‘Hold The Weight’ an ethereal, angular guitar jam suffused with rage, describes the feeling when no number of words can bear the burden of the intensity of emotion attached to them. I enjoyed the whole set, but it was her cover of ‘Running Up That Hill’ which grabbed and surprised me. There are not many artists who can successfully cover Kate Bush, let alone almost entirely re-engineer the song so that it is almost unrecognizable from the original, but Frater-Taylor did, she also made it sound beautiful. Most Kate Bush enthusiasts would consider this sacrilege, but honestly think that the woman herself would be incredibly impressed.
My favourite song from the album and in the set was ‘Give And Take’. It’s what you might call a “Banger” with a killer chorus and riff, both of which are infectious and have made me hit repeat many a time since. To be honest I don’t think there’s a bad track on the album at all. ‘Skin Deep’, ‘No Scrubs’, and ‘Hold The Weight’ are standouts, but it was a hard thing to pick them out specifically, as the whole album showcases Frater-Taylors vocal, lyrical and guitar talent as well as her band’s.
I honestly can’t recommend her enough. Make sure you see her live at your earliest convenience. The new album ‘Featherweight’ is widely available on your streamer of choice, vinyl, CD etc at your preferred local music store.
NONAME (Find photos on our sister website HERE)
SOUTH DOWNS STAGE 8:15pm – 9:30pm
We have a member of the team who is never wrong about his suggestions for up-and-coming bands that you simply must see. He has pointed me towards acts like Dua Lipa before her meteoric rise to worldwide fame, the Lambrini Girls, still one of my favourites live in-stores at Resident Records. Even if he does occasionally rib me for my top tip of Lana Del Ray, I wasn’t wrong, was I? I still wish she’d remembered to send me her early material though…in short, I ALWAYS listen to his recommendations.
Top of the list he reeled off at me at the start of the weekend when we had just set foot on site to acclimatise ourselves and plan out the weekend was Noname. He repeated this as he knows full well that I need to tell more than once as I am trying to juggle too many things in my head at once. So often did he repeat this that it almost became a mantra “Noname, remember Noname South Downs stage 8ish Sunday, remember, remember. Noname”. It’s almost an oxymoron to remember an act called ‘Noname’, but that is all part of the ingenious play that Noname (aka Fatimah Nyeema Warner) is so very very good at, she almost challenges you to forget because once you’ve seen her live you simply can’t forget her, her live act or her songs.
I had to triple-check that this was correct, but Noname is thirty-two years old. Her youthful appearance would have you mistake her for being far, far younger, but her lyrical content, stage presence and talent confirm that she is a mature and practiced artist. The multitalented rapper, poet and record producer has been working professionally since 2010. Noname has the kind of stage presence you just can’t bottle, you either have it or you don’t, yes it can be honed, but the real thing is discernible immediately real stars just have it and Noname seriously has it.
The set stuck mostly to songs from the new album ‘Sundial’ including, the oh so catchy ‘Hold Me Down’, ‘Boomboom’, which has some of the best lyrics I’ve heard for a long while and have stuck with me since, as they amuse enticing giggles, but also the composition has great hooks and is the kind of song that you find yourself tapping your foot and nodding your head, initially and then full on dancing without even realising it. ‘Potentially The Interlude’ opens and continues with multiple life lessons I wish someone had told me far far sooner. Perhaps my favourite was the song that Noname introduced as perhaps the pettiest song she’d ever written, ‘Namesake’ will be everywhere for the remainder of this summer, people will be attempting to match her speedy rapping in this song like they once (and still do) did for the rap in Blondie’s ‘Rapture’. Towards the end of the song, Noname decided to finish the song a capella, making the message all the more powerful. In the wrong hands, this choice could have killed the euphoric atmosphere she had built up in the tent with her audience, but this deft agile vocalist and lyricist finished the song to resounding applause. This artist is destined to play the main stage at ‘Love Supreme’ in no time at all.
CHAKA KHAN
NORTH DOWNS STAGE 9:15pm – 10:30pm
The main draw for many at this year’s festival was the second act that some might call heritage, but others call quite rightly legendary. Chaka Khan (aka Yvette Marie Stevens) is an Icon, there is no doubt about that it is simply a fact. This year celebrating fifty, yup 50 years in music Khan has more than earned her status as one of the music industry’s bonafide living legends. At the start of the set, it had to be as finely tuned as possible so that the star could dazzle in the way that the audience had come to expect, and she had always delivered, so the set started slightly later than expected.
Before the star graced the stage a montage video featuring some of the highlights of her career, some known and some more unexpected ones played, moving the audience’s excitement up to feature pitch. The band took to the stage before the singer, the voice, however, arrived before she did physically, at the sound of that all too familiar sound the hairs on the back of my neck started to rise as I couldn’t quite believe that not only had I been lucky enough to witness Dionne Warwick, but I was about to see another cornerstone of my musical education, Chaka Khan. So well regarded that she has even been featured in a lampooning sketch by Simon Pegg as a gunslinger slowly taking each of the Bee Gees out one by one in the Old West.
The voice, THAT voice resonates in a way that no one before or since does. And then there she was, looking incredible in a cinched waist, the famous hair down past her waist smiling that wide grin like she always did. This was a stadium-sized presentation and an incredible band with her. It was then that the hits started coming, and they didn’t stop for the entire set, how could they, everyone is an absolute banger. The ‘Queen of Disco’, (second only to Donna Summer naturally) now 71 started her professional career when she was just seventeen in 1970, there are few still surviving divas who have enjoyed such longevity, she is a survivor in a fickle industry which has seen the demise of so many of her contemporaries. Perhaps only the previously mentioned Debbie Harry can say she’s been around as long consistently, but then she didn’t find fame until much later in life, though she did start performing just four years after Khan.
But which hits did she play? My all-time favourite ‘I Feel For You’ made an appearance fairly early in the set, much to my (and everyone else’s) obvious joy, (people were throwing some shapes in the audience). ‘This Is My Night’ also appeared early on. Of course, she HAD to do ‘I’m Every Woman’, and ‘Ain’t Nobody’. Khan knew full well what the audience wanted and she certainly gave it to them!
I have heard since this performance, which I found to be beat and vocally perfect, fell short for some of the audience, some of whom named her “Chaka Can’t”, though I saw few of those in their seventies keen to take the stage and take over for her. Historically, Khan has been known to rely somewhat on her band and backing singers. This is not to say that her performances were poor, just that singing as she does, talks about the kind of energy and power that can quickly drain, so backing singers and musicians who know when and how to pick up the slack are a must. However, show me an artist who doesn’t do this especially when they have reached the heights that Khan has. For me and many of those in the audience she fulfilled our expectations and could be said to have exceeded them. It was a show that will stick with me for many years to come.
‘Love Supreme’ will be returning to Glynde on Friday 4th to Sunday 6th July 2025. You can find more information HERE.
