London’s biggest rap music weekender returned with a vengeance on September 10th after a yearlong delay, although a change in scenery from the usual Finsbury Park to Crystal Palace Park (which is arguably and even better venue for viewing) fans still arrived in their tens of thousands. Coming to see performances from superstars like: Future, Skepta, Migos, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, Meek Mill, AJ Tracey, Central Cee plus many more – and they would not leave disappointed.

After being originally scheduled for July 2020 and postponed to September 10th-12th 2021, Wireless organised a virtual festival in which they promised “an entire weekend’s worth of unseen performances, exclusive footage and so much more” in 360° virtual reality on the MelodyVR app. An innovative solution for not being able to amass large crowds, yet it just isn’t the same – and festival fans could feel the difference. That’s why it’s return to real-life performances was so incredible, the fans were desperate for the hits of dopamine and the feelings of ecstasy which arise from seeing their favourite artists right in front of them; furthermore, the artists were similarly yearning to be back on stage – it was visibly clear in their energy-filled performances from the first to the final day.

Friday 10th September – the opening day of the festival – saw the surprise return of the “Certified Lover Boy” (Drake) to Wireless festival for the first time since British rapper ‘Giggs’ iconically brought him out to perform their hit single “KMT” in 2018. Undeniably, this was a tough act to follow yet the Saturday line up proved to be just as exciting – even with a few minor mishaps throughout the day. 

 

Firstly, Central Cee took to the mainstage bringing his whole entourage along with him – a nice touch that really added to the overall energy of the performance. The crowd went crazy for him – you would never guess that the British rapper, hailing from Shepherd’s Bush, had only just blown up throughout covid, everyone in the crowd was able to recite all the words of his songs with ease and perfection creating a togetherness and spirit in the crowd which is often rare for such new artists. Then it was time for Tion Wayne. The British rapper from North London took to the mainstage, accompanied by much-loved newcomer Arrdee and the veteran afro-swing group NSG, to put on an incredible show that ran smoothly. Yet after this, the problems began to arise. Swae Lee’s sound box continuously fell off his body, resulting in him stopping the performance and shouting at the workers backstage to fix it. Meek Mill had to stop his set to tell the sound team to up the volume of the music in his ears. And Fredo, upon attempting to replay his most popular song “They Ain’t 100”, had his microphone cut off. However, despite this, they were all able to still perform spectacularly. 

 

Of course, as aforementioned, there were many brilliant performances throughout the day; however, Skepta – as the headline act – unsurprisingly stole the show. Wearing all black, with blacked-out shades on and ammunition belts adorning his chest, he was clearly meant business, and it was reflected in his performance. Moreover, the intricately detailed set design paired with, not only the unbelievable lighting effects, but also his remarkable cadence and stage presence worked together to create a truly unforgettable performance. Bringing out his brother JME along with his friends AJ Tracey and Teezee to join him, the performance truly was a family affair. And thus, Skepta really reflects what Wireless festival is all about – uniting with friends and family through music to have a great time.