Rally festival is a new spot on the festival circuit, permanently cursed to take place on the one wet day in August – based in the small Southwark park, its two main stages and two DJ venues provide a welcome respite from those brave enough to not only venture down in the rain but avoid the lure of Justice at All Points East or Lana del Rey at Reading festival, it’s a packed day in the festival circuit for sure but Rally’s expertly well-curated lineup provides a real treat. Yes we know rain at a festival is miserable, yes we know it’s not going to rival the lightning at Primavera Sound Barcelona that accompanied Mitski’s set earlier this year. But ultimately, the music is worth all that – and when it’s a well curated lineup as this, the new South London festival from GALA and Bird on the Wire – you’re in for a real treat.
There’s plenty of variety here. You have club music, pop, post-punk and rap. There’s even a healthy dosage of electronic. The stages are varied and uniquely designed – with the crew battling against the wind that has led to chaos at Leeds and Creamfields festivals with tents blowing everywhere. Only Victorious in sunny Portsmouth emerged relatively unscathed. It would’ve been easy to cancel – but a delay to opening later and we were off – arriving at the electronic focused-warehouse Boiler-Room esque Agnes stage, built for dryer weather perhaps, our view of the stage for the morning was largely obscured by Umbrellas everywhere – I get it’s raining, but taking an Umbrella to a small festival is just poor form. Wear a thicker raincoat. It gave the crowd a cool chance to see Chanel Beads in action, Shane Lavers’s project emerging from the New York DIY scene and it has the feel of an indie, stirring band – dreamlike and entrancing in their gaze. It’s a music about continuing life – joined by a fantastic Maya McGrory on Vocals and Zachary Paul on violin, the music feels deliberately affecting in a way that few stage openers don’t tend to. Their new album, Your Day will Come, was a delight to see live. – Ideal June an early highlight. It’s emotional and shows you that this album is designed to be played live and loud. The only missed opportunity about Chanel Beads is that you have a band called Chanel and you don’t have them on the main Channel stage. They cite Brian Wilson, Lou Reed and Sade as inspirations and it’s easy to see them all over their new album.
We stayed at Agnes for Nourished by Time; now signed to XL records, he’s using Rally as a warm-up before his UK tour and he’s one of the most promising new acts to emerge out of this year’s festival circuit. He’s nervous, you can tell – but puts on a hell of a show, despite the weather – encouraging Rally to open up the interior catwalk on Agnes that remains unoccupied to festivalgoers, creating a WWE-esque experience. The biggest problem with the Agnes stage that for all its rustic energy it means that if you’re not in the stage itself, it’s hard to see from outside – and it becomes more of a problem with the bigger acts later. But Thankfully, Nourished by Time were incredible – Baltimore native Marcus Brown delivers this solo project before he heads up to Leeds next month. I Guess I Got My Answer is one of the songs of the summer – his cult-like reputation will only grow as a result of this.
Delays to the set list meant that we made it over to the Channel stage – just in time for the end of Crystal Murray, soulful and eclectic mix of R&B, jazz and house, giving off a funky vibe that made me a fan – and kind of wish I had the chance to see more of her set. But my most hyped artist of the day was next, Fabiana Palladino, who like myself, was recovering from All Points East the night before, where she was working with Jai Paul, who she has a song with – the British musician’s latest self-titled album earned glowing reviews including a five star Guardian piece. Its callback to the 80s and 90s synth gave it the echo of a William Friedkin soundtrack and she has the energy of Prince reincarnated – taking on both parts of I Care and playing the majority of her latest album, hits like Closer, Can You Look in the Mirror? And I Don’t Care Anymore before ending on certified banger Stay With Me Through The Night. I’m very thankful there were no records here otherwise I would have copped this one there and then.
Following the excellent Fabiana was a tall order but thankfully Armand Hammer delivered, the duo switching the genre from the previous act requiring minimal set-up after a lengthy sound-check for Fabiana and getting us back on course. This is the second time I’ve seen Billy Woods live – he was fantastic at Primavera Sound, Barcelona, and the collaboration with rap legend ELUCID makes for an equally insane partnership. Their setlist included Landlines and they delivered with a tremendous entry into hip hop canon – both equally supportive of each other and allowing them to step back and take over the spotlight. They’re each others’ hype-artist and their shows are unique, different because they actually rap their entire songs from beginning to end – art in its pure, unfiltered form and one of the highlights of the Saturday – and indeed, of the whole weekend. The sun was back out by then for Armand Hammer and it more than delivered for the occasion.
The stage splits meant that we were then able to catch a bit of James Holden at the Agnes stage again whilst waiting for Bar Italia. As the weather had taken a turn for the worse by this point watching Holden from the relative shelter of the trees became a necessity, the artists, dry, everyone else soaking wet. You can see why the DJ tent stages were so popular – it was impossible to get into them with the rain coming down as hard as it was. Bar Italia, fresh off their Glastonbury set, gave a typical indie performance, not for me but only because you’ve seen dozens of acts like it already by this point in the tour. Holden impressed – captivating the crowd who braved the rain.
Then it was off to Sorry, who hail from North London and as a North London native naturally I have to cheer for them. Asha Lorenz looked cool as fuck in her hoodie opting for a cigarette on stage instead of the more traditional frontperson approach of a beer or water, and it’s the perfect chance to see them before their upcoming Alexandra Palace gigs, where they’re providing support to punk sensation Fontaines D.C. in November; touring their new album, Romance. After that we caught the back end of Actress’ set, electronic masterclass in pure, unadulterated form. The wet weather constantly dogged the festival but full credit to Rally – it did the best they could throughout the day.
Nilüfer Yanya came next, an artist who I’ve been following ever since her debut ahead of her upcoming album My Method Actor. Her origins call back from as varied as King Krule and Parquet Courts and she delivers a show for the audience – a variety of genres that flow expressively mixed together in a soulful, almost jazzy way. It’s the perfect lead into Mount Kimbie, who ended Rally with a bang. It provided the opportunity for many to see them who may not have been able to make Primavera Sound Barcelona in 2024 earlier this year, and provided a good scouting point for 2025 – if Fabiana Palladino doesn’t make 2025’s lineup, what are you even doing?
Aside from the music, there was a collection of artistic displays for those to see such as a skateboard totem pole or well-curated films playing in between sets. For festival prices, drinks were relatively cheaper than All Points East, but still average, commercialised London prices. My favourite act of the day was Fabiana Palladino but for the best small festival in London, its goal was to introduce you to tons of new names and it succeed in doing that – I’m a massive fan of Nourished by Time now and Sorry cap off my top 3 of the festival. With a bit of luck; they can – in their third year, hopefully avoid the inevitable downpour on the last weekend of August.
Rally took place on August 24, 2024.
Learn more about the celebration at their official website.
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2024 Primavera Sound Barcelona – Music Festival Review