Urban festivals have been cropping up increasingly over the last few years. They offer good value for money, no hassle with camping and are made to be family friendly so it can become a great day out for all the family; this year’s Common People on Southampton’s Common was no different. The festival, which is ran by the brains behind the wonderful Bestival, hosted its second party, showing off the same dynamics that made its inaugural year a huge success.
The festival is bursting with colour and life with people of all ages loving the festival. The Main Stage’s first big draw of the weekend were The Chuckle Brothers who brought their now infamous double act performance to Southampton having turned up at Bestival last year to a great response. The amount of ‘To me to you’ that was being thrown about was like going back in time to my childhood. Things took a bit of a stumble after the TV veterans as Lady Leshurr was nowhere to be seen for a good hour, as the rising Birmingham Grime star was caught in traffic on her way to the event. When she eventually turned up she produced a confident set that even included some lighthearted banter with the crowd who’d waited for her.
The Southampton crowd were then treated to some legendary Hip Hop with The Sugarhill Gang taking to the festivals Main Stage. With all the drama beforehand, the band’s performance was cut short but not without them throwing out the classic tack that is ‘Rappers Delight’. As the day went on you could see Southampton Common slowly starting to fill with excited teenagers who were getting their first taste of festival life and the atmosphere only grew as we headed into the early evening.
After their set, I headed over to the Main Stage to witness the political fuelled hip hop legends that are Public Enemy. The years have done them no harm, with yet another incredibly strong performance that drew a rapturous response from those in attendance. We were then greeted with indie-rock royalty, with Scottish rockers Primal Scream wowing those gathered. Throwing out their huge hits including Screamadelica’s ‘Movin On Up’, ‘Swastika Eyes’ and ‘Jailbird’ before ending their mesmerising set with a triple run of classic’s ‘Loaded’, ‘Country Girl’ and ‘Rocks’. The performance showed why Primal Scream are universally adored.
The party really ramped up after the Scottish legends left the stage, as Southampton’s very own Craig David got Saturday night booming with a thrilling set on Common People’s Main Stage. He worked his way through timeless classics that have propelled the garage icon back into the big time once again. “You can take the boy out of Southampton but you can’t take Southampton out the boy” he tells the crowd with a smile stretching from ear to ear.
Sunday began with a heavily chilled out vibe compared to Saturday, after what was probably was a heavy night for most of the festival the night before. However that soon disappeared over at the Uncommon Stage with another local act taking to the stage. Cassava took to the stage not long after 2 o’clock and played a very self assured set. Having formerly been known as ‘Sterling’, the band went away to reinvent themsleves and the result is a thrilling mix of Manchester indie heroes Courteeners and summer indie pop masters Circa Waves. Cassava might only have started touring under their new identity, but they are already looking like a force to reckoned with.
The Magic Gang took to the Main Stage to show off their quirky guitar hooks and infectious melodies; the crowd might have been sparse but seemed to be up for it as the sun beamed down. It felt like a perfect setting for the band’s feel good indie pop. After a true throwback style Chas N Dave set, that pleased the masses that had been waiting for the legendary duo, singer songwriter Jamie Lawson brought his folky pop renditions to Southampton Common.
On the Uncommon Stage, Kassassin Street took to the stage for their evening slot. The Southsea lads are loved in the south and the performance showed why. Going through their high energy anthem like music, frontman Rowan Barnstable is in fine voice with him even joking with the crowd about the world’s biggest bouncy castle, which was visible from the tent as the band dealt with some technical difficulties. Songs like ‘Radio Silence’ and new single ‘Hand in Pocket’ filled the tent with high octane beats. A band on the up that shouldn’t be missed anywhere.
The weekend ends with 80’s pop legends Duran Duran running through a set filled with songs designed to get any crowd moving. Not only did the crowd get treated to a hit filled set they performed moving tributes to both David Bowie and Prince with the former getting ‘Save a Prayer’ dedicated to him as Simon LeBon tells the crowd “Without Prince there’d be no Duran Duran”. While also performing ‘Space Oddity’ in tribute to Bowie. The band perform legendary hits like ‘A View To A Kill’, ‘Hungry Like A Wolf’ and ‘Girls on Films’ before culminating their set on a certified banger ‘Rio’. The set felt like the perfect ending to a great weekend filled with great music and a friendly atmosphere.
Callum McCormack
@mccormackcallum