Good Food, Good Music, Good Times at Jam on Rye
Good food and good music. That’s how I would sum up the Jam on Rye Festival. Fortunately the rain held for the festival on Peckham Rye Park on the last Bank Holiday weekend and the sun peeked through the clouds, at times, to shine down on the good vibes.
A family-friendly event with activities, stages and food for all ages; seeing kids throwing bails of hay on their friends, their parents and other festival attendees, really set the scene for what was going to be a lovely day. Cue Bill Withers.
The three stages had an eclectic mix of musical performances. The Balamii stage housed all the DJ’s playing varied selection of music from old school to new school, remixes and in between.
I witnessed Alexis dropping some dub to a somewhat small but appreciative crowd in the early afternoon and later as the day wore on, a larger crowd gathered drawn by the funky set by Shy One, who was the last act on the Balamii stage.
The Corner Stage allowed for live music with a range of brass and drum instruments gracing the stage throughout the day. The goddess Shingai wowed in an amazing pair of pants but also with her beautiful voice, including a sneaky interpolation of Original Nuttah.
A family-friendly event with activities, stages and food for all ages; seeing kids throwing bails of hay on their friends, their parents and other festival attendees, really set the scene for what was going to be a lovely day. Cue Bill Withers.
The three stages had an eclectic mix of musical performances. The Balamii stage housed all the DJ’s playing varied selection of music from old school to new school, remixes and in between.
I witnessed Alexis dropping some dub to a somewhat small but appreciative crowd in the early afternoon and later as the day wore on, a larger crowd gathered drawn by the funky set by Shy One, who was the last act on the Balamii stage.
The Corner Stage allowed for live music with a range of brass and drum instruments gracing the stage throughout the day. The goddess Shingai wowed in an amazing pair of pants but also with her beautiful voice, including a sneaky interpolation of Original Nuttah.
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And the main stage was where all the headliners performed with DJ Ruby Kwasiba Savage getting the crowd dancing in between sets with classic Hip Hop tracks. All stages were adorned with greenery keeping with homely and organic feel of the festival.
On arrival to the festival, I peered into the Kids Dome and seen kids of all ages running riot, so without actually engaging in that area, it sure looked like it was a good time. Another great act I stumbled upon at entry was a young group of students playing a rendition of My Favourite Things from the Sound of Music (one of my favourite movies) on the drums. Lead by the conductor, the unique rendition drew an intrigued crowd.
The layout of the event was easy to navigate but also conducive to crowd movement. There were large spaces, bails of hay and crates for people to sit, drink, eat.
Food trucks and bars littered the edge of the stage areas and probably assisted with ensuring there was no sound cross-pollination. And the food selection! Considering this was a KERB event, this was no surprise. The selection was a foodie’s dream, with cuisines ranging from Greek, Caribbean, Indian street food, Nigerian, pizza and also sweet treats. The small waffle egg (?) stall was busy all day and sold out early evening. Regrettably I didn’t have the opportunity to try, but I can confirm the Carcass BBQ steak, Garden of Eden Nigerian AND Only Jerkin’ Chicken were delicious.
Greentea Peng was gracing the audience, as I arrived at the main stage area. Her melodic voice and the ethereal beats were the perfect companion to the sunny, early afternoon and already had the crowd swaying in enjoyment. Peng was humbled and excited to be performing at her first festival for the season.
On arrival to the festival, I peered into the Kids Dome and seen kids of all ages running riot, so without actually engaging in that area, it sure looked like it was a good time. Another great act I stumbled upon at entry was a young group of students playing a rendition of My Favourite Things from the Sound of Music (one of my favourite movies) on the drums. Lead by the conductor, the unique rendition drew an intrigued crowd.
The layout of the event was easy to navigate but also conducive to crowd movement. There were large spaces, bails of hay and crates for people to sit, drink, eat.
Food trucks and bars littered the edge of the stage areas and probably assisted with ensuring there was no sound cross-pollination. And the food selection! Considering this was a KERB event, this was no surprise. The selection was a foodie’s dream, with cuisines ranging from Greek, Caribbean, Indian street food, Nigerian, pizza and also sweet treats. The small waffle egg (?) stall was busy all day and sold out early evening. Regrettably I didn’t have the opportunity to try, but I can confirm the Carcass BBQ steak, Garden of Eden Nigerian AND Only Jerkin’ Chicken were delicious.
Greentea Peng was gracing the audience, as I arrived at the main stage area. Her melodic voice and the ethereal beats were the perfect companion to the sunny, early afternoon and already had the crowd swaying in enjoyment. Peng was humbled and excited to be performing at her first festival for the season.
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Barney Artist was the next artist on the main stage and his energetic set lifted the vibe of the crowd. Performing the popular tracks from his back catalogue, including last year’s impressive album, Artist treated the crowd to a new/unreleased track that was a deviation from his usual sound, a garage beat that was overlaid with his effortless flow. An engaging performer, Artist was cheeky, jovial and even addressed a rascal throwing hay around in the crowd.
Despite the earlier energetic set, soulful crooner Omar brought it back down a notch with his neo-soul sounds. The singer, who has been releasing music since the 80s, seemed pleasantly surprised when the mixed crowd cheered as he dropped Nothing Like This, a song that’s nearly 30 years old. Omar showed us all why he’s 30 years deep in the game with his expressive voice that sounded exactly like it does on his records. No effects or backing track here. New wave artists take note.
As the sun started to set, chief party starter, the iconic Jazzie B stepped to the decks. The man, the DJ, never disappoints playing a wide variety of danceable tracks for the growing crowd. It is no easy feat to amp up the crowd following Omar’s mellow and soulful set but there was no better person for the job than Jazzie B. His set had everyone up and dancing in no time. A highlight was when he dropped Candy by Cameo and everyone started doing the Candy dance in unison, unbelievable to see 500+ people all doing the dance together and really further solidified the community feel to the festival.
Despite the earlier energetic set, soulful crooner Omar brought it back down a notch with his neo-soul sounds. The singer, who has been releasing music since the 80s, seemed pleasantly surprised when the mixed crowd cheered as he dropped Nothing Like This, a song that’s nearly 30 years old. Omar showed us all why he’s 30 years deep in the game with his expressive voice that sounded exactly like it does on his records. No effects or backing track here. New wave artists take note.
As the sun started to set, chief party starter, the iconic Jazzie B stepped to the decks. The man, the DJ, never disappoints playing a wide variety of danceable tracks for the growing crowd. It is no easy feat to amp up the crowd following Omar’s mellow and soulful set but there was no better person for the job than Jazzie B. His set had everyone up and dancing in no time. A highlight was when he dropped Candy by Cameo and everyone started doing the Candy dance in unison, unbelievable to see 500+ people all doing the dance together and really further solidified the community feel to the festival.
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Finally, just as the sun had nearly all but disappeared, Kelis arrived on the stage supported by her backup singer, DJ and band. Despite not releasing any new music for sometime, there was still an audience very excited to see her, myself included. With an extensive back catalogue, Kelis sounded off her classic tracks such as Millionaire and Milkshake but with a funky twist to keep it interesting and unexpected for the crowd.
And though she’s had a successful solo career, Kelis’ voice has also graced many iconic Hip Hop tracks as the featured artist on the hooks. Songs like Baby I Got Your Money Old Dirty Bastard and Busta Rhymes’ What It Is were dropped in between her solo tracks to remind us of Kelis’ reach in the music industry.
Kelis really is a chameleon and whilst she has rapped, sung R&B and had hair of every possible colour, more recently she was experimenting in other genres, electronic music in particular. The results being; Acapella and Bounce, from her collaboration with Calvin Harris. The vibe was already lifted by Kelis’ set but when these two tracks played the crowd went wild. Her voice has a soft tone to it but surprisingly still projected very well during her set. With all that said, Kelis is a fantastic live performer.
In its second year running, the KERB and Jam on Rye Festival organisers have hit their straps and found a formula that works. A great South West community event that melds music, food and family, three things people enjoy most. Here’s to next year!
Follow the Jam on Rye Festival Facebook page for next year's event and to check out more photos of the event.
Photos courtesy of @khromacollective.
And though she’s had a successful solo career, Kelis’ voice has also graced many iconic Hip Hop tracks as the featured artist on the hooks. Songs like Baby I Got Your Money Old Dirty Bastard and Busta Rhymes’ What It Is were dropped in between her solo tracks to remind us of Kelis’ reach in the music industry.
Kelis really is a chameleon and whilst she has rapped, sung R&B and had hair of every possible colour, more recently she was experimenting in other genres, electronic music in particular. The results being; Acapella and Bounce, from her collaboration with Calvin Harris. The vibe was already lifted by Kelis’ set but when these two tracks played the crowd went wild. Her voice has a soft tone to it but surprisingly still projected very well during her set. With all that said, Kelis is a fantastic live performer.
In its second year running, the KERB and Jam on Rye Festival organisers have hit their straps and found a formula that works. A great South West community event that melds music, food and family, three things people enjoy most. Here’s to next year!
Follow the Jam on Rye Festival Facebook page for next year's event and to check out more photos of the event.
Photos courtesy of @khromacollective.