Festival Review: South West Four 2011

Tom Mullett enjoys a final summer blow-out at London's two day dance festival, SW4.

On a busy Bank Holiday weekend the choice of things to do was somewhat mind boggling, with everyone in the capital desperate for one last party in the sun before we take off our sun glasses, change back into our jeans and accept the fact that Christmas is only three months away. 

Fortunately, an event that has gained a solid reputation amongst dance music fans over the past few years returned to the greenery of Clapham Common. This year SW4 festival was back with a jaw dropping line up, lavishing night-life enthusiasts with a cracking blend of old and new dance floor producers and DJs.

Saturday was very much aimed at the more 4/4 orientated dance music pilgrims. With a whole range of different House music on display, acts such as Pete Tong, Loco Dice and Sven Vath induced those time stopping, "hands in the air" moments that we all know and love about this music. 

It appears that SW4 had managed to steer clear of the common problem of quiet sound systems that has created a great amount of negative opinion around some of London's outdoor music events. Loud and punchy speakers were accommodated by the right amount of the space between stages, allowing there to be absolutely no risk of interference during your favourite tune. 

The evening was signed off with a truly spectacular performance by electronic music pioneers, Underworld, whose track "Born Slippy" sounded just as incredible as it did back in 1996. 

Sunday was dedicated to the sounds of this generation - Annie Mac, Sub Focus, Joker, Simian Mobile Disco and Modeselektor - just some of the names entertaining throughout the day. In the lead up to the epic closing headliner, it seemed rather fitting that the Croydon three, Magnetic Man, who have stolen the show over the past 12 months following their stunning debut album, set the scene with an eye-shaking hour of Dubstep. Despite falling victim to a handful of technical problems, the trio, joined by SGT Pokes and Ms Dynamite, worked their way through their set with a real energy.

Since the release of their chart smashing album "Immersion" last year, Pendulum have cemented themselves as one of the most consistently mind blowing live acts to grace the festival circuit. Offering the perfect crossover of sing-along anthems to ground shuddering bass-lines, the Australian trio backed by their live band absolutely nailed their only appearance in the capital this year. Capped by a beautiful London sunset, tracks such as "Blood Sugar", "Slam" and their remix of The Prodigy's "Voodoo People" tore up the muddy dance-floor to end what had been a truly enjoyable weekend in SW4.

Words: Tom Mullett

Tickets are no longer available for this event