MUSIC PREMIERES
As people go feral for either a lick of nostalgic fun with Blink-182 or something more chaotic with The Prodigy, tucked away in the BBC Radio 1 tent is the spell-binding Jorja Smith. With revamped, groovy jazz renditions of her acclaimed ballads, she creates a space of tranquillity at the end of the festival’s first day.
In the beginning, Smith is demure, singing along to her songs coyly and soaking up the adoring energy that’s thick in the air. She doesn’t say much but keeps a massive grin on her face while she thanks the crowd for having her. Instead, she focuses on delivering her slick and emotive tunes with mystique and pure precision.
The songs hit deep for many, holding a sentimental place in much of the audience’s hearts. “If she does ‘Blue Lights’, I’ll go feral!” one girl in the pit says excitedly before an ultramarine glow covers her. Once the chorus hits, she and the rest of the audience pour their hearts out to Smith’s debut single. The choral singing is stirring, heightening the sense of awe and unadulterated emotion. “OK,” she says, “I think you lot are ready to party.”
That’s when the band begins to play ‘Come Over’ – and the island-infused percussion puts a spell on Jorja’s hips, which sway from here on out. Even her backing singers – who have their standout moments throughout – break out from behind their mic stands and shake a leg with her.
The party doesn’t truly start, though, until ‘Ladbroke Grove’. As the chopped-up vocals and skippy drums play, people erupt and immediately get their skank on as when the West Midlands superstar brings out AJ Tracey and duets with him for a great transition into her own slew of bangers.
You could power a town with the electricity in the air in the tent by the end of Jorja’s set. She rolls through her party-friendly hits (with a pinch of angst with ‘Teenage Fantasy’), and the pure adulation the crowd shows her is next to none. The once-flailing arms stretch high, holding up heart-shaped hands, trying to find a way to thank her for pulling off a set that is a magical touch to a blockbuster Friday.
‘Try Me’
‘Blue Lights’
‘Addicted’
‘Where did I Go?’
‘Falling or Flying’
‘GO GO GO’
‘The One’
‘Come Over’
‘High’
‘Ladbroke Grove’ with AJ Tracey
‘Teenage Fantasy’
‘Be Honest’
‘On My Mind (Preditah remix)’
‘Little Things’
MUSIC PREMIERES
Four years on from the ‘Actual Life’ series lifting him into the mainstream spotlight, Fred Again.. continues to feel unavoidable. The London producer and DJ born Fred Gibson has moved at a relentless pace, bouncing between sold out stadium dates in New York and surprise appearances at Sheffield’s 1,000 capacity Forge, while also making history as the first electronic artist to top the bill at Reading and Leeds in 2024.
Where the ‘Actual Life’ releases and his fourth album, 2024’s ‘Ten Days’, leaned into warmth and joy pulled from ordinary moments, Gibson has also sharpened his instinct for high impact club weapons rooted in garage, dubstep and jungle. That side of his output lives on ‘USB’, an “infinite album” first imagined in 2022 as a home for tracks that exist outside any fixed universe, including defining moments like ‘Rumble’ and ‘Jungle’.
‘USB002’, the second vinyl only chapter of the ‘USB’ project, brings together 16 recent tracks, many of which surfaced gradually on streaming services over a ten week stretch. The music was shaped live, in step with ten unannounced DJ appearances across the world from Dublin to Mexico City. Even with a Glastonbury style registration system in place, The Times reported that 100,000 people tried to secure tickets for the opening night in Glasgow.
Appropriately, ‘USB002’ feels alive and constantly in motion, helped along by contributions from close collaborators such as Floating Points and Sammy Virji. The rigid, techno driven pressure of ‘Ambery’ echoes elements of Floating Points’ 2019 album ‘Crush’, while Gibson’s take on ‘The Floor’ builds like the slow climb of a rollercoaster before dropping back to earth without warning.
The guest list stretches beyond the usual dance circles, with two Australian guitar bands popping up in unexpected ways. ‘You’re A Star’ reworks Amyl and The Sniffers’ ‘Big Dreams’ into a breakbeat driven rush, while ‘Hardstyle 2’ pulls the experimental post punk edge of Shady Nasty into an Underworld adjacent space alongside Kettama. Gibson’s real trick is his ability to connect with anyone. These tracks are not reinterpretations but full takeovers.
The visual world wrapped around the ‘USB002’ rollout reinforces the instinct behind the music. Phones were prohibited at shows staged in vast warehouse spaces under sweeping light rigs, while Gibson’s team shared striking black and white footage and created artwork for each single on site. Bottling that sense of urgency, the project is rooted in the thrill of the present moment, something Gibson seems able to summon simply by turning up.
If the ‘Actual Life’ series and ‘Ten Days’ captured passing snapshots of experience, ‘USB’ is defined by constant movement, a space where boundaries are removed entirely. Sitting somewhere between an album and a playlist, ‘USB002’ underlines why Fred Again.. feels so dominant right now, and suggests that his current run may only be the beginning of something much bigger.
