GROOVE ARMADA Returns To Entertain LOVEBOX Revellers!
Billed as “London’s biggest disco,” Lovebox has brought glamour to London’s live music calendar since it was founded by DJs Groove Armada a decade ago. Lovebox is a three-day music festival held in Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets!
During this time, Lovebox has also hosted events in Newcastle, Dublin and Ibiza as well as numerous parties and club nights. Despite starting out as a predominantly dance festival, Lovebox has since expanded to include a wide variety of musical genres including indie, rock, world and pop, as well as circus performers, cabaret and fringe acts.
Day 2 of the 2012 festival got underway on Saturday (16th June, 2012). The organisers assembled an absorbing head lining bill including; eerie absorbing folk rap vocal of Maverick Sabre , the seasoned US star Kelis, the female artist of 2012 Emile Sande, legend’s and founders Groove Armada and the funky Friendly Fires. All of which meant the fans turned out in their thousands.
Though the natural elements conspired against the fans, the cold, grey June day could not stop them enjoying themselves.
The talents of Maverick Sabre and Emile Sande have projected them into headliner status, and both performed effortlessly allowing their considerable talent to amuse the demanding crowd. Groove Armada as you would expect entertained the crowd as did Kelis. Both sets were flawless in delivery and entertainment.
The Brit and Mercury award nominated band Friendly Fire‘s played pop/rave mashup which the crowd responded well to. The self-nominated successors to the Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk have some work to do if they wish to achieve such a status, but they are at least on the right trajectory.
Some of the happiest LoveBoxers where in the smaller support stages where various hypnotic thumping electronic beats entertained the energetic crowd, and this is where the heart of the festival lay, as opposed to the main stage.
Being based in the trendy East End of London, Lovebox has developed a reputation for being an “urban-based-yet-rural-feeling, multi-dimensional festival” – without the camping or the endless tramping about you get with Glastonburys of the world.
Though not in the same league as Glastonbury yet, it’s hard not to enjoy LoveBox, and on an unseasonably cold June afternoon, the whole event made for a great day!
Review by: James Greenwood