Written by Sophie Wyatt
While the weather this past weekend left something to be desired, it didn’t stop festival goers from flooding to Glynde Place for Love Supreme’s annual Jazz Festival. And as expected, the festival’s vibrant energy shone through the occasional rain showers. We headed down on Saturday afternoon to cover the festival’s second day, with performances from legends such as Dionne Warwick to mesmerising artists such as Jordan Rakei. Not to mention the name on everyone’s lips, and in everyone’s headphones at the moment, Olivia Dean.
Aside from the obvious talent the festival secures every year, it’s always refreshing to find so many small businesses and local food scattered around the site. With a mix of all ages, the festival is one of the most wholesome we’ve seen. With first comers pouring in, and campers making their way out of damp tents, South-London’s Joel Culpepper kicked the day off on the North Downs Stage. His electrifying energy is exactly what the festival needed to bring out the sunshine.
As the day progressed, and the crowds got bigger, people wandered between stages, catching glimpses of the new and legendary. Billy Cobham gave an iconic performance on the South Downs Stage alongside his 6 piece band. The 80 year old drummer barely took a break his entire set. With his eyes closed (and at times two drumsticks in each hand), he had the audience hooked.
Later in the day Grammy-nominated Jordan Rakei took to the stage alongside his band and a flourish of flowers around his mic. The multi-talented musician’s vocals floated around the festival in such an entrancing way that even people heading to other stages began surrounding the North Downs Stage. Playing songs from his latest album The Loop gave the artist a moment to introduce his evolved sound, while also throwing in some more classic Jordan Rakei tracks. One of the highlights of the whole day.
Excitement continued to build as one of the weekend’s most iconic artists Dionne Warwick began her set. Stepping out in a pink tracksuit, with a beaming grin, the 83 year old was ready to put on an amazing show. Without even having to introduce herself, she gave a quick hello before diving straight into her world renowned song ‘Walk On By’. With the crowd spilling out of the tent, people of all ages sang along with her throughout, helping out in areas where the artist stopped to have small but needed breaks. She also brought out a special guest, her oldest son, to harmonise some of her newly rerecorded tracks.
Finally, as the sun was setting and people pulled back on their jumpers and jackets, our headliner took to the stage. Having just come back from opening the Pyramid Stage at this years Glastonbury, Olivia Dean was ready for her first ever headline set. Hair flowing, dress shining in the stage lights, and perfect vocals immediately entranced the audience. The whole field had their eyes set on the main stage. Olivia sang a rang of upbeat songs, mixed in with slower tracks such as the title track from her album ‘Messy’, and ‘Flourist’ which she took to the piano for. She also sang an unreleased song, ‘Touching Toes’, which she explained was an exclusive she had saved for her headline at Love Supreme. As the fairy lights twinkled around the site and Olivia’s outstanding performance came to a close, we were once again rocked by the dazzling energy Love Supreme brings every year. Summer may not be fully here as we know it, but Love Supreme certainly made it feel like it was.
