Missy Elliott and Snoop Dogg take to the Main Stage at the 2nd day of Wireless

Wireless Festival 2010 review

So after days of speculation from the Met Office, their final assumption was miraculously correct and last Saturday was a scorcher of a day in London's Hyde Park. As I made my way in at 1pm (an hour before the music started) I was quite shocked at how empty and quiet it all seemed.

The first band I caught was The Phenomenal Handclap Band on the Main Stage – these guys have really been pushing the festival circuit this summer but this was the first time I had a chance to catch them.

Their performance was very apt for a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon and their cutesy, chilled out jazz beats fitted in perfectly with the relaxed vibe that was emanating through Hyde Park. However, they did seem a bit 'swallowed up' by the whole affair – the majority of the crowd didn't seem to fit their musical style and their quirky, electronic and indie tunes got lost in the big mass of space behind the small crowd in front of the mainstage.

British rapper, Example, was up next on the main stage and his impending presence immediately drew a heaving throng of fans. On the whole, he really delivered a high energy performance full of power, charisma, and cheeky comments throughout, which really gave a glimpse into his colourful personality.

His dance-infused tracks got the crowd jumping about as he shouted, "Come on. I want them to hear us in Birmingham!" and "Make some noise for my mum. She's here today!"

His set bounced to a climatic end with his less than modest proclamation, "This is called a fucking anthem", as he launched into his single 'Kickstart', which had a lot of fans singing along.

I was very excited about the next performance as Missy Elliott has not been a regular on the UK performance circuit for years, and my feelings were definitely mirrored by the crowd pushing and shoving to get as close to the front of the stage as possible.

Her DJ took to the stage and riled the crowd up with some old school hip hop tunes; but it was clear that when it arrived at Missy's 4.25 set time, she was nowhere to be seen. Slight confusion then ensued onstage for about 20 minutes until her dancers wheeled on 5 black boxes, each emblazoned with a bright pink letter to spell out Missy.

Her set quickly kicked into action as her flexible dancers body-popped their way around the stage, picking up boxes and putting them on top of each other until they finally spelt out 'Missy' in a vertical box structure, which she then burst out of 'Magic Trick Style', and quickly launched into her performance.

As the bubbly rapper bounced about stage and launched into her tunes, surrounded by her fast-paced dancers, it was obvious that she had not lost the talent that propelled her into the spotlight in the late 90's and early noughties.

Near the start of her set, she bounced down into the crowd, delighting the front rows of the audience as she held their hands, sang over them, and leaned into the thronging mass of hands. Missy's set was everything a performance should be; however her late arrival onstage meant that just as she was starting 'Pass That Dutch', her music and cameras were cut off without any explanation to the audience, leaving a very irate looking Missy Elliott to trundle offstage.

I caught Darwin Deez next on The Third Stage and considering he overlapped with Snoop, his set certainly held its own and was really enjoyable. Darwin and his band are such a refreshing breath of fresh air as they do not take themselves seriously, and at various points during their gig, they would stop and contort their bodies to perform quirky and dramatic dance routines, which got the crowd going - at one point we even drowned out the noise of Snoop on the main stage!

Not only were the band a lot of fun but Darwin's voice is brilliant live and songs such as 'Radar Detector' carried beautifully through the small tent.

I managed to catch the end of Snoop Dogg and he delivered a strong, crowd-pleasing performance which I felt was better than his Glastonbury one, ending with the crowd chanting along to his mega hit 'What's My Name?', and Snoop declaring, "I want you to remember this face because I will be back to London, England anytime you motherfuckers want me!"

The final act I caught was 2manydjs on the main stage, who delivered a dance fest to the much fuller Hyde Park than I witnessed in the morning. The boys played an eclectic mix of dance tracks including a remix of Queen's 'Bicycle', accompanied by a fully naked bearded man riding his bicycle around stage.

Near the end of their set they released a shower of confetti on the sea of flailing bodies in front of the stage, which cast a perfect view against the evening sky.

Apart from the music, other entertainment onsite included a small man-made VK beach complete with free face painting by a trio of beautiful girls, a carousel and helter skelter slide, an extensive cider garden area, as well as a competitive EA games area, and a portable spa bus complete with treatments. Overall, it was a great musical day out in the sun; however the vibe was a lot more sedated than a lot of musical events I have attended and there was a definite feel that everything was building up to the Sunday.

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