City Splash Indoor Festival in London at Drumsheds

With the clocks having just gone back, it is becoming greyer and darker than ever in London. Before we know it winter will be in full swing with whispers of Mariah Carey on each and every corner. One thing about Caribbean people is that we love festivities no matter what time of year it is.

The successful takeover of Drumsheds—a 15,000-capacity venue no less—by City Splash reminds us that we can come together to bask in Caribbean culture en masse come rain or shine. We’ll brave the bitter cold to catch a vibe inside.

The curated lineup included dancehall maestro Konshens (recently interviewed by Mr Wondah for WorlMag), new gen, viral hitmaker Teejay, and modern-day reggae royalty Protoje performing under the same roof. Singing his classic each offering a different lens of Jamaican music to the crowd.

Beyond the headliners, DJs, collectives and sound crews shelled it down in the venue’s smaller rooms and between the performances. From Heartless Crew to Rampage, familiar names, faces, and sound systems that have formed the backdrop of Black British ravers over the last few decades also took to the decks.

If you’ve never been to Drumsheds before, it’s a huge, expansive space that makes you feel like you’ve been transported to some kind of futuristic world. The metal rods holding the structures in place are just about visible, glimmering in the darkness. Drumsheds used to be the home of Ikea, so the building still wears that recognisable brand of blue on the outside walls. Broadwick, the team behind Printworks London and Depot Mayfield in Manchester, transformed the gigantic, industrial-looking warehouse into a massive dance venue.

The high-end lighting, smoke, special effects and decked out sound systems in each room invite you to get lost in the music. At the City Splash Indoor Festival, rhythms produced by people islands in the Caribbean and the African continent bounced off the warehouse dance hall. It was a time-bending experience.

Though, I can’t say that partying that space was entirely positive. The chain of portable toilet facilities and outdoor food stands in the freezing cold make it known that Drumsheds caters to the masses. Rocking to old school dancehall in what was essentially deep space made me really think about what came before.

In what ways do we experience music like other generations in the shebeens of the past? What parts of the culture have we managed to preserve and how can we re-introduce those elements back into the spaces we occupy? (If we should try to do that all).

For me, there was something impersonal about that space. Dancing with my partner, throwing my hands up and down with my sister and the energy of my friends masked it for a moment, but that sensation returned in spells. Perhaps it’s something to do with the lack of visual branding and decor, the absence of flags or something else. Either way, I believe that music should move your spirit and while my spirit didn’t take to everything about City Splash Indoor Festival, I’m not saying I wouldn’t go back. I just want more.

Not just more bouyon, soca and dancehall queens (although that would be welcome, especially given the male-dominated artist lineup). I want DJs to pull out deep cuts from the archives. I want more rooms exploring different cultures across the islands regardless of language. I want to cry of joy and laughter, echoing the sound of people playing dominoes back a yard. Overall, I just want deeper connections for my people living in this country. That’s not asking for too much.

Article by: Kaeshelle Rianne