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credit Luke Dyson
Last weekend, the electronic-heavy festival Field Day returned for its annual showcase of the
world’s most loved electronic, indie, and alternative acts. The festival has become a cornerstone
of the city’s diverse music scene, offering a home for all the eclectic festival dwellers that
London hosts. This showing took a slight pivot from the spread of live acts and selectors they
have featured in recent years, instead going full steam ahead towards a more
DJ/producer-heavy line-up. Main acts on the bill include Peggy Gou, Jungle, Bubble Love (a
new project from Ross From Friends), Jayda G, Fatima Yamaha, Skream and Benga, and
Special Request alongside plenty more globe-trotting spinners, for a full day of non-stop
‘boogie’. With a nearly two decade long streak, Field Day is a must-attend event for all looking
for a major bump to start off the summer with.
After a stint in East London’s Victoria Park, the festival has made its way back to Brockwell
Park, a legendary venue for the season’s outdoor functions. Underneath the umbrella of
‘Brockwell Live’, the park grounds host a series of events, attracting hundreds of thousands of
rhythm-hungry fans across six festivals spanning a variety of music genres.
Controversially, this year’s festivities witnessed a rolling legal dispute instigated by locals of the
community. They challenged that the council had not properly obtained planning permissions for
the festivals, which use sections of the park for events, exceeding the allowed 28 days per year.
This dispute has been dubbed by Londonites as the “Brockwell Brawl”, bringing about a larger
conversation on the politics of large-scale public events and music-culture as a whole.
Luckily, Field Day was granted permission to continue their plans, but this wasn’t their first rodeo
when it comes to controversial public discourse. Earlier in the month, the event planners faced
similar pressures with regards to their affiliation with global investment firm KKR, the parent
company of its owner Superstruct Entertainment. Several renown figures from the UK electronic
music industry (i.e. Robert Del Naja, Brian Eno, I. JORDAN, Midland, Jyoty, Pangaea, Rrose,
Debonair and Ben UFO) signed an open letter urging the festival to “publicly distance itself from
KKR to the fullest extent it possibly can“, stating, “we are a coalition of artists—including many
who have been booked to play Field Day in the past and present—who come together to stand
against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and to stand for all rights of the Palestinian people under
international law“. A number of artists (i.e. Midland, Regular Fantasy, Spray and Roze Terenzi,
to name a few) took this a step further by dropping out entirely from the 2025 Field Day line-up,
refusing to perform.
Fortunately, Field Day released a statement in response, making their position very clear;
establishing that they irrefutably “stand with the people of Gaza and support the peaceful aims
of the Palestinian civil organisations and everyone working tirelessly to give them a voice.” They
encouraged conversation, welcoming artists and attendees alike to use their platform to stand
against all forms of oppression, discrimination and genocide.
“Everyone is welcome at Field Day”.
photo credit chloeleclercqphotographie
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