Cloud X Brings the Sunshine to Newham for Latest Edition (Festival Review)
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Cloud X returned on Friday with a lot of hype and interest. While the original line-up featured a wealth of talented live acts, the festival was affected by operational issues. As a result, it had to move to a new venue. This meant fewer live acts, but ticket holders this year have free entry next year or could get a refund. While I was disappointed not to see R’n’B vocal talents like Jaz Karis and Bellah, or rapping sensations like BERWYN or Skrapz, it’s a testament to the dedication of the organisers that the festival took place.
I entered the festival around 3:30 pm, and for the majority of the time I was at the Courtyard stage. This stage featured a variety of DJs, surrounded by plenty of bar space, food vendors, and seating. The Cause may not be the wide open field that the Crystal Palace Bowl is, but it gave consumers plenty of room to breathe, dance, and keep themselves hydrated. I must also say, the Saltfish and Accras I had were extremely delicious.
While it took till around half 5/6 for the majority of people to arrive, the DJs were doing their thing. Jojo Deevoy got things started with a mixture of Afrobeats and hip-hop that had a relaxing feel, but also a danceable one. Following this, Kamilla Rose took it up a level with some more upbeat hip-hop alongside more dance music vibes. The Capital Xtra DJ played a particularly great remix of Stardust’s ‘Music Sounds Better With You‘ that’ll live long in the memory.
After grabbing some food and having a chat with some people I bumped into, Izzy Bossy was next up. Bossy had the dancehall on lock, with ‘Whine & Kotch‘ taking me back to nights out when I was younger. After, getting more into the swing of things I decided to move on to the Warehouse, where the live acts performed.
I was instantly greeted by more ravier vibes, as Jojo Deevoy had myself and others skanking out. (A bit of UKG here, a bit of ‘Migraine Skank‘ there.) One thing you could not question was the variety, and it made for a refreshing and fun festival experience. Santino Le Saint came to the stage, bringing along Anwar Noire, INFAMOUSIZAK, and Col3trane. Le Saint’s IDGAF personality makes for an entertaining stage presence and the guy can certainly sing. In particular, his unreleased material and his duets with Col3trane are certainly on my wish list.
To close, we had a special guest in the form of the 140 bpm icon, Ghetts. This is my fourth time seeing (the second time in 2024) the Newham MC, and he always delivers. He has the sing-a-long going with his catchy, yet authentic songs like ‘Know My Ting‘ with Shakka. But, let us be honest, you are here for the grime anthems and he certainly brought it. He flowed the lyrics from ‘One Take‘ and ‘Artillery‘ over all the classic instrumentals, which had the room bouncing. I had to leave early due to my coach back to Birmingham, but with tracks like ‘Laps‘ getting a good reaction, it is safe to say the new blends well with the old.
Despite all the issues, Cloud X was a success and the people there had a good time. I would have preferred a few more live acts, but despite the enforced changes, it still was a fun day. The venue was great, the food was great, the drinks were flowing (if a bit pricey for a lad from the outskirts of Birmingham), and the acts did their thing. We’ll see what happens next year, but despite the setbacks, these organisers know how to put on a good festival.
Cloud X is on Instagram, X, and TikTok. Read more reviews here.
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