REVIEW | CROSS THE TRACKS 2023 REMINDS US OF HOW MUSIC FESTIVALS CAN SERVE AS A PLATFORM FOR CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Dave Burke Pho­to­graphy

Cross The Tracks Fest­iv­al, held annu­ally in Lon­don’s Brock­well Park, has quickly estab­lished itself as a vibrant and diverse music fest­iv­al that cap­tures the essence of the city’s cul­tur­al fab­ric. With its stel­lar lineup, cap­tiv­at­ing art install­a­tions, and strong com­munity spir­it, Cross The Tracks offers an unfor­get­table exper­i­ence for music lov­ers and art enthu­si­asts from all walks of life.

NxWor­ries, the dynam­ic duo con­sist­ing of Ander­son .Paak and Knx­wledge, delivered a truly unfor­get­table per­form­ance at Cross The Tracks Fest­iv­al. They mes­mer­ized the audi­ence with their unique blend of lo-fi soul syn­ergy and cap­tiv­at­ing stage pres­ence.

Ander­son .Paak, renowned for his elec­tri­fy­ing energy and stage per­sona, effort­lessly com­manded the atten­tion of the crowd. Sport­ing a dis­tinct­ive furry hat that added to his cha­ris­mat­ic style, he exuded charm and cap­tiv­ated every­one in sight. Knx­wledge, skill­fully man­ning the DJ decks, guided the music­al jour­ney with pre­ci­sion and fin­esse.

Their set­l­ist fea­tured a delight­ful mix of fan-favor­ite hits, includ­ing beloved tracks from their cult clas­sic album “Yes Lawd!” The audi­ence enthu­si­ast­ic­ally joined in, singing along to infec­tious tunes.

Through­out their per­form­ance, NxWor­ries seam­lessly transitioned between moments where Knx­wledge took the lead, bridging the gap between their earli­er and new­er tracks. Recent releases such as “Day­dream­ing”  provided uplift­ing, sing-along moments that fostered a sense of unity among fest­iv­al-goers. While these new­er songs are still for­ging their place in the hearts of fans, NxWor­ries’ abil­ity to cap­tiv­ate the audi­ence was undeni­able.

Dave Burke Pho­to­graphy

Anoth­er anti­cip­ated act was Masego who delivered a cha­ris­mat­ic per­form­ance that left the audi­ence cap­tiv­ated, a melt­ing pot of Jazz, Hip-Hop and soul.  While his undeni­able enjoy­ment radi­ated from the stage, the full extent of his infec­tious energy did­n’t entirely per­meate the crowd. Non­ethe­less, Masego’s immense tal­ent shone brightly as he effort­lessly transitioned between skill­fully play­ing the sax­o­phone and show­cas­ing his remark­able vocal prowess.

Ezra Col­lect­ive emerged as one of the standout acts at Cross The Tracks Fest­iv­al, infus­ing the stage with an incred­ible and infec­tious party atmo­sphere.  Amidst their cap­tiv­at­ing set, a heart­felt moment unfol­ded, where they took the oppor­tun­ity to address the pres­sures that come with liv­ing in Lon­don, remind­ing every­one to cher­ish moments like the one shared at the fest­iv­al and not allow extern­al stresses to over­shad­ow the joy. They per­formed a unfor­get­table rendi­tion of Egypt’s ‘In The Morn­ing’ which made the crowd DANCE!

Kel­is elec­tri­fied the stage with her undeni­able aura, cap­tiv­at­ing the entire crowd and unleash­ing a wave of sing-along euphor­ia, par­tic­u­larly with beloved hits like ‘Mil­lion­aire’ (my voice did­n’t sur­vive this one!).

Among the fest­ival’s standout acts were the soul­ful tal­ents of Chil­dren of Zeus, the cap­tiv­at­ing pres­ence of Emmavie, and the raw bril­liance of East Lon­don’s own Hak Baker. They delivered unfor­get­table per­form­ances that left no room for dis­ap­point­ment.

Wit­ness­ing such a diverse lineup of inter­na­tion­al musi­cians from vari­ous genres com­ing togeth­er was a beau­ti­ful sight to behold. They proved to be the per­fect blend of artistry, cre­at­ing an extraordin­ary day filled with exhil­ar­at­ing live music. It was nice to see a line up that really hon­oured homegrown tal­ent.

Cross The Tracks Fest­iv­al shines as an innov­at­ive and pion­eer­ing event that reveres the strength of music, art, and com­munity. With its remark­able range of artists, inclus­ive ambi­ance, and ded­ic­a­tion to loc­al involve­ment, it has etched itself as a remark­able encounter for both avid music lov­ers and fest­iv­al enthu­si­asts. As the fest­iv­al expands its hori­zons, it serves as a prime example of how music fest­ivals can foster cul­tur­al inter­change, artist­ic ingenu­ity, and soci­et­al unity. If you seek an unpar­alleled and indelible fest­iv­al exper­i­ence, make sure to mark Cross The Tracks on your cal­en­dar.

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Rishma Dhaliwal

Edit­or / PR Con­sult­ant at No Bounds

Rishma Dhali­w­al has extens­ive exper­i­ence study­ing and work­ing in the music and media industry. Hav­ing writ­ten a thes­is on how Hip Hop acts as a social move­ment, she has spent years research­ing and con­nect­ing with artists who use the art form as a tool for bring­ing a voice to the voice­less. Cur­rently work­ing in TV, Rishma brings her PR and media know­ledge to I am Hip Hop and oth­er pro­jects by No Bounds.

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