The Wireless Festival 2023 didn’t just bring the music, it got the now. Between the doomy clouds over Finsbury Park and the stages aglow, the park was ground zero for a genre-hopping, star-studded weekend that celebrated everything from viral bangers to generational icons. If Day 1 blew the roof off, then Day 2 and 3 burned the whole thing down.
Saturday started to the tune of a bit of rain, but there was soul aplenty inside. R&B up-and-comers No Guidance warmed up the day with sticky honey harmonies from their EP Is It A Crime?. The clouds didn’t dampen the vibes, and UK talent kept it chugging along. Rap fusion artist HEX was next in line, delivering an energetic set, and then FLO brought a polished, rain-defying show to the crowd, with revelers dancing in the showers, photos by Laura Harvey. The girl group even summoned Bellah for her song In The Moment before effortlessly slipping into their collab Suite Life a seamless nod to UK R&B’s continued and feminine rise.
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But the heavens opened up in time for chaos and charisma. Viral wild card Zack Fox had the entire crowd shouting out Jesus Is The One (I Got Depression) like a gospel number, and Joey himself was generous enough to lay down lyrical gems old and new. And over at Amazon’s +44 stage, the enthusiasm was through the roof as LUCKI and NLE Choppa got the crowd to new hype highs with crowd-favorites such as Walk Em Down and a Beat Box 4.
And then the heavy hitters: Bryson Tiller was out here playing the hits Don’t and Outside like the people ordered them, and Headie One was all main stage North London blaze, flanked by Clavish and the OFB mob. In the meantime, Mariah The Scientist serenaded the +44 crowd and Lil Yachty ping-ponged between melodic and psychedelic as he breezed through sets that ran the gamut of his ever-expanding discography.
And then came the bomb, Travis Scott. Amid flames, chaos, and a surprise Sexyy Red cameo, his headlining set was a full-on spectacle. Butterfly Effect, Carousel, and Highest in the Room sounded like closing ceremonies. But this was only Day 2.
Sunday brought shakeups and surprises. Last-minute shifts didn’t rattle the sun-soaked crowd, certainly not when Black Sheriff delivered heart through Kwaku the Traveller or when Popcaan pulled up with Protoje and Byron Messiah to honor Caribbean roots. Lil TJay got things rowdy, GloRilla stomped through some hits, and then a surprise: 50 Cent, making his Wireless debut and bringing out Dr. Dre. The crowd? Unhinged. P.I.M.P, Candy Shop, Big Rich Town, a cacophony of generational flashbacks, tears, chaos. Perfect.
D Block Europe rounded off the weekend. Accompanied by Nafe Smallz, Clavish, and a sea of smoke and bass, they closed Wireless by taking it to Pakistan, Darling, and pure euphoria.
Wireless 2023 was not just a festival, but a living playlist stitched together from TikTok sounds, world rhythms, and local legends. And if Day 2 and 3 were proof of anything, it’s this: British weather can’t silence things when the culture is this loud.
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