Strawberries and Creem festival was a sweet delight with garage classics and Shaggy
Fans got wild at this trip down memory lane
A GRIME festival in the middle of a field might sound more like a comical planning mix-up than a recipe for success.
But now in its fourth year, Cambridgeshire-based urban music bash Strawberries and Creem continues to go from strength to strength, getting bigger and better every summer.
An crowd varying from straw-hat wearing students to London MCs on a countryside day trip were soon all necking cider together like old friends, while dancing to the garage classics of Artful Dodger.
And there was more to like for fans of old-school hip hop later in the afternoon, as DJ Rachael Anson played a blistering set which was one of the day's stand-out moments.
For a new, small festival, the day ran remarkably smoothly, with the exception of a disappointing failure to show by former Streets star Mike Skinner and some confusion over set times.
Later in the day dancehall act Heatwave got the crowd ready for the headliners with an absolutely pounding hour of classic tracks by artists like Vybz Kartel, while the main stage hosted a heaving crowd for super-cool rapper J Hus.
At the very top of the billing was grime star Wiley, who finished the night with an odd half-hour set including Wearing My
Rolex and Heatwave before simply wandering off without so much as a goodbye.
But the day's real star was second-on-the bill musical legend Shaggy. The Mister Boombastic hitmaker spent well over an hour onstage, showing the audience Jamaica's famous "dutty whine" dance move, before launching into his impressive back catalogue.
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With Angel, Oh Carolina, and of course, It Wasn't Me to choose from, a seriously-sunburnt crowd were soon singing along to every word.
The day's only drawback was the issues with transport to and from the remote site. While organisers now lay on a shuttle bus to the centre of Cambridge, the 11pm finish time leaves fans travelling back to London via train with no choice but to leave early - or miss the last train and stay overnight.
Fortunately hotel chain Travelodge has stepped in to help out festival-goers, offering a range of deals which mean they don't have to miss the headliners - but also don't break the bank.
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