This September, Annie Mac will be headlining Inside Out Festival in Cardiff. Following the great success of last year’s inaugural Inside Out, the festival is set to make a return for 2017. The one-day festival will take place in Bute Park on the last Saturday of the month.
Last year, the likes of Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status, Wiley and Redlight turned the greenery in to an exciting and vibrant festival setting. Kicking off at midday and finishing at 10.30pm (word to the wise: look out for afterparties wherever late licences are to be found) Inside Out 2017 is likely to attract a large, and youthful (further word to the wise: it’s an over 18s event), audience.
Inside Out is one of the larger upcoming festivals contributing to Cardiff’s presence on the map as a burgeoning city and magnet for big-league pop music events. This year, festival attendees can expect an impressive lineup of some of the most favoured DJs and MCs currently on the circuit (style-wise, expect a heady combo of grime, bassy house, techno and drum’n’bass), a fairground, street food stalls, multiple bars and a VIP area. Word is that it’s set to be better still this year, too, with the addition of shisha gardens, extra stages and a bigger funfair.
To date, two headliners have been announced as tickets go on sale, with more to be unveiled later in June. First out of the blocks was Irish radio personality and clubbing icon Annie Mac, who has been building up her successful career over the last 10 years, and has become a staple name in the dance world. Inside Out is one of the few chances locals will get to catch her in the flesh this year.
The second name to be revealed is Craig David, breakout star of the original UK garage explosion now enjoying a second flush of success. Craig will be performing his TS5 set at Inside Out, in which he combines DJing, MCing and singing – the essence of the scene from whence he sprang, in short, and a major part of his commercial rebirth since he launched TS5 in 2013.
Orchard Entertainment, in conjunction with Climax Productions and SWG Productions, are the names behind a festival that’ll be ending the summer with a bang. Further acts are set to be announced soon, and we can only anticipate that it will be as good as last year.
Inside Out Festival, Bute Park, Cardiff, Sat 30 Sept. Tickets: £25 (first release). Info: www.insideoutcardiff.co.uk
words ANWEN WILLIAMS