Bute Park, Cardiff

Sat 30 Sept

Say what you like about global warming – and many do – but amongst the litany of Bad Things its responsible for, one pleasant knock-on effect is the stringing out of bare-sleeves weather well into September. So bid farewell to summer and welcome in autumn in extra-large fashion this September when Inside Out festival lands in Bute Park, bringing with it an enormous boatload of international talent in which to dance a merry jig to under the harvest moon.

It’s quite the duo of big hitters which head up proceedings  – Annie Mac, Radio 1’s queen of the airwaves and keeper of the prized weekend warm-up slot once presided over by Pete ‘Tongy’ Tong headlines. Alongside her is the rejuvenated Craig David, chiselled and buff, back from years in the critical and commercial wilderness (well, Miami actually, but you get the gist). After his superb appearance on the Kurupt FM 1Xtra takeover in 2015 and collaboration with Big Narstie on When The Bassline Drops, Southampton’s finest has slipped into his new role as the musclebound patron saint of garage with aplomb.

But that’s not all! There’s a quality to be found all over the bill. We’ve got our eye on sets from one-third of dubstep supergroup Magnetic Man and general expert party-starter Artwork, as well as a tearout from drum’n’bass godfathers Fabio and Grooverider. There’s also an appearance from grime royalty and ‘Dench’ originator Lethal Bizzle to look forward to. Masked house man Claptone brings smooth-yet-eerie house sounds to the table, while second-generation Glaswegian DJ Jasper James promises vibes by the bucketload. There’s also the prospect of the Stickmen, a DJ and drummer duo who had crowds gawping at this very event last year. Still want more? Then how about Kamo & Krooked’s widescreen drum’n’bass, or the tough tech-house sounds of OC & Verde?

So, what are you waiting for? It’ll be dark by 4pm before you know it and dead miserable until April at the earliest, save for a brief few weeks of fun around Christmas. Might as well make the most of it.

Tickets: £30. Info: www.insideoutcardiff.co.uk

words KRISTIAN DANDO