12 things we learned at Parklife 2016

Photo: Billy Seagrave

Parklife was back for another year at the weekend, still maintaining absolutely no link to Blur’s 1994 hit but continuing to provide the early summer festival-goers with a hefty dose of DJs, grime acts and big pop hitters.

With The Chemical Brothers and Major Lazer topping the bill this year, towards the bottom of it came the rain and mud which swamped Manchester. Other than always remembering to bring your wellies, here’s the twelve things we learnt from Heaton Park. 

If you haven’t guessed by now, everyone loves grime

It’d be stupid to act surprised at the crowds flocking to watch the UK’s most hyped about human beings right now but the turnout for both Skepta and Stormzy’s main stage sets was gobsmacking. They’ve firmly cemented UK grime as the most exciting movement around in years and they’ve done it equipped with an army of Adidas tracksuit followers.

Diplo can do no wrong

Diplo is the man who’s got more fingers in pies than Mr Kipling and had the audacity to whip out Souljaboy in his own set before closing Parklife with a belting Major Lazer performance. The man can do no wrong.

'One Dance' was the most played song of the weekend

If you’d been living under a rock for the past three months Parklife may have provided you with your new favourite song; the catchy, timeless, quintessential summer track, ‘One Dance’ by Drake. For those who’ve been subjected to Drake’s drivel at No.1 for nine weeks, the pain did not end this weekend as almost every DJ set wasn’t complete without dropping it. Marks for originality go to Gorgon City though who performed their own version of the song.

Jack Garratt is a man for all occasions

Jack Garratt’s performance on Saturday afternoon could have been easily overshadowed by the array of DJs that the majority of the Parklife faithful go for, but, now rocking dungarees and a full blown drum kit, Garratt gave them a run for their money. ‘The Love Your Given’ teetered on the depths of drum and bass and Garratt’s bold cover of Craig David/ Justin Timberlake was one of the moments of the weekend. At times he may be labelled a by-product of Radio One diluted pop, but live he brings that extra edge to fit into the typically EDM line up.

It seems no one considered clashes

Boasting one of the best line ups at UK festivals comes with its downfalls. Too many times festival goers had to pick between some of the biggest names on the bill. From the clash of two of the biggest double acts, The Chemical Brothers and Chase and Status, to a horrible headline toss-up between Major Lazer and Jamie XX. The original line up may have seemed too good to be true.

Ice Cube should stick to the music

Many may have raised an Ice Cube-style eyebrow when his name cropped up on the Parklife line up. The star of few critically acclaimed films showed us where his real skills lie, with some of the most notorious hip hop tracks brought from Compton to Heaton Park on Saturday evening. ‘Fuck Tha Police’ and ‘Straight Outta Compton’ provided the two biggest rap-alongs of the weekend.

Phone signal is non existent

Isn’t it great going to a festival with all your mates? Well if you go to Parklife you’re most likely to go with your friends but won’t be coming back with them. The lack of phone signal is notorious so if you nip to the loo make sure you arrange a place to meet your mates or you’ll be stuck watching Jess Glynne with a load of underage girls rather than getting down to Skepta with your boys.

David Rodigan is the cool uncle you never had

David Rodigan. Many people will have heard the reggae master’s name but not seen the face until the weekend when he transformed the Temple into ‘Rodigan’s Super Ram Jam’. Looking like a much cooler Chris Evans, and gathering more spectators than him on the Sunday evening, his knowledge and love for reggae allowed us to forgive his awkward hip thrusts.

The Chemical Brothers are terrifyingly good live

The Chemical Brothers stole the weekend and their name could still be heard from hungover corners of Heaton Park by Sunday morning. No matter how many up and coming DJs there were on offer, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons show was second to none. From ‘Go’ to ‘Block Rockin’ Beats’, neon body-poppers to creepy clowns, it was a visual onslaught from start to finish and probably a bit terrifying if you were feeling a little worse for wear.

Major Lazer know how to dress for the occasion (OR Major Lazer are big sports fans)

Diplo and co have a habit of turning up to their shows in that specific country’s attire to make themselves feel that bit more at home. This time the trio donned the four lions football kit which was fitting as Euro 2016 kicked off the same weekend. Less appropriate perhaps was the costume change into, wait for it, cricket whites. Did they not get the memo about the weather forecast?

Muhammad Ali’s legacy lives on

Despite the grim weather, good vibes were in the air at Heaton Park with many acts taking the opportunity to pay tribute to those who have passed away this year. Both Ice Cube and Busta Rhymes dedicated songs to boxing legend Muhammad Ali and late musician Prince.

Spontaneity at Parklife will fail you. Plan the festival.

Some festivals are easy. You can roll out of your tent and be at the mainstage in minutes, not Parklife though. Heaton Park takes, for the average festival goer, an hour or two to get to including multiple bus changes so it’s worth planning your day to avoid missing the array of big acts on before the sun sets.