Love Saves The Day Review

Words by David Jeffery-Hughes

The scorching Bristol sun was already bearing down as I began my wander around Ashton Court’s sprawling grounds for Sunday at Love Saves The Day. As ever, the festival’s stage designs were immaculate, beautifully crafted structures nestled perfectly among the estate’s lush greenery. A quick detour to the Dubtendo Stage delivered exactly the kind of quirky rave energy Bristol is renowned for: Mario characters blowing bubbles and bouncing to drum and bass. Peak Bristol, really.

Photos by David Jeffery-Hughes

As temperatures climbed even higher, I caught what became my personal highlight of the day: Rizzle Kicks. The duo brought a much-needed blast of hyped-up ska that instantly shifted the crowd into full summer mode. Backed by a horn section and armed with a cracking selection of hits (I’d genuinely forgotten just how many bangers they’ve got) they bounded across the stage with textbook showmanship. The real treat came towards the end of their set when they unveiled a brand-new, unreleased track. It’s an absolute cracker. From the opening note, it’s unmistakably Rizzle Kicks: looped samples, punchy trumpets, and a dose of classic rap swagger.

Next up were London jungle duo 4AM Kru, who burst onto the stage with a full troupe of dancers in tow. This was another relentlessly high-energy set, but with a live element you rarely see from rave acts. Howie hammered away at an electronic drum kit while Stu worked the decks and whipped the crowd into a frenzy. I’m always a fan when acts like this make space for dancers. Having people on stage throwing shapes makes the whole thing far more compelling to watch. It clearly rubbed off on the audience too; as the temperature finally dipped to something bearable, the crowd loosened up and really started moving.

I rounded off the night with headliner Sammy Virji, whose set delivered a perfect blend of Latin and African jazz inflections threaded through that unmistakable UK garage framework, shades of early Skream and Benga in there too. A particular shout-out to the visuals: a huge, warped projection of Sammy loomed behind the decks, making for some brilliantly trippy shots and giving photographers plenty to play with.

All told, it was a glorious day in the sun and the ideal festival for a Bristol crowd. Jungle, drum and bass, and plenty of weirdness in between. Huge thanks to the team from Plaster for being such brilliant hosts in the press tent; they made the whole shooting experience a genuine pleasure.

Photos by David Jeffery-Hughes