“You know, big smoke… it’s a nickname for London,” Skepta said in his Capital XTRA interview back in December. “This could be THE London festival if we get it correct.”

Sat alongside his Mas Tiempo collaborator Jammer, he goes on to explain their true motive for organising Big Smoke Festival: “It’s not about us headlining every year. It’s about us making the inception as great as we can, then we step aside and leave space for more up-and-coming people.” “It’s our ethos,” Jammer adds. “From BBK to lord of the mics… We’ve been trying to give opportunities to other people.”

This mentality – paired with the unique appeal of having the house-heavy Mas Tiempo Stage as an alternative to the main one – meant Big Smoke had all the makings to be a refreshing new addition to London’s festival calendar.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing in the run up to the event though. The setlist schedule was announced a couple days before, with the England-Switzerland game dominating the afternoon on the Big Smoke Stage. This meant setlists were trimmed down – some as short as 20 minutes – and some, including a much-anticipated K-Trap set, were bumped from the lineup entirely. Based on the comments on socials, fans were divided about this decision. Well, I say divided: 90% were a bit p*ssed off, and 10% (who mainly tended to be of the bucket-hat-clad-bloke variety) were buzzing about it.

Despite this wobble, and despite the weather not being able to make up its mind, the festival got going at a sprint. The Big Smoke Stage played host to a nice variety of sounds in the pouring rain: Janelle Wynter kicked things off on the decks; Frisco was joined by INFAMOUSIZAK, Flowdan, and even his son ThaFirst for The Den’s half hour; Odumodublvck brought his genre-blending ‘Okporoko Rhythms’. Over on the Mas Tiempo stage, early DJ sets from the Menendez Brothers and Skepta himself brought an energy that even the sudden downpours couldn’t dampen.

This fast-paced tempo carried on throughout the day. In an effort to make up for lost time, songs were crammed into these shorter sets, with artists making sure to deliver all the necessary bangers. “No song is going till the end”, JME laughed as he worked through his discography at a manic speed that brought in a big early-afternoon crowd. Mahalia was up next, hitting some insane vocals and leading the crowd in a two-step, and for a brief window between showers the sun peaked through to reveal some flats on the South London horizon.

Crystal Palace Park felt like a fitting location for this South of the River celebration. The old Crystal Palace Bowl played host to a number of huge acts back in the day – The Who, Elton John, and Pink Floyd to name a few. Most famous of all was a rare performance from Bob Marley at the Summer of ’80 Garden Party festival (his biggest and sadly last UK appearance). Throughout the 90s and 00s though, the Bowl was mostly inactive and began to fall apart. Thankfully, this local landmark is now on the mend due to a recent #BackTheBowl crowdfunding campaign. Crystal Palace Park has been the setting for all sorts of festivals in recent years, from Wireless, to Community, to South Facing, to Dog Day Afternoon. But it feels right that now, thanks to Big Smoke, there’s an event to better represent the sound and culture of London.

The history of the park was marked by the inclusion of YG Marley on the lineup, who honoured his grandfather’s legacy by covering some of his timeless tunes, before rounding things off with the massive ‘Praise Jah in the Moonlight’. This was when the rain finally eased up a bit, just in time for England to once again put our blood pressure to the test. For those not fussed about the football, the Mas Tiempo Stage was a welcome alternative, with Jammer, Syreeta, and Loco Dice all bringing their own unique mix of house and techno – plus, the sun was here to stay!

Thankfully, despite an agonisingly drawn-out extra time and penalty shootout, England won – cue the limbs and lobbed beers – and it was finally time for The Streets. Mike Skinner brought a much-needed calming aura: “Relax. Breathe a sigh of relief,” he instructed the crowd. “We won the football. Go to the bar, get a drink, and enjoy.” As is often his style, he wasted no time getting down from the stage and in amongst the crowd, and even promised a grand to anyone who could hit the drumkit with this ball that was being chucked about (no one managed it, despite some good efforts). Skinner acknowledged the magnitude of the event, and the importance of the South London setting. “If you’re not from South London, pretend like you are today,” he told us during ‘Who’s Got the Bag’. “Pretend you had Morley’s for breakfast.”

While there sadly wasn’t a Morley’s stand, Big Smoke was the perfect platform for independent food vendors — from French-Caribbean options to seafood platters and Sri Lankan rice bowls, there was a bit of everything for everyone. It’s great to see that Skepta’s mindset of offering opportunities to others extended to all elements of Big Smoke, not just the lineup.

To round off the day, it was time for the man behind it all to take to the stage. Always looking to be honest with his fans, Skepta straight away apologised for the packed schedule and K-Trap being bumped. His setlist demonstrated his versatility, how he’s constantly reinventing himself and exploring new sounds. You had some grime, of course (‘Same S**t Different Day’, ‘That’s Not Me’ with his brother), but also some of his dancier songs (‘Gas Me Up’), some trap (‘It Ain’t Safe’), some afrobeat (‘Tony Montana’, ‘Energy’).

However, this was, as promised, a day for “opening doors”. R2R Moe, Nafe Smalls and Chip all had their moments in the limelight, with Skepta even stepping away at some points to allow them to do their own thing (and to give himself time for an outfit change). The production on the Big Smoke Stage really helped give the performance that headliner feel – flames, strobes, smoke, and even some fireworks to close off ‘Praise the Lord’ – and the Crystal Palace tower acted as a constant reminder of the day’s iconic location.

‘I came, I saw… it rains, it pours.’ Out of all of Skepta’s lyrics, these rung truest of all yesterday at Big Smoke Festival – and not just because it was p*ssing it down. Skepta and Jammer came, saw, and created an event that achieved exactly what they set out to do.