Saturday 6th July
All roads led to Glynde Place for the latest instalment of this long-established local festival since the inaugural event in 2013. Brighton Source has covered all but the first one and you can read our previous reviews here. As with all previous years there is an eclectic mix of music legends, household names and newcomers.
Despite creating a meticulously-crafted spreadsheet, it wasn’t possible to be in two (or three) places at once so, due to overcrowded tents and set clashes, flexibility was to be the order of the weekend. Plus we had the mixed bag of windy weather to contend with that closed shops and smaller stages over the weekend.
Our first performance was Edinburgh-based vocalist Edy Forey who, despite feedback and monitor issues, delivered a strong set that ended with a samba bang on ‘Piece Of Mind’. The main stage opener Joel Culpepper worked the crowd well and gathered huge cheers when he went topless. His band were superb and included Shawn Lee on drums and a guest appearance from Tom Misch, who played guitar on ‘Free’ from last year’s EP collaboration.
Pianist John Carroll Kirby’s band kicked off with a slowed-down take on The Headhunters’ ‘Butterfly’ before Eddie Chacon (of Charles & Eddie fame) joined to give an assured Yacht Soul performance that wafted through the tent like a cool Californian breeze – his ethereal voice at times sounding like a blend of Curtis Mayfield and Green Gartside. The duet on ‘Pleasure, Joy & Happiness’ was a beautiful end to a wonderful show.
The high winds meant the Next Generation stage was temporarily shut but shelter was to be found in the company of Cécile McLorin Salvant who last appeared at the festival in 2016. She eased into her set with a few, slower standards that showcased her wide vocal range and allowed ample space for her band to solo. She breezed through Bob Dorough and Fran Landesman’s ‘Nothing Like You’, easily navigating the rapid-fire tongue-twisting lyrics and even managed to make Sting’s ‘Until’ sound classy. Another cover, ‘Promises Promises’ was sung in honour of Dionne Warwick whose performance Cécile was sadly going to miss.
Sananda Maitreya and his long-time band The Sugar Plum Pharaohs’ soulful rock songs featured the leader on guitar but his raspy voice made him sound like a cool Rod Stewart. Terence Trent D’Arby fans were rewarded with “something you might remember” as the 80s star gave us ‘Wishing Well’, ‘Sign Your Name’ and a Hammond organ-led ‘Dance Little Sister’. Another TTD hit, ‘Holding On To You’ closed the set that omitted ‘If You Let Me Stay’, sticking to the showbiz credo of “always leave them wanting more.”
Soulful House genius Josh Milan was in full flow as we joined halfway through his set. ‘Tender’ was a typical classic dancer with Josh seated at the keyboard and singing, with the band and backing vocalists giving their all alongside him. He remained seated but still managed to dance his way through ‘Thinking About Your Body’ and looking around it was clear this was the happiest crowd so far. He saved his “secret weapon” til last with the banging ‘For Me’, with Dawn Tallman taking lead vocal, that lifted the already ecstatic crowd to another level.
Jazz Fusion giant Billy Cobham’s eight-piece band was as wonderfully noodley and jazz-rocky as you’d expect with the 80-year-old drummer a masterly driving force behind two TAMA bass drums. For some reason, the stage was covered in dry ice for the entire hour but the shortened set ended well with a no-nonsense, straight-ahead blues. Outside, large groups of people were huddled around phones and devices watching the England match, while on the South Downs stage French powerhouse drummer Manu Katché continued the jazz rock theme, taking the vocal lead on ‘Dragging Me Down’. A more soulful feel came when vocalist Isabel Sörling joined for a few numbers.
By far the biggest crowd of the day at the South Downs stage was for Dionne Warwick, with the tent at capacity long before she was due onstage. The wait was worth it when she wandered out unannounced and went straight into ‘Walk On By’. There followed a set full of 60s pop classics, many written for her by Bacharach and David. ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’, ‘This Girl’s In Love WIth You’, ‘Message To Michael’ came in quick succession as she held court, stood at the piano or seated on a stool. Eldest son David Elliott joined on a couple of songs including an updated ‘I Say A Little Prayer For You’ and showed what a fine voice he’d inherited. That said, Miss Warwick’s voice has held up surprisingly well at the age of 83 as has her sense of humour as shown by some playful Cilla-baiting before ‘Alfie’ and taking an exaggerated deep breath before the key change in ‘I’ll Never Love This Way Again’. A beautiful ‘That’s What Friends Are For’, again with Elliott, ended the show to huge applause as they took bows and walked off together.
The promoters went out on a limb by having relative newcomer, neo-soul star, 25-year-old Olivia Dean headlining the main stage, possibly in an aim to gain a younger audience. Our initial doubts were soon proved unfounded as her on point vocals and tight band wowed a crowd that included many family members, with songs from her album ‘Messy’ plus new song ‘Time’ – one of several numbers where she accompanied herself on guitar. Her voice was well-suited to the Bossa Nova feel of ‘Touching Toes’ which segued into Jobim’s ‘Corcovado’. Chats about the perils of Instagram and girls toilets showed she knows her audience well. She oozed confidence and charm and her headline slot was well-deserved.
Sunday 7th July
Still knackered from Saturday’s excellent but exhausting, weather-beaten day, we arrived onsite in time to catch New York’s Olatuja whose blend of English and Yoruba songs recalled early Labelle before being blown away by the frontline of Balimaya Project’s thunderous drummers and exquisite kora whose West African rhythms really got the crowd moving.
Over on the alfresco New Generation Stage, the Laura Impallomeni Quintet drew a large audience that appreciated their forward thinking set spearheaded by the leader’s fine trombone work. The main stage was in a dancing and singing mood for The Funk Soul Brothers where David Grant and Junior Giscombe rolled back the years with their 80s jazz funk classics ‘Intuition’ and ‘Mama Used To Say’. Imagination drummer Errol Kennedy seemed to be lip synching on a rap number, so it was good to have their mohawked MC Spencer taking the lead on the Imagination hits. A fun trip down memory lane for the soul boys and girls in attendance.
The recently-reformed Galliano (read our recent interview with them here) tore up the stage with a mix of jazz rap bangers, old and new. Pharoah Sanders was referenced with ‘The Creator Has A Masterplan’ and ‘Prince Of Peace’ but they really came into their own with Ski Oakenfull’s classy keyboard solos and Valerie Etienne’s soaring voice on ‘Jazz?’ as Rob Gallagher roamed and riffed around the stage whipping up the crowd.
The Black Pumas were one of the surprises of the weekend with singer Eric Burton proving himself a star turn and an exceptional soul vocalist. He was soon off the stage onto the stacks before jumping into the audience (to “get to know them better”) and receiving a huge cheer for an incredibly long-held note. He was ably supported by himself on guitar and some harmonious backing vocals and a super slick band. Possibly the best performance of the weekend.
Bass player Robert ‘Kool’ Bell still leads the band he formed, as The Jazziacs, in 1964. Today’s Kool & The Gang were a tight unit who plucked the finest songs from their rich 70s and 80s back catalogue, with ‘Jungle Boogie’ and ‘Hollywood Swinging’ getting their own animated videos. Later hits ‘Joanna’ and ‘Get Down On It’ were crowd pleasers but final song ‘Celebration’ made you wonder why they weren’t closing the festival.
Kyle Eastwood guested on bass with pianist Andrew McCormack and they interacted wonderfully with each other on a diverse set that included Charlie Parker’s ‘Confirmation’ and another Sting cover, this time a Baroque-style ‘Fragile’. We would have loved to stay but tonight’s headliner had already started her set.
Fresh from curating and performing at this year’s Meltdown Festival, Chaka Khan looked and sounded amazing, swooping and soaring over her incredible band with career highs such as ‘Flashlight’, ‘Sweet Thing’ and ‘I Feel For You’. There was an overlong dance troupe and DJ section while she took a breather but this was soon forgotten when special guest Christian McBride took a double bass solo as Chaka expertly scatted through ‘A Night In Tunisia’. Saving the best to last, this year’s closing songs were a pair of anthems: ‘I’m Every Woman’ and a celebratory encore of ‘Ain’t Nobody.
This joyful all-ages festival has gone from strength to strength each year and is rightly loved by performers and punters alike. Who knows which great artists they’ll pull out of the hat for next year?
Love Supreme Festival, Glynde Place 6th-7th July 2024
Super early bird tickets for next year are now on sale from here.
Photos by Francesca Moore and Steve Clements.
