Peggy Gou

From the moment I walked into the stunning Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, it felt like it could be a special night. And thankfully, the perfectly curated line-up playing against the backdrop of the Thames proved me right.

Kicking things off for me was Welsh producer Kelly Lee Owens, who blended her own melodic post-rave tracks like ‘Ascend’ and ‘Higher’ with big hitters like Basement Jaxx’s ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ and Radiohead’s ‘Everything in Its Right Place’, drawing a more than decent crowd for half three in the afternoon.

I was lucky enough to be allowed access to the Painted Hall as well as a few VIP seating areas that really elevated the experience; the venue as a whole was incredibly beautiful, with the back of the stage open to give everyone a direct view of the river. Food stalls were obviously on the more expensive side but undoubtedly high quality (a very generous helping of steak and chips kept my energy high!)

MPH followed on from Owens with a more garage, high-energy sound that kicked the day into gear proper. It could be considered a cheat code to drop ‘One More Time’ by Daft Punk, but he did it, and it predictably went down an absolute treat. Calvin Harris’s ‘I’m Not Alone’ was another classic that whipped up the growing crowd.

One thing I appreciated a lot was the complete lack of dead time in the day; the acts all crossed over on the decks between their sets to ensure the music didn’t stop at all, through till 11pm.

Prospa were next up, with some of their own tracks getting the biggest crowd reactions of the night; ‘This Rhythm’ earlier on in the two-hour set was a big one, but the way everyone in Greenwich reacted to the first few notes of ‘Free Your Mind’ must have the organisers considering them for a headline slot down by the Thames next time around, hopefully with both present. Harvey is currently recovering from eardrum perforation so Gosha stepped up on his own, and delivered a great set.

Peggy Gou appeared towards the end of Prospa’s set, and you could see her enjoying the music before it was her time to step up, a moment that helped me realise she really does love what she does. Her set was eclectic but still seemed expertly curated, with remixes of ‘Are You Listening Yet?’ by Harry Styles and ‘Short Skirt/Long Jacket’ by Cake sitting beside reworkings of the Sugababes’ (absolute banger) ‘Round Round’. 

Peggy’s recent single ‘Wo, man’ featuring Ayra Starr was a set highlight, with her super-sleek dancers elevating the track down in front of the decks, and Peggy herself joining in with the TikTok-ready dance routine. Of course, mega-hit ‘(It Goes Like) Na Na Na’ was a huge moment and everyone was waiting for it to drop, but when it did it was a truly joyous, euphoric sing-along moment. I assumed that would be the big set closer to send everyone home happy and chanting on the walk back along the river, but Gou still had one trick up her sleeve.

When she proclaimed that Gala was coming to the stage, many punters around me seemed confused. But as soon as ‘Freed From Desire’ began playing, ten thousand pennies dropped and the place went up. Fireworks accompanied the anthem and lit up the Thames behind the stage in an almost too picturesque moment that will live on in my memory for years to come.