Some festivals feel like they just aren’t meant to happen, and with Thursday night featuring 50mph of wind and more than an inch of rain, Tropical Pressure 2023 seemed like it fit that bill.
Then, a miracle happened. The build had survived. People got onto the site. Music started. I was inevitably expecting cutbacks, if not the whole thing being called off.
But no. Tropical Pressure 2023, was going ahead, in all its glory, and by Jehovah, it was glorious.
As always, Mount Pleasant Ecopark was a fantastic festival venue. Blessed with easily draining ground, convenient natural landforms and utterly amazing views, Tropical Pressure has one of the best sites in the business, and they know how to use it. Four different music venues were playing sounds across the event and bloody hell, was it good.
The festival’s lineup, as is traditional for the event, was themed across its three days, with Friday playing host to Latin American Music, Saturday dedicated to melodies and rhthyms from the African continent and Sunday featuring the sounds of the Caribbean islands.
Some of my highlights from Latin Day include Luzmira Zerpa, who played an energetic Latin Folk set on the main stage. Particular high points of her performance included a rendition of a traditional Brazilian cowboy song and her electrical final number.
My Friday favourite from the second venue, the Amphitheatre, was Tuto Tribe. Tuto Tribe bring together a lot of the things I like and fuse them very well. A dual saxophone Latin ska orchestra seemingly influenced by Vaudville, and its eastern and Jewish roots, Tuto Tribe were a bouncy, funny, experience I desperately wanted to have again. I highly recommend joining their saxophone-led conga train whenever you get the chance.
The headliner, La Dame Blanche, from Cuba, was also an absolute treat. Always smoking a cigar before her performance, La Dame merges flute lines with Spanish language Hip Hop, Cumbia, and Dancehall, to uproarious effect, and the crowd loved every minute of it.
On Saturday, we were treated to even more incredible performances. The first thing which caught my eye was a majestic and massive stringed drum in the Amphitheater. Played by Gaspar Nali, from Malawi, it was utterly enchanting and kept much of the audience spellbound.
Following on, on the main stage, were Yamaya. With the energy of a continuously crashing wave, they used their horns to force the crowd into a jubilant, wild party atmosphere. Many danced, and much joy was had. After them, came Sam Redmore and their Tropical Soundclash All Stars, who kept the energy high with their funky, brass-heavy set, taking influence from all around the world. The audience participation was infectious, and the booming drums kept the pace up throughout their performance. Juanita Euka followed with her Latin-infused music, looking striking on stage and getting the crowd moving with her sweet salsa beats.
The headliner for Saturday was Alogete Oho and his Sounds of Joy. Hailing from the northern part of Ghana, their jubilant celebration of music was enchanting, with rhythmically soaring, distorted, high-pitched guitar lines and a love for cheesy 80s synths. Their performance evolved into a drum-fueled spectacular, with big band energy that forced everyone to dance like mad.
Sunday started with the Skatalites, a good ska reggae cover band. They played Bob Marley, and some ska standards, but their originals and genre shifts were where they shined. They could do with more confidence to do more of their own material, but their set was enjoyed nonetheless.
Next was the Steelers, a youth group steel drum band, that covered Rage Against the Machine, Led Zeppelin, and performed a big old medley. Despite the rain, their Toots cover was lovely for the morning.
Following them were the Caberats, an accordion-driven ska adjacent band, who, in my opinion, were absolutely brilliant. Their performance was filled with humour and energy, with a big finale, with the vocalist singing like a siren before they rocked out with an Eastern-inspired breakdown.
King Dinosaur brought joyous ska and borderline honky-tonk rock and roll to the Amphitheatre. Their brilliant covers, great originals, and obvious happy on-stage energy were a delight. They are quite a show, so catch them if you can.
However, my Friday highlight was Dafutchaman and the Fire Blaze Band, who brought their powerful brought reggae dancehall energy to the main stage. Their 10-piece band, with singers in uniform, was led by a fantastic bandleader whose voice was reminiscent of a thundergod. Their performance made the festival finally feel tropical, despite the khaki ponchos.
In the evening, David Walters brought chill, smooth, groovy music from Haiti, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, which enchanted the audience while headliners Janet Kay and Caroll Thompson, performing together as the Queens of Lovers Rock suffered a delay early on, with their band having to entertain the crowd with stilted chatter. However, when they came on, they were melodious and wonderful, a sonic treat with more tunes I knew than I expected.
Late at night, the infamous Channel One Sound System provided tropical pressure with an amazing wall of sound, hitting you in the face with absolutely top-tier selection. While they were not using their own, custom-made speakers, Channel One is still one of the best-recorded music experiences available in the UK.
Despite the weather, Tropical Pressure 2023 managed to be a fantastic festival. The music was diverse, equal parts exciting and enchanting. The venue was beautiful, and the atmosphere was energetic and joyful.
My only serious criticism is the festival’s decision to go entirely vegan. Previously vegetarian, this could have been a problem for people with specific dietary needs or preferences. However, overall, Tropical Pressure 2023 was a memorable and enjoyable experience that I’d recommend to almost anyone.
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