The first chapter of Exeter’s summer came last weekend with Thick As Thieves presents the second round of Hijacked Festival. With a lineup featuring kings and queens of party-centric house and electronica, Callum Burroughs headed along to a land of bucket hats for a great day of music.
[dropcap size=small]D[/dropcap]evon can delight on a regular basis, but it’s not everyday that it’s delivered with such gusto. Strong winds and loud basslines greeted revellers at this year’s Hijacked Festival at Powderham Castle, for another great day of live music and dance following a stand-out first year at Double Locks featuring Gorgon City and Bondax.
This year’s site was larger than last year’s, with more stages and larger bars. This allowed for the plethora of acts on show to attract keen audiences. The main stage, as well as the jungle and aquarium were constantly packed with people. The Aquarium in particular was an awesome venue, dark and intimate with vibrant lights and excellent DJs. Elli & Fur stood out for their pulsating set. The ominous threat of rain rarely emerged, keeping the hordes of partying Exonians dry and contented.
This catered for the main stage to become the hub of the action, with the legendary Congo Natty leading the musical excellence, accompanied by his son Congo Dubz and MCs Nancy and Phoebe. Followed up with the man himself Big Narstie and the superb Ms Dynamite, who brought out crowd pleasers Boo and Dy-Na-Mite. Sets filled with well known tunes were well received, as were some of Exeter’s favourite acts including Fred V and Grafix alongside a number of Thick as Thieves and Our House DJs.
Countless party goers enjoyed another great year at a festival that seems set to run and run with two brilliant occasions already in the bank. The only downsides may well have been bar queueing times and a drubbing in the FA Cup Final for Aston Villa. Headliner Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs supplied serious dancing vibes and some disco classics to round off the day before swathes of people headed off contented ready for next year.
Callum Burroughs
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