Jess Glynne at South Facing Festival

South Facing Festival at the Crystal Palace Bowl in London is a high-profile event every summer; over the span of two weeks, music fans flock to the grassy mounds to sing and dance along to various artists across many genres and have the time of their lives. From Grace Jones to The Roots, South Facing has established a jazzy, groovy tone this summer, and on 9^th August, headliner Jess Glynne and opener Cian Ducrot were met with a packed crowd of their own.

As rare sunny rays cast upon the Bowl, Irish singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot opened his set with one of his most loved tracks, Coming Home. Between the great acoustics of the setting, that charged every single strum of an electric guitar and press of every piano key, and Ducrot’s innate ability to light up a room, each song within the hour-long set ran into the next seamlessly. From playing hits like Heaven and Everyone Who Falls In Love (Has Someone Else They’re Thinking Of), to testing out unreleased songs like Break My Heart, Ducrot took South Facing on an emotional rollercoaster ride. After closing with the explosive I’ll Be Waiting and thanking his band, fans and South Facing, all it took was for him to mention Jess Glynne for the crowd to buzz with further anticipation.

Although many enjoyed laying out on picnic blankets in the warm sun, chatting with their friends and enjoying the overall atmosphere, as soon as headliner Glynne arrived at sunset, bodies shot up and screams were directed at the illusive shadow on the stage. A glorious mixture of raw instrumentals and angelic background harmonies entranced the audience as Glynne found her footing, and then the band jumped headfirst into Silly Me from her latest record. Just like the other tracks performed throughout the night, Silly Me had a new layer of jazz and rhythm, not only because of the singer’s impressive live vocal abilities but also because of her extraordinarily talented band. 

Glynne may be known for her prolific hits, but she is a completely different beast regarding live performance: whether it be taking the time to encourage the crowd, singing with her chest like there is no tomorrow or letting her band shine just as much, if not more, than her, the artist refused to take a moment to come up for air. Some acts may cheekily interact with fans or briefly thank their band at the end of the show, but Glynne made an effort to go above and beyond in both aspects. In Do You Know About Love?, Thursday and Enough, the singer put her ego to the side and made each song about her fans whilst also giving each member of the band a moment to have their own talents heard as well. 

Although Glynne had played some deeply personal and emotional songs up until this point, she brought the energy up with the hit Summer’s Back where she mirrored the ecstatic jumping and dancing of the crowd with her band. Smiles lined the faces of everyone within the festival bounds, including security and members of staff who could be seen bobbing their heads or filming the occasional video. 

If concertgoers thought she was ever going to stop celebrating her band, she proved them wrong during You Can Find Me, which was a major highlight for the entire night; Glynne not only gave a shout-out to each of her ten bandmates by name, but she also gave them each their own individual break and did nearly the same again during Friend of Mine three songs later just in case South Facing somehow forgot. Then, Glynne rounded out the set with her two most famous songs, Rather Be and Hold My Hand, which ended the night on an unforgettable note.

Overall, South Facing Festival on 9^th August never had a dull moment. Cian Ducrot set the stage for the headliner wonderfully with his high-energy setlist and charming personality. Jess Glynne, however, put on a show like no other. It is very rare to find an artist so humble, whether it be her just chatting away with attendees, noticing little shouts from the packed pit or taking herself completely out of the equation to make the show about the people around her. Glynne has much to be proud of, and this performance alone is yet another highlight on a long list of excellence. 

Taryn Crowley
Photos: Mike Garnell

For further information and future events visit Jess Glynne’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Enough here: