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We Are FSTVL 2018 Brought the Summer Vibes with HYTE, Circoloco, Defected & More [Event Review]

June 12, 2018 By Madhvi Mavadiya

Carl Cox at the Techno Warehouse – HYTE (Photo Credit: Andrew Whitton).

We Are FSTVL returned with a bang last bank holiday and having been located a stone’s throw away from central London and near the county of Essex, it provided the perfect location for many city revelers to partake in their first festival of the summer season. Under the scorching sunshine, music fans headed to Upminster station where the pubs were full to the brim with party-starters before they headed to the festival site on the shuttle bus that was provided by the event. Of all the festivals in London, We Are FSTVL is by far the most organised festival that we have every attended with the largest and most diverse range of electronic music which heavily promoted niche subgenres and honestly had something for everyone, in terms of stage set-up, activities and food.

After getting off the shuttle bus, which was full of pumped up festival-goers, we had to join the queue to get in and before not too long, we were through the security checks and into the event where we were met with the awesome main stage, that was already pounding with music and provided shade on the already sweltering hot day. Near the main arena which hosted the likes of My Nu Leng, Hannah Wants and Gorgon City, who were our favourite DJs of that stage on Day One, there was a bar, a number of stalls selling clothes and offering glitter body art, which many chosen to cover themselves in as was seen across the two days.

Photo Credit: We Are Festival 2018

A few drinks later, we headed to the VIP area, where there was a more relaxed atmosphere with sun beds and a lot of people just deciding to bask in the sunshine before the evening rowdiness set in. This area also had better toilets and a private stage where if you wanted to have a more relaxed festival feel, you could seek refuge in the VIP area. This area also made you feel as if you were on holiday and had a slight Ibiza Ocean Beach Club vibe, especially with the white soft seating but you’re just dancing on grass! After jumping around some of the stages like HotBed and GlitterBox, we decided to head to Circoloco where we saw Amelie Lens playing.

Her energy is world-renowned now and she got her audience moving along to her techno rhythms under the expansive canopy and as techno always does, those at the front of the stage became close as we heard “In Silence” being played and we fell in love with Amelie yet again, some having her heard play live and in the flesh for the first ever time. All We Are festival-goers seemed to think the Circoloco stage was their best stage of the weekend and we also agree with that sentiment; while Amelie Lens was the top DJ of the day, Joseph Capriati and Jackmaster and Seth Troxler also treated us to their sets.

Amelie Lens at the Aerodome – Circo Loco (Photo Credit: Max Miechowski)

For a completely different kind of atmosphere, we then headed to the Desperados Club, which looked like an abandoned house from the outside but inside, it provided a cool refuge and also had a bar inside that never had a queue, so throughout the day, these little hot spots became good places to grab a few drinks without having to wait a long time; there was also a hidden Rekorderlig stage with little bars selling cider too. After relaxing in these smaller music venues, we headed to BassJam and after capturing some reggae and good vibes with audience participation, we were thrust into the rest of the day which was mostly drum and bass and really showed us how much the genre has continued to dominate electronic music as a whole.

Sub Focus playing “Lingua” really got us into the mood for a boogie among other drum and bass lovers and we were so enthralled that we stayed at that stage through their set, throughout newcomer James Hyde’s performance and saw Sasasas kick things off before heading back to the main stage. Sigma put on a good show but this was just a warm to Carl Cox at the Hyte stage, what we had all be waiting for, and for the label’s first time at the event and in the UK as a whole, he definitely crushed it. We’ll definitely be back next year and we’re sure you will want to be too. Get your We Are 2019 tickets here!