What Happened at Clints Festival?

Jordan McDonald

If you have ever had the pleasure of taking a flight somewhere, you know, it’s a load of hassle, there are check-ins, there are long queues, and the wait…The wait feels like forever; however, the people who went to the Aerodrome in Eccles, which is right next to Salford, didn’t have to go through any of that.

The people who decided to take coaches from London and Birmingham didn’t take long, and the people who lived more locally were either a short Uber ride or a bus journey if that. But why did people venture out to a place like this? Well, on Saturday, for the first time ever Clints Festival arrived delivered with the help of Zee Mathias.

The fashion brand founded by Junior Clint started five years ago, and in that time, he has managed to remarkably transform it into a beloved cultural movement. At the event, Manchester-based businesses from pop-up barbers to food stores were offering their services, pouring back into the city that birthed it.

Jordan McDonald

Landing the metaphorical plane home was South London rapper K-Trap at the Destination Stage, who, unsurprisingly, was greeted by a huge crowd waiting for him.

Trapo was dressed like all the other artists and most festivalgoers, in Clints gear. A teal green hoodie and black shorts. Hood up. He rapped with a clear and concise delivery as he went through tracks from the very beginning of his discovery to off of his debut album Smile? And the latest mixtapes.

When ‘Pryex Bowl’ came on, it caused mosh pits to erupt in the front and back of the sea of people, and when ‘Big Mood’ got reloaded twice, to the joy of the crowd, hands went up in the air mimicking shots fired.

A bit of something for everyone, he also wasn’t afraid to slow it down, creating intimacy with songs such as 'Heaven and Hell', and ‘Interlude’, another favourite was specifically dedicated to the girls who faithfully sang the lyrics back to him obsessively.

The big unforgettable moment was when Young Teflon surprised everyone by popping out to perform ‘RRR’ off the Trapo project. Closing the evening out, there was no other option but to end the night with crowd favourite ‘Warm’, but not before teasing the crowd by dropping hints through the set.

And that’s all without bringing attention to what happened earlier. The festival programme began with a line-up split between the main stage and the tent, where Manchester-based singer-songwriter Francesca, among others, impressed with her expressive and heartfelt depth, stirring something in us in an intimate space.

When the musicians took breaks, there was still life in the tent. Vibes, people skanking with their friends, scuffling up grass, after a few hours, however, it closes, and they join the main body of the festival.

There were other DJ sets in the tent at Terminal 1 stage from Keyrah, MixrMoe, Goovyhuh, Jordss, Fistoz and more whilst G2, Izzy Bossy and others blessed the stages in intervals on the main stage.

Chip casually walked out, drink in hand, to ‘WAVE Time 2’ on the main stage and then the North Londoner transitions easily into different eras and sounds, catering to an engaged, wide audience. The only problem with Chip’s set is that he didn’t have enough time to go through everything. He even teased a track, sampling ‘has it come to this’ by the Streets as a prelude to Mike Sinner’s DJ set.

Harry Mechen/HGD Productions

And then one to watch Manchester artist Deedot, whose distinct tone of voice has influences of a hybrid rap, dancehall, soul and R&B, expressed a cathartic-ness, before showcasing his versatility by bringing a more upbeat and energetic sound as he goes from melodic melody to crase, coarse, hard-hitting verses over drill beats, 808 drums.

During the festival’s more leisurely pace, Manchester’s very own Children of Zeus produced smooth, soulful R&B that had you relaxed, laidback, as people grooved, warmly embracing two of their own. Head nodding, body popping - slick rick, the sonic subtleties as Tyler’s sweet voice pieces through the air, and the funk-hip-hop inflexions of Konny’s cadence are paramount.

The crowd eagerly sang along to ‘No love song’, chanted ‘Be strong’ and prolonged the last few seconds of summer we thought had long abandoned us, despite grey skies and cold winds. Also, Sainte, in his own set styled out with his distinct smooth lo-fi rap style earlier on during the day and brought out AntsLive.

Before we got to the evening, where the sky transitioned from slate grey to black, lit up by the many phone lights, stage lights and illumination emitting from the rides. Naytana graced the main stage during the day.

Harry Mechen/HGD Productions

The R&B singer-songwriter, whose birthday was only a few days ago before the festival, proved why she’s so talked about as she sang with a heavenly tone, introducing herself to Manchester for the first time. Possessing a 90s quality to Natanya, it’s endearing and infectious. It’s also natural rather than forced. A pop star, who fearless dances and traipses on a stage with only her DJ, comfortable in her skin as she performs in front of a steadily growing crowd, who are all dressed out in Clints apparel. Heavy-duty denim jeans, NFL-style jersey, baggy cotton jeans.

“We have a small crowd”, she admitted, not bothered as the people began to slowly trickle through at 3:30 pm “but we have an amazing energy.”

As well as possessing a honey-like voice, she also possesses confidence in abundance. Sensuous, but also, as we find out, a hidden powerhouse.

She went through a number of tracks that included ‘Still on my mind’, ‘Moviestar’, ‘Shameless’, ‘Crazy’ and most notably her latest track ‘Jezebel’, for the first time ever - a dedication to women. She showcased a more rock, more edgy side before going 'It’s Forever’ and ending with ‘Daydream’.

It’s why the theme of aeroplanes, airports, flying, departing and arriving is so suitable for the festival. During the performance, a small plane takes off, flying in the air, close enough so you can make out the detail on the side of it, and could signal the beginnings of a young career taking flight, like the festival itself.

As mentioned, the festival only ran for one day, in Eccles for its first edition; however, there is hope and expectation that the festival will be a recurring event in the north.