Skepta's Inaugural Big Smoke Festival Was Dope

Skepta threw his Big Smoke Festival in Crystal Palace Park last weekend - and what a day it was.

On the Mas Tiempo stage, we saw Skepta do his own DJ set, along with Jammer (Skepta's BBK and Mas Tiempo partner) also doing his own set later on in the day. they were also joined by Honeyluv, Uncle Waffles, Loco Dice, The Menendez Brothers and more. House music lovers will need to keep an eye on Mas Tiempo's future ventures because this stage was lively from start to finish.

Over on the Big Smoke Stage (main stage), we saw The Den take over with DJ Oblig hosting Frisco, Manga Saint Hilaire, Grammy award winner Flowdan and more showcasing their Grime capabilities, kicking off the festival the right way. Lancey Foux followed, with JME jumping straight on stage after that to raise the energy levels even more, performing iconic tracks and having the fans spitting every single word.

We also saw Mahalia take over the stage with her stunning vocals and offer something a bit different from the other acts on the stage. Next up, YG Marley took over for his first-ever UK performance and despite the initial sound system issues, he put on a show - and seemed to bring the sunshine with him following the downpours earlier on in the day. Performing his iconic track "Praise Jah In The Moonlight" as well as performing some of his Grandfather's iconic hits like "Jamming" and getting the crowd in the mood.

The day just so happened to be the same day as England's Quarter-Final clash with Switzerland, so the Big Smoke stage was host to the football while that was on. Luckily, Gareth Southgate's men won on penalties, lifting energy levels once again and who better to follow that result than Mike Skinner and The Streets? Performing legendary tracks like "Fit But You Know It" and "Dry Your Eyes" (which thanks to England winning, nobody needed to do), Mike Skinner brought charisma and a unique performance to the Big Smoke stage - the only downfall being that the England game went all the way to penalties, cutting the set shorter than it should have been.

Finally, the main man took to the stage, and everybody had been waiting for this moment. Skepta took to the stage, spraying iconic bars from the get-go and not letting his foot off the gas with track selection from the moment he started. The crowd knew every single word to pretty much every single song, and Skepta had some surprises up his sleeve as well.

Bringing out friends (and family) in JME, R2RMoe, Nafe Smallz, Chip - just to name a few- the stage saw some heavy-hitters on Saturday no doubt about it. One of the highlights was Skepta performing "Nokia Charger Wire" - a track that day one Skepta fans will have absolutely loved seeing him perform live.

All in all, with it being the first-ever Big Smoke Festival, there is a real basis for next year to be bigger and better. Crystal Palace Park was a great location, and the perfect size for the first of these events. there were plenty of food stands, a real focus on the safety of the festival goers, an incredible line-up, great facilities, and just good vibes from start to finish.

Check out highlights from the day below to see what you missed out on if you couldn't make it, and re-live it if you were there.