Live

Reggae Land: National Bowl, Milton Keynes 6/8/23 (DAY 2)

Those who rocked up on day two were relieved to find that the weather was - mostly - doing what it should be doing at this time of year, and Queens of Lovers Rock Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson got things started on the main stage in the sunshine we'd all longed for 24 hours earlier.

Junior Marvin, bass player in The Wailers during Bob Marley's most successful years, was a welcome presence, belting out hits from that incredible era before Mr Vegas bounded onstage to the massive "Heads High". It was a strong day across all the stages, with an excellent set from Tippa Irie among the highlights in the Big Top.

Alborosie and The Shengen Clan were on top on the main stage, while Kabaka Pyramid put on a superb performance. His career has come a long way since I first caught him live in 2016, and he deserves all the plaudits - including the Best Album Grammy - he's getting now. He came out to the brilliant "Fade Away" and tore through a catalogue of tracks that shows exactly why he has a place at reggae's top table.

Speaking of which there was a lot of excitement in the Big Top as a large crowd packed in to catch Lila Ike. Her "Experience" record was a highlight of the difficult Covid years and it was a rare chance for a UK crowd to catch her in action. It's fair to say she didn't disappoint, and it will be no surprise to see her topping the bill at a future Reggae Land in years to come. "Where I'm Coming From" undoubtedly drew the largest cheers from the crowd, but it was a set that showed why so many people are talking about her.

Ike was followed by Protoje, who showed how it was done with an excellent set. From there I was able to catch the tail end of the always-excellent Barrington Levy, who delivered a mesmerising version of "Black Roses".

Bringing a massively successful weekend to a close was a feelgood set by the brilliant Sean Paul, who rolled back the years and turned the Bowl into a massive open-air dancefloor. Early hits "Infiltrate" and the inescapable "Shake That Thing" and "Gimme The Light" were well received by the thousands-strong crowd as fireworks exploded.

With Reggae Land set to return to Milton Keynes next year, there's already plenty of anticipation about what's to come next.

PHOTOS: DAVE BURKE
Words Dave Burke