Rappers Nelly, Kano and Big Narstie bring urban sounds to Cambridge at sun-drenched one-day bash Strawberries and Creem
Hot In Herre hitmaker Nelly headlines bash - before announcing plans to study at town's famous uni
IF someone mentioned the music scene in Cambridge, you'd probably think about university choirs singing hymns - or at a push, the town's rock legends Pink Floyd.
But up-and-coming Cambridgeshire grime festival Strawberries & Creem is attempting to change all that - by making the town as well known for urban sounds as it is for choral arrangements or prog rock guitar solos.
Now in its third year, yesterday the bash drew more than 5,000 revellers from all over the country to see a bill featuring rapper and Top Boy star Kano, MC and Craig David collaborator Big Narstie, and offering US rapper Nelly as the headline act.
Despite a 2pm showtime, Kano delivered a punchy set packed with hits from new album Made In The Manor, with the crowd showing their appreciation for hits including 3 Wheel-ups and Garageskank as well as some older material.
And he provided a change of pace from the furious rap sound with perfect festival singalong T-shirt Weather In The Manor, before leaving the stage to perform at Manchester's Parklife festival later that day.
Busy without being rammed, the event was well-catered for without enormous queues for toilets or food vans, while revellers were spread out between two main stages as well as a host of smaller areas including a man-made beach where revellers could enjoy the glorious sunshine.
Even football fans weren't left out, as they could watch England's 1-1 Euro 2016 draw against Russia on a big screen. But surprisingly, all drinks retailers appeared to have run out of wine by late afternoon.
Judging by the reaction to US rapper Nelly however, most fans didn't mind too much switching a glass of white for a cold beer - as he played to the biggest and most enthusiastic crowd of the day despite his 5pm slot.
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Rushing to the stage after his entourage insisted festival bosses took them to the gym for a pre-gig workout, the hitmaker worked his way through some more recent work before closing with urban classics Hot In Herre, Dilemma, and Just A Dream.
Afterwards, while his team relaxed with the 20 bottles of Ciroc vodka - and 24 towels - laid on as part of his rider, Nelly revealed that the visit to famous university town Cambridge had inspired him to stick around for further study.
US rapper Nelly fronted the line up along with Top Boy star Kano, MC and Craig David collaborator Big Narstie
He told The Sun: "I'd like to study maths here at Cambridge Uni, because the subject's the same all over the world, you can use it anywhere. Plus it would be useful in running my business interests."
There was still time for a storming appearance from grime star Big Narstie, whose drum and bass inspired grime had the crowd launching themselves into a furious mosh pit, while UK urban legends Crazy Cousinz played a set in second stage the Big Strawberry which seemed to include every garage, grime and funky house hit of the past decade.
And huge closing gigs from dancehall legend David Rodigan and urban stars Kurupt FM gave the crowd the chance to dance away the last of their energy before making the journey home.
Sadly the closing moments of the festival were marred by the rural location's poor local transport links, with huge demand for limited taxis leaving many partygoers fearing they would be unable to reach Cambridge in time for their last train home.
But that shouldn't take away from a roaring success of a festival, which certainly has big things ahead of it.
