Festival Review: Cross The Tracks 2026
Cross The Tracks was the perfect celebration of summer in the city. Undeterred by the record-breaking heatwave, crowds gathered in Brockwell Park for a final send-off to the first big weekend of London day festivals.
I managed to arrive halfway through WAR’s iconic ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’, enough to get my group pelting towards their congregation before the song was over. It was a perfect soundtrack for the weather, not to mention the general sense of joy that’s palpable across London on a bank holiday weekend. The performance dripped with craft and ease, closing on ‘Low Rider’, a seminal hit that landed as an ode to nearly sixty years of funk and soul greatness.
Don West cut a strong silhouette alongside impressive vocals at the Terminal stage, leading with fan favourite ‘Julia’. The Aussie crooner sounded more like he was from Memphis, and the Elvis comparison doesn’t end with his accent: the crowd were clearly besotted, hanging off his every word. He debuted a new song, ‘If I Had You’, that neatly matched a uniform discography of upbeat, in-love get-downs, for the perfect summer serenade. It was up to Fabio & Grooverider and The Outlook Orchestra to keep the energy going, perfectly blending jungle and drum & bass, played live with full instrumentation. They manage to create arguably the most danceable set, an impressive feat with such stiff competition, to truly shake off any remaining cobwebs.
Joy Crookes, between the odd moment of encouraging more dancing from the crowd, dedicated her set “to South London, Arsenal, and bad bitches.” Her love for the area was evident as she explained how special it was for her to play Cross The Tracks and reminisced about meeting exes in Brockwell Park. Crookes’ live rendition of ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ was mesmerising and moving, and popular track ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’ further proved her impressive vocals. As the sun began to set behind the audience, KOKOROKO took to the stage. The eight-piece band backed up their reputation with a smooth, exuberant set, carrying the festival through as the heat of the day faded.
It was Little Simz, billed for her first hometown festival headline, who really drew the crowds in. She opened with ‘Thief’ and ‘Flood’ from the critically acclaimed Lotus album, immediately commanding the audience’s complete adoration. Her performances of ‘Introvert’ and ‘Venom’ flawlessly reaffirmed the legend status. This is not just an artist who knows how to create: she can also perform like no one else, all with an impossible-to-wipe-off smile.
Moving towards the decks to inject some energy into the night with a DJ set, Simz told the crowd, “This is the part where you lose your minds”. It was here that she incorporated ‘Game On ft. JT’ from the EP she dropped earlier this month, though heavy hitter ‘That’s a No No’ was notably absent. Bringing out DEELA to perform their recent collaboration, ‘Open Arms’, was inevitable and emotive. At just 20-years old, the trapstar brought an injection of heartfelt affirmation, showing the promise of a star to come herself. Obongjayar joined on stage for ‘Lion’ and ‘Point and Kill’; his creative partnership with Simz is clearly a gleeful one, as they romped about the stage together.
Closing number, ‘Gorilla’ evoked such a response that Simz reloaded it at the iconic “Sim Simma” with a laugh, clearly relishing in her own achievement. “Cross The Tracks, I love you so much,” she said again and again throughout the set- not with emphasis like a leader, but casually, like a friend would. As she finally left the stage, it was to bone-breaking applause and undeniable appreciation from a satisfied crowd.
An event truly grounded in its home, Cross The Tracks proved itself to be the place to go for a good feeling. Early bird tickets for 2027 festival are already available, and if this year was anything to go by, they’ll be in high demand.
Photo Credit: @khaliphotography and Luke Dyson