Wireless festival review – Ice Spice, Asake and Doja Cat triumph on gappy bill

This year’s Wireless festival is instantly mired in controversy – a decision to finish Sunday’s outing two-and-a-half hours early, allowing fans to catch the European Championship final, sours the mood of the weekend. The disappointment is justified as the adjusted timeline feels convenient. Scheduled Sunday acts Digga D and Tyla were long expected to cancel due to their respective legal difficulties and injury, yet their absences are only confirmed on Friday, with no replacement acts announced. Friday also brings cancellations for Flo Milli and Veeze, pulling apart a promisingly stacked lineup.

Still, the army of Barbz who swarm Finsbury Park clad in pink skirts, bows and baby tees get everything they want from Friday headliner Nicki Minaj, whose fourth Wireless appearance brings the full, maximalist, world-building production of the Pink Friday 2 world tour . She runs the full course of her discography, from fulfilment anthem Moment 4 Life to that iconic Monster verse, and Minaj’s dramatics, rhapsodic delivery and visuals of assembly-line porcelain cyborg doppelgangers make for a playful and genuinely fun headline show.

Her next-gen successor Ice Spice’s set is a triumph, as the Bronx star confidently raps with no backing track and twerks to cheers and growls; guest Central Cee emerges to deafening teenage screams for a performance of their new track Did It First, the two baiting rumours of a new relationship. It may be a stunt, but it’s enjoyable still.

Come Saturday, Sexyy Red disappears from the lineup with a vague explanation of “travel issues”. The most anticipated set of the day is J Hus’s first live performance in five years, which is clearly an emotional moment for the east London rapper. He looks genuinely happy on stage, running around alongside MoStack. But at times he seems shy and overwhelmed, letting the backing track carry the set, leaving me to wonder if he was quite ready for this.

But it’s Nigerian star Asake who proves the day’s standout , accompanied by the infectious melodies of band the Compozers. He has a rich, gorgeous voice which particularly shines in Remember and an a cappella rendition of Lonely at the Top, and there’s an eccentricity and randomness to his movements which levels up the performance – he pulls his top over his head, brings out a flamethrower and runs into the crowd like a rockstar. It makes for a thrilling spectacle from a true maverick.

And then the offending day arrives, the sea of England tops an annoying reminder that many attendees feel shortchanged. At least Sunday offers some of the festival’s high points. Nigerian musician Rema wields high-production rockstar aesthetics – screeching guitars and heavy percussion – and his impeccable vocals glide through Soundgasm and Holiday with considerable charm. And Sexyy Redd finally makes a surprise appearance during Don Toliver’s set, which leads to people rushing from all corners of the park to catch U My Everything and Get It Sexyy.

Related: ‘I can’t lie. I attract people’: Ice Spice on becoming 2023’s biggest pop star – with help from Taylor Swift

Doja Cat’s closing act is the best of the weekend. She’s sporting red hair and a hand-painted Union Jack corset, like a grunge Geri Halliwell, and offers a spectacular, sexy and ferocious masterclass in performing. True to her stance against parasocial fan relations, the only time she directly speaks to the crowd is to throw a silver football, “I heard there was a game … GO ENGLAND!” That also means she confidently ignores commercial hits, aside from a phenomenal reworking of Say So with a thumping disco-funk bassline. Otherwise moments of burlesque dancing accompany Shutcho, Acknowledge Me, and Demons, with Doja gracefully shifting from teasing and provocative to intimidating and dominant. Her breath control as she raps a verse of Get Into It (Yuh) without pause is first-class. It’s no mean feat to have created such a captivating show in pure daylight, but Doja transforms what could have been a day where fans felt short-changed into one where we left with more than we bargained for.