Rally festival review – thrilling blend of cult DJs and indie darlings

Rally festival’s first edition in 2023 was something of a washout. Torrential rain hammered revellers in south London’s Southwark Park, while headliners Obongjayar and Princess Nokia pulled out at the last minute, leaving post-punk group Squid to pick up the pieces with a formidable set once the skies finally cleared. The precipitation and scheduling chaos was an unfortunate fate for a festival with an admirable ethos. Going against the grain of corporate behemoths like All Points East or BST, Rally takes a grassroots approach, giving local small venues such as Ormside Projects and Avalon cafe curating power alongside larger partners Resident Advisor and NTS. Local artists from Goldsmith’s University and Camden Art Centre also facilitate installations throughout the site, providing quirky corners of sculptural hangings amid the music.

Rally’s return on another rainy (but thankfully not relentless) day in Southwark Park is a welcome sight. Rather than being hampered by last year’s faults, the programming is bigger and bolder in 2024, booking a slew of cult-favourite DJs – most notably a rare performance from anonymous production duo Two Shell – as well as guitar-friendly sets from indie darlings Nilüfer Yanya and bar italia.

On the dancefloor front, the secluded Visionaire stage hosts a range of seamless mixes amid towering plane trees. Hessle Audio boss Pearson Sound journeys from thumping bass-weight to Detroit electro and bouncing two-step without dropping a beat, while Berlin-based Ogazón and British DJ Christian AB conduct a masterclass in back-to-back selections, chugging their way through ecstatic blends of house and melodic techno. In the scaffolded warehouse setting of the Agnes stage, meanwhile, London techno stalwart Actress delivers a mixed set, beginning in ambient textures before meandering to muffled, esoteric beats that play as if through the wall of a club night happening next door.

Highlight of the raving side of the festival comes after this chin-stroking techno, courtesy of a roadblock performance by Two Shell. Enlisting two fist-pumping dancers to hype the crowd while the real production duo crouches behind the mixing desk in hoodies, Two Shell are ear splittingly loud and euphorically fun. Keeping the tempo high to cruise through R&B vocal edits, dub and the hyperpop of their 2022 single Home, the duo live up to the hype to deliver a dancefloor experience that is embodied rather than involved.

The tonal differences between chugging basslines and guitar-strumming balladry on adjacent stages can be jarring at points, with Nilüfer Yanya somewhat struggling to draw in the crowd for intimate versions of tracks like Call It Love and Midnight Sun while Two Shell’s bass floats across the field. Yet, an earlier performance from singer-songwriter Fabiana Palladino is mesmerising, channelling the Teena Marie references of her self-titled debut LP for 40 minutes of 80s soul and funk backed by flawless vocals.

Headliners Mount Kimbie ultimately produce the perfect blend of electronic influences and songwriting. Newly expanded as a four-piece, the group delve into the shoegaze distortions of their infectiously head-nodding latest record, The Sunset Violent, with vocalists Dom Maker and Andrea Balency-Béarn trading lines over the low-slung guitars of tracks such as Fishbrain and Dumb Guitar. The inclusion of earlier productions Marilyn and Made to Stray from the group’s post-dubstep years equally expand beautifully into electro-acoustic jams, as drum machines merge with drum kit and vocals supplement synth melody to encapsulate the range of Rally’s programming. It’s a fitting end to what is fast-becoming London’s most exciting small festival.