Dizzee Rascal| Mike Skinner| DJ Badger
Dreamland, Margate, Kent
twenty ninth August 2025
Because the Margate Summer season Sequence attracts in direction of its finale, Dreamland welcomed UK Rap royalty to The Scenic Stage by internet hosting singer, songwriter, producer and actor Dizzee Rascal MBE. Dylan Kwabena Mills (aka Dizzee), simply shy of his forty first birthday, headed to the Kent seaside earlier than he jets off to play in Iceland, Ibiza, New Zealand and Bali. The Grime guru, recent from just lately releasing his newest single, Collect Spherical (Good Occasions), was as energised as ever as he bounced, skipped and ran in regards to the sun-soaked stage.
Supporting Dizzee within the fading glow of the night sunshine had been DJ Badger and Mike Skinner of the Streets. Badger was first up, entertaining the ever rising crowd with a vigorous, humour laden set interspersed with intermittent compulsory interjections of shouts of “Badger” (Obvs!). Fuelled by Tequila and Moretti, Badger, in his black and white shades, combined up his hour lengthy slot with every part from Speaking Heads to Blur, from Gorillaz to Natasha Bedingfield and from Roni Measurement to The Venga Boys!
UK Storage legend Mike Skinner took over the decks from DJ Badger previous to “the massive man” himself. Skinner, no stranger to Dreamland, having carried out right here virtually two years in the past with The Streets, introduced out the Cognac and the beers as he continued to heat up the largely animated and excited viewers. Mike did name out one seemingly unenthused “gentleman” on the barrier. “You, sir, within the coat, look behind you in any respect the folks and the locations promoting drinks”. There was little, if any, response, and Mike moved on to provide the group a quick historical past lesson about the truth that he was performing underneath the UK’s oldest wood curler coaster, The Scenic Railway. He additionally gave the group some property recommendation and informed them to purchase a flat in close by Arlington Home, “earlier than the hipsters” transfer in.
Skinner’s set was just a little flat, to be trustworthy, regardless of the snippets of basic Streets tracks that had been spliced into the combo. Even transient spins of Who’s Received The Bag, Match However You Know It, and Unique Pirate Materials did not ignite the contact paper. Skinner made one foray off the stage for Take Me As I Am, nevertheless it sadly wasn’t his most interesting hour.
Dizzee’s introduction to the Scenic Stage was barely delayed by just a few unsavoury altercations within the crowd forward of his arrival, however as soon as he arrived, so too did the euphoria. In his personal model black bucket hat and white t-shirt, black North Face shorts and Nike Air-Max 1s, Dizzee bounded out like a Duracell bunny at an Easter egg hunt. Opening tracks Jus A Rascal and I Luv U ensured that the 6,000 robust crowd had been gripped from the off earlier than Dizzee took a breath to talk to his adoring viewers.
“I knew this one was gonna be depraved, I knew it, I knew it”, Dizzee mentioned to the group earlier than splitting them up into two groups. “What’s occurring over this aspect?… Yeah, yeah, they’re lively, they’re lively,” earlier than winding up the other aspect of the group and starting a rivalry of cheering. Ultimately deciding that the correct aspect was louder, Dizzee shouted – “All people on this aspect for those who actually signify Margate, that is your f**king time. Put a center finger to the sky and say, f**okay that aspect”. After a fast pause for water Dizzee introduced the temperature again down by saying, “we’re not gonna struggle immediately, we’re gonna deliver everybody collectively, so all people, after me say oi! After three Say oi!” The beat kicked in and Dizzee took to considered one of two raised platforms, leaping up and down like he was on a trampoline earlier than setting about Repair Up, Look Sharp.
The three killer tracks, all from 2003’s Mercury profitable album Boy In Da Nook, took the group again to Rascal’s early days when the boy from Bow blew up on the UK’s rising Grime scene. Sirens maintained the buoyant temper earlier than a collective sing-along ensued as Dizzee belted out Dirtee Money and I Want To Know.
Certainly one of two variations of fan favorite Bonkers got here mid-set, whipping the group up right into a feral frenzy earlier than 2018’s Don’t Fuel Me calmed them solely ever so barely!. Bassline Junkie and R U Sleeping? headed up Dizzee’s newest, R&B flavoured launch, Collect Spherical (Good Occasions) earlier than he was again at his greatest with a Jet 2 model of Vacation and pumped up crowd pleaser, Filthy Bassline. Chants of soiled, filthy, stinking bassline resounded across the theme park because the symbiotic power between Dizzee and his viewers reached its joyous peak.
You’ve Received The Dirtee Love, Dizzee’s unforgettable Florence And The Machine collaboration from 2010, rounded out the principle set earlier than Dizzee strode again onto stage for a two observe encore that includes Fader and, for the second time, Bonkers. “You continue to ‘ere?” Dizzee requested the group. “We need to thanks for popping out right here and f**king with us tonight, we all know you would have been anyplace. We love you and respect you, yeah.”
Dizzee’s heartfelt phrases, boundless power and compelling efficiency noticed to it that the group couldn’t have wished for extra. Dizzee and Dreamland had been clearly made for one another.
~
You will discover Dizzee Rascal on-line right here: They’re additionally on
Fb and X, as @DizzeeRascal
You will discover Mike Skinner on-line right here: They’re additionally on
X, as @mikeskinnerltd
You will discover DJ Badger on Soundcloud: They’re additionally on Instagram
All phrases by Andrew Lockwood. Extra writing by Andrew Lockwood will be discovered at his creator’s archive.
All images by Aaron Thompson. AMP Pictures
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