Nestled in the leafy heart of Southwark park, Rally Rally Rally returned this August. Spread across innovative stages, with art installations littered throughout, I believe that it has cemented itself as one of London’s most distinctive festivals.

Unlike other fests, where the stages and layouts have felt copy and pasted, Rally stood out because of the intention behind its design – the use of the park was imaginative as well as practical. The massive bandstand in the park was the centre of the festival, and acted as an easy meeting point. The park benches were dotted around, and even a few stray sofas gave the site a communal feel. Each stage carried its own character that shaped the experience.

The Agnes Stage, programmed by NTS, was the space my friends and I ended up inhabiting the most, and had the most striking design. It didn’t look like a stage, so much as a construction site reimagined. The stage was built from what looked like slabs of repurposed shipping containers, giving it a DIY edge (and reminded me of my old love for watching container makeover videos). Depending on where you were standing, your perspective of the act changed, due to the multiple layers of viewing available. Astrid Sonne (someone who is part of the ridiculous wave of artists coming out of Scandinavia) was both composer and DJ here, looping live viola and feeding it through her deck, morphing tones into beats in real time. The crowd was locked in; half swaying and half mesmerised by her. I stumbled into Moin’s set not knowing who they were, but their loud and grungey composition drew me in. Bassvictim followed, bringing in their self proclaimed ‘Basspunk’ style. Live was the best way to experience the bass driven clash of synthy pop with industrial grit.

“It served as a reminder of Rally’s commitment to musical depth beyond what currently circles trend cycles”

The Chanel Stage anchored the day, an open stage curated by Bird On The Wire. I caught MIKE here, the New York rapper who I love for his rhythmic technique and sample heavy music. He strides onto the stage with an air of nonchalance, but it was clear to see him so full of glee, knowing that such a big crowd turned up for him. He was fully present during his set, using his charisma to make the whole audience dance, despite the oftentimes mellow nature of his tunes. Later, Speakers Corner Quartet led a moving tribute to the avant-grade cellist Arthur Russell, whose work still seeps through experimental music today. It served as a reminder of Rally’s commitment to musical depth beyond what currently circles trend cycles. Then, Floating Points would close things off with his hypnotic electronic set.

The Visionaire Stage, led by The Cause, showcased some of London’s best electronic sounds. Artists like Ben UFO, FAUZIA, and Courtesy pulled the crowd into motion. I danced here a bit on my own, and the environment felt great under the setting of strobes and smoke. Also, Skehans, one of my favourite pubs south of the river, had their own tent. Between pub games and pints, one of my highlights was catching the eclectic sets, and hearing ‘Death Grips Is Online’ a bunch of times.

“People actually left the stages between sets, meaning the flow of the park stayed alive”

I have to also mention the people. Festivals often bring out a survivalist streak in audiences (even at day ones) with fans camping out at stages for hours on end just to hold their spot. The crowd at Rally was very different. People actually left the stages between sets, meaning the flow of the park stayed alive. We walked in and out without getting nearly crushed, with the result being a crowd that was high energy, but not hostile.

In just three years, Rally has weathered storms (2023’s rain nearly washed it out) yet, at the same time has built a reputation as one the capitals most inventive day fests. Its values are rooted in DIY culture, championing London’s independent music and art scenes. Where others might overeach, Rally feels like it’s found its right scale, being accessible, imaginative, and deeply tied to its community.