Ever since the song “Feel the Love” came out in 2013 and took the world by storm, Rudimental have been radio favorites and a big draw at music festivals. That is how we ended with the fact that their gig at the OK Fest was the third time I got to hear them live.
First time I saw them live was in 2014, when they performed in full capacity with two singers while the second time was in 2017 when they performed their DJ set. Both times they were a great experience and got me dancing all night. This time, however, things were different.
They were performing with their DJ set once again, but it just didn’t sound fresh like the first time. They were a bit less energetic and bit more boring. It seemed like they just came to do what they got paid to do and take off to another place and another gig. It just didn’t feel all that special or worth to be counted as being at a satisfying gig. And it wasn’t just me; the rest of the crowd seemed a bit bored as well.
However, it wasn’t all bad. Occasionally, guys from Rudimental would take it up a notch with some hit song that would wake up the audience and got them going. This especially goes for the very end of the set, when they started to show flashes of their musical brilliance. Frankly, it was maybe too little, too late.
Maybe it was just a night off for them or something similar, but Rudimental did not deliver this time like they are known to do. But, I’ll probably encounter them soon enough, and be able to tell you whether this was an exception or not.
