We Out Here 2024 - 5 Stand Out Sets

A triumphant return for the Giles Peterson curated festival, as it continues to deliver stand out musical moments across a rich spectrum of sounds.

The beginning of August and a return to long hazy days means it is that time of year again to make the pilgrimage down to Wimborne St Giles in Dorset for the 5th installment of We Out Here. The festival has made a name for itself with its unique blend of community feel and an eclectic programming mix, drawing on a tapestry of soul, hip hop, house, afro, electronica, jazz and everything in between.

2024 featured a stacked headline bill, with the likes of Andre 3000, Sampha, Kae Tempest, Floating Points and Mount Kimbie all gracing the stage.

This year, festival go-ers were treated to more than 300 acts spread across 4 packed days of music. Here, smaller stages pack just as big of a punch as the heavyweights, with a quality of programming that rewards a good going over the line up poster with a magnifying glass.

Special mention amongst the 15 stages goes as ever, to the iconic and pocket sized Lemon Lounge. Expect to find this packed with dancers day and night, with a fistful of papier-mâché lemons doing an effective job of warding off anyone taking anything much too seriously.

With far too much to pack into a short space of time, here is a run down of the 5 unmissable sets from the weekend:

Ron Trent

After setting the festival in motion with main stage duties on Thursday night with the deep groove of live project WARM, Ron Trent returned to The Bowl stage on Friday for a 3 hour set to kick things into an altogether higher gear. Famed as one of the architects of the Chicago House scene, Trent launched the audience on a journey of discovery deep into the crates with disco tinged rhythms aplenty.

The atmosphere is a unique one as night-time revelers descend into the natural amphitheater of The Bowl, with an almost mystical, quiet calm emerging. As Trent holds ceremony in the centre of the pit, there is a sense this is closer to Church than your average late night blow out.

Nana Benz du Togo

Perhaps the surprise highlight of the festival is the electric Saturday afternoon performance by the quintet hailing from Togo. While it's unlikely that punters arrived at the festival hoping to catch the latest expression of voodoo to hit the dancefloor, after experiencing the captivating melodies and rhythms that Nana Benz bring to stage, the crowd are quickly bought into this distinctive brand of organic-electronic fusion.

Corto Alto

Jazz multi-instrumentalist Corto Alto topped off a whirlwind few weeks after receiving a Mercury Prize nomination for his debut album ‘Bad With Names’, with not one but two performances on Sunday. Before closing out the main stage later in the day, he headed to the laid-back intimacy of the Branswood stage to deliver a scintillating lunchtime opener to a packed tent.

A warm blend of jazz trombone, electronica and broken beat proves to be just the medicine to get a Sunday crowd moving. A set to blow out the final day cobwebs just as effectively as that coffee you waited 45 minutes in line for.

CASISDEAD

Taking over proceedings at the leafy Lush Life stage on Saturday night, the Tottenham rapper delivered a commanding performance which offered an interesting counterpoint to the laid-back, soulful soundscape of the stage by day. Hot off the back of his 2023 debut album ‘Famous Last Words’, CASISDEAD drew a big crowd eager to catch a glimpse of the elusive, masked performer.

The music that emerged is a blend of heavy hitting lyricism and 80s synths that combine to create an eerie and dystopian brand of rap. Closing out the set with the atmospheric hit Pat’s Earrings brings the high energy show to a well received crescendo.

Andre3000

Final mention has to go to Andre 3000 for a spacey, improvised flute soundscape that caught much attention on Sunday afternoon. An altogether more successful scheduling decision than his somewhat divisive set a day earlier at All Points East for the Loyle Carner headlining day festival event in Victoria Park, London.

The crowd took a moment to settle in for the ride, but once they understood the assignment they were happy to sit and drift away into this musical world primed for a festival wind down. After all, for long-time attendees this was unlikely to be the most out-there jazz flute odyssey they had seen at the festival.

This experience typifies the special atmosphere of We Out Here that keeps people coming back year after year, a warm and welcoming community that celebrates artistry and seems ever ready to embark on the next musical adventure.