Don’t end this weekend in your usual Sunday duvet-destination. Throw off the blankets, but bring them, and a picnic, with you to Victoria Park, London E3 and enjoy the predicted sunshine amidst a carnival full of fantastic urban music that will be well worth missing a roast for…

The Love Music Hate Racism carnival began 30 years ago, as Rock Against Racism. In the 1970s, it was mainly rock/punk bands who carried heavily-charged political messages within their popular songs. They, along with a group of activists, felt a responsibility to act in the face of rising xenophobia and racism – which was being persistently promoted by Nazi organisations at the time, such as the National Front.

I think that the eclectic mix of music which will be performed for our pleasure (FOR FREE!) this Sunday 27 April, shows how far we have come from those days. Racism is obviously still an unacceptable problem throughout the UK. However, the amalgamation of cultures, languages and traditions that have intermingled to help create the urban sounds most of us love listening to show how well we can integrate – and nowhere more so than the capital.

Successfully using music as a uniting medium for years, the organisers have put together a line-up that reads like a Who’s Who of urban talent. I will be hurrying to Hackney early Sunday morning in the hope of getting my eyes and ears near my selection of the hottest performing acts:

Hard-Fi, Roll Deep, Helsinki (Drew McConnell of the Babyshambles & friends), Jay Sean, Akala, Wiley, Heartless Crew, Bashy, Tinchy Stryder, Chipmunk, Target, Riz MC, DJ Hype and Aruba Red (whom I will be interviewing VERY soon)…

I can also exclusively reveal the times for some of the acts in the dance tent (where the real action is sure to be) and who simply cannot be missed:

1320-1330 Aruba Red
1515-1600 Heartless Crew
1700-1800 DJ Hype playing old skool jungle

For those of you who want to stretch the weekend out even longer, the official carnival after-party will be at Herbal in Shoreditch from 8.30pm – 2am. Fabio and Friction will be playing world-class D&B, alongside live performances from Natascha Eleonore (Aruba Red), MC Riz and Nathan Flutebox Lee. There will also be samba music, dancers and urban poetry.

So don’t sleep away your Sunday – come and party for a good cause and remember why you love London. Monday morning might not thank you for it, but your memories will!

Go to www.lmhrcarnival.com for more info on the carnival and to www.herbaluk.com for more info on the after-party.

Filed under: Big Smoke Soirees, Music