Due to overwhelming demand, dance music legends Basement Jaxx have added a second headline show at this year’s South Facing Festival. After a decade away from the world’s biggest stages, they are returning with their signature euphoric, high-energy live performance. Basement Jaxx will now headline Crystal Palace Park on both Friday, 22 August, and Saturday, 23 August.
“We are thrilled to be adding a second night of our full live show experience at Crystal Palace Bowl in the Summer. We’ll now be playing both Friday and Saturday of the August Bank Holiday plus we’ll be joined by a few Special Guests for two amazing nights! Thank you, London – we’ll see you soon…” Basement Jaxx
While many of their electronic contemporaries have looked to technology to make their gigs a compelling experience, Basement Jaxx have always embraced a maximalist approach, combining a dizzying and ever-growing array of singers, MCs, musicians and eventually whole troupes of dancers to turn any stage into a life-affirming cavorting carnival of music.
Starting in 1994 with a series of underground EPs on their own Atlantic Jaxx label and now famous parties held in venues across a pre-gentrified South London, Felix and Simon Ratcliffe’s distinctive combination of house and garage with punk attitude, global influences and unforgettable tunes quickly developed a cult following that led to their 1999 first album Remedy; with its breakthrough hits Red Alert, Rendez Vu and Jump & Shout. 2001’s follow-up Rooty was even bigger and louder: Where’s Your Head At provided an evergreen anthem that still crosses all generations and genres.
Right from the start Felix and Simon’s live experience was a showstopper that grew into a spectacular festival experience leading to headline slots at Glastonbury: first on The Other Stage, then by 2005, the same year they won the Grammy for best electronic album, Coachella, the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage and Hyde Park in London.
“It’s great our hits are still very much alive with younger generations,” said Felix, “so we connect across the age range – and it’ll be great to pop in a couple of bangers from our forthcoming album too”
The last 10 years have seen Basement Jaxx remain festival favourites, but headlining behind the decks rather than at the front of the stage – but the time is right to bring back the full eye-popping technicolour experience. As Felix puts it: “It feels like 2025 is the beginning of a new era for many and I think that’s probably true for Basement Jaxx too”
South Facing is a multi-day, open-air festival that takes place each summer in the historically significant Crystal Palace Bowl. The festival boasts a huge choice of top-end street food and drink options including street food, craft ale and rum shack, and is easily accessible from London and all over the South East thanks to the various train and bus routes, including Crystal Palace (TfL Overground and National Rail), Penge West (TfL Overground and National Rail), and Gipsy Hill (National Rail).
Previous years have included huge headline performances, with Grace Jones, Damian Marley, Supergrass, Sleaford Mods, The English National Opera, Richard Ashcroft, Becky Hill, Bombay Bicycle Club, Jungle, and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, all gracing the stage.
