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Reader rating
Description: A multitude of different musical styles to celebrate London United Against Racism. Acts include CSS, Jimmy Cliff, The Aliens, Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings, Bassekou Kouyate And Ngoni Ba, Emmanuel Jai, Grupo Lokito, Mashasha, Yaaba Funk, Tawiah, Kele Le Roc, Bashy, Brazenbunch, Rising Tide, Dub Pistols, Kitty, Daisy And Lewis, Bashy Featuring No.Lay And Ty
Phone: 0207983 6554
Trains: Tube: Finsbury Park 
The harder it comes: Jimmy Cliff performs at sunset in Finsbury Park
New look: Lovefoxxx from CSS in a new version of her trademark catsuit
Rise festival had tremendous pulling power. Organisers said attendance at the free music event reached 101,000, making it perhaps the biggest so far.
That achievement was almost ruined by the decision to cut off reggae legend Jimmy Cliff in full flow, leaving fans bewildered. Licensing curfews must be observed, but he should have been allowed to finish his song rather than perform silently to a huge crowd.
Otherwise, this was a well-organised festival blessed with perfect sunshine and a strong line-up. The Mayor's decision to remove the anti-racism message, replacing it with a general "celebration of diversity", prompted trade unions to withdraw their support.
However, the spirit of unity at Rise seemed as strong as ever, with the bonus that Boris ditched the tedious speeches between sets that Ken Livingstone and his campaigning friends used to inflict on the audience. Of course, it would have been entertaining to see Boris attempt to engage with a pop festival, but he was unable to attend due to family commitments.
There was no real backlash to the anti-racism issue: former Specials singer Terry Hall did bemoan the "dumping" of the message, although he aimed his opprobrium at the BNP.
Hall was performing with Dub Pistols and, although a bit crumpled, he brought some star quality when he sang Gangsters, which surely had thousands of fans eager for a Specials reunion. Hall's former band mate Jerry Dammers also got a joyous reception for his DJ set earlier on.
The Aliens' space-rock struggled to get that sort of reaction, although it was certainly sunshine music. On the African Village stage, former Sudanese child soldier Emmanuel Jal was also somehow uplifting: his rapping could ramble, but his sincere delivery of the grim lyrics was ultimately inspiring.
Brazilian electro-rock outfit CSS were the party band, with singer Lovefoxxx wearing a stripy catsuit and more stripes painted on her face.
It was an ebullient performance, which probably comes naturally with songs called Music is My Hot Hot Sex. New tunes Left Behind and the Eighties-sounding Move also got the crowd dancing, while Reggae All Night had Lovefoxxx getting excited about Jimmy Cliff.
"It's a beautiful day, I feel like I'm in Jamaica," said the reggae veteran. He was soundtracking a perfect sunset with classics including Wonderful World, Beautiful People and Vietnam.
But then the plug was pulled after 35 minutes. If Rise does happen again next year, Jimmy Cliff should be invited back to perform his full set.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
