Basement Jaxx | Gilles Peterson | Rob Galliano | Tom Central| Josh Parkinson
Dreamland, Margate, Kent
26th July 2025
Basement Jaxx brought their visually arresting live show to the Kent coast on Saturday night when they whipped up a storm on The Scenic Stage at Margate’s Dreamland.
2025 has seen the welcome return of Basement Jaxx to the live arena for the first time in 10 years, and Dreamland’s Summer Series were very lucky to secure such a treasured opportunity. Having played a handful of gigs already, including Latitude and Coachella, Basement Jaxx were ready to party by the time they arrived in Thanet. The duo of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, accompanied by some very special performers, saw to it that nothing was left on the table as they threw the kitchen sink, and more, into delivering a stunning live performance.
Before the main act, just as coach loads of day trippers made their way off the beach, had their last go in the arcade and finished off their Fortnum & Mason chips from Pete’s Fish Factory, it was the turn of three DJs to entertain the growing crowds. First up, in his leopard print jacket, gold mirror shades and Magenta baseball cap was Josh Parkinson.“I grew up here, I had to move away”, said Josh, “this is a dream come true”. A brief spell of rain just before the park opened to the public dissipated quickly to bring back the warm glow of the summer sun as Josh brought a smile to the faces of those before him as he played some Sade, some En Vogue and even some Angie Stone. “Thank you for dancing with me”, Josh said before handing over to Tom Central.
Tom Centrals set was a little more niche and a little more laid back as he spun some Latin rhythms for the Margate massive. Glitter and sequins were most certainly de rigueur for the carnival crowd. As Tom warmed up the audience, it was clear that at least one lady had definitely got the memo about the dress code. In a sequined shower cap, a sequined vest and with a sequined bum bag, here was one walking glitter ball ready to dance the night away. Central finished off his set with tunes from Jamz Supernova and Murder He Wrote before Gilles Peterson and Rob Galliano took to the Pioneer DJ decks.
Peterson, in double denim, stone suede desert boots and a pink Astro Black T, began his set with a tune lifted from that day’s GP 6Music show, namely Joe Bataan’s The Bottle. Peterson, with the occasional help of a rather nonchalant, poorly microphoned Galliano, treated the packed crowd before them to some Jazz dancing, a little Dub and a little Reggae before signing off with Bill Withers Lovely Day.
As the sun dropped lower in the sky, an enhanced stage was set up for the night’s much anticipated headliners. In front of the massive video screen at the back of the stage, Basement Jaxx had constructed a sloping addition to the stage, complete with a huge cutout, just big enough to house Buxton and Radcliffe. To the left and right of the stage were two sets of steps leading up to the back of the slope, and further forward stood two sets of drums and percussion. Even before the show began, it was clear that something out of the ordinary was about to happen.
As 9pm arrived, so too did Basement Jazz. The huge ape that had been surveying the crowd from the video wall gave way to Felix and Simon as the band’s intro was spliced into a thumping version of Good Luck. The party had well and truly begun, and there was no turning back now. With each song, the show, and it was most certainly a show, got bigger and bigger.
Bingo-Bango shifted into Jump N’ Shout as two singers became three, and then three singers were joined by elaborately costumed dancers. Raindrops slowed the tempo but upped the spectacle as a huge flower walked onto the stage and unfurled her petals to the beat of the track. This was, you had to remind yourself at times, Margate, but it could easily have been Vegas. The visuals were breathtaking as the dancers slid across the stage in a vivid and vibrant piece of performance art.
Silver space age dresses, metallic leotards and neon pink sea urchins ensured that you could not avert your eyes for a second as Basement Jaxx played one banger after another. Red Alert (“Margate, are you ready to party? Well alright then”), Romeo, Rendez-Vu and Just 1 Kiss enthralled the dancing Dreamlanders. As ten o’clock approached, so too did the end of the night as Cish Cash led Basement Jaxx into the evening’s biggest moment. It was inevitable, and it was brilliant, that Where’s Your Head At would end the main set and whip the crowd into a frenzy. WYHA was the highlight of so many as apes bounced down from the back of the stage whilst the performance was still taking place. BJ reappeared for a short encore of Express Yourself and a new track, Bambina, before leaving the stage for the final time. As the delighted audience started making their way home, they were still chanting – Where’s Your Head At?
Basement Jaxx curated a setlist that delivered at each turn, in a wonderful, whirlwind performance that had everything but left you yearning for just a little more. Felix and Simon, together with a supremely talented cast, brought a circus performance to The Scenic Stage and carried it off with aplomb. Saturday nights don’t get a lot better than this.
~
You can find Basement Jaxx online here: They’re also on
Facebook and X, as @TheBasementJaxx
You can find Gilles Peterson online here: They’re also on
Facebook
You can find Tom Central on Facebook and X, as @tomcentral
You can find Josh Parkinson on Facebook and Instagram
All words and photo gallery by Andrew Lockwood. More writing by Andrew Lockwood can be found at his author’s archive.
Main photos by Hels Millington.
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