"Standing under the archway in the closed off Adderley Street, letting the mighty bass of Mungo’s Hi Fi soundsystem reorder my internal organs and the aromas of jerk chicken, herb and fresh sexy juice wash over me, it hit me: Birmingham does this type of event really well.

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The location was near perfect: a little slice of 21st century carnival pleasure in old industrial Birmingham, using the roadblock space alongside the Rainbow’s warehouse, bar and mezzanine to great effect.​

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The line-up was pretty neat too. Everything I managed to get to - a live PA from city reggae outfit Friendly Fire, booming jungle from veteran DJ Micky Finn, The Selecter’s tight and bouncing set, most of Johnny Clarke’s heavyweight performance, plus the subtastic vibration white finger speciality of Mungo’s and the Ragga Twins – worked beautifully together to create a big feelgood vibe.

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The mixed bill did its job in attracting a mixed audience and the festival was all the better for it; this was a night that was genuinely all about sharing in the music. So big up the Reggae City Festival organisers, and here’s to an even bigger and better event in 2014"
 

Lyle Bignon - Brum Notes