Wiley is one of the few current artistes to successfully straddle both the commercial mainstream – with hits like Wearing My Rolex,Never Be Your Woman and the UK Singles Chart #1 hit Heatwave – and the UK’s thriving Underground scene, having risen through the ranks as a top MC and maintained his appeal with Grime clubbers, while his 10-minute freestyle session for Radio 1’s Westwood show is almost legendary, having notched up millions of views on video-sharing website YouTube
Wiley’s first began MC-ing over garage and jungle tracks for pirate radio stations, before becoming one part of several ‘crews’, including Pay As U Go who scored a hit in 2002 with Champagne Dance. He later formed the Roll Deep collective, along with the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder, when they moved away from the accepted UK Garage sound towards a new sound of ‘dirtier beats’ which would later become termed as Grime
With his own record label, Wiley is said to have played a major role in the early careers of several of today’s stars, including Dizzee, Tinchy and Chipmunk
Sundown Festival spokesman, Dion Clements comments: “Wiley is an outstanding talent of the urban music scene. Highly respected in both the underground and mainstream markets, Wiley has not only carved out his own career, but had a hand in the development of other artists, several of which performed at last year’s festival, so both we (the organisers) and the audience at Sundown should be honoured to have the Godfather of Grime come and perform our Main Stage this year”
The whole festival is now shaped to smash last year’s ticket sales, with few tickets remaining as music lovers of all genres jump at the chance to see the likes of Olly Murs, Katy B, Pixie Lott, Diana Vickers, Loveable Rogues, Stooshe, Zane Lowe, Ms Dynamite, Sub Focus, Delilah, Dot Rotten, Labrinth and headliners Chase & Status Live are all rock the Main Stage over the two-day festival, with Stage 2 playing host to the likes of Feed Me Live, Radio 1/1Xtra’s Mista Jam, Funtcase, Zinc, Wilkinson and 16 Bit, presented by UKF on Saturday 1 September, and dance brand KISS will present headliner David Rodigan MBE, Sway Live, EZ, Shortee Blitz, MJ Cole and Charlie Hedges on Stage 2 for the Sunday night
Also recently announced to perform at the East of England’s most progressive music event are rising stars Ria Ritchie, Josh Osho, Parade and Intensi-T, along with Live & Unsigned winners CoCo and the Butterfields, Hatty Keane and Molly Smitten-Downes
In addition, one of the biggest model agencies in the world, NEXT Models – who represent supermodels Arizona Muse and Karlie Kloss, as well as talent including Professor Green – is set to deploy an army of talent scouts to the event later this summer to look for new faces
‘Weekenders’ (Campers) will also be able to enjoy a pre-event party, on Friday 31 August, with an exclusive, intimate set by renowned DJ, Jaguar Skills, late that night in the Warehouse, as well as being treated to further exclusive after-show parties in the Warehouse, performed by B Traits and Breakage on the Saturday night, and RATPACK on the Sunday night
A popular TV programme has also confirmed they are set to film at Norfolk’s biggest music of the year; Channel 4’s Battlefront will be filming at Sundown for the second year in a row, as they campaign to combat youth unemployment.
