"I've played outdoors plenty of times, but never in an actual forest beside the mountains," Labrinth admitted ahead of his support slot at Snowbombing Festival's closing party, hosted by Eristoff.
Performing in a small forest enclave tucked away on the traditional Mayhrofen ski resort in Austria certainly ranks as one of the more unique places to perform, but with the event now in its 12th year, it's a setup that the likes of regulars Fatboy Slim, Tinie Tempah and Chase & Status have become well-accustomed with.
This year it was the turn of the producer-turned-singer and grime-pop veteran Dizzee Rascal to discover what the winter sports-meets-music event has to offer, having given only a smattering of performances in recent years (his most recent was little over six months ago).
"It's my first show in a while, so I've given myself a couple of extra days here to chill and prepare," he told Digital Spy moments before going on stage, appearing wracked with nerves. Labrinth's set wouldn't have done much to calm them either, as he played the best of his debut album Electronic Earth ('Earthquake' and 'Let The Sun Shine') as well as several songs he's created for others, including Ms Dynamite's 'Neva Soft' and Tempah's 'Pass Out' - all with a level of familiarity and self-assurance rarely seen from a newcomer.
But if Rascal was apprehensive, he hid it well on stage. He opened with lesser-known songs 'I Luv U' and 'Jus' A Rascal' before playing a string of his more recent hits, most notably 'Dance Wiv Me', 'Holiday' and 'Bonkers' - which was given a second outing for an encore complete with laser light show and fireworks. It was a display that dispelled any myth that he'd lost his touch during his absence.
Even his new DJ Fresh-assisted single 'The Power' and brand new track 'Bassline Junkie' from his forthcoming album kept the crowd bouncing along over-excitedly, helped along even more by his very own Fizzee Rascal cocktail as well as Labrinth's Gold shots being served up by Eristoff's own barmaids.
On his impending return to the mainstream and new album, which is currently pencilled in for November, he said: "It's pretty uptempo, banging and ravey so far. I'm only halfway through it, so I'm not sure how the final record will turn out." If this showing was anything to go by, all signs point to it being a successful one.
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Listen to Dizzee Rascal and DJ Fresh's new single 'The Power' below:
