an excursion for the soul: london + lido festival

an excursion for the soul: london + lido festival

Every so often, it’s good to step outside the studio, recharge, and find inspiration in the places and sounds that shape culture. Earlier this summer, Chris and Graham took a two-day trip to London – part creative wander, part musical pilgrimage – with Jamie XX headlining the Lido Festival in Victoria Park as the anchor point.

They drifted through Shoreditch and Brick Lane, stopping at the legendary Beigel Bake, flicking through racks at Rough Trade East, and soaking up the street textures that always make East London such a rich visual environment. Vinyl in hand, they grabbed the tube to Bethnal Green, walked across to the Crown on the edge of Victoria Park, and settled in ahead of a night of music.

The festival itself was unforgettable. The must-sees: a three-hour set from DJ Harvey inside The Floor – Jamie XX’s own nightclub recreation built within the festival – followed by Jamie XX himself closing the main stage with a set that was as euphoric as it was meticulously crafted.

Sunday took on a slower rhythm. A walk through Soho gave time to browse Sounds of the Universe, where – in true London fashion – Benicio Del Toro happened to be walking out just as we were walking in. From there, the trail wound through Patta, Palace, Supreme, and other regular haunts – each one a reminder of how design, music, and fashion collide in London’s cultural ecosystem. The day wrapped with spotting space invaders tiled onto corners and side streets, small markers of creativity hiding in plain sight.

Trips like this remind us why we do what we do: creativity isn’t only found in the projects we deliver – it’s out there in the city, in the records, in the crowds, and in the unexpected details you stumble across when you’re paying attention.