Boy Better Know are Headlining Wireless Festival, So Why Are People Upset With the Line Up?

Last year's Wireless Festival was bookended with one stroke of brilliance. Halfway through his headline set, Drake introduced Skepta to the stage. Seeing as Wireless Festival's London location in Finsbury Park is just a stones throw from the area in Tottenham where Skepta grew up, when the Boy Better Know member performed his song "Shutdown" on the main stage, it felt like a real moment. One of those energy-boosted performances, from the artist, but also the crowd, who knew that off the back of his banner year and a decade long career, Skepta deserved to be performing from a main stage in London more than anyone.

By the time the dust settled though, Skepta's appearance with Drake split opinions. On the one hand, it tied together the MC's recent run of releases and it was refreshing to see him up there. On the other: why wasn't he there on his own terms? How long would it take for one of the UK's biggest festivals to recognise its own homegrown talent?

Today that wait is over, as Wireless Festival have announced their 2016 line-up, which includes Boy Better Know in the Sunday headline slot. Here's the full line up.

Of course, besides the announcement of BBK, there are other acts on the Wireless line up that stick out like a sore thumb. The Instagram house that's been championed by Kygo isn't the most harmonious segue into JME, Skepta and co's grime. As someone else pointed out on Twitter, bringing The 1975 to the festival is like "bringing your posh friends to the endz". And if it seems like it was just five or six years ago that Calvin Harris was near the lower end of the bill rather than headlining, that's because it was: he used to marinade around in the nether regions of the Wireless line-up, as background music for people who were still getting over their hangover from the day before.

With that said, there are some great names on here. Young Thug! Section Boyz! Anderson .Paak! Craig David! Krept and Konan! Lady Leshurr! Kehlani! Vince Staples! Ty Dolla! Future! And loads more! As far as a festival that has a slight focus on rap and R&B goes, Wireless have come through with some top tier acts. So why are people on Twitter upset with the line-up? Why are the Metro publishing pieces titled "Wireless Festival 2016: People Are Really Not Happy with the Line-Up"?

How can there be no drake & post Malone at wireless wtf

— Jonzino (@J12_Ldn) March 9, 2016

Rihanna
Drake
Tory lanez
PND
Tiller
Future
Thug
Migos
C biz
Tobz
Baseman
Etc.
Wireless is cancelled.

— Princess (@_TamaraMendez) March 9, 2016

Wireless 2016 is cancelled

— prince (@_apexprince) March 9, 2016

Because Drake isn't on it? Pur-lease. That soft little teddy bear will be okay without headlining a festival for the second year in a row. Besides, we all know that by the time the festival comes round, this is something that will happen once again:

All you people not buying tickets to Wireless because the "lineup is shit" then on the day… pic.twitter.com/ARVDHe0TMo

— Mitch Stevens (@limitedmitch)

March 9, 2016

For now, it's crucial to move past the rest of the line-up – which, in all honesty, has holes and peaks in each year, just like every festival – and see the booking of Boy Better Know as Wireless headliners as the historical moment that it is. It's been a long time coming for the group to be recognised as main stage headliners. It's also a big move from a major festival to finally start making some effort to mould the British headliners of the future, rather than booking the exact same acts that have been closing stages since 2008. Why would you want to see Drake headline again, when he headlined last year? That's not the point of a festival. That's a re-run.

This year's Wireless line-up should've been met with positivity, yet people are moaning more about the lack of American artists that are on the line-up rather than celebrating the British acts that have been booked? Nah. Some people really want to have their cake with butter cream icing and glace cherries and a thousand pink and white sprinkles on the top hand delivered direct into their greedy mouth. If you can't go to a festival because Drake isn't playing, I'm sorry. There is no hope for you.

The rest of us: welcome. Wireless 2016, lets get it.

You can follow Ryan on Twitter.